"I come in peace. I didn't bring artillery. But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I'll kill you all."
—General James Mattis, United States Marine Corps
COUNTERINSURGENCY
You are a military team leader, with the mission to stabilize a small village in a war-torn country. You will lead your soldiers on civil-military operations; working to establish good relationships with the local populace, and to halt the threat of violence by insurgent forces in the area, through both combat and non-combat operations. To do this, you must understand the cultural and political conditions in this village, the personalities and skills of your soldiers, and most importantly, the long-term repercussions of your actions.
You will learn about the soldiers whom you are responsible for; their personalities, their eccentricities, and their lives. Each is motivated differently, whether to get out there and fight the bad guys, to make a positive difference in the village they ocupy, or just to get back home to their families in one piece.
You will explore the society of the local village. Their values and culture are far different from your own, and what you see as reasonable, they may see as repulsive - and vice versa. At the same time, they are still men and women with families, desires, and needs. Those forces may lead them to embrace you, or to take up arms against you. How you react to this is up to you.
From the day you are boots-on-ground, the decisions are yours to make, and you are responsible for what you do or fail to do. Will you devote your efforts to crushing the insurgency? Will you work to gain the respect and honor of the local nationals? Your decisions can win you praise and promotions from your higher command, scorn and derision from the locals, the loyalty and dedication of your soldiers, and everything in between.
Decide what kind of leader you want to be.