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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→Military forces
The armies of the Ordo Malleus are small, as only a select few individuals are trusted by the Inquisition with extensive knowledge of [[Chaos]]. Daemonhunter strike forces usually consist only of a Malleus inquisitor, the inquisitor's personal retinue, and as many Grey Knights as can be spared. {{Cite This}}
In battle, the greatest advantage of any Malleus force lies in the specialised and consecrated weaponry available to it. Utilising techniques and metallurgy lost to the rest of the Imperium, Malleus savants and allied [[Tech-priest]]s produce and maintain immensely powerful arms and armour specifically designed to combat the daemonic.In addition to this equipment, the Malleus Remit allows any Daemonhunter strike force to be bolstered by units from the Adeptus Astartes, the Imperial Guard, and the [[Officio Assassinorum]]. {{Cite This}}
Only the ranks of the Grey Knights are expected to survive in the service to the Ordo Malleus. All other troops that are seconded to the Ordo end up dying in this duty. The simple reason for the high rate of deaths within military units attached to the Daemonhunters is due to their exposure to the daemonic. Thus, they become privy to one of the Imperium's most closely guarded secrets namely the existence of Chaos and of Daemons. As their duty is to hide this threat from the Imperium, the Ordo Malleus has any surviving troopers being executed following a campaign or battle. Those that are killed recieve receive full honours shortly after their elimination. Ultimately, all such regiments and corps are seen as expendable which means that they are terminated after the completion of their duty.{{Fn|2c}}
The exceptions to this secrecy-by-extermination policy are units from the Adeptus Astartes which is the case only because the execution of a Space Marine is seen as being wasteful. Those Astartes serving with the Ordo Malleus are mindscrubbed in order to remove any memory of the Ordo's existence. Ultimately, only the Grey Knights are allowed to retain their memories of their duty with the Ordo Malleus as their centuries of service has shown that they can keep the secret of the hidden war against the daemonic forces of Chaos.{{Fn|2c}}
