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Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM |
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This Day in Alternate History Blog
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Human Time Line 3100 Fourth Age
The United Defence Forces
The United Defence Forces (UDF) of the United Federation of Planets (UFP) provides, as the name suggests, the military security of the UFP. They have a long & distinguished history of this service. Many times the UDF has had its back against the wall, as well as the UFP, but it has fought back successfully every time. Although numerous battles have been lost, the UDF has never lost a war. UDF personnel are to key to its success. Every specie that makes up the UFP can been seen throughout the various services. Humans, by the very nature of being the most populous of UFP species, make up the most numbers. But other species are sometimes over represented. A classic example of this are the Braggah. The Federation Army, for example, has a higher ratio of Braggah than any other specie. Other species too make special contributions according to their attributes. The Lyonies have long enjoyed elite status within the UDF. Their personnel are renown for being the most disciplined & professional members of any other group. The Buckhoo, although many of this specie have a dubious record, nonetheless ensure that all important intelligence is fed back to UDF planners. Many Buckhoo clandestine missions have become legendary while conducting their duty. The UDF is divided into five services. This structure originated from the days of the Earth Commonwealth of the 1990s. Little has changed since. The first two services enjoy a rather independent operating status. The largest of these is the Army, while not far behind is the Navy. The next three services are often partners with either or both of the former. The Air Force operates with both the Army & Navy. The Air Force’s main contribution are fighters, bombers & transporters. They operate from either fixed bases on planets or moons or from Naval ships that include carriers or the Sparta class. The Space Marines are similar in size to the Air Force, but mostly work in conjunction with the Navy. Their functions vary from guards to a "rapid combat deployment force". The final & smallest service is the secretive Military Intelligence Corps. They operate with all services & have a particular special relationship with Next Generation Weapons (NGW). Basically they are spies. Their ability to supply information on the enemy is extremely important. Their more public face, which is well known (unlike their other activities), involves operating Indorra (including all modifications & variants), & Enigma2 (again including all modifications & variants). The Federal Army The Federal Army is the largest of all the UDF services based on numbers. It has personnel from all over the Federation numbering in the tens of millions. It is a volunteer organisation that involves both full & part time troops. Its Headquarters are on Parliament-Upon-Epsilon, but regional Headquarters really run the show. Equipment varies according to unit & mission requirements. The basic fighting unit of the Army is the Division. Each Division usually comprises of three brigades of three battalions per brigade. Often specialist battalions are attached, such as engineers, anti-aircraft (atmospheric & space) & special forces, to each Division adding a fourth brigade. Although Divisions fall into three categories, Light, Infantry & Armoured, in reality they are Light or Heavy. There is little difference between Infantry & Armoured divisions. The Light divisions, on the other hand, have no armour support. The Light divisions can be, however, by their very nature, rapidly deployed in a period of crisis. They are often teamed with a Space Marine Division, which are considered a Heavy division. Incidentally, Space Marine divisions are usually the first deployed. Higher than the Division is the Corps. In many cases these are ad hoc administrative bodies, which provide tactical & strategic guidance to the numerous divisions under its command. They also coordinate other services, such as the Air Force. The Air Force maybe ordered to either support the divisions in a tactical role, or deployed in an independent strategic role against the enemy. Similarly, a Corps is attached to an Army Group that, like the Corps, is administrative & coordinates the various services under its jurisdiction. The duties of the Army is mostly planetary in nature. They either defend a planet against an invader or invade a planet held by the enemy. It is often a thankless job & extremely tough. The Army hardly enjoys the glamour of the Navy, but its contribution is just as important. Most of the time, Army personnel bore themselves with guard duty & training. But when the fight is on, they are in the thick of it. One advantage that the Army enjoys is the trench. Although this may appear very primitive, Navy personnel have no where duck or hide when the common space enemy of all, the vacuum of space, rushes in to kill all through a hull breach.
The Federal Navy The Federal Navy is the most glamorous, if not the most dangerous, of the UDF services. Life can be very short in the Navy. Its patrols, task forces & fleets not only have to battle any invader, but must also battle space itself. Millions of Naval personnel over the years have been killed in battle. Alas many of them may have survived the weapons battle, only to die due to a hull breach. Even though life can be dangerous, its numbers have always been filled by volunteers divided into full or part time personnel. Its Headquarters has moved on various occasions depending upon the size of the UFP. Currently Navy Headquarters is on Pheonix. Yet it is really the fleets that have the major say. Ships & equipment are rather universal, but variations in numbers occur from fleet to fleet. Unlike the army, there is no basic fighting unit in the Navy. Although fleets control many ships of the Navy, various task forces often divide each fleet into smaller combat groups. These task forces will vary in size depending on their mission. Sometimes fleets dispense with the task force organisation & will operate as a single unified force. Some task forces operate independently from any fleet (eg Sparta class) & are given their own independent mission. Likewise, these independent task forces can be seconded to a fleet. Fleets can also be united to increase overall ship numbers. These "Grand" Fleets operate as one. Numerous battles have seen witness to this arrangement whereupon the destructive power of the "Grand" Fleet is truly horrifying. And like these united fleets, so is Navy personnel. All the species are involved with the Navy, although Humans make up the most numbers. It appears that the danger, adventure & curiosity that Navy life has to offer appeals to the Humans more so than anyone else. Fleet numbers vary according to the danger facing the UFP. More often than not, the Navy has enjoyed thirteen fleets for centuries. Recently, however, two more fleets have been included. The 10th Fleet was at first an administrative body only as its ships were dispersed to patrol the UFP borders. Thus it comprised of mostly frigates & destroyers. In 2806, however, it became a full combat fleet, with the new 15th Fleet taking over this duty. Of the other fleets, the 1st Home, 2nd Gallant & the 11th Guard Fleets are the most revered. The rest of the fleets are, nonetheless, just as effective in their duties. The duties of the Navy is two fold. The first is to provide both internal & external security. It is to defend the planets, colonies & territory of the UFP against any internal or external enemy. More often than not, the Navy is the first to be involved with such enemies. It is not unusual, then, that thousands of Naval personnel die before any other branch suffers any casualties. Its second duty is much more mundane. The Navy is also in charge of
interplanetary transport for the other military services. In doing so, the Navy
operates thousands of transport & assault ships for the Space Marines & Army. In
a related function, it also operates the carriers for the Air Forces fighters,
bombers & ground assault craft. The Federal Air Force The Federal Air Force has changed much in nature from its origins in the Earth Commonwealth. Although it is large in size, its duties have been reduced. That is not to say that it has a secondary role in the UDF. On the contrary, the Air Force continues to be the back bone of planetary defence. The long Zargah siege of Earth failed, in part, thanks to the constant sacrifices of Air Force personnel. They may not have the powerful ships of the Navy, but their elan is no less. Volunteers are more than happy to fill the Air Force’s ranks of both full or part time units. Its Headquarters is based at Parliament-Upon-Epsilon, but planetary commands enjoy much autonomy. Often, however, various Air Force units are under the control of either Army or Navy commands. The basic fighting unit in the Air Force is the Wing. Each Wing may vary in size & may be a mixture of the Air Force’s two major branches: the fighters & the strike bombers. A third branch of the Air Force provides transport & it is only Wings of this branch that enjoy uniformity: that is three squadrons of the same aircraft type. The combat Wings can vary according to mission. A typical interception Wing may, for example, have three fighter squadrons; a support Wing may have a helicopter, a fighter, & a strike bomber squadron; an assault Wing may have a fighter & two assault craft squadrons, while a strike Wing may have only three strike bomber squadrons. Equipment too varies according to each squadron & where they are based. If there is one characteristic of the Air Force, it is its diversity of equipment & thus personnel. No particular specie dominates more than their population would naturally allow. Although the Air Force is technically an independent service of the UDF, its units often serve under the command of the local Army or Navy jurisdiction. This would depend on where the particular Wing is stationed. More often than not, Wings based on planets serve under the command of the Army. There are a few exceptions, but not many. If, however, the Air Force ever enjoys an independent command, then it is only when stationed on a planet. The Air Force Wings associated with the Navy are totally under Naval command. The Wings are based upon carriers which are supplied & operated by the Navy. Although at first the carriers were front line ships, they have proven over the years to be too vulnerable to stand against any battlecruiser or battleship. This lesson was learnt the hard way during the first days of the Zargah War. That has not meant, however, that carriers no are longer operated. Today the "Air Force" carriers provide invaluable fighter screens for the battleships. This ensures that nasty little surprises do not happen often. There is, hence, usually one carrier per task force & several when a Fleet operates as one. The fighter & assault Wings aboard a Sparta class are manned by Air Force
personnel. Do note, however, that the Sparta assault Wing is comprised of three
assault squadrons & not the usual one fighter, two assault squadrons
arrangement. A similar situation occurs with the Navy’s troop transports. Air
Force personnel again man the assault Wing that comes with the troop transports,
regardless if Space Marines or Army units are being deployed. The Space Marines Although they hate to admit it, the Space Marines are basically the Navy’s private army. Even though they are nominally independent, wherever the Navy goes the Space Marines follow. Space Marines never conduct independent missions & are dependent upon support from the Navy. The result is that the Space Marines are often the first combat troops involved in any conflict. They, like the Navy, have their Headquarters on Pheonix. The ranks are filled by full time volunteers. There is no part time branch. There is no real typical combat unit of the Space Marines. Marine units can vary drastically according to duty. The result is a rather complicated organisation that, not only has to administer the requirements of the Marine units, but needs to coordinate constantly with the Navy. More often than not, numerous Marine units are supplied & supported through Naval units. Although this may appear on paper as a major headache, the expertise thus developed often sees the Marines the best prepared. It is the only service that, at any one time, may have to plan their activities with all the other branches of the UDF. There are, however, two basic functions of the Marines. The first to provide security for Naval bases & ships. Thus a Marine unit, in this role, can be anything in size from a platoon to a battalion. At the same time, these units can be combined into an ad hoc brigade & used for combat. Unfortunately, when they are, they have little weaponry other than that which they can carry. They are the ultimate in Light troops. Boarding parties are often organised from these units. The other duty of the Space Marines is planetary combat. The basic combat
unit is similar to the Army, but all Marine Combat Divisions are a Heavy
division. They are also mostly Armoured, unlike the Army. Division numbers are,
though, significantly lower than the Army - there are usually only 30 divisions,
half of whom are stationed aboard the Navy’s Sparta class ships. The other half
are stationed at planetary bases around the UFP. Military Intelligence Corps The Military Intelligence Corps is the most secretive of all the military
services in the UDF. Much of their work is classified & can be extremely
dangerous. It is also the smallest service, but regardless of its sometimes
dubious past, it gets many volunteers. Most, of cause, are rejected or are only
employed in its more public side. Many of its personnel are Buckhoo, but
certainly all of the species of the UFP are represented. Humans, known for their
cunning & deceptive abilities, are also employed in abundance. There is no typical unit of the Military Intelligence Corps. They vary according to duty & the mission involved. The clandestine missions can involve any number of personnel. "Spy ring" units often include a mixture of full & part time personnel. Some personnel may not even be UFP citizens, but citizens of the civilisation being spied upon. Although the UDF are only supposed to employ UFP citizens, the Corps is the exception. No one really, for obvious reasons, knows exactly who works in such a capacity anyway. It would be safe to say, however, that analysts, staff officers & so forth are all UFP citizens. The public face of the Military Intelligence Corps employs only full time personnel & conducts no clandestine missions. This branch, the Tech Branch, operates the various models & variants of Indorra, Tindorra, Nazzdorra & Enigma2. These personnel are usually seconded to the service that has established the need for a particular station. This can be by either the Army or the Navy. Although technically such units are notionally independent, they come under the command of their respective Army or Naval command. The numbers of a Corps Tech Branch unit can thus vary according to which
equipment they operate & where they are based. Typically though, those operating
on board a battleship number no more than 20, while those based on a planet can
number up to 250 in total. These units are, like most UDF units, multi-specie
in nature, while the clandestine units are usually limited in their specie
diversity. Closing Notes The UDF has a powerful & proud record of service. A fundamental aspect is its volunteer status based on an equal opportunity specie & sex policy. Only once, during the Zargah War, has conscripts been required in order to fight an enemy. The idea of mercenaries or substitutes, to supplement or replace UFP citizens to defend the Federation, is considered pathetic. Fundamentally, UDF personnel from the ranks up, believe such ideas run contrary to the ideals that the UDF stands & fights for. All five services have constantly resisted such policy "reforms", when voiced by politicians & others. In many areas the UDF has been responsible for major advances in technology. The Military Intelligence Corps & the Navy in particular have been involved with various projects by NGW. Although the Corps have a secret special relationship with NGW, it has been Naval requirements that has witnessed major breakthroughs in technology. Many of these have flown on & benefited greatly the living standards of all citizens of the UFP. Where the future lies for the UDF, no one of cause knows. But it is very certain that the UDF will meet it & defend the UFP. It is the UDF’s duty that the People of the Federation will continue to enjoy freedom & democracy against the vast emptiness & darkness of space. It has every intention of fulfilling its duty, whether it was yesterday, today, or tomorrow.
Fourth Age Glossary (2950-3200)
© 1997-2009 This creative work is the property of David Mark
Atwell.
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