RuneScape Forum Archive | Asgarnian Military Strategy

I Castigo I

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Had this lying around unfinished for a while, hope it's a decent read.

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~ Asgarnian Military Strategy ~

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11-Sep-2017 05:42:24 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 05:57:49 by I Castigo I

I Castigo I

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Two years ago, an archive of military documents was discovered by a group of archaeologists in the Sarimian region of Asgarnia. Among the find were piles of tattered scrolls, logistical documents including supply and personnel data, a copy of an army field manual from the late Fifth Age, and other militaria. The following text is an analysis of the Asgarnian military's thought processes and capabilities during the late Fifth and early Sixth Ages based upon analysis of this find.

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11-Sep-2017 05:42:47 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 05:54:50 by I Castigo I

I Castigo I

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Table of Contents

OOC Introduction

Preface

Table of Contents

Asgarnian Grand Strategy

Theatre Strategy and Field Tactics

Organization

Logistics and Economy

Effectiveness and Shortcomings

OOC Conclusion

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11-Sep-2017 05:42:54 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 05:55:16 by I Castigo I

I Castigo I

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Asgarnian Grand Strategy

To understand Asgarnian Grand Strategy, one must first have a basic understanding of the history of Asgarnia, as the people of Saradomin's Kingdom often draw upon their history to formulate military doctrine. In the late Fourth Age, Asgarnia was little more than fractured groups of illiterate and magic-deficient humans struggling for survival following the departure of Saradomin from the lands of what would later become Falador. The absence of a strong leader and centralized government coupled with wartime devastation meant that the area of what would later become the Kingdom of Asgarnia was impoverished for centuries. Towards the end of the Fifth Age a tribal chieftan by the name of Raddallin formed a confederacy of tribes in the region to the east of Taverly and eventually formed the first Kingdom of Asgarnia. Raddallin understood that in order to maintain control domestically and project power onto foreign entities effectively, his kingdom would require a centralized and cohesive government. Thus the construction of the fortified capital city of Falador was ordered, and it was completed shortly before his death.

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11-Sep-2017 05:42:58 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 05:55:47 by I Castigo I

I Castigo I

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Of the multiple tribes Raddallin chose to form his kingdom's government, the two most powerful and influential were the White Knights, who had served as a military asset to Asgarnia for several years, and the Kinshra, a group of loyal Zamorakian knights who had served as the only military force with any real authority for the last century. Upon completion of the capital city, however, Raddallin reversed this longstanding policy and ordered that the White Knights become the new official military arm of Asgarnia. This reversal can be partially attributed to Raddallin's outdated view that relations and alliances should be based upon religious and not practical lines. Nevertheless, this unexpected political upheaval set the precedent for future generations of Asgarnian leaders to choose allies based upon their ties to Saradomin, and not their military effectiveness or their economic prowess.

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11-Sep-2017 05:43:01 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 05:56:12 by I Castigo I

I Castigo I

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Following Raddallin's death in the mid-Fifth Age, tensions between the Kinshra and the White Knights rose steadily, culminating in the White Knight takeover of Falador in year 162 of the Fifth Age which resulted in the banishment of the Kinshra to the ruins of the Zarosian Fortress Lassar. It was from these ruins that the Kinshra would build their fortress, which they would use as a base of operations in what became decades of open conflict with the White Knights, which served to weaken the Kingdom of Asgarnia. Thus it could be noted that one of the key objectives of Asgarnian Grand Strategy in the late Fifth Age was to harness or at least curb the military effectiveness of the Kinshra, thus allowing the Asgarnian military to turn its focus elsewhere.

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11-Sep-2017 05:43:04 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 05:57:01 by I Castigo I

I Castigo I

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To summarize, Asgarnian Grand Military Strategy could be loosely organized into three objectives. First, the government and the military should always have priority in the Kingdom, and should have complete control of every situation they find themselves engaged in. This would allow the effective mobilization of resources and personnel in the event of a military conflict, and could best be exemplarized by the fact that the White Knights, arguably the first true standing army since the end of the Second Age, maintained totalitarian control of the Kingdom following the departure of King Vallance from the public sphere. Second, the political, economic and military alliances of the Kingdom of Asgarnia should be based around religious lines. It was the operating theory of the Kingdom that allying with those who shared similar religious beliefs would help to form more lasting alliances, and would avoid creating another situation similar to the Kinshra-White Knight rivalry. Third, the Kinshra should always be persuaded to ally with or avoid conflict with Asgarnia, to minimize additional personnel and resources available to any foreign enemies Asgarnia was presented with. In this way destruction of Asgarnian resources and loss of life could be minimized.

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11-Sep-2017 05:43:07 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 05:58:27 by I Castigo I

I Castigo I

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Theatre Strategy and Field Strategy

Asgarnian Theatre Strategy followed closely with the military doctrine of the Grand Strategy. Theatre Strategy for Asgarnia could be defined as a practical application of any advantages, and mitigation of any disadvantages that the Grand Strategy had produced. Often times in war, Theatre Strategy for the Asgarnian Military varied greatly, and no one example of implimented strategy could be called the "ideal" Asgarnian strategy. Strategy varied often due to terrain, the enemy fought, resources available, political climate, and strategic importance. For example, defense of Sarimia on a strategic level was organized for decades around the concept of chained defenses, with Give No Ground orders often issued due to the strategic and economic importance of the Harbor and due to the proximity to the southern gates of Falador. Rimmington however, only a day's ride away from the harbor of Sarim, was often viewed as a buffer zone for the Asgarnian leadership due to its limited strategic value and its lack of land defenses, thus an orderly retreat and effective counter-attack could be mounted with some skill if the odds of losing a direct conflict in Rimmington were too extreme. Rimmington's defenses, on the other hand, were mostly organized around limited coastal defenses manned by auxillary battalions and augmented with Naval defenses if available. Theatre Strategy for Asgarnia was in short an adaptation of Grand Strategy for field purposes, allowing for a more flexible approach to hostile situations in order to facilitate the implimentation of Asgarnian Field Tactics.

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11-Sep-2017 05:43:14 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 05:59:10 by I Castigo I

I Castigo I

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Field Strategy of the Asgarnian Military during the late Fifth and early Sixth Ages relied heavily on the concept of maneuver warfare, in which the military forces of Asgarnia would be employed in quick, decisive maneuvers and engagements against enemy forces in order to disrupt the enemy's decision making and reaction capabilities. In Asgarnian maneuver warfare, emphasis was placed upon rapid movement and effective communication between units, necessitating a small, cohesive and highly trained military that could function as a multi-purpose combat unit in various hostile situations. Disruption was often achieved by the use of shock tactics, in which great amounts of resources and personnel would be committed in attempts to apply high levels of brutality to an enemy over short periods of time in order to force the enemy to retreat. In order for these shock tactics to work, great risks had to be taken by the Asgarnian Military, as a cohesive defense and rapid counter-attack against an Asgarnian shock attack by a capable enemy could result in heavy losses for the Asgarnian armed forces and a loss in operational capability at the division level. Thus the success or failure of an entire campaign could rest solely upon the outcome of a single series of attacks. These attacks would often be initated on multiple fronts at the same time, depending on the situation and the resources available to the Asgarnian forces. Often one front would be used to engage enemy forces directly while another would be opened in order to flank the opponent while it was engaged with the first divisions.

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11-Sep-2017 05:43:18 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 08:46:15 by I Castigo I

I Castigo I

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It was in this way that the Asgarnian armed forces were able to achieve victory over a numerically superior enemy. Often one division of soldiers would attack an enemy head on, while another would position itself unnoticed at the flanks of the enemy main body. The Asgarnians would then wait several minutes for the enemy to become engulfed in the heat of battle, before ordering their flanking division to attack. These shock tactics had a high chance of success if used correctly and if the numerical disadvantage was not too great. Post-attack strategy focused heavily on military occupation and pacification of occupied territory to deter the threat of any resistance by locals and renegade fighters. Military occupation and pacification post-combat was considered crucial by the Asgarnian general staff in order for an operation to be deemed a success.

Organization

Organization, structure, and personnel numbers of the Asgarnian military during the late Fifth and early Sixth Age varied greatly, and firm numbers are hard to assess. The Asgarnian armed forces were organized around central leadership, meaning the main branch of the military was often commanded by someone who had additional duties as a co-ruler of either Asgarnia or one of its provinces. An example would be the leader of the White Knights also having a position as Regent of Asgarnia. The commanding officer of the military would have a general staff at his disposal, and would delegate many duties to them in order to speed up the achievement of military objectives. However in the end he was in total command of the armed forces and answered only to the King or Queen of Asgarnia.

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11-Sep-2017 05:43:21 - Last edited on 11-Sep-2017 08:51:01 by I Castigo I

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