• When you have a question/comment/suggestion, pass it up to the next person in your Chain of Command. For most junior personnel, this is your Regimental Senior NCO.  If he/she is unable to help, continue on to your Regimental Executive Officer.  If you are still unable to find help, contact your Regimental Commanding Officer.  As the person directly responsible for you, he/she will either provide you with the appropriate answer, or take the question further up the Chain of Command on your behalf and solve the problem from there.
  
  
• If you feel you have developed a problem with a specific person in your Chain of Command, contact the person directly superior to this individual to report the matter.  For example, if this problem relates to your Regimental Commanding Officer, make your report directly to the Divisional Commanding Officer. If this problem relates to a Lieutenant or Sergeant in your Regiment, you would go to your Regimental Executive Officer. Bring all relevant chat logs with you so that this doesn't become a "he said she said" situation.
  
  
• When you have a general problem, try to present it along with a proposed solution. It is much easier to identify problems than it is to fix them. You will find that you are more likely to get the answer you want when you add it as a possible solution.
  
  
• Your peers can be an invaluable resource; use them. You never know when a fellow Private might know the exact answer to your problem and can resolve it for you right then and there. For example, instead of going to your Regiment XO or Senior NCO for something like help with acquiring a lock on fast-moving targets using LRMs, try practicing on your own with another MT member first.
  
  
• In a general nature, feel free to use the Unit Message Board as an asset for getting problems solved.  However, if you feel there is ANY chance that what you want to post might be considered negative or controversial, run it by your Regiment's XO or Senior NCO prior to posting. Make sure you use the appropriate board for your post, and always make sure you are not creating a redundant thread.
   

The Divisional Commanding Officer's duties are to:

• Be ultimately responsible for all Mechwarriors of the 331^st RBD.
• Maintain that all authority delegated be to capable personnel.
• Issue all orders, or insure proper authority has been delegated to do so.
• Issue promotions, demotions, awards, and punishments.

The Divisional Executive Officer's duties are to:

• Assist the Divisional CO in the performance of his duties.
• Insure all orders issued by the Div. CO are carried out.
• Assume control of the 331^st RBD in the absence of the Div. CO.
• Maintain communications between the Command and the 331^st RBD.
• Perform liaison duties between the Div. CO and the Reg. CO’s.

The Divisional Operations Officer's duties are to:

• Assume control of the 331^st RBD in the absence of both the Div. CO and XO.
• Actively gather and report operational knowledge of designated enemy units.
• Compile and report deployment proposals to the Command Staff.
• Insure current operations are progressing per operational commitments.
• Insure adequate levels of combat ready Battlemechs are available for the 331^st RBD and it’s individual Combat Regiments.
• Deploy Combat Regiments to fulfill Mission Objectives.
• Insure Operational information is passed to the Command Staff.
• Insure Unit Security is strictly enforced in the 331^st RBD.

The Divisional Command Sergeant Major's duties are to:

• Maintain strict discipline and adherence to orders by all members of the 331^st RBD.
• Monitor and resolve all personnel conflicts within the 331^st RBD.
• Recommend punitive actions to be taken towards Mechwarriors found to be negligent in the performance of their duties and disruptive to the unit as a whole as well other individuals.
• Report the current morale status of the 331^st RBD to the Command Staff.
• Act as liaison for the enlisted members of the 331^st RBD.
• In the absence of the Division CO, XO and Operations Officer, assist the ranking Regiment CO present in commanding the Division during training and league battles.

The Regimental Commanding Officer's duties are to:

• Assume responsibility for all personnel under his command.
• Issue all orders to the personnel of his command, and report deficiencies in carrying them out.
• Advise the Command Staff of the readiness condition of his personnel.
• Insure all personnel under his command are fully briefed of current operations.
• Maintain strict security involving Regimental Operations.
• Record any training deficiencies and correct them with the help of his XO and Regiment Senior NCO.
• In the absence of the Division's Staff Officers, the senior Regiment CO present will take command of the Division during meetings and league battles with the aid of his XO and the Division Senior NCO.

The Regimental Executive Officer's duties are to:

• Assume command of his Regiment in the absence of the Reg. CO.
• Assist the Reg. CO in the performance of his duties.
• Insure all orders for the Regiment are carried out.
• Maintain communications with the personnel of the Regiment.
• Report any deficiencies to the Reg. CO.

The Regimental Senior NCO's duties are to:

• Assume command of his Regiment in the absence of the Reg. CO and XO.
• Maintain strict discipline and adherence to orders for all members of the Regiment.
• Insure combat readiness of all Mechwarriors in the Regiment.
• Report current Regimental morale status to the Division Senior NCO.
• Indoctrinate all newly assigned members of the Regiment.
• Forward to Regiment CO and XO their recommendations on promotions and awards.

Enlisted men and Cadets' (CDT to CPL) duties are to:

• In combat, follow the Sergeant to whom you have been assigned and support them at all times. Follow their orders, and in the absence of any orders from your Sergeant, simply follow their mech and fire at the same target as they are, so that your team's firepower is concentrated.
  
  When you are a Sergeant, more initiative and freedom of action will be given to you within your commanders' intent and orders. You are not at that point yet, even though you may have experience leading in another online gaming group. Until then, take this time to focus on your personal technique and skills. Learn your teammates' capabilities, their personalities in and out of combat, and their preferences of action & mech choice. Experiment with your Regiment's Sergeants in deploying the variants and ideas you come up with as part of a team. Keep experimenting in practices; your contributions for variants, ideas for deployment, observations from other units, they will never be ignored!
  
  
• Inform your Sergeant of your own status and the status of your fellow Enlisted men. Let your Sergeant know as soon as possible if you can or cannot attend a league match or unit practice. You can inform them personally through ICQ or email, or use the unit messageboard. Critique your abilities in an honest fashion with your Sergeant whenever possible so that the unit knows what you prefer doing in combat, what you are good at, and what you need work on. We do not want an "Everything's OK" attitude in MT when it isn't.
  

NonCommissioned Officers' (SGT and above) duties are to:

• Assume responsibility for all personnel under their rank and seniority in the absence of any Officers, to the best of their ability. During meetings, if absolutely no Officers have showed up, you will lead that meeting and practice until they do show up.
  
  
• Maintain discipline for all personnel under their rank and seniority. If someone under your rank is cutting up and disrupting meetings and practices, stop that behaviour immediately.
  
  
• Assist officers in leading troops into combat, and may be assigned a section of command (i.e. taking a Fire Support or Recon section under the command of a LT-SG).
  
  
• Insure all personnel are trained as a cohesive group, under their rank and seniority. Sergeants should make sure they know the capabilities of Corporals, Privates and Cadets, and should make efforts to practice with them together on the same team every time.
  
  
• Be assigned as overall leaders of entire combat teams in the absence of Officers.
  
  
• Aids his CO in combat to insure that all mechs are in position for a specific action, when required. NCOs will constantly watch over their assigned enlisted men to make sure none have gotten lost, and will forward positional info to their CO when asked, and inform their CO immediately when necessary, such as when a mech is out of radar contact or has been destroyed. This will save your CO time so that they are not micromanaging the entire battlefield.
  
  
• Act on their own initiative in a combat situation within their CO's orders and intent to complete an objective and/or destroy an opposing enemy force completely. If situations change, and orders are no longer valid for a given situation, NCOs will immediately inform their CO of their intentions while acting. In this way, NCOs will insure that the combat team is not sitting still waiting for orders. This is not to say that NCOs will do what they want just to have freedom of action; they must use initiative within their CO's intent.
  
  For example:
  Before dropping into combat, your CO desires to draw the enemy into an ambush created from the largest 5 mechs in your team which will be either shutdown or on passive radar with ECM coverage. Your CO has assigned to you 2 Privates as a "bait" to the enemy, who are in Cougars configured as Fire Support. You yourself are in a 3ERLL Cougar. Your CO tells you to give harrassing fire and then immediately return your team to the rest of the force, which will complete the destruction of the enemy force.
  As you find the enemy and fire upon them and start to turn & rejoin the rest of your force per your CO's orders, you notice two things:
  1) They don't give a damn about your fire, and,
  2) they are continuing in the same direction, outflanking your CO's main ambush force even though they are most likely unaware of its presence since the rest of your force has shut down their mechs.
  Since your CO is shut down and the rest of the force is outside radar range, and knowing that your CO's intent is to destroy the enemy and that you can heavily damage them just with your 3 mechs, you order your PVTs to circle directly behind the enemy outside of LRM range then when in position, move in and start hitting their rear armour with LRMs at maximum range. At the same time as you move to attack, you inform your CO. Instead of continuing back to the rest of your group, with your help your force can redeploy to another compass bearing or location if needed and you are damaging the enemy more than if you weren't firing at all, while keeping the team's heavy mechs intact and most likely invisible to the enemy.
  In all circumstances such as this, though, you will use common sense; don't charge Daishis head on with a pair of Osiris.

Commissioned Officers' (LT-JG and above) duties are to:

• Assume responsibility for all personnel under their rank and seniority in the absence of any Staff Officers, to the best of their ability.
  
  
• Be assigned as overall leaders of all deployed combat teams, assisted by NCOs.
  
  
• Lead practice sessions and meetings, in the absence of any Staff Officers, after one half hour (30 minutes) past the start time.
  
  
• Insure all personnel under their command are fully briefed of current operations. Sometimes people's work schedules keep them offline and unable to check the messageboard, email or ICQ. Make an effort to talk with them before a league match to see if they are informed or if they need you to fill them in.
  
  
• Track the progress of the troops assigned to them in combat operations, forwarding their Regiment CO and XO their recommendations on promotions and awards.
  
  
• Clearly communicate their intent and orders before all combat situations. Officers in command of combat teams will always make crystal clear to their troops what is expected of them in regards to the enemy and their deployment. Create a plan of attack based on practices throughout the days before a league match, deciding what chassis to use and what purpose each mech will have for Fire Support, Snipers, Recon, etc. Know what your personnel are taking into combat, and overrule their mech variant choices if necessary. Make sure your personnel have practiced with those mechs so that there are no drastic last-minute changes.
  
  
• Make sure the team is ready before acting out a specific plan in combat. Feel free to rely on your Sergeants to herd everyone into position so that you can keep your mind on the overall tactical picture. If you can do both at once, thats fine, but micromanaging can lead to lack of focus.
  
  
• Support their NCOs and Enlisted personnel in combat situations, making the most of any and all opportunities to complete their objectives and/or destroy the opposing enemy force. If situations change drastically and their NCOs change their deployment because their Officers' orders are no longer valid, their Officers will support their decisions and not leave them hanging.
  
  For example:
  You are in command of an 8-person drop. You've given command of your Fire Support section to a Staff Sergeant and told them to remain on a hill near your drop zone as you prepare an ambush for the enemy, telling this NCO to cover the forward section from a static position and only engage the enemy at long range since they are configured almost entirely with LRMs, and to give ground in a vector towards the rest of the force, which you are retaining command of personally.
  Suddenly, the entire enemy force is spotted 1000m off to the side and slightly behind your forward section! Your SSG informs you of this unexpected development while simultaneously moving the Fire Support section towards your area.
  Several options are available to you at this time:
  Instead of maintaining your ambush position, if it is possible to move your forward section in between the rapidly advancing enemy and your Fire Support and cut them off, while still giving your Fire Support mechs a lane of fire to launch LRMs at the enemy, thats one option.
  Firing on the enemy from your current position, instead of hoping your Fire Support can outrun the enemy, trusting to your ambush group's heavy ERLL guns to kneecap the enemy or punch through their engines.
  Take the risk of lying in ambush where you are instead of spoiling the surprise and expose your best mechs to the enemy before your guns are in range. If its worth sacrificing one destroyed friendly mech to make the enemy think they are winning, and get the now-overconfident enemy force (who think they are only attacking 3 LRM-armed mechs) entirely within the range of all weapons in your ambush group (not just ERLL), inform your Fire Support what you intend to do. Sometimes your NCOs and enlisted men will surprise you by keeping their mechs entirely intact. Practice with your team as often as possible so that you know their capabilities in combat situations.
  
  A few MT mechs sacrificed to win a raid by completely destroying the entire enemy force is acceptable. This is because the salvage gained from the raid, added to the captured enemy mechs, will offset the losses to our own equipment.