Commissar

The Imperial Guard is exposed to terrible threats which can shake the resolve
of even the most steel-hearted veteran, from bizarre aliens to the terrifying
inhabitants of the warp. To encourage the men to fight the most horrendous
of situations, commissars are attached to regiments of Imperial Guard. The
role of a commissar is to fight alongside the regiment’s officers and take control
when morale is flagging or the men are not fighting with sufficient zeal. In such
situations a commissar can take over command from an officer and summarily
execute any man who tries to flee. Even the colonel of a regiment must be sure to
display courage and zeal at all times when a commissar is watching him.
Commissars are orphans educated within the Ecclesiarchy’s Schola Progenium
and selected from among those who show fearless faith in their Emperor. They are
then assigned by the Commissariat to Imperial Guard regiments whether the
regiment in question likes it or not. Commissars are pious, self-righteous and
unswerving in their purpose. They are exceptionally brave and many a seemingly
hopeless battle has been turned by a commissar taking command. However, they
are universally feared and loathed by the men of the Imperial Guard and are
always the first against the wall when a regiment mutinies.