Ministry of Defense

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) is an executive ministerial department of Super Earth. It is responsible for providing, managing and maintaining the military forces needed to deter and wage war as well as protect the security of the federation. With the declaration of the Galactic War on Tyranny, Mobilisation across all sectors of the industry and economy has begun; with billions of able-bodied citizens from across the Federation having already volunteered for conscription.
Collectively referred to as S.E.A.F (Super Earth Armed Forces), the defenders of the Federation are split into different branches, including the Super Earth Army, the Navy, Colonial Guard and of course the Helldiver Corps, whom receive their orders directly from High Command. Raw recruits typically go through a rigorous 72-hour S.E.A.F. basic training course, before being assigned to a branch or being given more specialized training, such as the 8-week training course in Superior Packing Methodology (SPM) for Super Destroyer Crew's, or the "Real Deal" Helldiver training on Mars.
== SEAF Branches ==
Note: The following is based on both in game sources and also a heavy amount of speculation. The Helldiver Corps also have their own page.
=== Super Earth Army ===
Whilst the Helldivers are the scalpel of the military might of Super Earth, the regular army corps are its hammer, responsible for the bulk of the fighting in the galactic war, as well as taking over more permanent security duties over liberated planets. Whilst the exact strength of the Army Corps is highly classified, the army likely possesses vast reserves of manpower numbering in the tens of millions, as they can hold multiple fronts on dozens of planets. This paltry peace-time peacekeeper force has also been reinforced with billions of "voluntary conscripts" following the official declaration of the Galactic War on Tyranny on May 16th, 2184. The Army also possesses overwhelming firepower in the form of heavy artillery, ICBM and SAM sites, as well as armored vehicles such as exosuits and tanks (the latter of which the automatons have made inferior copies). Additionally, the army is the branch which the Helldivers are drafted from, at least during the first galactic war. 
Their bravery in the face of overwhelming odds and anti-democratic values cannot be understated. High Command maintains that any lost ground is a temporary tactical decision to draw the enemy into the blinding light of justice and liberty. The Army has never suffered a (total) defeat, but has willingly expended lives in the pursuit of drawing the enemies of Democracy into traps or fighting valiant delaying actions to allow for civilians to evacuate safely. Even when forced to withdraw from a planet, the Army will simply lick its wounds and return in greater force. Even so... individual casualties are high so Soldiers deployed to exceptionally hazardous postings will be granted an increase in citizenship class for themselves and their immediate families upon mission completion or death.
==== Engineering corps ====
The Super Earth Army also possesses its own Engineering corps, responsible for building various SEAF instillation's, such as the TCS Towers and the Orbital Defenses of the Menkent Line, as well as providing technical support and repairs (as seen when the communication array on Vernen Wells was knocked out). These military engineering units will sometimes be supplemented with civilian contractors when necessary.
Another notable branch of the Super Earth Army (likely operating under the S.E.A.F. engineering corps) is the Excavation Corps; who were founded by SGM Janet Jones, who famously said that "The ground is just another obstacle that hasn't yet been cleared." The Excavation Corps are an engineering unit that are presumably responsible for systematic drilling and blasting for surface excavations. They make heavy use of explosives and the CE-27 Ground Breaker armor. 
==== Viper Commandos ====
A storied SEAF special operations unit whose real exploits were portrayed in the classic comic book series "Tales of the Viper Commandos." For example, Jackle 6, a veteran of the Viper Commandos in the First Galactic War (who's uniform became the basis for the PH-9 PREDATOR Medium Armour) held off an entire Terminid brood on Nublaria (a planet in the Celeste Sector) with nothing but a machine gun, pocket knife, and Orbital Laser Strikes.
=== Super Earth Navy ===
thumb|300x300px|The Super Earth Navy during the first galactic war...
Super Earth's Aerospace service branch, responsible for maintaining and crewing its space borne warships like the Super Destroyer and Liberty-Class Cruiser as well as aircraft such as the Pelican and Eagle as well as a fleet of bombers. The Navy's primary mission is to defend and spread freedom as well as economic prosperity by providing orbital support to SEAF forces planet side. They also maintain orbital dominance and keeping the Faster than Light Lanes open as well as transport military personnel and equipment.
Unsurprisingly the Super Earth navy is the current dominant space borne navy in the Galaxy, with the only other fleet that comes anywhere close being the Automaton fleet, with it's tens of thousands of Automaton Fleet Destroyers.
Though figures of its exact size is unclear, it is likely the Galaxy's most powerful navy as well as the largest, at least in terms of sheer numbers with over 450,000 active vessels (based on Helldiver numbers as each active diver gets a Super Destroyer). Whilst primary warship of the Super Earth Navy is the Super Destroyer, they also possesses heavier warships in the form of the Liberty-Class Cruiser, which presumably surpasses the Destroyer in both size and armament.
==== Interplanetary Battle Stations ====
Whilst the details of the project remain highly classified, during the first Galactic War an advanced weapons lab on the planet of X-45 was working on the development of a powerful interplanetary battle station. However the project was abandoned along with the laboratory (and the planet) due to high levels of radiation on X-45 -- possibly following the responsible use of planet-wide nuclear weapons bombardment.
=== Colonial Defense Forces ===
The brave individuals of the colonies are given extensive military and survival training to further augment S.E.A.F. force projection. Every person, man, woman, child, and pet are expected to give their life without question in protecting Super Earth's legal holdings. To this end, the colonies of Super Earth possess their own security forces and colonial militia's, funded in part by the Ministry of Expansion. In theory a well regulated planetary security force backed up by colonial militiamen would be able to wage a successful guerrilla war against enemy invaders thanks to their greater knowledge of the local terrain and the fact that the colonists would be fighting to defend their homes. 
However these security forces have proven insufficient in the current conflict. Thus showing the barbarity and inhumanity of Super Earth's enemies to kill voters who were equipped, within regulation, for the past 100 years of peacetime for only protecting against wildlife as well as policing. While well equipped with valor, they were nowhere near as well equipped or trained as the rest of S.E.A.F. 
Additionally budget cuts, due to limited need in peacetime, for many colonies has also pulled out what few teeth they still had, possibly contributing to swift fall of many planets near the start of the Second Galactic War. A prime example of this being the first Defense of Angel's Venture, where the spawning hordes of Terminids easily overwhelmed the planet's colonial militias in a matter of hours. Even so, individual heroism has been noted amongst the colonial militia, with reports of Helldivers coming across dead citizens who managed to destroy Devastators using double barrel shotguns and, in some cases, shovels. 
As per S.E.A.F. policy, such valiant heroes will posthumously have their citizenship level raised and thus garner the right to have their name listed in the planetary death log (subject to Ministry of Truth regulations).
=== Possible SEAF Doctrine (speculation) ===
Despite possessing deep manpower reserves and awesome firepower, SEAF forces are often outnumbered, outgunned or outclassed showing that continual sacrifice, and military spending are required by Super Earth. This has resulted in Super Earth being slowly worn down and destroyed adopting a strategy of tactical advances to defensive lines away from the enemy in order to preserve its manpower and equipment.
Although the exact doctrine of SEAF forces is unclear classified, one possible strategy employed is a "Hammer and Scalpel" doctrine that relies on cooperation between all branches. Much like the Federation itself.
The Super Earth Army holds the frontlines, enduring the full might of enemy forces, whilst the Helldivers -- with orbital support from the Navy -- deploy deep behind enemy lines where they cripple key objectives, disrupt enemy logistics and cause general chaos. This gives the Army the chance to push forward and liberate some ground, increasing a planet's liberation progress. Once all enemy resistance has collapsed and all ground is taken, the planet will be officially liberated, with S.E.A.F. forces then transitioning to occupation, cleanup and reconstruction operations in the aftermath.
== Subordinate Departments of the Ministry of Defense ==
=== Directorate of Helldiver Readiness ===
Operating under the oversight of Helldiver Readiness Command, a major command of the Super Earth Armed Forces which in turn operates under the Ministry of Defense. The Directorate of Helldiver Readiness is responsible for turning raw recruits into sufficiently fully trained Helldivers. As such, the Directorate Operates hundreds of training bases on Mars, able to process as many as 48,000 raw recruits a day, all under the watchful eye of General Brasch.
=== Department of Heroic Sacrifice Affairs ===
Whether due to enemy action or friendly fire, casualties are an unfortunate consequence of war. Every day heroes of the federation are injured, maimed and killed in various gruesome ways, with it being the responsibility of the department of Heroic Sacrifice Affairs to deal with these casualties. One of the department's most important military duties is to provide a death notification to the deceased's next of kin, whether they be a partner, close relative, pet or neighbor.
The Terminid Supercolony on Meridia for example could not have been destroyed without the brave sacrifice of many, many Helldivers. In their honor, the Department of Heroic Sacrifice affairs would issue personalized memorandums to their designated next-of-kin. We will always remember [Helldiver Name].
Category:Lore
Category:SEAF