The pre-war Imperial Military of Arenia numbered approximately 1-2 million active duty personnel during times of peace, and about 13.5 million during the Great War, not counting personnel from the Ministry of Peace. They boasted the largest fleet of aerospace vehicles in the realm, consisting of around 850 fixed wing airships, 1,500 fighter aircraft, 7,000 thopters, and an armored vehicle fleet that numbered over 4,000 wheeled and tracked vehicles. The Imperial Military was in a comfortable position of having hardware designs that could be mass-produced with a healthy amount of cutting-edge technology in its heyday. It was the largest military in the realm in both terms of material and manpower, and had few opponents that could resist that amount of military strength.
All able-bodied adult citizens of the Empire were subject to conscription, with exceptions for rural medical workers and teachers, parents with young children, and controversially, graduates and/or students of higher education. Even in times of peace, rounds of conscription would happen one to two times a year, with the justification being to have enough personnel in case of a crisis involving the Brume were to ever happen again, and to maintain military power that could threaten its neighbors and keep annexed provinces under control. Propaganda campaigns would also take place to drive up volunteer rates, as well as the creation of incentives for working-class citizens to join for higher education and careers that may otherwise be out of reach. The three branches of the Imperial Military were the Imperial Army, the Imperial Navy, and the Imperial Air Force, all with separate command structures but used the same ranking system more or less. Out of the three, the Empire historically put its focus on the Army as it was mainly a land-based power, with the least amount of focus on the Navy, and thus this article will focus on the Army. In fact, the Imperial Navy often relied on contracting Arediani firms to move cargo and even crew major warships at times and only had around 100 major warships before the Great War where many of them were inherited from the United Kingdom of Charstania. For some historical context, before the founding of the Commonwealth, Arenian polities competed with each other to expand their influence, resolve disputes, and establish trade networks. Warfare was common; however, the form it took rarely went so far as to have armies spanning the Peninsula to conquer other city-states. It was mostly treated as a competition where the winner had their demands met, for the most part, and also significant implications for the practice of pre-cicloist Arenian religion called Táak'iin Warfare or Gold Warfare. That being said, total war wasn’t unheard of; in fact, some of the most well-known conflicts of Terota involved the destruction of cities and settlements, but it was discouraged because of the presence of the Brume being more tangibly close in those times. As a result Arenian armies before the Empire already housed some of the best strategic and tactical minds in Terota, as positions like General were earned not by lineage but by merit and there was always an opportunity to sharpen the mind and blade. At around the year 25 BAI, the Book of Warfare, was written by General Nuno Noh Herrero who fought for Koro after the collapse of the Apian Empire, and is the cornerstone of strategic theory for not just Arenian militaries, but was often expected to be read by officers in different militaries across the realm as copies proliferated with the invention of the printing press and similar tools in the 15th century. After the Industrial Revolution, the book was required reading for officers and NCO’s in the Imperial Military. The Imperial Air Force was a point of great pride for the Empire, as it was a display of their technological ingenuity and provided their ground troops capabilities to maneuver and deploy in methods impossible beforehand. There were two flagship models of aerospace vehicles that were mass produced in such large quantities they can still be found today, either refurbished or reverse engineered, being the AR-40 double rotor thopter and the massive BC-20 fixed wing Airship. Both of which had a wide variety of variants to serve different roles. By far though, the pride of the air fleet was the BC-27 which came in the SAAC and FortaCielo models. The SAAC functioned as an airborne command and control center for air divisions across a large area using its radar mounted on the fuselage, and the FortaCielo was a high altitude ground attack gunship that was feared amongst the Empire's enemies for its destructive capabilities. Both were produced in limited numbers, and in the post-war era there are only a total of 7 BC-27 models that exist and are considered invaluable.
The Imperial Military throughout the millennia and a half of its existence was always evolving as times changed, establishing different formations as challenges to their superiority arose. Nearly all Division sized units have a combination of different weapons to conduct combined arms warfare with, where during the Great War, some were also reinforced by special operation batallóns like Psionic Super Soldiers and Power Armored Heavy Shock Troopers. For the most part however, the Imperial military used any equipment made between the 1920’s and 2160’s, having no issue fielding rifles that were literally over a century old. To facilitate this strategy, most Imperial formations served specific purposes in order to make breakthroughs, encircle enemy units and take strategically advantageous positions which are listed below:
Division: 20,000-40,000
Brigada: 1000-5000
Batallón: 200-1000
Unido (Company): 80-200
Section (Platoon): 16-40
Squad:3-8
Team:3-4
Tooth to Tail 1:6*
All able-bodied adult citizens of the Empire were subject to conscription, with exceptions for rural medical workers and teachers, parents with young children, and controversially, graduates and/or students of higher education. Even in times of peace, rounds of conscription would happen one to two times a year, with the justification being to have enough personnel in case of a crisis involving the Brume were to ever happen again, and to maintain military power that could threaten its neighbors and keep annexed provinces under control. Propaganda campaigns would also take place to drive up volunteer rates, as well as the creation of incentives for working-class citizens to join for higher education and careers that may otherwise be out of reach. The three branches of the Imperial Military were the Imperial Army, the Imperial Navy, and the Imperial Air Force, all with separate command structures but used the same ranking system more or less. Out of the three, the Empire historically put its focus on the Army as it was mainly a land-based power, with the least amount of focus on the Navy, and thus this article will focus on the Army. In fact, the Imperial Navy often relied on contracting Arediani firms to move cargo and even crew major warships at times and only had around 100 major warships before the Great War where many of them were inherited from the United Kingdom of Charstania. For some historical context, before the founding of the Commonwealth, Arenian polities competed with each other to expand their influence, resolve disputes, and establish trade networks. Warfare was common; however, the form it took rarely went so far as to have armies spanning the Peninsula to conquer other city-states. It was mostly treated as a competition where the winner had their demands met, for the most part, and also significant implications for the practice of pre-cicloist Arenian religion called Táak'iin Warfare or Gold Warfare. That being said, total war wasn’t unheard of; in fact, some of the most well-known conflicts of Terota involved the destruction of cities and settlements, but it was discouraged because of the presence of the Brume being more tangibly close in those times. As a result Arenian armies before the Empire already housed some of the best strategic and tactical minds in Terota, as positions like General were earned not by lineage but by merit and there was always an opportunity to sharpen the mind and blade. At around the year 25 BAI, the Book of Warfare, was written by General Nuno Noh Herrero who fought for Koro after the collapse of the Apian Empire, and is the cornerstone of strategic theory for not just Arenian militaries, but was often expected to be read by officers in different militaries across the realm as copies proliferated with the invention of the printing press and similar tools in the 15th century. After the Industrial Revolution, the book was required reading for officers and NCO’s in the Imperial Military. The Imperial Air Force was a point of great pride for the Empire, as it was a display of their technological ingenuity and provided their ground troops capabilities to maneuver and deploy in methods impossible beforehand. There were two flagship models of aerospace vehicles that were mass produced in such large quantities they can still be found today, either refurbished or reverse engineered, being the AR-40 double rotor thopter and the massive BC-20 fixed wing Airship. Both of which had a wide variety of variants to serve different roles. By far though, the pride of the air fleet was the BC-27 which came in the SAAC and FortaCielo models. The SAAC functioned as an airborne command and control center for air divisions across a large area using its radar mounted on the fuselage, and the FortaCielo was a high altitude ground attack gunship that was feared amongst the Empire's enemies for its destructive capabilities. Both were produced in limited numbers, and in the post-war era there are only a total of 7 BC-27 models that exist and are considered invaluable.
Non-Commissioned Officers and Enlisted
The preferred structure of the Imperial Military is an emphasis on its Officers to make extensive plans and calculations to execute operations within parameters suiting Imperial doctrine. Tactical decisions are therefore decided by soldiers in the officer track, typically the Lieutenant who would be the section commander. Soldiers salute each other by raising a closed fist near the face closer to the mouth, originating from when mercenaries and soldiers who crossed paths would lower their face coverings as a sign of peace. Enlisted personnel typically wear tan and khaki fatigues, typically with short sleeve shirts and/or shorts, and armor is typically also painted the same colors. Soldiers also would be given a cape to protect their armor and uniform from the elements. Up until the 1960’s, the color and symbols on a cape would have signified rank and achievements. This is still the case for dress uniforms, but for field uniforms all capes became a solid color| Pay Grade | Rank | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A-1 | Recluta | Recruit: In training. No insignia. |
| A-2 | Soldado | Soldier: The rank given to recruits who complete their basic training. A soldado is expected to handle the average duties and labor as infantry. Typically are just riflemen and gunners, and are not given complex roles. They’re insignia is sewn onto a shoulder epaulet that is angled like a triangle at the top and for soldado a red bar with a black outline is sewn onto the bottom. |
| A-3 | Cabo | Corporal: Handles most of the same duties as a Soldado, and teaches their subordinates the ropes. Could be given more complex roles in a squad rather than just as a rifleman or gunner, like marksman. The insignia is two red bars on the bottom of the epaulet. |
| A-4 | Primero Cabo | First Corporal: Lowest ranking non-commissioned officer, would direct subordinates, take more complex roles in a team and squad. When needed leads 3-4 subordinates in a team. Typically working in tandem with another team leader. They are the lowest rank that may be given weapons such as the Thunderfist and Razorsword. The insignia is one red bar on the bottom with a blue bar on top of it. |
| A-5 | Sargento | Sergeant: Leads teams or squads of around 3-8 depending on the units current needs, and is in charge of squad members well being and health. The insignia is two blue bars on the bottom of the epaulet, with the head of a Coyote sewn with red with a black outline where the profile of the head is facing left, only seeing one side of the face in the form of a mesoamerican motif. |
| A-6 | Sargento Maestro | Master Sergeant: Can be assigned as the section (platoon) sergeant, and technical sergeants in communication sections and other technical sections. The insignia is three blue bars with a white line through the bottom one, and the head of a red Coyote. |
| A-7 | Sargento Primero | First Sergeant: Functions as the section sergeant in headquarters, advising the section leader, and sometimes is the section leader, but typically making sure everyone is following the officers orders. Could also be assigned to the Batallón level as specialist assisting with leadership responsibilities of high ranking officers. A section would be anywhere in between 16-40 soldiers. The insignia is three blue bars with a white line through all of them, with the head of a blue Coyote near the top. |
Oficiales Y la Prueba de Dolor (The Test of Pain)
Officers were the core of the Imperial Military, and still are for the Juntas that succeeded them. During the reign of the Empire in times of peace, officers had to repeatedly take exams, and participate in exercises in order to qualify for promotions and to keep important positions. The most important exams and exercises were often done with Divisions vs Divisions, with smaller scale exercises that were ordered by Divisional command to their Brigada Headquarters that kept officers within the Division prepared for these bi-annual exercises. The forward facing purpose for these exercises were to keep the army in top shape, and encourage a culture of improvement amongst their officers in developing new tactics and strategies. These exercises, however, were not perceived by the participants as mere exercises, but as a hyper competitive space for officers to prove their worth and superiority over their colleagues. The exercises were informally dubbed the Prueba de Dolor as they were infamous for officers doing as much as they can to win these competitions, often at the expense of the sanity of their subordinates. When a Division was scheduled for a Prueba de Dolor, the mood and priorities of the entire unit from the top down would completely change, especially if a unit was scheduled to face the Inmortals which was considered the worst possible opponent to be matched with. The culture surrounding these exercises was extremely toxic, to the point that in the best of cases commanders would at the very least keep the morale of their subordinates in mind while stretching them to their near breaking point. At worst, commanders obsessed with perfection or paranoid that they will lose their position would run their troops ragged, issuing command upon command to keep training until they perceive an acceptable standard until the last month or even week before the exercise. Making drug abuse, physical abuse, and mental health crises rates rise significantly higher during this time, depending on the unit’s opponent and its own culture. The amount of mental stress caused was always intentional and calculated, as it was a useful method for the Imperial government to control their army by keeping officers that the Ministry of Peace saw as a potential problem in check. By scheduling Divisions against opponents like the Inmortals, they put them in a loop of stress and dread and are able to examine their behavior, breaking them, exposing undesirable behavior or beliefs, or sharpening their tactical and strategic minds. Officer uniforms are finer in make, typically accented with red and blue colors, and also have the choice of long/short sleeves and pants or shorts. Typically they would have both depending on where they may be stationed. Officers also received metal pins for their ranks as well to put on their collars.| Pay Grade | Rank | Description |
|---|---|---|
| O-1 | Bandera | Flag: Junior officers graduated from the Conión Academy of Arcana Warfare, Hoinito Táak'iin Academy, or La Delta Aerospace Academy depending on branch. Typically given a leadership position on the section level or right under a lieutenant commanding a section. Insignia is a gold star. |
| O-1 | Uka Q'alel Jolom Uka Q'jl. | Sublieutenant: Junior officer promoted from an NCO to this rank, typically given a leadership position on the section level or right under a lieutenant commanding a section. Insignia is a five pointed gold star. |
| O-2 | Q'alel Jolom Q'jl | Lieutenant: Typically commanding a section of troops as the section commander. They could also serve on the Unido level as an officer in Unido Headquarters under a Captain. Insignia is two gold stars. |
| O-3 | Capitán | Captain: Typically commanding a Unido of troops, numbering to about 80-200 troops. When in command, they answer to the command in Batallón and are typically the highest ranking officer who would participate in combat, with the exception of officers within a Special Forces section. Insignia is three gold stars forming a triangle. |
| O-4 | Mayor | Major: Typically works as an officer under the Lieutenant Marshal in a Batallón, but can also more uncommonly be found in command of a Batallón which is made up of multiple Unidos and could be the size of 200-1000 troops. The insignia is the head of a silver dusky rattlesnake facing sideways to the left. |
| O-5 | Uka Mariscal | Second Marshal: Often found in command of a Batallón, with a Major as their XO, and can be found as a staff officer within the Brigade. The insignia is the head of a gold rattlesnake as a mesoamerican motif. |
| O-6 | Mariscal | Marshal: Found as the commander of a Brigade or as the XO to a General of the Brigade. Consisting of around 1000-5000 troops. Marshals are senior officers who have served at least 20 years of service and three as a Lieutenant Marshal, as well as having qualifying performance in an exercise with a Division. The insignia is the head of a gold rattlesnake with a star above the head. |
| O-7 | General de Brigada | General of the Brigade: The commander of a Brigade, and although Marshal’s could also be the commanders of Brigades, only Generals of the Brigade could command Brigades that acted outside of the command of a Division. Because of this relative autonomy and high rank, the Primer and their advisors carefully parses through a list of eligible officers to be promoted to this position. Even when obtaining this position, Generals must continue to qualify to be reappointed to serve longer than eight years. A gold head of a Golden Eagle facing the left in a mesoamerican motif. |
| O-8 | División General | Division General: As the commander of a Division they are responsible for around 20,000-40,000 troops, and are carefully chosen from a list of eligible officers who wish for this position after a thorough investigation by the Ministry of Peace. Even then, they must continually meet requirements set for them by the Primer and the Ka’nal General of their region if they wish to keep their position for more than the minimum time. The insignia is a gold head of a Golden Eagle with one gold star right below it. |
| O-9 | General de la Ejército | General of the Army: As the commander of an army, they are in charge of multiple divisions, which can number from 120,000-200,000 troops and even more depending on the situation. Like with the Division General, they are chosen from a list of eligible officers with the utmost scrutiny. They would also be integrated into the Primers inner circle, Líderes de la Civilización, where they get familiar with the leaders and important people of the Imperial government. As a General of the Army, they are deeply involved in the grand strategic moves of the Empire, and are on the council that nominates and selects high ranking officers for promotion. A gold head of a Golden Eagle with two gold stars right below it. |
| O-10 | Ka’nal General | High General: This rank used to be the position of General de la Imperial, however as the Empire's strategic needs started to spread out into territories outside of Arenia and the Peninsula High General was moved to be the General of an entire operational theater. Examples would be Prezia, Kuria and Charstania would have their own High General. The appointment of a High General is followed by months to years of deliberation to choose the right officer, and their successor. As the highest rank that could be achieved during peacetime, High General was the highest achievement an officer could hope for in their career that would also give access to the inner circle of the Primer as a trusted ally. The insignia is a gold head of a Golden Eagle with two stars right below it and one above it. |
| Special | General de la Imperial | The Supreme Commander of all forces of the Empire and their allies during a time of war. They would coordinate all forces to meet priority Imperial objectives, and preserve the supremacy of the Empire. Typically the most competent, and most trusted, High General would be ascended into this position. A gold head of a Golden Eagle with two stars to it’s right and two to its left with the Imperial coat of arms at the top of the epaulet. |
Unit Formations and Doctrine
The Imperial Army began the process of modernization after the Fourth Aliazna War ended in 1971, despite dealing a major blow to what was once their strongest rival, the Second Navaleian Republic. For several reasons, research and development into equipment to serve combined arms warfare only ramped up rather than calming down in order to maintain military superiority over their rivals. For starters, Karieban states warring with each other and keeping Imperial troops and equipment on that continent was perceived as absolutely necessary to maintain Imperial influence, and to make sure that a theoretical united Karieban state or alliance was kept just that. Secondly, the Second Republic was not fully pacified, Arediani’s still resented the Empire after the result of the war and despised them for strong-arming their government into leasing islands to corporate firms on the mainland and islands for naval bases. This hatred became abundantly clear after the Peligrosa, which made Imperial officials feel even more vulnerable. The final reason didn’t come to effect until the early 2100’s, as a full-scale war with Sharadi seemed to become inevitable, and development for advanced material began to scale up even farther than before.The Imperial Military throughout the millennia and a half of its existence was always evolving as times changed, establishing different formations as challenges to their superiority arose. Nearly all Division sized units have a combination of different weapons to conduct combined arms warfare with, where during the Great War, some were also reinforced by special operation batallóns like Psionic Super Soldiers and Power Armored Heavy Shock Troopers. For the most part however, the Imperial military used any equipment made between the 1920’s and 2160’s, having no issue fielding rifles that were literally over a century old. To facilitate this strategy, most Imperial formations served specific purposes in order to make breakthroughs, encircle enemy units and take strategically advantageous positions which are listed below:
Ministry of Peace Paramilitary
The Ministry of Peace was not an official part of the military and, in fact, often monitored officers with suspicion. However, it still had multiple battalion-sized units that could be deployed across the Empire. They specialized in nighttime infiltration, urban warfare, espionage, intelligence work, and policing. Typically, they deployed in areas of the Empire in which there was bound to be a flare-up of dissidents or violence and sometimes even attached to military units in times of war to add to their capabilities. They were equipped with a myriad of silenced weapons, poisons, and other relevant tools and tactics to bring "peace" to the Empire.Inmortals
Classified as Heavy Infantry, they were equipped with hardware intended for short but intensely violent breakthroughs, which often meant accepting heavy casualties even when supported by Armored Vehicles. Fueled by performance-enhancing war chems and pure hatred, the Inmortals had no qualms charging into battles they knew would lead to their deaths. The strategy behind this unit was to replace losses nearly instantly, draining their enemies' resources and will to fight, and excelling in urban combat. Only two Division-sized Inmortal units existed until the Great War: the 1st and 2nd Inmortals. Their reputation for violence and devotion intimidated anyone who encountered them.Balam (Jaguar)
Balam units are one of the ancient elite units of Arenian civilization, taking after the mighty Ayain hunter, the jaguar. Jaguar units were never larger than brigade size and were either attached to divisions as elite light infantry reconnaissance units or acted separately under a general of the brigade. They were renowned for their ability to survive in nearly any environment without much support, as well as their maneuverability, agility, and lethality. To be the unlucky opponent of a Balam unit was to be the prey.Quauhtli (Eagles)
Eagles were the second type of ancient elite unit of Arenian civilization, and adapted to modern warfare by taking to the skies. Eagle Airborne Divisions were trained to jump out of BC-20s to sow chaos behind enemy lines and quickly maneuver to take down targets to limit the capabilities of their enemies. A second version of the Eagle Airborne units were the Air Assault Divisions, which involved using thopters for hit and run tactics, and quickly maneuvering to encircle enemy units and conduct assault infantry tactics. There were a total of four divisions in peacetime: the 1st and 2nd Eagles Airborne and the 3rd and 4th Eagles Air Assault.Calvários
The Calvários were established in 626 ISC when the formal Imperial Military was first created, and involved the use of camel and horse cavalry to shock line formations. However, after 1971, they traded in their horses and camels (for the most part) for armored and wheeled vehicles, and were reclassified as medium infantry or medium armored units. Their tactics involved dragoons dismounting from vehicles, providing reactive support to static units and positions, and pushing a breakthrough into overdrive. There were three division-sized Calvário units, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Calvário Divisions, which often recruited Valians into their ranks.Armadura
The heaviest types of units in terms of sheer tonnage, the Armadura Divisions were designed to break Sharadi units by themselves and escort atomic artillery sections within range of their targets. These units were meant to go toe to toe with deadly Sharadi war machines that could easily rip apart any other unit, and were key in keeping them at less problematic sizes. There were two Armadura Divisions, the 1st and the 2nd. However, since these units were responsible for the atomic artillery units, there is no evidence of anyone from these Divisions making it out of Sharadi alive, with very few pieces of equipment that were made for them remaining in post-war Arenia.Sierra
Sierra units are different from all the other types of units listed, as they are special forces units created to defend the Peninsula and turn it into a fortress, if needed. These units recruited a lot of Apians and specialized in underground combat in the Drumul Mare, as well as defensive tactics and equipment. As a result, since most Sierra units never left the Peninsula, they became the majority force in the Juntas of the region. There was one division-sized unit for each Apian province, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sierra.Footnote on Organization
Army: 120,000-200,000Division: 20,000-40,000
Brigada: 1000-5000
Batallón: 200-1000
Unido (Company): 80-200
Section (Platoon): 16-40
Squad:3-8
Team:3-4
Tooth to Tail 1:6*
Lealtad y Honor
Leaders
Primer Zuma de Hoinito and General de la Imperial Kinato Ros Reyes
Primer Zuma de Hoinito and General de la Imperial Kinato Ros Reyes
625 ISC - 2162 ISC
Type
Military, Armed Forces
Alternative Names
EoA Army, Imperial Military, Imp Armas
Ruling Organization
