Imperial Assault Doctrine

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Imperial Assault Doctrine

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A small holorecording would play once the file was downloaded. A synthetic Imperial voice would speak, near entirely monotone.

"What follows below is an overview of how the Imperial Military will assault planetary targets. This is not an indepth tactical guide, but rather a tactical guideline that most Imperial commanders will follow on assault. Typical planetary combat is conducted with the aim of securing victory in the first strike, though if that cannot be achieved for various reasons then it is standard to adopt new strategies for a prolonged war to push for vital targets."

And as soon as it had started, the brief recording was done. Following, the file would go into further detail.


Assault Phase:

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When the orbital sphere has been secured by naval ships through the clearing of enemy vessels and orbital stations a navy fleet will take up geo-stationary orbit near the intended assault location. If required, capital ships will begin the assault with an orbital bombardment using turbolaser batteries, typically to weaken orbital defenses and shielding. While the bombardment is ongoing, if it is required, the first wave of army soldiers are deployed with a wave of Imperial Assault Shuttles deployed from Harrower-Class Dreadnoughts and Terminus-Class Destroyers.

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The Assault Shuttle is a workhorse of the Imperial Navy, and serves in the planetary assault role near perfectly. Capable of deploying thirty soldiers at once, it's engines give it a speed that unexperienced soldiers find surprising when they consider the size of the shuttle. Paired with decent maneuverability it is capable of dodging most incoming fire from weapons platforms, and while it takes just one or two shots from anti-aircraft guns to disable the craft, it is often capable of survivng the landing provided the pilot can guide it to an open landing zone. Aside from the shuttles typical transport capabilties it also supports magnetic carrying points built into the landing gear. These magentic clamps are capable of carrying: two IS-AWs, two single crew tanks, one IB-ST, or one IB-AT. This allows even the rapid assault units to land with full armoured support and to quickly establish a secured landing zone, or use their armoured support to force a spearhead through enemy defenses that shuttle support cannot reach.

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The rapid assault force will land at a clear landing zone that's close as possible to the target, often times a major industrial zone or political target. Typically deploying with a Sith, or several Sith, the landed infantry must show immense bravery by continuing their speed but now on foot as it is essential to get into dense cover as quickly as possible. In urban combat this could take the form of landing in a large park and the infantry must break through ground level defenses to secure a foothold in viable and defensable locations. Typically this is accomplished through supporting fire from heavy weapons units or armoured vehicles while the infantry make the ground assault to get amongst the enemy and neutralise threats in close quarters combat.
 
At the landing zone a small contingent of infantry will remain to keep the point secure while the remainder of the assault force continues the push to the final target by repeating the same tactic of heavy support to cover the close quarters units. It is essential to keep the momentum at a high pace, the less time the enemy has to report Imperial actions the less time rear defence units have to adjust to the rapid assault tactics. At each captured point another group of infantry, sometimes armoured vehicles as well, are left to defend the point from enemy counter attacks. By keeping a clear path of Imperial controlled areas it is possible to land further infantry reinforcements can land at the intial landing zone and travel up the path laid by the first assault to join surviving units.

Typical points of interest in a rapid assault are: large landing zones such as city parks or plazas or forest clearings, perimter locations surrounding the landing zone such as buildings or raised rock formations, air defense control stations to neutralise remaining defence weapons, transport hubs such as space ports or central highways to limit enemy troop movements, political targets to force planetary leaders into a surrender, or planetary shield generators to open more portions of the planet to the threat of orbital annihilation. Though of course the primary targets expand beyond this list and will change depending on the nature of the battlefield and tactical requirements.

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Prolonged Conflict:

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In the instance that planetary victory cannot be achieved in one rapid assault the ground war must enter a stage of prolonged conflict and occupation. The first phase to this method will be the establishment of a central command for Army General Staff to establish their central point of control at. Ideal locations for a primary base are often near space ports or major travel highways, to facilitate the possible landing of more resources and army units. To hold a space port and any nearby defenses allow for a near limitless supply of armed troops and war resources to be brought planetside. The first resources will typically be pre-fabricated defenses such as barricades and defence weapons to establish a secure permited around Army Headquarters, which can be defended by the surviving members of the first rapid assault force.
 
Ideal methods of resource and unit transportation are the Imperial Landing Shuttle or the VT-22 Troop Transport. Both ships are capable of the conveying of larger amounts of soldiers or resources than the typical Assault Shuttle. The Landing Shuttle has a much larger hold, facilitating transport of a platoon at a time, though it's single access point makes it a poor choice for cargo transpor duties. The VT-22 has the advantage of being able to land and allowing armoured vehicles, such as the Ravager Tri Walker, exit from the open hanger doors and quickly unload unit compliments before returning to orbit to transport more units or cargo.

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With landed forces it is then possible to expand out from Army Headquarters to establish beachheads on mutliple fronts. Armoured units can provide the necessary firepower to punch a hole through enemy defense into new sectors of the conflict zone, and then establish perimeters to link the new command points back to Army Headquarters. With a secure link between the two points more infantry units can push out and expand the area of influence for Imperial control. During the occupation stage it is vital to take a marginly slower approach to that of the initial assault as a larger area of land will need to be fully under Imperial control to prevent unseen counter attacks. The primary target of occupying units are major highways or transport methods that link contested sectors to enemy controlled zones as it is vital to cut the enemy off from potential reinforcements.

Often times the targets of a prolonged war will remain similar to the rapid assault at the onset of the battle, though often times there will be an increased focus on industrial or agricultural sectors. Starving locals of necessary resources, or the enemy of vital materials, is an important method in forcing eventual capitulation. This becomes more difficult in the instance of planets with decentralised government and economies, as starving one portion of the world may have little effect on another. Intelligence on the enemy at this stage becomes vital as enemy commanders must be located so their headquarters can be assaulted. When the enemy commander is cut off from the rest of the enemy force it becomes easier to divide the enemy into managable portions and set them into a period of confusion.

Capitulation must be secured from both enemy political leaders and enemy army commanders, as if one only surrenders to Imperial interests it is possible that the other will continue a bitter conflict that can easily be drawn out for a much longer period of time. Deidcated Imperial garrison units will be required to keep a hold on occupied territory, often with the assistance of Sith Intelligence to root out growing threats before they can be established. Even as active conflict ends the Imperial garrison must remain on a war footing for effective use of intimation against the local populace. This includes keeping infantry patrols in disciplined formations, and the use of armoured vehicles such as the Ravager Tri Walker or Behemoth Siege Tank to display Imperial supremacy over the cowed population. Local politicians should be used to preach a policy of compliance in return for Imperial law and order. Full occupation is possible while continued conflict rages in distant planetary sectors, in which case the Army Headquarters should work closely with new political figures to ensure all political actions line up with the ongoing goals of the Imperial war machine.

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