Solutions Against Swarm Warfare

Solutions Against Swarm Warfare is a holo-book authored by Cayden Niemi, a former Colonel within the Commonwealth Colonial Marines. It details and discusses the application of military tactics in combat against opponents with a collective gestalt consciousness, based on the author's own experiences during the Commonwealth-Ix'Idar War. It also acts as Niemi's unofficial autobiography, including segments on his and other Marines' frontline experiences, as well as thoughts on the conflict. The book proved controversial within political circles for its criticisms of the Admiralty's conduct of the war. Despite this, the book has grown in fame in both military and xenology circles.

Niemi begins the book by recouting his own experiences of the Commonwealth-Ix'Idar War, or the "Bug War" as many Colonial Marines called it. In this, he outlines the initial reactions of the Ix'Idar hive mind, explaining both the early victories and later string of defeats from its perspective and thus establishing its "military psychology". Midway through the book, he shifts his attention to the alpine world of Stonehead (formerly Aruz III), one of the border colonies being fought over. Here he begins to recount his own experience in more detail, using it to outline tactics and strategies which are best utilised to fight a collective consciousness. This involve, among others, utilising battlefield altering munitions like seismic mining charges to change the terrain and overwhelm the senses of his opponent. He also discusses equipping squad level assets with firepower far above their need, and using infiltration tactics to strike enemy control nodes.

The book's release within the Commonwealth of Man was wrought with controversy, and led to Niemi's resignation from the Colonial Marines in 2280 CE. Despite the controversy, it has since risen to become emblematic of the experience of the war, and has made its way outside of Commonwealth borders. Niemi himself later returned to Stonehead to found a private security firm, taking part in combating Ix'Idar drones that continued to harass the planet's colonists.

Influence

Throughout his analysis, Niemi makes numerous negative remarks on the conduct of his superiors, claiming to have been among the first to warn them of the risks of the conflict. He also questions the objectives set to the armed forces by the Admiralty, such as prioritising the rapid settlement of civilian colonists over properly clearing the colonies. This initially earned the book scathing criticism from upper Commonwealth circles and patriotic associations, along with partial censorship. Further claims of xenophilia over the apparent admiration for Ix'Idar tactics and capabilities were also levelled against Niemi, leading to his eventual resignation.

Despite this, the value of the lessons in Solutions Against Swarm Warfare were quickly recognised by the Admiralty. Courses on the application of its lessons began a few decades after the war, and the text is on the recommended reading list for all recruits attending the Bastion Military Academy. In later years, these lessons have been built upon further, leading to an entirely new field of military theory focused on the combating of enemies with a collective consciousness. With the increasing threat of the XT-489 Eliminator warform, these studies have become more sought after than ever.

An additional influence this book has had is in the field of xenology. United Nations xenology researcher Neha Gurnari describes Solutions Against Swarm Warfare as a "surprising source of knowledge regarding collective swarm psychology". With the entry of the Ix'Idar Star Collective into the wider galactic community after the war, its study has been promoted even outside military circles, albeitwith the guidance to separate it from its military context.

Type

Text, Literature

Medium

Digital, Holographic

Authoring Date

2278 CE