Armored Tears (29 page)
Authors: Mark Kalina
Structure of the Arcadian Defense Force:
The
Arcadian Defense Force is a military force consisting of a mix of professional
career soldiers and short-term "conscripts" in the service of the
government of Arcadia. The Defense Force as it currently exists evolved from a
purely volunteer militia that was raised by the Arcadian colonists to deal with
raids and attacks from so-called "bandits lords" who had emerged as the
primary political power inside the largely neglected "economic
refugee" camps set up by the UEN on Arcadia.
The
original Defense Force was a largely irregular and informal organization, with
no set rank system, no standard issue gear and no central command structure.
Within a period of a few years, however, it began to develop into a coherent
and organized armed force, though one that remained relatively informal and
retained a traditional aversion to extensive bureaucracy and staff operations.
The Defense Force is a young organization (barely 25 Earth years old) and its
informality and "stripped down" structure have, for good or ill,
remained one of its hallmarks.
The
informality expresses itself in several ways. For instance, there is no social
correlation between rank and non-military status, and as a result, there is a
marked lack of military ritual and formal deference between the ranks.
Another
aspect of the informality of the Defense Force is a relatively high "tooth
to tail" ratio; combat units of the Defense Force do not maintain large
numbers of "staff" or "planning" officers. Since the
Defense Force was founded in an age where advanced, ubiquitous computing
capability was a given, much of the role of traditional military "staff officers"
is taken over by computers, an integrated Defense Force data-cloud and
carefully designed "military operations staff" software agents.
The
validity of this approach has often been called into question, especially given
the need to keep a lot of sensitive information out of the data-cloud due to
concerns about info-warfare attack. None the less, a Defense Force combat unit
will usually not have any dedicated intelligence, supply, administrative,
operational or logistical staff officers. Instead, all these roles will be undertaken
either "at a distance" by officers from the Supply Corps or the
Technical Corps, or else will be handled "on site" by the line
officers in charge of a given combat unit; a task that is made somewhat easier —or
at least somewhat possible— by means of well designed and integrated
computer planning systems.
This
lack of formal staff organization has been criticized —not least, by
officers in the Defense Force— as militarily primitive and
unprofessional, leading to excessive officer workloads and suboptimal outcomes
in terms of contingency planning. However, to date, the innate flexibility and
the deliberate lack of military bureaucracy (which a strong aspect of the
Arcadian Defense Force military culture) that is inherent in this approach has
been seen as outweighing the negatives.
As
noted above, the Defense Force does not have any innate social rank
structure.
There are no
"officer academies" that graduate new officers with no prior active
duty experience. Instead, all individuals serving in the Defense Force
initially join as "conscript recruits" and may then be promoted. All
Defense Force officers are thus promoted from soldiers who started as enlisted
conscripts.
Technically,
conscription into the Arcadian Defense Force is
not
mandatory, and any individual can "opt-out." However,
doing so carries severe social and political penalties and most Arcadians, upon
turning 18 Earth years old, join the Defense Force for a standard two Earth
year term.
Once
a conscript-recruit is "inducted" into the Defense Force, he or she
will be assigned to one of the Arcadian Defense Force's "Corps." The
current Arcadian Defense Force consists of six "Corps" that each have
their own role and area of responsibility within the Defense Force. There is some
rivalry between the various Corps, but, for the most part, they remain part of
an integrated single organization.
The
Corps of the Arcadian Defense Force are:
—
Aerospace Corps
; in charge of aircraft,
ranging from helicopters and tilt-rotor utility transports to advanced
variable-geometry laser-armed stealth reconnaissance / air superiority
"ghosts."
In addition, the Aerospace Corps is in charge of
Arcadia's military and government satellites and orbital launch systems. The
Aerospace Corps operates several dozen communications, reconnaissance and
weather satellites, and the launch systems to send these into orbit. It has the
capability to put a manned vehicle into orbit, but aside from a few orbital
manned research missions, the Aerospace Corps space program is largely unmanned.
Aerospace Corps air operations are focused on a small
force of "ghosts." As of 2077, (the year of the UEN's orbital gate invasion)
a dozen active reconnaissance / air superiority aircraft make up the Aerospace
Corps' active air power. The newest of these are four Mitsubishi RD-7 aircraft,
codenamed "Crane" in Arcadian service, operated in more or less
original configuration. Most of the force (the remaining 8 active aircraft)
however, consists of (captured) ex-UEN Peace Force, Korea Aerospace Industries
RA-9 aircraft, heavily modified by the Arcadians and codenamed
"Condor" in Arcadian service. The original airframe and laser array
is retained but most of the original avionics have been replaced with more
modern Japanese systems and the engines are locally overhauled and modified. In
addition, Another seven older, surplus Saab SJ-50 aircraft are maintained in
"mothballs" as a long term reserve; for the most part these aircraft,
despite their "outdated" airframes and engines, have had their laser
weapons and avionics updated to the same standard as the active service RA-9
"Condors."
In addition to the small, elite force of
"ghosts," about two hundred multi-role utility helicopters and
tilt-rotor aircraft of various manufacture are in service. Many of these are
captured UEN aircraft, some are dedicated military transport aircraft and many
are converted civilian models adapted for military operation. Additionally,
several dozen locally manufactured light aircraft are used.
Overall, the Aerospace Corps is considered the most
prestigious of the Defense Force Corps, and has the most stringent entry
requirements.
—
Armored Corps
; in charge of heavy armor
(tanks) and the support troops and installations for those tanks. In terms of
prestige, it runs second to the Aerospace Corps. The Armored Corps is focused
exclusively on the operation of units of main battle tanks and a limited number
of support units for the tanks, such as armored recovery vehicles —though
modern tanks can often undertake this role themselves— as well as
training, repair and refitting facilities. As of 2077, the main tank in the
Armored Corp service is the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type-51, designated
"War-Hammer" in Arcadian service. All of these tanks have been
constantly upgraded (as of 2077, to the Mk.IIIb standard) with improved
sensors, countermeasures, crew systems and fire control in an attempt to keep
them more or less current as compared to more modern armor.
As a result of this narrow range of deployed vehicle
types, the Armored Corps is possibly the most focused element in the Defense
Force. Although the Armored Corps has proved decisive in almost every major
engagement fought by the Defense Force, its limited utility in
"peace-time" operations make it somewhat controversial; it is
expensive and not very versatile outside of major battle. To address this
concern, the Armored Corps is sometimes assigned to duties where its tanks
represent almost comical degrees of "overkill" in terms of protection
and firepower, such missions to escort charitable relief convoys to the refugee
camps.
—
Infantry Corps
; in charge of
"frame infantry" and their support vehicles, installation and support
troops for the frame infantry. Frame infantry are soldiers who wear
servo-mechanical exo-skeletal "frames" which allow them to carry very
heavy weapons and personal armor loads without feeling the encumbrance and
weight of those loads.
The Defense Force produces its own Infantry Frames,
based on the 2060's era UEN Peace Force fielded design (the Boston Dynamics
M440.) However the Defense Force frame (designated the "A-4" in
Arcadian service) is substantially different from and more advanced than the
M440, and is considered to be on par with modern infantry frames used by most
Earth militaries. The standard issue anti-frame rifle remains a locally
produced copy of the Colt M39 rifle.
The Infantry Corps also operates armored, tracked
"frame carriers" to deliver and support framer operations. The model
used by the Arcadian Defense Force is a heavily modified variant of the 2040's
vintage Indian AHVF (
Avadi Heavy Vehicles
Factory
)
Ratha-2
frame carrier.
The Arcadian modifications consist of a more advanced Arcadian-produced
fuel-cell power system, an Arcadian standard-issue auto-smartgun mounted in the
small, one man turret, and Arcadian modified, Japanese-produced electronics,
including sensors, drone-operation system and control systems for the crew. In
Arcadian service, the vehicle is designated the "Armadillo," (but in
common use it is simply referred to as a "carrier" by the Infantry
Corps.) The "Armadillo" is a "light frame carrier" (which
means it has limited firepower and defenses of its own) mounting a simple
"anti-missile panel" based missile defense system and a single heavy
auto-smartgun. A suite of reconnaissance drones is also carried.
It should be noted that, despite its name, the
Infantry Corps does not operate any units of light (non-frame) infantry, except
on an ad-hoc basis where frame infantry are tasked with
"out-of-frame" missions. (All Infantry Corps framer-troopers
do
receive training for light —non-frame—
infantry operations, but this is seen as a very secondary role for them.)
There is substantial, though mostly friendly, rivalry
between the Infantry Corps and the Armored Corps.
—
Technical Corps
; in charge of major
Defense Force installations, (including Defense Force medical facilities) air
defense, Defense Force communication infrastructure (excluding satellite
communications, which are run by the Aerospace Corps) and Defense Force information
and computer infrastructure (including the Defense Force's computer-hacking
"info-warfare" capabilities.)
In addition to these roles, the Technical Corps acts
as the main military intelligence branch of the Arcadian Defense Force (a role
which sees it cooperate extensively with the Arcadian government's Diplomatic
Branch, which also has an intelligence role.)
—
Supply Corps
; in charge of the
delivery, storage and organization of supplies to the other Defense Force
Corps. While military medical facilities are operated by the Technical Corps,
most field aid-stations are staffed by Supply Corps personnel, sometimes
operating in parallel
with
and
sometimes specifically attached
to
other units. Likewise, the Supply Corps is also tasked with the delivering emergency
supplies to civilians in cases of disaster. Perhaps somewhat oddly, the Supply
Corps is also in charge of the Defense Force's small coastal patrol
"navy," (on the theory that the main use of Defense Force water-borne
surface vessels is to deliver supplies to coastal areas.) None the less, the
Supply Corps also operates armed coastal patrol boats.
—
Auxiliary Corps
; in charge of a variety
of missions, ranging from light (unarmored, non-frame) infantry operations to
the delivery of supplies away from major Supply Corps installations, to road
construction and civil engineering (which are among its most common tasks,) to
general support operations (including basic medical support operations, a role
which has substantial overlap with the medical mission of the Supply Corps.)
The Auxiliary Corps sees itself as a "jack of
all trades" and is often accused of being a "master of none." It
is simultaneously the least prestigious and the most often deployed of the
Defense Force Crops. The Auxiliary Corps often operates in close cooperation
with the Supply Corps and there has been some debate —so far inconclusive—
about combining these two Corps into one.
A
Defense Force soldier generally remains in one Corps for their entire career,
though it is possible to apply for a transfer. Such transfers are granted
(often somewhat informally) only if the soldier is shown "to be of more
use to" or "more suitable for" the Corps he or she is being
transferred into. Transfers are somewhat rare but not unheard of.
Once
a recruit is assigned to one of the Corps, he or she will serve for two years.
All Defense Force personnel begin their service as privates. Promotion occurs,
in theory, only due to proven ability, though time in service and experience is
counted as part of such "proven ability."