This Article is part of the Abwehran Armed Forces (AAF) Tactical Guidelines for planetary invasion, and is a basic guide for command officers who are undertaking a planetary invasion.

Preparation for the invasion of any planet is a momentous task: one has to ensure that their forces are adequately armed, supplied, and prepared.

Armed means not only that your forces are indeed equipped with weaponry and armor, but that they have the necessary strength to take the enemy. For supplies, it is best to initially equip your landing forces with enough ammunition, food, and fuel to last for half a month of constant use, which translates into a month's worth of supplies. Your forces being prepared not only includes supplies and armament, but mentally and physically as well. Diseased or demoralized soldiers cannot be expected to spearhead the attack on an entire Planet.

This means dominance in the immediate airspace of a planet – From low orbit to around thirty feet off of sea level. Enemy Aircraft must be afraid of combat with your superior forces, if they continue to exist at all. You must command the skies. Aerospace dominance allows you to easily support your forces all over the planet, and can most easily be achieved with a combination of surgical strikes from warships in orbit and Imperial Aircraft running nigh-constant sorties within the Atmosphere.

This means that either all opposing warships are destroyed, or that any opposing warships remaining are incapable of taking on your forces in space. Spacial Dominance must be had before undertaking any sort of invasion, to avoid the risk of losing landing ground forces or having those ground forces be cut off from rescue.

Bombardment before and during Invasion is a wonderful tool. Warships in orbit may provide fire support to forces on the ground, leveling vulnerable enemy positions and forces with ease. Warship ordinance should be called in just like any ground-based fire support, to avoid friendly-fire or unnecessary destruction.

For pre-bombardment, targets such as known enemy bases, HQ's, communications buildings, sensors, or planetary defense systems make for wonderful targets.

Orbital Bombardment should focus on large concentrations of enemy forces, communications buildings, sensor buildings, planetary defense systems that can threaten ships outside of the atmosphere, bases, and bunkers. Roads or transportation routes being used by the enemy may be targeted, but it should be kept in mind that these same paths could be used by Imperial forces.

An Invasion is a great undertaking, and once all preparations are complete Imperial forces should move on targets. When all urban, industrial, and military centers on a planet, and when all enemy forces have surrendered, an Invasion may be considered to be complete.

Imperial forces using Drop Pods are a shock force, and should be focused on only a few strategically important locations to form beachheads or to allow safe landing for Imperial Forces. This means strikes against Planetary Starports, defenses, and defendable landing locations are prime targets for Drop Pod forces.

Aircraft and Warships in orbit allow for efficient deployment of Ordinance and support for Imperial ground forces during engagements. Efficient uses would be to call in fire support on concentrations of forces, advancing enemy units, enemy defensive positions, and supply convoys.

Blitzkrieg style warfare is best, with quick penetration of defenses and encirclements of enemy forces. Focus fast-moving units against weak enemy positions, and use slower-moving infantry forces to follow up and hold the line. Offensive operations should start the moment Imperial forces touch ground, to better keep the enemy off balance as Imperial forces advance. If the enemy is allowed to rally and hold a defensive line, liberal use of Orbital fire support coupled with concentrated, simultaneous assaults on multiple weak defensive positions should allow Imperial forces to break through once more.

Cities, bases, planetary defenses, and transportation hubs are worthy goals of any attack, as are large concentrations of enemy forces.