Tactics

What We Do

  • Training Progression: Starts with individual tasks and progresses to Situational Training Exercise (STX) lanes, moving from basic skills to squad and platoon-level operations.

  • Fall Semester Focus: Hands-on labs cover M4, M249, and M240 weapon familiarization, combat casualty care, ASIP radios, and land navigation. Labs emphasize manageable standards and assessments to ensure competency and prepare for squad-level STX lanes.

  • Spring Semester and Advanced Training: Members transition to platoon-level STX lanes modeled on Advanced Camp missions. Leadership roles are rotated weekly, allowing experience with attack, ambush, raid, and defense missions.

  • Goal of Tactics Labs: Build confidence and provide extensive repetitions in infantry tactics, ensuring readiness for Advanced Camp evaluations.

Leadership

Commander- Robert Acklin (rma5829@psu.edu)

Back to Clubs

Mission

The mission of Tactics Club is to prepare Penn State cadets with the individual skills, knowledge of light infantry tactics, and leadership competencies required for success at Advanced Camp. Through interactive and practical labs, the club provides training on weapon systems, combat casualty care, radio communications, and squad- and platoon-level situational training exercises. The goal is to develop confident members who excel at Advanced Camp and lead their peers in the Nittany Lion Battalion.

Meetings

Lab: Monday 0530/0545 – 0700

Outside of the weekly labs, training opportunities like rappelling, paintball, combat oriented PT, armory workouts, and culminating assessments in the form of a team competition and a one day FTX will be offered as opportunities to reinforce the concepts of the labs and to experience the better aspects of ROTC.