What's better Passive or active commanding?

General Discussion
21

Passive commands are better with good SLs. FOCUS 100% on giving intel in where the enemy location is.
Good SLs are better handling the threat on site and they know better than command if they can push or not most of the time.
For me the command structure groundside is SL > CO > XO > SO
But if the CO or XO drops they take priority

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22

First of all, you need to recognize that “active” top-down commanding is fundamentally inefficient, in particular in CM, which is an extreme scenario. It takes time for orders to travel down and units to respond to them, discipline in CM is always extremely low and there’s always the classical principal-agent problem, where you always risk your subordinates sabotaging even the most basic orders, just because “how dare you order me anything”.

But, “passive” commanding, for all its benefits, has quite a few problems of its own. And the biggest problem is simply that there are situations where it fundamentally does not work. The most classic examples are your typical choke grinds. Where marines are getting slowly grinded down, while not getting any kills in return.

Thus, above all else, you, as the marine commander, need to learn to recognize those situations and take a proactive role in solving them, knowing full well that your active participation has a whole slew of drawbacks too.

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23

pretty much hit the nail on the head about the issue over all.

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24

It depends on what you consider “command.”
But in my honest opinion, CIC is a strategic command, while the SLs are tactical commands.

  • CIC as strategic commands sets up the main plan and logistics, which they nudge as needed during the OP.
    • Example: The Initial plan is to secure Medical. Medical becomes a grinder as such you order to fallback and secure any other area or order to send up coordinates for OB to bomb the Medical.
  • SLs as tactical commands are the ones carrying out the plans, and its up to them how to do it
    • Example: CIC orders to secure the Medical. SL decides that fireteam 1 goes from the north while smaller fireteam 2 probes other entrances.
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25

Welcome to the community and excellent first post.

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