Squad – The Squad Platoon Structure

The kinds of squads needed to make a functioning team, and their roles.

Platoon?

Note: Credit goes to Charlie

In the US military, a platoon is typically 3-4 squads. In Squad, a platoon comprises the entirety of a team.

In Squad, we are used to thinking of ourselves in a squad, because the game is organized around a squad structure, obviously. However, the squads within a team must work in conjunction in order to be efficient. Because of this necessity, it is better for Squad Leaders to think of themselves in a higher-echelon format. What I’ll be doing further down in this guide is breaking down how that structure would look converted from reality to a model which better suits Squad.

(Note: What I’m laying out is a baseline for a Squad team. This will obviously change depending on the map and the players present.)

The Structure

(Single direction arrows represent orders, while double sided orders represent more a flow of information.)

Implementation

1) Command: Command should, (obviously), consist of an experienced squad leader. Optimally, someone will take command at the start of the match. This will enable him to receive an initial plan from all of his squad leaders, ensure a ‘back-cap’, and correct any extremely unreasonable plans. It should be noted here that the Commander of a squad game doesn’t take nearly as active of an authority position as he would in reality, or in a game like ARMA. As a commander, you should avoid micromanagement unless it’s apparent that you need to take a more active role. As a commander, your main job is to ensure that information is shared efficiently, because your SLs on the front are much more focused on their own squads. Lastly, CMD squad makes the most efficient defense squad as this enables a commander to focus more on the large-scale than on his own squad, as well as placing him near a HAB consistently.

2) Infantry: The core of the game is the infantry SLs. These are the intermediately experienced SLs, you’ll see extremely competent players as well as those who are relatively new to squad leading. Infantry squads must work in conjunction with other squads, as well as taking the most active role in managing their own men. Because of this I recommend that if you are new to squad leading, avoid playing in this role. Infantry is the basis of the entire game, and normally both sends up and requires the most information about what is going on, and as such should be the primary focus of any command chain.

3) Armor: Armor squads have two primary roles; eliminating the enemy’s armor, and supporting the team’s infantry. These are also intermediately experienced squad leaders. It’s usually best if there are 2-3 armor squads rather than 1, as this makes communication within a vehicle crew more efficient. (So don’t take all of the armor if you are playing armor, just take 1-2 vehicles.) Armor should ensure that it is focused on eliminating enemy assets that are ACTIVELY a threat to the infantry, rather than prioritizing killing any armor on the map.

4) Logistics/mortars: This squad is the foundation upon which the entire team stands. I group these two together because there is no reason an entire 9-man squad should ever be exclusively one or the other. This is an excellent position to play if you are new to being an SL, as most of your squad’s activities won’t rely on you being competent, but also will give your practice at communicating with both your men and the command chat. Your goal should be to create a well-built FOB on either the 1st or 2nd point, (on AAS/RAAS), and the keep it well supplied, as well as using it as a mortar firing point/repair station. This will keep the remainder of your team from having to return to main unless they need to bring a new vehicle into the game. Besides logistics, keeping steady indirect fire will make gameplay MUCH easier for the infantry. Lastly, by building and maintaining a FOB on one of your earlier points, you avoid your team being “steamrolled”.

5) Heli: I don’t think I need to describe what a Heli squad does. Heli squads don’t need to answer directly to command as this would decrease their efficiency. A Heli SL doesn’t need to be a very good SL, as his role is more that of a pilot than a squad leader. The only thing that really needs to be added here is that if you don’t know how to fly, mid-game is NOT the time to learn.

Example

(I’m using Kokan as my example because it’s an extremely simple map without many terrain advantages, the only change from above is that there aren’t any Heli squads present at the time of me making this guide.)

[Blue = friendly, Red = Enemy]

In a real game, the odds of a frontline being as well defined and simple as what I have drawn is small, but what I have here conveys what it needs to. Nova Isle is the logistics FOB and MFP, which is able to provide support to nearly the entire map on a map as small as Kokan. If this FOB is kept well supplied, then the rest of the team will likely never need to return to main for the duration of the game, which gives your team a significant advantage over a less-organized enemy. At this point in the game, if I were playing commander, I would position myself and my squad at Gran Dell, so that the other infantry SLs could be in either Slums or working on District Center, and so that I would be safe to utilize my support options without interruption. Specifically on Kokan, my squad could also provide support to nearby objectives with small arms, and even more if mounted MGs were up.

Abbreviations Used

• CMD: Command
• SL: Squad Leader
• FOB: Forward Operating Base. In squad, this is where things can be built and supplies distributed
• HAB: Hesco Accommodation Bunker. In Squad, this is a team-wide spawn point, built at a FOB.
• Heli: Helicopter
• MFP: Mortar Firing Point
• AAS: Advance and Secure. The basic gamemode of squad.
• RAAS: Random Advance and Secure. Similar to AAS, but randomized. You will only be able to see the current attack and defense points.