A Cadian Shock Troops squad represents the fundamental building block of Astra Militarum doctrine: ordinary men and women, drilled to perfection and deployed in overwhelming numbers. Each trooper carries the ubiquitous lasgun, a rugged and dependable energy weapon capable of felling a man with a single shot and forgiving of the harshest field conditions. Under the direction of a veteran sergeant, the squad manoeuvres as a single organism, laying down interlocking fire and advancing in measured bounds.
What distinguishes the Cadian squad is not equipment but discipline. Where other troops might waver under a screaming charge or a rain of shellfire, Cadians hold, cycling their fire and trusting in the soldier to left and right. This steadiness makes them ideal for the grinding attritional battles that define the Militarum's way of war, holding a trench or clearing a ruin block by block.
Squads frequently carry heavier weapons to bolster their firepower, and coordinate closely with the armoured and artillery elements that support any Imperial advance. They are the anvil upon which the enemy is broken and the ground upon which the Imperium's wars are ultimately won or lost.
Order of battle
