Defense Force
Every planet has to meet quotas regarding its military capabilities, with such quotas being set by the CHG and based off of how badly the CHG doesn't want it falling into enemy hands and how likely it is to be attacked... so as much as there's generally a positive correlation between quota and capability it's far from the direct cause.
The forces for this purpose are called Defense Forces and are often used to deal with other issues like law enforcement or helping in construction.
Some planets don't technically have any, or only have a few, Defence Force Officers but instead train the whole populace for war and have weapon stashes at the ready, or allow weapon ownership.
Composition
Manpower
Varies massively. In total about 13% of CHG residents are Defence Force Officers.
Equipment
Whatever their planet produces and gives them.
It's not uncommon for them to have weapons that don't even use any electricity, with the planet's defence plan essentially being to detonate tonnes of powerful EMPs (powerful enough that you would feel the electric charge from them and your hair would go on end, with some very very small creatures like ants left disabled or dead from it) so that neither side's electricity works, potentially giving what would otherwise be an easily brushed aside - even if the gear were equivalent - force the advantage if the enemy didn't pack its knives and boomsticks.
Vehicles
Aside from whatever's made specifically for their defensive capabilities, they have the right to commandeer any vehicle if the planet is being attacked.
Structure
Varies but is generally very flexible.
Tactics
Mostly just there to keep the enemy busy while civilians escape and other military forces are on their way and so go for stalling tactics that have very low casualties to either side but keep the enemy occupied for large periods of time.
Training
Varies, but the CHG has released recommended training regimens which are incredibly effective.
Logistics
Logistical Support
That comes in later when other military forces arrive. Before then, they've mostly just got to figure it out and work with what few military resources and endless civilian resources are available to them. They have access to tonnes of non-perishable food and very fast civilian transports, as well as all the planet's non-closed-circuit cameras and microphones. They can confiscate anything they need off of civilians and private companies. Also once the main military arrives they can have all the bombardments they want.
Auxilia
*drum roll* THE ROBOTS: indeed, a wall-climbing-self-moving hoover might not seem all that deadly at first but when you stick a camera and a grenade with a timer on it that becomes a different story. There are generally always at least a few combat bots on any planet as well but it's mostly gonna be massaging machines carried around by Hive Transporters that are firing guns at the enemy rather than giving massages instead of Kill Bot 69 with his sexy plasma shotgun and smooth voice.
Conscription of civilians for non-combat purposes (medics, engineers, etc) is allowed (and conscription for combat can be done in nasty situations) but Defense Force members also have regular jobs outside of being part of the Defense Force and so there's generally always someone on hand who's skilled in whatever non-combat thing needs to be done, especially with the sheer numbers that Defense Force members come in.
Then of course there's the moment that the main military shows up. They can get themselves some badass auxilia then.
Upkeep
Taking costs of equipment production, the fact that equipment almost never has to be replaced as it's rarely ever used and stored in vacuum holders and the costs of the training sessions into account, each soldier will cost equivalent to $40,000 in their time there before they're actually paid.
Now for the biggie: Defense Force members get different rewards depending on which planet they're on and sometimes their own specific situations and it's quite rare for them to receive straight-up payment, especially by amounts big enough for them not to need other jobs (cos you gotta keep that economy rolling). Instead the bonuses are usually things like free healthcare for oneself and their family (since healthcare isn't free and is generally ridiculously expensive across the CHG), reduced or completely poofed away income tax (or VAT spending disappearance (when the thing costs £1 cos of 20% VAT, you instead spend 80p and the gov't gets no VAT off it)) for oneself or their family and so on. Defense Force members are either disliked on safe planets for how they're viewed as an unnecessary cost to everyone else (as everyone else has to cover for those taxes they're not paying or that free healthcare they get) or loved on unsafe planets because everyone's lives could depend on them someday.
Recruitment
Each planet has a limit set on it for how many people are allowed into its Defense Force, with planets that are at higher risk or of higher value being allowed to have more soldiers. After that it's basically the strongest, most intelligent and so on of those that want in
History
As the CHG's military forces became more specialized, better equipped and better trained with time, a few issues arose regarding quick-response defensive forces. Before now it was mostly up to militias and what few soldiers were around to defend a planet while larger forces got their engines going but this wasn't usually enough. A Defense Force was formed for each planet consisting of highly trained soldiers but the cost of this, and how it actually worked out to be more effective to have lots of weaker troops when the goal is to stall the enemy rather than inflict casualties on the enemy without suffering many of one's own, lead to these soldiers becoming un-specialized and less well equipped and trained at the gain of there being more of them.
Historical loyalties
At the end of the day, the majority of Defense Force soldiers care more about their family, friends, planet and selves than the CHG and so they're prone to becoming rebel groups if the CHG imposes especially nasty situations on their planets (and they think they might win) and they will switch sides in war for the benefit of their homeworld. Almost always loyal when it's the LIR or another outside threat that shows up but even then there are cases of them switching sides because the alternative included their families dying as their planet is glassed or blown up.
Type
Security
Founding
2538
Overall training Level
Trained
Assumed Veterancy
Trained
Used by
Ranks & Titles
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