Probably one of the most important roles in TG is the squad leader. The squad leader is a mobile spawn point for his/her squad, leads it to advantageous positions, and provides information that aids situational awareness through the usage of drones.

As such, killing enemy squad leaders is an extremely high priority, as the death of squad leaders can stall offensives, waste manpower on revives, or provide ample opportunities for ticket stealing or teabagging.

This guide will attempt to aid you in identifying, isolating, and eliminating enemy squad leaders.

Identifying:

Indicators of whether there is an enemy squad leader nearby.

-An unusually tight pack of 6 people appears on your NetBat or minimap.
-Mechanical sounds indicative of an Otus or Accipiter when no friendly squad leaders are around.
-Constant stream of people coming from a location other than an enemy flag/regular spawn point.
-Pods from a beacon.

Isolating:

Actions/traits that distinguish squad leaders from squad members.

-Otuses/Accipiters following someone around.
-A person laying a beacon.
-A Recon with a Lambert or a cloak. Often, squad leaders that carry out cloaked Recon runs equip the Lambert in anticipation of close quarter engagements. Recons with sniper rifles are usually either rare pros (Chris Hooper, Loaky, etc.) or lone wolfers, meaning you're safer off assuming that the squad leader is not carrying a sniper rifle.
-A support with a shotgun. The shotgun is arguably one of the best one-on-one weapons in the game, allowing squad leaders to quickly dispatch of singular threats to the squad leader, and Zhohar's ex-favourite weapon.
-In an aggressive/offensive squad, the soldier that the squad follows. Usually, the squad must follow the leader in a column during offensive actions or manoeuvres in order to maintain unit cohesiveness and a high movement speed. Some wily squad leaders will not show this trait, as they will probably use move markers or better communications to command from the rear or middle.
-In a defensive/holding squad, the soldier that stays back, alone, or away from the rest of the squad or an enemy presence. Almost all squad leaders will display this trait, as they attempt to remain a viable spawn point for their squads as long as possible.
-People spawning around a singular soldier.

Eliminating:

The targeting of squad leaders, though extremely important and of a high priority to the team/squad, leaves a friendly squad vulnerable to the squad mates of an enemy squad leader.

-Find and identify the enemy squad leaders as soon as possible. The first time you encounter a notable enemy squad, note the names of the members in the squad. Who in the squad would be more likely to be squad leader? Who is usually squad leader more? Are there IHS-tagged people in the squad? Make an educated guess.
-After identifying the squad leaders, remember their names, and aim a little towards them the next time you meet them.
-Do not focus entirely on the enemy squad leader. If you are a squad leader, assign one or two of your squad mates to focus on killing and keeping down the enemy squad leader, if possible. Tunnel vision will lead to the enemy squad killing you easily.
-Cover the squad leader's body. The enemy squad mates will probably rush for a revive to undo your hard work, so make sure they taste the sweet glittery frosting-shrapnel from PK-74 PixyStix or frag-grenade-cakes.
-Camp beacons mercilessly. With knives.
-DO NOT SHOOT AT SL DRONES BEFORE PEOPLE. Drones are small targets that don't usually deal a great amount of damage, and can be instantly respawned by a live squad leader. Destroying them before killing all immediate threats is an exercise in futility.
-Often, you will have to react to a breakthrough. This usually leads to a chase. However, reaction is always slower than action, so the odds of success on your end are extremely low in chases unless your squad uses the terrain effectively to take shortcuts. Vehicles help a lot with strategy, as their high mobility allows them to chase down squads that break through. The APC in Fall of Berlin is a great example; its mortars can eliminate entire squads that make it past Crossroads or Roadblock. Chasing is usually a more viable option when there is either too much manpower covering all the choke points of a map, or when there is too little. Chase squads should tend to stay backwards from the main action and be closely coordinated with a CO to reduce reaction time as much as possible.
-The more effective way to stop squad leaders is to let them come to you. This way, they are forced to fight you, and you have the advantage of a prepared position. The problem is that if there is a breakthrough, chasing them will often lead to a huge gap in the front lines.

All in all, I hope this guide will provide some kind of help when you run into a squad of 3rd or Lyra-clones. Best of luck on the battlefield.

Oh, and correct me if you find anything wrong.

EDIT: Bullet point on SL interception. Thanks, Fruvous. (7/4/09)