Severan Dominate - Minimise Waste: In conjunction with the notion of sustaining a defensive effort, the duke has also commanded that his forces are to avoid unnecessary losses, at all costs. This directive applies not only to the soldiers, but also to their equipment, and to the commodities they defend.Again, this is in keeping with the core Severan Dominate philosophy, that their resources are finite, particularly in comparison to those of their greatest foes. Further, they are also to make certain that time is not to be wasted. Idle hands are to be put to good use, whenever possible. If they have any hope of persevering, all must make a constant and concerted effort.This represents a significant change in tactical philosophy from that originally used to train many of the officers who learned under the Tactica Imperialis. Many Astra Militarum commanders are completely dependent upon using a vast wave of soldiers to overcome a target. Commissars are renowned for their willingness to execute soldiers who hesitate in combat.The Secessionist forces eschew both of these approaches. Instead, they actively attempt to rehabilitate any troopers who show signs of cowardice or treachery. Human wave tactics are replaced, whenever possible, by artillery bombardments.In this same vein, the soldiers of the Severan Dominate -- as well as its citizens -- are never to stand idle. Their days are rigorously planned out, and seldom involve any meaningful amount of downtime. Between deployments, Secessionist forces are frequently assigned to duty within manufactoria, on Agri-worlds, and even within mines.In many instances, products leave manufactoria only partially prepared for battle, so that machines and labourers may be assigned other tasks. Soldiers must commit additional time to unpack and finalise clean-up on their arms and munitions before they can be put to work.In general, this is done during time that might otherwise be assigned to drills or calisthenics -- often, hauling the massive crates provides an adequate physical training regimen.Troops are also trained to take care to salvage materials whenever possible. Leftover food is saved and reused. Damaged goods are typically repaired rather than replaced. In many cases, this has left the Secessionists wearing threadbare uniforms and using well-worn equipment.Generally, these are superficial issues that would only play a factor during a formal inspection. However, few of the soldiers have the necessary training to perform effective field repairs. As time has passed and equipment has continued to exceed its planned life expectancy, the Traitors have had to deal with increasingly unreliable gear.Of course, this tenet is in direct conflict with the duke's alliance with the Children of Thorns. The Severan Dominate has willfully sacrificed a significant portion of their holdings, including their citizens, to the cruel desires of the xenos.The duke feels no regret for this agreement, but he is unwilling to discuss it with most of his advisors, and also keeps the alliance a secret from the Severan population at large. If word of the agreement and its consequences were to spread, it might cripple his authority with his citizens, and with many of his line officers.