Special Forces
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(Article stub at "Confederacy Special Forces Command" with no actual content was folded into this article. -ZM)
Confederacy Marine Corps Special Forces Command
Certain elements of the Marines are classified as Special Forces. When they are operating away from other Marine units they come under the operational control of the Confederacy Special Forces Command, usually CSFC. At one point the commanding officer of the CSFC was Major General Karl F. Faltimier.
Special Forces
Marines who have undergone extensive and often physically demanding training are attached to the Special Forces. Under command of the CSFC these troops fall into two broad categories:
- Force Recon
- SAS
Force Recon
Unlike in the US Marines the ForceRecon troops attached to the Confederacy Marines are not the elite small unit forces that are similar to the SEALS, SAS and the like. The role they fill is as the forward reconnaissance specialists for the ground forces. Because of this they specialize in interface operations, space to ground. In many ways they are the pathfinder organization for the Marine Expeditionary Forces. Deployed in platoon or company strength they are the first troops on the ground and co-ordinate the incoming waves of assault troops.
Primary Roles
Within a Marine Expeditionary Force there exists two separate recon roles. The Ground Combat Element commander has a need for a reconnaissance element to focus on his area of operations - usually close to the beach head and any breakout areas. The Air Wing Element commander also has a need for a reconnaissance element to focus on his area of interest - further afield and concentrating on threats to his operational elements. Basic training paths for Marines in both units are similar. More advanced training focuses on a platoon's likely missions while deployed, so training individual and unit training paths diverge as a deployment nears. Switching from one area of expertise to the other is encouraged and is taken as a sign of a trooper who wants to get on.
Certain Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, even at the level of Marine Expeditionary Unit, may have specialists assigned from Force Recon Companies, or, in some cases in the U.S. Marines, SEAL Teams.
ForceRecon is one of the primary intake groups for the SAS.
Special Assault Squads
The Special Assault Squads are really nothing of the sort, they are special reconnaissance specialists along the lines of the Selous Scouts or the Special Air Service, the organisation from which they took their abbreviated title. Generally the SAS operate in small teams of four to six people and carry out any or all of the following: -
Intelligence Gathering
Sneaking into enemy territory to gather intelligence about troop strengths and movements is the bread and butter of special operations work. SAS recon teams must be able to remain hidden under the nose of the enemy for days on end, lurking concealed in dug out hides and on so-called 'hard routine' (no talking, no smoking, cooking etc).
Forward Air Control
With the emphasis on air/orbital power in modern warfare comes a need for skilled forward air controllers : men on the ground calling in air strikes. In any SAS team there's likely to be at least one trooper specially trained to communicate with attacking aircraft or orbital artillery platforms and guide them in for the strike. Most often, they will use a combined laser rangefinder/GPS like device (not a true GPS, because the swarm would investigate the signals and comprimise the the satilites/ships used to broadcast) to transmit coordinates to the drop vehicle. Sometimes a laser designator will be used to 'paint' the target. At a last resort, the attack will be guided in verbally.
Target Attacks - Behind the lines sabotage
The SAS can carry out daring sabotage missions behind enemy lines but this is not their primary aim as it reveals their position to the enemy. A well planned attack using information the SAS provides is a more efficient use of this resource.
Close Protection
The SAS are masters at close protection duties (CP) - body guarding to the layman - having developed many of the protocols themselves. VIP protection has become the responsibility of the SAS in the face of hostility towards Confederacy dignitaries from organizations such as Earth First and the nations excluded from the extraction process.
Training
Over the years, the Special Air Service Regiment had shared their expertise with friendly nations, training their own special forces and bodyguards in the dark arts. This assignment was known as a 'team job' within the SAS. The new SAS as taken on a similar role but in their case the target of the training is the civilian population of Earth.
Story Usage
A textual analysis of the story repository, current as of 2018 and performed on 2019-09-06 identified the following usage counts for "Special Forces":
- Albion (story) by Duke of Ramus 1 instances.
- Amateurs by Frostfyre 3 instances.
- Building a CAP Based Future by Allan Joyal 2 instances.
- First Cruise of Lt. Steward by John Lewiston 1 instances.
- It's a Helluva Job by Anne N. Mouse 1 instances.
- Maquis by starfiend 2 instances.
- Pickup Loop Hole by corsair 1 instances.
- Pickup Number Eighteen by Thinking Horndog 1 instances.
- Thirty Minutes or Less by swarmfic 1 instances.
- Wayward by Justin Radically 1 instances.
- We Few, We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers by LughIldanach 2 instances.
Also See
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