The 1st Paintball Light Infantry Battalion Paintball Warrior Battle Doctrine
The Paintball Warrior Motto: Animis Opibusque Parati (prepared in mind and resources) The PLI Paintball Warrior is a concept whose time has come. It isn't a crazed paintball maniac wielding the newest and best weapon on the market. The Paintball warrior (PW) is a player whose mind is his (or her) most essential piece of equipment. They are players who live for the scenario recreation game. They study tactics not just before an event, but any time they can. They pour through paintball magazines (skipping the articles on who won what tournament and who came to it) and pull out the essential new elements of the sport. As they walk through the isles of Wal-Mart, they see ordinary household items that can be used as the perfect "something". They cringe at the sight of red paintball guns and rainbow hued uniforms. Their spouses (if any) have given up on them. The Paintball Warrior concept is based on a combination of the USMC's Urban Warrior and US Army's Airland 2000 Battle Doctrines. For the Marines, Urban Warrior is a way of fighting in urban terrain that emphasizes effective use of self supporting squad and platoon tactics. Airland 2000 stresses the strategic principles which led to victory in the Persian Gulf. For Paintballers, they are combined into a way of playing recreational scenario games. Under Urban Warrior, an individual soldier must be able to carry the weapons and supPLIes that will allow him to combat every potential threat and survive. Under Paintball Warrior, the "soldier" carries those paintball devices which will allow them to respond to any paintball threat. This means more than the current "hot" paintball gun. It means an effective primary and secondary weapon, paint grenades, a CO2 powered paintball assault weapon, mines, and other equipment necessary for winning the engagement. Paintball Warriors also live for the fantasy of the game. They don't care if they are portraying the Colonial Marines, Starship Troopers, Imperial Stormtroopers, or brave rebel commandos, they just want to join the "army" for the weekend. The Paintball Light Infantry is the natural home for this new breed of paintballers. By standardizing basic tactics, communications, immediate actions, and command structure, the PLI allows small five man teams to come together as a mega team of organized and like minded paintballers. By adopting the US Army's Airland 2000 Battle Doctrine to the paintball world we further define an effective system of "imitation" combat. Together they allow all paintball warriors to be "prepared in mind and resources" or in Latin "Animis Opibusque Parati". The Paintball Warrior is the doctrinal basis for meeting the challenge presented by big scenario games. It involves maneuver at all levels from the squad to the battalion and tries to use the full potential of modern paintball weaponry. It is offensively oriented so PLI commanders may go to the offense as soon as possible. No matter what type of scenario, the side that keeps the initiative through offensive action forces the other side to react rather than to act. The thrust of Paintball Warrior doctrine is to disrupt the enemy's synchronization, preventing him from applying power at a decisive point; and to create opportunities for PLI to be victorious. Success on the paintball battlefield depends on commanders at all levels understanding and implementing the basic tenets of the Paintball Warrior doctrine: initiative, depth, agility, synchronization, technology, and weaponry. Basic Tenets of Paintball Warrior Battle Doctrine: a. Initiative. This is the ability to set or change the terms of battle through action. It requires commanders to maintain an offensive spirit. It means that, when an opportunity presents itself, the commanders may depart from planned actions to hasten mission accomPLIshment. To do this without jeopardizing the higher plan requires that the commander understand and work within the intent of the commander two levels up. This imPLIes a degree of independence and risk. Commanders translate their initiative into action by issuing mission-type orders. These orders in turn give subordinate commanders the flexibility, within the scope of their commander's intent, to improvise and act aggressively to accomPLIsh assigned missions and defeat the enemy. In addition to understanding the scope of their commander's intent, each leader must understand his unit's part in the commander's concept (as the main or a supporting effort), so that he may confidently and boldly exploit success. b. Depth. This is measured in time, distance, and resources. At battalion level, depth is achieved by positioning forces to deny the enemy the ability to maintain mass, momentum, and mutual support. The battlefield is no longer a one-dimensional or two-dimensional entity. The commander must understand how he and the enemy fit into the higher commander's deep, close, and rear battles. When possible, reserves are employed. This gives depth to the battalion and provides the commander with a form to counterattack and completely destroy the enemy. c. Agility. This is the ability to think and act faster than the enemy. It involves mental, command and control, and organizational abilities to adjust rapidly and to use the situation, terrain, and weather to defeat the enemy. The plan must be simple, yet flexible enough that the commander can react when an opportunity presents itself. (1) Mobility, flexibility of task organization, timely intelligence, and rapid decision-making enable the commander to cause the enemy to react, which sets the terms of the battle. At the battalion level, these terms are often simPLIfied by positioning the command group well forward so they can see the battlefield, recognize opportunities, and rapidly seize the initiative. The commander and his subordinates rely on IPB, a sound R& S plan, and accurate reports to quickly understand enemy intentions. (2) Reaction time is reduced by rehearsing SOPs and drills, by choosing sound initial positions for dismounted units that simPLIfy their ability to maneuver. Assets from CS and CSS are positioned to sustain the main effort and to provide flexibility to the plan. Complexity reduces agility. d. Synchronization. This is the arrangement of battlefield activities in time, space, and purpose to produce the greatest possible relative combat power at the decisive point. Synchronization is both a process and a result. (1) Synchronization extends from planning the maneuver to integrating small five and ten man teams into effective platoon and company organizations to achieve mission accomPLIshment. (2) Leaders at all levels must understand friendly and enemy capabilities. They must know how to relate these capabilities to time and space to produce synchronized plans that satisfy the commander's intent. (3) Synchronization begins in the mind of the commander with his concept of operations. The concept must clearly focus the main effort at a decisive point and must clearly designate the effects (tasks and purposes) of the subordinates. Understanding and using a common doctrine and military language enhances synchronization. (4) The commander creates synchronization by developing, issuing, and rehearsing clear, succinct orders supplemented by well-established SOPs. Using SOPs enables the commander to rapidly employ assets and to seize tactical opportunities without lengthy explanations and orders. e. Technology. PLI forces strive to use technology to its advantage by standardizing the equipment purchased by its members. This includes global positioning systems (GPS), family radio service (FRS) Radios, night vision devices (NVD's), and other technological advances in the sport. f. Weaponry. The PLI uses all matter of paintball weapons. This includes those commonly called alternative or milsim paintball weapon. It includes compressed air cannons, mortars, grenades, mines, armor, and air support. The PW's equipment reflects the scenario game philosophy. They carry a backup weapon because you shouldn't be a casualty just because your main gun is down. They carry Paintball Assault weapons for taking out bunkers and large crowds of enemy players. They have smoke and paint grenades ready to go. They come equipped with Talkabout Plus radios, and extra batteries. Their uniforms aren't red, blue, or yellow but camouflaged, usually with Advantage or Realtree Camouflage. Their weapons are black or camouflaged, and they cringed when they saw a red anodized paintball gun for the first time. Paintball Warriors live for the fantasy of a good scenario game and do not generally agree with the way "mainstream" paintball has tried to distance itself from the military. Of course they also think that recreation ball paintball is the mainstream! The First Paintball Infantry Battalion exists to promote the military fantasy of paintball by combining the off field Organization of Civil War Reenacting and the game of paintball with tried and true principles. This allows like minded Paintball Warriors to come together with a system of operating and communicating effectively on any field at any time. 
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