MechCommander (position)

(Redirected from MechCommander (officer))

A MechCommander is a profession within the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth.

Description[edit]

They guide and command units of up to several lances in strength. However, in contrast to all other officers, they do so from afar.

MechCommanders work at a computer console aboard a DropShip. With complex C3 technology, they are able to watch after every detail of their unit, like weapon and pilot status, ammunition, armor, etc. Additionally, they receive intelligence from cameras attached to the 'Mechs, their sensors, surveillance satellites, and similar means and even TV-reporting. Even though they might not be trained 'Mechwarriors, they are skilled in warfare and know how to best use their unit in any situation.

Combining intensive training techniques that included the latest, top-of-the-line command/control/communications and logistical software built by the New Avalon Institute of Science, the AFFC had created an integrated suite of software that removed the logistical burdens of command. This allowed the MechCommanders, who directly controlled anywhere from a lance up to a company (depending upon the mission profile), to see the whole picture of the battle they directed.[1]

A MechCommander was a command officer position introduced during Operation BIRD DOG.[2] These officers used a software package developed by the NAIS to have a "big picture" view of a battlefield. The software suite was based on existing C4 and logistical software packages and, in addition to providing a command interface, also automated the logistical part of command so the MechCommander could focus on tactics. These officers could oversee operations for lance- or company-sized units. Unlike traditional battlefield commanders, they were located in command posts rather than on the battlefield itself.[3]

History[edit]

MechCommanders were first deployed in 3060 during Operation Bird Dog in the conquest of Port Arthur. They were successful, but the military remained critical.[4]

In 3065 the Fourth Donegal Guards were equipped with MechCommanders for their assault on New Syrtis. The Commanding Officer of the Fourth was unsure of the worth of these officers and the actual number of Mech Commanders assigned to the Fourth is unknown. The Fourth Donegal Guards were outnumbered and beaten on New Syrtis; it is unknown how their MechCommanders fared.[5]

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

A MechCommander was a position held within the Inner Sphere Defense Force that gained prominence during the Clan Invasion. Outnumbered by Clan Mechwarriors piloting technologically superior OmniMechs, the MechWarriors of the Inner Sphere found themselves fighting a losing war. In response, MechCommanders were created to allow MechWarriors to focus on combat while the commanders directed the overall flow of the battle via satellite uplink.

The role of a MechCommander was to both direct his forces, typically composed of BattleMechs and vehicles, in such a way as to accomplish mission objectives in a dynamic battlefield environment. During combat, MechCommanders often had additional resources such as artillery strikes or sensor probes available to them. Pre-mission management was also considered crucial, with MechCommanders determining the equipment acquired, stolen, and salvaged, and then equipping their unit accordingly. In addition to outfitting their forces for combat, MechCommanders were responsible for the pilots of their 'Mechs as well, both seeing to the welfare of individual pilots as well as hiring or recruiting new ones. The position was usually granted at a company level.

MechCommanders saw use during Operation Bulldog, with at least two being deployed to Port Arthur. One of them, a MechCommander named Harrison, was responsible for a scouting campaign that cleared the way for preliminary invasion, while another officer conducted a campaign that weakened the bondsman and Clan forces on Port Arthur and successfully cleared Clan Smoke Jaguar forces from the starport, allowing additional Inner Sphere DropShips to land. A MechCommander was later deployed to Cermak also, in order to contain the threat of old Star League weapons of mass destruction being deployed.

The Inner Sphere was not the only organization to utilize the concept of tactical MechCommanders. Mercenary units sometimes fielded them, though significant C4 capabilities were needed effectively field a MechCommander-led unit. One such mercenary unit became involved in unrest on Carver V after first being contracted to Steiner during the FedCom Civil War. This unit would later be used by House Liao to instigate a war between Steiner and Davion forces, but an unlikely alliance between Steiner and Liao saw the mercenary MechCommander betrayed. In the end, the commander survived the betrayal, united with Davion and native partisan forces, and defeated Steiner and Liao, leading to an independent government on Carver V.

Apocryphal Content Ends

References[edit]

  1. Imminent Crisis, p. 115
  2. Imminent Crisis, p. 116
  3. Imminent Crisis, p. 115
  4. Imminent Crisis, p. 116
  5. Imminent Crisis, p. 114

Bibliography[edit]