Democratic Colonies Military

The Democratic Colonies Military is composed of six branches, each a part of the civilian Department of Defense, which is led by the Secretary of Defense. Current military spending is at a much lower percentage of the budget then it has been in previous years. During normal peace time, the military personnel form less than one half of a percentage of the nation's population, with less than 0.04% of the national population probably a more accurate figure. Both men and women can be accepted into any duty or position.

Budget Cuts and the Peace Dividend

Following the collapse of the Mississippian Federation and its ally Kahta, many in the Democratic Colonies felt that they had achieved de facto victory over their much feared foes. The Democratic Colonies had been entangled in a pseudo-Cold War that many believed would inevitably reach a state of open warfare, but with the crumbling of the Mississippi-Kahta axis of racism, many citizens supported significant reductions in the military budget in order to fund improved civic projects and enable tax cuts. Over the course of only a few years, millions of military personnel were reintegrated into the civilian workforce, many military research and development programs were canceled or suspended, and the military spending portion of the national budget fell drastically.

Inter-Service Rank System

Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Army ranks are compatible through the Inter-Service Rank System:

Inter-Service Rank Code	Navy Rank	Marine Corps	Air Force Rank	Army Rank
E-1	Seaman Junior Grade	Private Junior Grade	Airman Junior Grade	Private Junior Grade
E-2	Seaman	Private	Airman	Private
E-3	Seaman First Class	Private First Class	Airman First Class	Private First Class
E-4	Specialist	Specialist	Specialist	Specialist
E-4	Petty Officer Junior Grade	Corporal	Corporal	Corporal
E-5	Petty Officer	Master Corporal	Master Corporal	Master Corporal
E-6	Petty Officer Senior Grade	Sergeant	Sergeant	Sergeant
E-7	Chief Petty Officer	Sergeant First Class	Sergeant First Class	Sergeant First Class
E-8	Master Chief Petty Officer	Master Sergeant	Master Sergeant	Master Sergeant
W-1	Warrant Officer Junior Grade	Warrant Officer Junior Grade	Warrant Officer Junior Grade	Warrant Officer Junior Grade
W-2	Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer
W-3	Warrant Officer Senior Grade	Warrant Officer Senior Grade	Warrant Officer Senior Grade	Warrant Officer Senior Grade
W-4	Chief Warrant Officer	Chief Warrant Officer	Chief Warrant Officer	Chief Warrant Officer
W-5	Master Chief Warrant Officer	Master Chief Warrant Officer	Master Chief Warrant Officer	Master Chief Warrant Officer
O-1	Ensign	2nd Lieutenant	2nd Lieutenant	2nd Lieutenant
0-2	Lieutenant Junior Grade	Lieutenant Junior Grade	Lieutenant Junior Grade	Lieutenant Junior Grade
0-3	Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Lieuteant Major	Lieuteant Major
O-4	Squadron Commander (Naval Aviation Corps only)	Squadron Commander (Marine Corps Aviation Arm only)	Squadron Commander	Squadron Commander (Army Aviation Corps only)
O-4	Lieutenant Commander	Lietenant Commander	Major	Major
O-5	Commander	Commander	Lieutenant Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel
0-6	Wing Commander (Naval Aviation Corps only)	Wing Commander (Marine Corps Aviation Arm only)	Wing Commander	Wing Commander (Army Aviation Corps only)
O-6	Captain	Captain	Colonel	Colonel
O-7	Sky Captain (Naval Aviation Corps only)	Sky Captain (Marine Corps Aviation Arm only)	Sky Captain	Sky Captain (Army Aviation Corps only)
O-7	Commodore	Master Colonel	Master Colonel	Master Colonel
O-8	Admiral	General	General	General
O-9	Fleet Admiral	---	Sky Marshal	Marshal

Inter-Service Uniforms and Body Armour

Field Uniform

The Field Uniform [1] and for all branches are identical save for rank insignia style, shoulder patches, collar emblems, belt buckle, and beret emblems and beret colour if a beret is worn. The beret color system:

• Silver for Navy
  • Silver with white trim, caduceus emblem for Navy Medical Corps
  • Silver with broken orange trim for Naval Aviation Corps
  • Silver with teal trim for Navy Submarine Corps
  • Silver with purple trim for Navy Special Operations
  • Silver with yellow trim for Navy Engineering Corps
  • Silver with green trim for Marine Corps
    • Silver with broken green and orange trim for Marine Corps Aviation Arm
• Black for Air Force
  • Black with white trim, caduceus emblem for Air Force Medical Corps
  • Black with yellow trim for Air Force Engineering Corps
• Red for Army
  • Red with white trim, caduceus emblem for Army Medical Corps
  • Red with broken orange trim for Army Aviation Corps, Army Airbourne Corps, Army Airmobile Assault Corps
  • Red with purple trim for Army Special Operations
  • Red with broken purple trim for 1st Asymmetrical Warfare Division
  • Red with yellow trim for Army Engineering Corps
• Olive for Judge Advocate General's Command
• Gold for Strategic Deterrence Command
• Blue for Peacekeeper Command
  • Blue with white trim, caduceus emblem for Peacekeeper Medical Corps
  • Blue with broken orange trim for Peacekeeper Aviation Corps
  • Blue with yellow trim for Peacekeeper Engineering Corps
  • Blue with broken purple trim for 1st and 2nd Horse Cavalry Divisions
  • Blue with brown trim for reserve auxiliary personnel

Combat Armour

The Federated Armour Mk IV [2] is produced by the Perim Nealon Regal Group and is the standard body armour issued to military personnel and is worn by all military personnel assigned to operations where ground combat is occurring.

The Federated Armour Mk IV is modular in nature, with the forward and rear chest components, the lower back component, the forward and rear waist components, the right and left arm components and the right and left arm leg components all separate in nature. Each component is connected to the rest through a system of clamps and locks, which allows for rapid replacement of an armour component in the event of armour failure, rapid removal to facilitate treatment of injuries, easier maneuvering and user flexibility while wearing the armour, and the wearing of only selected portions of the armour by support personnel situated towards the rear of the operations zone.

The forward and rear chest components of the the Federated Armour Mk IV serve to protect the user primarily through the use of silicon carbide ceramic, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene thermoplastic, and kevlar synthetic fiber. While other components of the armour also make use of these materials, they do so in much smaller quantities, and in much thinner layers. In some areas light-weight dilatant material, which only provides some protection against fragments and flying debris, is used in order to reduce weight.

Despite the efforts to reduce the weight of the Federated Armour Mk IV, complaints from military personnel regarding its weight of the armour are still common, although complaints about its bulk and impact on the user's shape are much fewer in number then they were for the Mk IV's predecessor. Military personnel in support roles situated towards the rear of operations zones are usually permitted to wear only the chest components of the armour, but despite some protests regarding weight and impact on maneuverability, all personnel expected the actively engage the enemy are required to wear the entire ensemble while conducting combat operations.

The Federated Armour Mk IV is usually issued in the general purpose MultiCam pattern, although it has been manufactured in other patterns in the past.

Dress Uniform

The Dress Uniform [3], uses the same colour system as the berets to determine coat colour based on branch. Gloves and caps were no longer issued or considered part of the Dress Uniform after July 1, 1971. The Model 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre [4], the type of sword Royal Navy Captain Willian Taggart used in his 1799 duel with King Orti'Ago, is still issued to military personnel and is part of the Dress Uniform.

Democratic Colonies Navy

The Navy is the largest single branch of the military, and includes the Marine Corps as well as its own special operations units under its authority. The Navy is considered by politicians and citizens alike as the most important branch of the military, for it is by sea that the vast majority of the nation's oil, food, and other vital imports arrive. The Navy is also the primary tool of power projection for the nation through combined use of aircraft carriers and battleships in Naval Action Groups, as well as difficult to detect missile-equipped submarines.

The Democratic Colonies Navy maintains on active duty, including vessels in Naval Action Groups:

Primary Surface Combatants

• 4 x Vigilant Class Superdreadnought [5]
• 236 x Pavanne Class Battleship [6]
• 42 x Whale Class Battleship [7]

Aircraft Carriers

• 27 x Tempora Heroica Class Internalized Through Deck Aircraft Carrier [8]
• 81 x Pax Magellanic Class Aircraft Carrier [9]

Secondary Surface Combatants

• 2,910 x Kidd Class Destroyer [10]

Submarines

• 200 x Dolphin Class Attack Submarine [11]
• 1,624 x Sea Wolf Class Attack Submarine [12]
• 600 x Ohio Class Missile Submarine [13]

Amphibious Operations Ships

• 150 x Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ship [14]

Support Ships

• 7,600 x cargo, logistics, and support ships of various classes

Naval Action Groups

The Navy's primary formation is the Naval Action Group, of which 27 are in service. A single Naval Action Group is composed of:

• 1 x Tempora Heroica Class Internalized Through Deck Aircraft Carrier [15]
• 3 x Pax Magellanic Class Aircraft Carrier [16]
• 8 x Pavanne Class Battleship [17]
• 30 x Kidd Class Destroyer [18]
• 12 x Sea Wolf Class Attack Submarine [19]
• 12 x Hunt Class Mine Countermeasure Vessel [20]
• Support vessels, with the number depending on the duration of the mission

Naval Aviation Corps

The Naval Aviation Corps fields on each aircraft carrier:

• 108 x F-72 Rogue Air Superiority Fighter [21]
• 36 x F/I-58 Beholder R.II Interceptor [22]
• 18 x EA-111DC Electronic Warfare and Attack Aircraft
• 8 x KA-111DC Aerial Refueling Tanker
• 6 x S-111DC Anti-Submarine Aircraft
• 4 x E-3 Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning Aircraft [23] (not present on Tempora Heroica Class)
• 2 x A400M Cargo Aircraft [24] (not present on Tempora Heroica Class)

The Naval Aviation Corps also maintains the Seaplane Aviation Arm:

• 2,000 x KB-75B Seaplane Aerial Refueling Tanker [25]
• 200 x CB-75A Hydrolifter Seaplane Cargo Aircraft [26]

Marine Corps

The Marine Corps is currently formed into 20 Marine Infantry Divisions, which are composed of 20,000 Marines each. Marine equipment and vehicles include:

Man Portable Equipment

• DCP-101 Sidearm [27]
• P90 Submachine Gun [28]
• Remington 870 Compact Breaching Shotgun [29]
• DCR-6 Precision Combat Rifle [30]
• MG4 Light Machine Gun [31] in 6.5mm Grendel
• Starstreak Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile [32]
• FGM-148 Javelin Guided Anti-Tank Missile [33]
• M307 25mm Autocannon [34]
• M252 81mm Mortar [35]

Vehicles and Vehicle Mounted Equipment

• HMMWV [36]
• Spike Guided Anti-Tank Missile [37] mounted on HMMWV
• Starstreak Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile mounted on HMMWV
• M134 Powered Gatling Gun [38] in 6.5mm Grendel mounted on HMMWV
• M307 25mm Autocannon [39] mounted on HMMWV
• M252 81mm Mortar mounted on HMMWV
• Puma Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle [40]
• Spike Guided Anti-Tank Missile mounted on Puma Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle
• AMOS Dual Barrel 120mm Mortar System [41] on Puma Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle
• M777 155mm Towed Artillery Piece [42]
• Leclerc Main Battle Tank [43]
• LCAC Hovercraft Transport [44]

Aircraft

• H-60 Black Hawk Medium Utility Helicopter (UH, MH, HH variants) [45]
• V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor Aircraft 75 x V-22 (V, CV variants) [46]
• SAH-27A Peregrine Attack Helicopter [47]
• AV-17 Attack Aircraft [48]

Navy Training Purposes Aggressor Corps

The Navy Training Purposes Aggressor Corps is a specially trained and commanded part of the Navy that fields non-standard equipment and uses non-standard tactics and strategies in order to best operate as an opposing force in training exercises with regular Navy and Marine Corps units. It is not expected to ever deploy in any combat operations, although in special situations, it could be deployed if no other units are available. The Navy Training Purposes Aggressor Corps often fields the:

• Skjold Class Stealth Missile Boat[49]
• Los Angles Class Submarine [50]
• Gotland Class Submarine [51]
• English Electric Lightning Aircraft [52] (shared with Air Force Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• MiG-29 Aircraft [53] (shared with Air Force Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• F-22 Raptor Aircraft [54] (shared with Air Force Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• Stryker Mobile Gun System [55] (shared with Army Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• M60T Sabra Tank [56] (shared with Army Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• M-125A1 Freedom Main Battle Tank [57] (shared with Army Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• ST-29E1 SDV Zver Main Battle Tank [58] (from regular Army units)
• M-3 Arbiter Main Battle Tank [59] (from regular Army units)

Democratic Colonies Air Force

The Air Force provides long ranged heavy bombing capability for the nation, and provides protection of Democratic Colonies airspace. The Democratic Colonies Air Force maintains a sizable fleet of aerial tankers to ensure that the Air Force is able to project power to even distant locations, although Air Force power projection capabilities remains inferior to those of the Navy in many regards.

The Democratic Colonies Air Force maintains on active duty:

Strategic Bombers

• 1,500 x B-1 Lancer Strategic Bomber [60]
• 200 x B-2 Spirit Strategic Bomber [61]
• 250 x B-70E Valkyrie Strategic Bomber [62]
• 750 x B300A Hurricane Strategic Bomber [63]
• 500 x EB-16 Arkbird Strategic Bomber [64]

Fighters, Interceptors, Strike, and Electronic Warfare Aircraft

• 60,000 x JAS 39 Gripen Multi-Role Fighter [65]
• 50,000 x F-72 Rogue Air Superiority Fighter [66]
• 1,000 x TF-70DC Shukusei Special DC Export Variant Air Superiority Fighter [67]
• 10,000 x F/I-58 Beholder R.II Interceptor [68]
• 3,000 x AV-17 Attack Aircraft [69]
• 25,000 x EA-111DC Electronic Warfare and Attack Aircraft

Support Aircraft

• 16,000 x KC-777 Large Aerial Refueling Tanker
• 4,250 x KC-767 Medium Aerial Refueling Tanker [70]
• 75 x HC-A400M Helicopter Aerial Refueling Tanker
• 1,600 x E-767 Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft [71]
• 600 x E-10 MC2A Multi-Sensor Command and Control Aircraft [72]
• 75 x Global Express XRS Light Long Range Transport [73]
• 28,500 x A400M Cargo Aircraft [74]
• 7,250 x 777F Freighter Cargo Aircraft [75]
• 800 x An-225 [76]
• 600 x H-60 Black Hawk (UH, MH, HH variants) [77]
• 200 x V-22 (V, CV variants) [78]
• 800 x MQ-1 Predator [79]
• 200 x RQ-4 Global Hawk [80]
• 75 x RQ-3 Dark Star [81]

Air Force Training Purposes Aggressor Corps

The Air Force Training Purposes Aggressor Corps is a specially trained and commanded part of the Air Force that fields non-standard equipment and uses non-standard tactics and strategies in order to best operate as an opposing force in training exercises with regular Air Force units. It is not expected to ever deploy in any combat operations, although in special situations, it could be deployed if no other units are available. The Air Force Training Purposes Aggressor Corps often fields the:

• English Electric Lightning [82] (shared with Navy Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• MiG-29 Fulcrum [83] (shared with Navy Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• F-22 Raptor [84] (shared with Navy Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)

Democratic Colonies Army

The Army is regarded as being less important than the Navy and Air Force because of the Democratic Colonies' existence as a cluster of ten islands. The Army is a proportionally small service compared to the Navy and Air Force, but maintains sufficient personnel and equipment levels to present a feasible force projection and defensive capability.

The Democratic Colonies Army maintains 220 divisions on active duty and 10 divisions of reserve personnel, with each division consisting of 20,000 people:

• 75 x Mechanized Infantry Division
• 75 x Airbourne Division
• 50 x Armoured Division
• 10 x Airmobile Assault Division
• 6 x Light Infantry Division
• 2 x Asymmetrical Warfare Division
• 2 x Training Purposes Aggressor Division
• 10 x Reserve Division

Standard Army equipment and vehicles include:

Man Portable Equipment

• DCP-101 Sidearm [85]
• P90 Submachine Gun [86]
• Remington 870 Compact Breaching Shotgun [87]
• DCR-6 Precision Combat Rifle [88]
• MG4 Light Machine Gun [89] in 6.5mm Grendel
• Starstreak Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile [90]
• FGM-148 Javelin Guided Anti-Tank Missile [91]
• M307 25mm Autocannon [92]
• M252 81mm Mortar [93]

Vehicles and Vehicle Mounted Equipment

• HMMWV [94]
• Spike Guided Anti-Tank Missile [95] mounted on HMMWV
• Starstreak Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile mounted on HMMWV
• M134 Powered Gatling Gun [96] in 6.5mm Grendel mounted on HMMWV
• M307 25mm Autocannon [97] mounted on HMMWV
• M252 81mm Mortar mounted on HMMWV
• Puma Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle [98]
• Spike Guided Anti-Tank Missile mounted on Puma Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle
• AMOS Dual Barrel 120mm Mortar System [99] on Puma Tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle
• M777 155mm Towed Artillery Piece [100]
• PzH (Panzerhaubitze) 2000 155mm Tracked Self-Propelled Artillery Piece [101]
• BM-30 Smerch Wheeled Multiple Rocket Launcher Vehicle[102]
• ST-29E1 SDV Zver Main Battle Tank [103]
• M-3 Arbiter Main Battle Tank [104] (21,600 in service)

Aircraft

• H-60 Black Hawk Medium Utility Helicopter (UH, MH, HH variants) [105]
• V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor Aircraft 75 x V-22 (V, CV variants) [106]
• SAH-27A Peregrine Attack Helicopter [107]

Army Training Purposes Aggressor Corps

The Army Training Purposes Aggressor Corps is a specially trained and commanded part of the Army that fields non-standard equipment and uses non-standard tactics and strategies in order to best operate as an opposing force in training exercises with regular Army units. It is not expected to ever deploy in any combat operations, although in special situations, it could be deployed if no other units are available. The Army Training Purposes Aggressor Corps consists of two divisions of 20,000, and often fields the:

• Stryker Mobile Gun System [108] (shared with Navy Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• M60T Sabra Tank [109] (shared with Navy Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)
• Leclerc Main Battle Tank [110] (from regular DC Marine Corps units)
• M-125A1 Freedom Main Battle Tank [111] (shared with Navy Training Purposes Aggressor Corps)

Democratic Colonies Judge Advocate General's Command

The Judge Advocate General's Command is responsible for investigating and prosecuting misconduct by military personnel from any of the services.

The basic Judge Advocate General's Command unit is the Field Detachment which is composed of three officers with formal legal training of at least O-4 (Lieutenant Commander or Major) rank. One JAGC Field Detachment is assigned to every Army battalion or equivalent sized unit in the other services that is deployed outside of Democratic Colonies' territory to observe and record operations, ensure adherence to fundamental protocols, the laws of war, and moral behavior, as well as investigate and if needed intervene in cases of clear command incompetence. Regular military units not currently deployed outside of Democratic Colonies' territory do not normally have a JAGC Field Detachment assigned to them unless a complaint is filed or some other incident prompts a JAGC investigation. JAGC Field Detachments used to assign themselves to regular military units for short periods of time as a form of inspection, but this practice has become much less common in the recent years as budget cuts across all of the military services have made their impact felt.

Legally trained JAGC officers serve as the prosecuting attorneys in military court-martials. In times of war, in cases of gross and immediately clear breach of fundamental protocols, a JAGC Field Detachment in conjunction with a commanding officer of at least O-6 (Wing Commander, Captain, or Colonel) rank may function as a field judiciary and try, convict, sentence, and execute military personnel in the enlisted, warrant officer, or junior officer ranks. Military personnel sentenced to death are normally expected to "fall on their sword," committing suicide with the Model 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre [112] issued as part of their Dress Uniform. Should they fail to do this however, standard field execution protocol calls for those sentenced to death to be shot in the back of the head with a military side arm, currently the DCP-101 [113], with additional gunshots as needed. The approval of all three members of the JAGC Field Detachment and the accused's commanding officer of at least O-6 rank is required for a conviction to occur in a field judicial situation. Any disagreement or doubt among the judicial parties will result in the accused being transported to the Democratic Colonies for a full court-martial.

Democratic Colonies Strategic Deterrence Command

Strategic Deterrence Command is responsible for the operation of the nation's weapons of mass destruction. When weapons of mass destruction are attached to units from other military branches, personnel from Strategic Deterrence Command are also attached and are in direct legal command of the weapon of mass destruction itself.

The Democratic Colonies Strategic Deterrence Command currently maintains:

Weapon	Number in Secure Storage	Number Active and Fielded	Total
80 kiloton nuclear warhead	150,000	50,000 ready for armament of fighter-bomber aircraft	200,000
300 kiloton nuclear warhead	100,000 mounted on cruise missiles	50,000 mounted on cruise missiles, 50,000 mounted as MIRVs on ICBMs	200,000
475 kiloton nuclear warhead	227,200 mounted as MIRVs on SLBMs	172,800 mounted as MIRVs on SLBMs	300,000
20 megaton nuclear warhead	27,500	25,000 ready for armament of strategic bomber aircraft, 2,500 mounted on ICBMs	55,000

Democratic Colonies Peacekeeper Command

Peacekeeper Command is tasked with peacekeeping, disaster relief, and humanitarian operations. Special training in negotiation, peaceful conflict resolution, and less-than-lethal tactics are used. A reserve auxiliary of civilian teachers, skilled tradesmen such as plumbers and electricians, and engineers and other technical experts is maintained for possible deployment by Peacekeeper Command in conjunction with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Internal Affairs.