Hamilton Ontario Militia

The defence forces of Hamilton Ontario style themselves the Hamilton Ontario Militia, since they began as a half-organised rabble of citizen soldiers. The presence of militia at crucial victories, such as the battles at Stoney Creek City and Dundas Town, overshadowed the value of regular forces used by its allies to repel invaders.

Activity levels

Most RL and NS countries claiming a militia usually use the term to describe parttime, reserve or unprofessional soldiers. Since Hamilton Ontario describes all of its soldiers with the term "militia," it has had to devise some terms with adjectival modifiers to better describe its various types of troops.

Permanent Militia describes fulltime professional soldiers currently on active service. Foreign equivalents would be Regular, professional or Army personnel. Roughly a quarter of all serving militia are normally in this category, fewer for the land-based troops.

Active Militia describes parttime unprofessional soldiers who are currently in training or refresher courses and routinely muster for weekly drills and semi-annual manoeuvres. Foreign equivalents would be Reserve, parttime, Militia, citizen-soldier, National Guard or Territorial personnel. Roughly three quarters of all serving military are normally in this category, less in the air- and sea-based troops.

Sedentary Militia describes the entire population theoretically capable of military service, but which is not now or has not recently been on fulltime or parttime service. Sedentary Militia require months or possibly years of training to be considered effective. Foreign equivalents would be deferred draft, veterans, national militia or national service personnel. Sedentary militia are only called up during an all-out war expected to last for some time.

Ranks and command

Regardless of their activity levels, officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks all bear the same rank titles and must take the same courses to qualify for them. For obvious reasons, the Permanent Militia dominates the general officer and warrant officer ranks.

There are only three general/admiral ranks: the nations sees the ceremonial or high ranks of field marshal and admiral of the fleet as far too elitist, and the lowest ranking brigadier and commodore as superfluous when there are colonels and capital captains knocking about. In practice, the senior colonel in a group (e.g., a division) is known as a colonel commandant and a senior captain of the same class in a group (e.g., among capital captains in a squadron) is known as a commodore.

The militia retains the distinction between subalterns, mainly because members of the Permanent Militia like to lord it over their Active Militia siblings since it is harder to take and pass qualifying exams as a parttimer. Functionally though, Second Lieutenants and Sub-Lieutenants do the same work as their full Lieutenant colleagues. While promotion is not guaranteed, it comes very easily after about one year fulltime service or four years parttime service.

Warrant Officers and Petty Officers are rarely called by their rank, but rather by their appointment. It typically takes a decade or two -- regardless of Permanent or Active status -- to reach these prestigious positions. They are seen as advocates on behalf of the other ranks to the officers, and by god's representatives on earth to the other ranks.

Lance Corporals have been dispensed with, the rank being unnecessary and the appointment being much more effectively communicated by the phrase "Acting Corporal." This model can be used successfully on all other ranks, and among units with high proportions of Active Militia, there are significant numbers of Acting rank holders who are awaiting qualifying courses for the roles they already occupy.

Land-based militia

Since the land-based forces were first, they have retained the generic title of "Militia" for their use. The main army base is in Hamilton City, with smaller ones at Stoney Creek City, Waterdown Town and Upper Hamilton City; these can be augmented by temporary bases during wartime.

One army division of about 18 000 soldiers is raised in each population wave of 25 million citizens, the Permanent Militia more likely to be senior officers and technical soldiers than their far more numerous Active Militia counterparts. If pressed during national crisis or actual wartime, the Sedentary Militia could be called up and trained to provide three more divisions. The land-based militia is organised into five corps consisting of two or more regiments, and various battalions are raised from these regiments as required.

The Armoured Corps - may have tanks or armoured cars

• The Horse Guards - Hamilton Province
• The East Hamilton Ulhans - East Hamilton
• The Great Plains Dragoons - Glanbrook and rural Ancaster Province
• The South Hamilton Tank Regiment - Upper Hamilton City and Mount Hamilton City

The Infantry Corps - may be foot-powered, motorised or mechanised

• The Foot Guards - Hamilton Province
• The Airborne Regiment - across Hamilton Ontario
• The Ancaster Millers - Ancaster Town
• The Flamborough Highlanders - Flamborough Province
• The Hamilton Mountaineers - Upper Hamilton City and Mount Hamilton City
• The Lower Hamilton Regiment - East Hamilton City, Hamilton City, Port Hamilton Town
• The Loyal Hamilton Light Infantry - Hamilton City
• The South Hamilton Highlanders - Upper Hamilton City and Mount Hamilton City
• The Stoney Creek Foresters - rural Stoney Creek Province
• The Stoney Creek Grenadiers - Stoney Creek City
• The Valley Lowlanders - Dundas Province
• The Westdale Warriors - Westdale Town

The Artillery Corps - recruited across the country

• Garrison Artillery Regiment - heavy guns, fixed positions, incl. coastal
• Field Artillery Regiment - towed
• Pack Artillery Regiment - manhandled
• Horse Artillery Regiment - self-propelled

The Engineering Corps - recruited across the country

• Electrical Engineering Regiment
• Mechanical Engineering Regiment
• Construction Engineering Regiment
• Assault Engineering Regiment

The Logistics Corps - recruited across the country

• Transport Regiment
• Supply Regiment
• Maintenance Regiment

First division

1st Division Reserve
1st Bn The Horse Guards, armoured cars
1st Bn The Stoney Creek Grenadiers, armoured personnel carriers

1st (Scottish) Brigade
1st Bn The Flamborough Highlanders, motorised
1st Bn The Valley Lowlanders, motorised
1st Bn The South Hamilton Highlanders, motorised

2nd (Motorised) Brigade
1st Bn The Ancaster Millers, motorised
1st Bn The Stoney Creek Foresters, motorised
1st Bn The Lower Hamilton Regiment, motorised

3rd (Light Infantry) Brigade
1st Bn The Loyal Hamilton Light Infantry, foot
1st Bn The Foot Guards, foot
1st Bn The Hamilton Mountaineers, foot

Sample light infantry division

6th Division Reserve
3rd Bn The East Hamilton Ulhans, armoured cars
4th Bn The Stoney Creek Grenadiers, APCs

16th (Lower Hamilton) Brigade
6th Bn The Loyal Hamilton Light Infantry, foot
3rd Bn The Foot Guards, foot
3rd Bn The Westdale Warriors, foot

17th (Hamilton Mountain) Brigade
2nd Bn The South Hamilton Highlanders, foot
4th Bn The South Hamilton Highlanders, foot
6th Bn The South Hamilton Highlanders, foot

18th (Western) Brigade
3rd Bn The Valley Lowlanders, foot
3rd Bn The Ancaster Millers, foot
5th Bn The Flamborough Highlanders, foot

Sample armoured infantry division

7th Division Reserve
1st Bn The Great Plains Dragoons, tanks
7th Bn The Flamborough Highlanders, APCs

19 (Guards) Brigade
1st Bn The Horse Guards, armoured cars
2nd Bn The Horse Guards, tanks
3rd Bn The Foot Guards, APCs

20 (Eastern) Brigade
3rd Bn The East Hamilton Ulhans, tanks
6th Bn The Stoney Creek Grenadiers, APCs
7th Bn The Stoney Creek Grenadiers, APCs

21 (Southern) Brigade
2nd Bn The South Hamilton Tank Regiment, tanks
4th Bn The Ancaster Millers, motorised
7th Bn The South Hamilton Highlanders, APCs

Sample armoured division

9th Division Reserve
4th Bn The South Hamilton Tank Regiment, tanks
9th Bn The Stoney Creek Grenadiers, APCs

25 (Great Plains) Brigade
2nd Bn The Great Plains Dragoons, armoured cars
3rd Bn The Great Plains Dragoons, tanks
6th Bn The Ancaster Millers, APCs

26 (Upper Hamilton) Brigade
3rd Bn The South Hamilton Tank Regiment, tanks
8th Bn The South Hamilton Highlanders, APCs
9th Bn The South Hamilton Highlanders, APCs

27 (Lower Hamilton) Brigade
4th Bn The East Hamilton Ulhans, armoured cars
3rd Bn The Horse Guards, tanks
5th Bn The Lower Hamilton Regiment, APCs

Sample specialty brigades

Guards Armoured Brigade
1st Bn The Horse Guards, armoured cars
3rd Bn The Horse Guards, tanks
4th Bn The Foot Guards, APCs

Guards Brigade
2nd Bn The Horse Guards, armoured cars
3rd Bn The Foot Guards, APCs
1st Bn The Foot Guards, foot

Airborne Brigade
1st Bn The Airborne Regiment
2nd Bn The Airborne Regiment
3rd Bn The Airborne Regiment

Mountain Brigade
1st Bn The Hamilton Mountaineers
2nd Bn The Hamilton Mountaineers
3rd Bn The Hamilton Mountaineers

Naval Militia

The main naval base is in Port Hamilton with a much smaller one at Stoney Creek City. In every population wave of 25 million national citizens, the Naval Militia raises enough warships to be crewed by 1 500 sailors actually afloat and supported by 1 500 sailors ashore. These vessels are chosen for their suitability at each stage of national development. Consult the text below:

• first wave: 10 minesweeping, 10 armed patrol and 10 coastal guard boats, each with 50 all ranks
• second wave: 15 anti-submarine warfare corvettes with attached helicopter, each with 100 all ranks
• third wave: 7 general purpose frigates with two attached helicopters, each with 215 all ranks
• fourth wave: 5 general purpose destroyers with three attached helicopters, each with 300 all ranks
• fifth wave: 10 assault ships each with three combat helicopters, one transport helicopter and 150 all ranks
• sixth wave: 10 armed patrol boats as first wave and 20 conventional attack submarines, each with 50 all ranks
• seventh wave: 7 frigates as second wave
• eighth wave: 3 general purpose cruisers each with guns, missiles, six attached helicopters and 500 all ranks
• ninth and tenth wave: 1 light aircraft carrier with 1 000 sailors plus 25 aircraft with 500 naval aviators

Only about one quarter of the sailors are in the Permanent Naval Militia, and they are concentrated in the larger warships and the submarines. The surface boats, corvettes and frigates are operated almost entirely by the Active Naval Militia, and they form about three quarters of the shore establishment.

Besides the fleet-based airplanes on carriers and helicopters on all warships, shore-based naval aviation is at Port Hamilton Town. The fleet air arm operates a variety of squadrons of helicopter search-and-rescue, helicopter anti-submarine warfare, propeller SAR and long range maritime patrol airplanes, chosen one squadron at a time in each population wave.

Air Militia

The main air base is at Mount Hope Town, with naval aviation at Port Hamilton and army aviation at Stoney Creek City. In every population wave of 25 million national citizens, the Air Militia raises one naval aviation squadron, two military aviation squadrons and five strategic aviation squadrons.

All told these represent about 100 aircraft and 4 000 fliers in a notional air group comprises of one army aviation, one transport and one combat wings. With each subsequent population wave, the aircraft, their wings and the broader groups become more specialised. By the sixth wave the Air Militia can form a whole air corps and by the twelfth a whole air force.

About one third of the fliers are in the Permanent Air Militia, the highest level of professionalism in the entire Militia. This is because pilots take a long time to train, and even airplane mechanics are skilled workers not easily kept up to speed with one day a week on parade. However, in times of extreme national effort, five times as many aircraft, flight crews and ground crews could be produced by expanding the number of airfields, taking in civilian air and ground crew, and churning out specialists and over fist.