Armed forces of Edessa

Overview
The Armed Forces of Edessa (AFE) is the military force of Edessa. It consists of the Edessian Space Force(ESF), Army, Marines, and the Airforce. Icarus Faelin is the commander in chief of the armed forces. The marines are the main offensive ground force of Edessa. The Army is the main defensive ground force of Edessa. The Edessian Space Forces are the main force of Edessa in the inky black void of space.

Military service in Edessa is compulsory and the military is often romantized in novels and in movies. They are seen as the protectors of Edessa and many want to join their ranks atleast temporarily. Most who join the military are only in for a year or two. And even then they are simply reserves and live normal civillian lives. Most of the time they do it to pay for college or some other educational venture. This is the story for the majority of people. But a small number goes into the active duty portion.

Edessa's military capitol is Corinth, named after a fortress city in Greece back on what used to be Earth. Being the military capitol, Corinth has the most officer training schools, most military bases, most warship 'dry-docks', and the largest defense fleet after Edessa. Mining is more of a focus here than on Edessa, as Corinth has more rare minerals useful in building military hardware. This is the reason the planet was originally colonized by the TSF. The planet is currently orderly and crime is rare from the significant military garrison.

When the TSE invaded the Verion Cluster, a TSE fleet hit Corinth. Corinth was the most heavily defended planet in Edessian space except for Edessa. But the numerous orbital platforms proved insufficient to stop the Terran craft. Most were turned into debris that rained on Corinth itself. It is unknown how many died, and only grisly estimates exist. The numbers run well into the hundreds of thousands. It would ultimately take years to clean up every single piece of debris.

Edessa prides itself on being a trade empire, but the military still receives a large budget. The government says it is purely for defense. This is true, Edessa will more likely trade with an empire rather than try to go for war. Edessa weilds its military to defend its holdings and to protect its profits. Most citizens agree with this sentiment and pride themselves on knowing they have a military that will defend them. However, their support has weakened in recent times with the invasion.

Recruitment
Military service in Edessa is compulsury for all eligible citizens. Edessian citizens must serve in the reserves for three years. Becoming a reservist is seen as a rite of passage of sorts. It is believed this will prepare young citizens for life in the work force. They become a reservist at the age of 17 in secondary school. Reservists can be called for active duty when needed. Otherwise reservists live ordinary civilian lives on the side. Active duty and logistics personell between the ages of 17 and 36 are sought out by the Army. The marines look for recruits between the ages of 17 and 32. 17 and 36 for the Space Forces. 17 to 28 for the AirForce. Soldiers can stay in for as long as they want as long as they can meet the fitness requirements.

Training for the reserves is six months. After the training period they drill on the weekends usually. Otherwise they live ordinary lives as stated above. The Army basic training lasts four months. Specialized training can last six to ten months depending on the job. Marines have a similar training period. Alot of emphasis is placed on proficiency with small-arms,  fieldcraft, and physical fitness in training. The focus in officer training is leadership and combat command above everything else.

Recruits with higher education from universities or technical schools can join as an immunis or Optio. Otherwise they go in as a miles or private. Recruits also have programs in secondary school that allow them to enter active duty early. Active duty fills the compulsury service requirement faster than the reserves. This is because active duty training is more difficult and sets a higher standard. There is also the fact active duty will go to war if a war breaks out.

Edessian Army
The Edessian Army is the largest branch in the AFE. The Army shares the reserves with the Marines though the reserves are a separate entity. The entities preceived as the Marines and Army are active duty soldiers and the logistics people that keep them supplied. In peacetime, the active duty portion is mainly made up of volunteers. However, in wartime they draw from the reservists and volunteers. The Edessian army is mainly known for being a defensive force. However, the Army can and will send units to other worlds to support marine units.

The Edessian army observes strict discipline among the troops. A policy of separation of the enlisted and officers exists. In bases, officers and enlisted are housed in separate quarters. They do not eat at the same tables in the mess hall. Close relationships between officers and enlisted are strictly prohibited. Enlisted must salute officers and follow orders as given. They are allowed to advise a superior officer in a respectful manner. However, the decisions ultimately rest with the officer. This is not to say there is no initiative in the Army. NCOs and soldiers are allowed to adapt to changing battlefield conditions within reason. They are infact encouraged to do so as long as it does not interfere with the objective or rules of engagement.

On the offensive, the Edessian army uses armored units to pierce enemy lines. Armored units then flank strong points and cut them off from supply. If the situation permits they will then attack HQ units and soft skinned logistics vehicles. The mechanized and motorized infantry then take advantage of breathroughs and keep ground taken by the armor. They also assault strong points the armor cut off from supply. However the army has a lower percentage of armored and mechanized infantry than the marines.

On the defensive the army uses static defenses to protect strongpoints. They don't rely on these though. Mobile forces move between strong-points and make an elastic defense to stop mobile enemy forces. The static defenses are self-contained outposts that house landing beacons and artillery guns. These firebases provide support for the mobile forces. The static defenses also include observation posts and listening posts that give early  warning of enemy attacks. Mostly motorized infantry units crew the firebases.

Marines
The Edessian Marine Corps is the second largest branch in the AFE. They are the main offensive force on the ground. The Marines are the first ones into hotspots. If Edessa goes onto a hostile world, the enemy is most likely going to see the marines in the first wave. For this reason the majority of the marines is made up of mechanized and armored units. Most of their artillery is made up of self propelled guns. Mobility is the most sought after criterion in marine units.

The Marines do not exercise discipline as heavily as the Army. Officers and enlisted do not employ a strict separation policy. Officers must pass the same basic training as enlisted. This is to create mutual trust and respect between the officers and men. This means the relationship between then is alot more relaxed than what is observed in other branches. Since the marines are a quick response unit, they often get deployed to hostile worlds and foreign colonies. This means trust between the soldiers is extremely important for sucessful operations.

Armour

 * Aegis Combat Armor
 * Titan Power Armor

Small-Arms

 * Xiphos Battle Rifle - 7.62x54mm rounds
 * Lancea SMG - 45. Auto
 * Spiculum long ranged coilgun sniper rifle - 12.7mm caseless rounds
 * Doru Carbine - 6x54mm rounds
 * Hasta guided anti-tank missile launcher - 125mm guided missile
 * Sarissa RPG- 110mm unguided rocket
 * Toxotes Marksman Rifle - 8x65mm rounds
 * Gladius shotgun - 12 Gauge shotgun shells
 * Pugio Sidearm - 45. Auto
 * Verutum sniper rifle - 10x70mm rounds
 * Pilum Anti-Material rifle - 12.7x99mm rounds
 * Zicas Infantry Support Weapon - 7.62x54mm rounds

Vehicles

 * Antaeus Main Battle Tank
 * Valkyrie MLRS
 * Hestia armored personel carrier (8x8 wheeled APC)
 * Hercules Self propelled artillery vehicle
 * Satyr LRV (Light 4x4 wheeled vehicle)
 * Minotaur light APC (4x4 utility wheeled vehicle)
 * Metis Anti Air Chassis
 * Artemis Medium Tank
 * Perikles APC (Tracked and turreted APC)

Hestia Chassis Variants

 * Athena command vehicle
 * Orpheus mortar carrier
 * Thanatos mobile gun system

Army

 * Peacetime Strength - 8,000,000
 * Wartime Strength - 12,000,000

Marines

 * Peacetime Strength - 3,000,000
 * Wartime Strength - 6,000,000

Air Force
The Edessian Air Force is Edessa's home defense and offense air superiority force. It defends Edessa's colonies and captured ground and counter-attacks invasions. It also helps pacify contested worlds. It is a professional force, but untested. The effect the airforce had in the Great War was negligible at best. Though, it did play a role in Acropolis during the failed uprising. Still, the pilots are motivated to play their role. They know their role can be potentially vital if an invasion was to occur. In addition, the air force is one of the few military units that operates helicopters in the Verion cluster.

Size
Peacetime Strength - 2,000,000

Wartime Strength - 4,000,000

Small-Arms

 * Doru Carbine
 * Lancea SMG
 * Pugio sidearm

Vehicles

 * Fury Helicopter Gunship
 * Harpy recon helicopter
 * Charon Heavy tiltrotor transport helicopter
 * Arion light utility helicopter
 * Phoenix Air-Superiority Fighter
 * Chimera Strategic Bomber

Edessian Space Forces
The Edessian Space Forces are obviously the main force in space. Unlike most nations they don't pretend to be naval forces. They actually call themselves a space force instead of a 'navy'. The ESF is divided between reserve craft and active craft. They are a professional but untested force. The ESF has only fought the Great War and the recent rebellion in recent history. ESF recruits normally stay in for 10-30 year periods.

Despite what the Malsuth navy believes, they are not the only ones with permanet battle groups. ESF vessels are assigned to flotillas and the larger lances and fleets. A flotilla is a group of 30-40 ships. Lances are made up of 4-5 Flotillas. A battlegroup is two lances. A fleet is three battlegroups. Fleets are more or less administrative units and are often split over a large area. The operational area of fleets often overlap in some areas.

Small-Arms

 * Lancea SMG
 * Pugio Sidearm
 * Gladius Shotgun

Cruisers

 * Fira Class
 * Spetses Class

Frigates

 * Pella Class

Destroyers

 * Achilles Class
 * Patroclus Class

Patrol Boats

 * Aetos Class

Support Craft

 * Hephaestus Class Cruiser

Strike Craft

 * Aether Air Superiority Fighter
 * Ophion Tactical Strike Bomber
 * Hemera Utility Dropship
 * Crane Heavy Dropship

Myrmidons
The Myrmidons are a special forces unit attached to the Marines. They are Edessa's main spec ops unit. They engage in espionage, assassination of military commanders, and battlefield sabotage. Though, they can be seen at certain areas on the front lines. The Myrmidons have harsher and longer training periods than the ordinary soldiers. The training also covers more subjects. Myrmidons can arm and disarm explosives, call in air strikes, act as marksmen, and operate a wide array of vehicles.

Para-Rescue
The pararescue units are AirForce special operations operators. They are a combat search and rescue unit. They get inserted behind enemy lines to rescue downed pilots. The pararescue units are one of the few airforce units that is routinely deployed in offensive operations. These men are for rescuing airmen, but it would be a mistake to underestimate them. They have advanced combat training that is above the level of ordinary infantry.

Somatophylax
Somatophylax are both shock troops and bodyguards for important government officials. Somatophylax also guard important facilities. They are the best troops in Edessa. Even the Myrmidons respect them. Somatophylax are equipped with light power armor. They also have the training to back up their equipment. The full training period for these men is several years. It is very harsh and difficult and only a few are able to weather it. The Somatophylax is open to both men and women. They don't care who an individual is as long as they are an Edessian citizen and can meet their requirements.

Ranks (with modern day equivalents)

 * Strategos - General
 * Praetor - Major General
 * Dux - Lieutenant General
 * Imperator - Brigadier General
 * Legate - Colonel
 * Tribunus - Lieutenant Colonel
 * Castrorum - Major
 * Centurion - Captain
 * Optio - Lieutenant
 * Aquilifer - Staff Sergeant
 * Ballistarius - Gunnery Sergeant
 * Decurion - Sergeant
 * Signifer - Corporal
 * Immunis - Specialist
 * Miles - Private

Ground and Air Forces

 * Army Group/Marine Assault Unit/Air Fleet - 1,000,000 soldiers
 * Exercitus - 500,000 soldiers
 * Chiliarchy - 100,000 soldiers
 * Corpus - 20,000 Soldiers
 * Legion - 5,000 Soldiers
 * Cohort - 500 Soldiers
 * Century - 100 Soldiers
 * Lance - 50 Soldiers
 * Contubernium - 10 Soldiers

Space Forces

 * Squadron - 8-12 ships
 * Light Cruiser Flotilla - 8 Fira class cruisers, 16 Achilles destroyers
 * Heavy Cruiser Flotilla - 8 Spetses class cruisers, 16 Patroclus destroyers
 * Escort Flotilla - 24 Pella class frigates
 * Patrol Flotilla - 24 Aetos class patrol boats
 * Battlecruiser flotilla - 1 Odysseus class command battlecruiser, 8 Leonidas class battlecruisers
 * Logistics flotilla - 16 Hephaestus class cruisers, 64 Prometheus mining barges (use Hephaestus classes as motherships), 8 Fira class cruisers
 * Battlegroup - 2 LC flotillas, 2 HC flotillas, 6 escort flotillas, 2 patrol flotillas, 2 BC flotillas, 1 Logistics flotilla
 * Fleet - 2 Battlegroups, 1 Auxiliary division
 * Auxiliary division - (Craft with misc roles along with their escorts. Size and composition to be determined.)