Communal Forces

The **Fórsaí Comhchoiteanna** (Eanic: Communal Forces, **FC**) is the combined military force of the Eanic Community. Composed of the Communal Ground Service and Communal Navy, the Communal Forces is considered the successor of the Coalition Military from the Third Surface War. The primary function of the Communal Forces, according to its mission statement, is to "safeguard and defend the Community, her people, and her interests." This has been interpreted, in recent times, to guarding the Communoty's borders from outsiders and insurgents alike. The Community has more than 18 million total personnel, and is primarily composed of the Communal Navy.

## Mission

The Communal Forces mission is defined by its mission statement in Section I of the Second Treaty of Carriolar of 1962:

*"This document, which concerns that of the future of armed conflict with the Eanic Peoples, shall establish a military force whose goal is to safeguard and defend the Community, her people, and her interests, wherever they may be."*

Outside of this mission statement, the following goals have been commonly outlined as the Communal Forces' objectives:

* Defend the Community's borders from foreign threats,
* Maintain the Peace in the Community,
* Maintain the Peace in Client states,
* Monitor the space in and around the Community for active or inactive threats.

## Organization

### Chain of Command

The Communal Forces is lead first and foremost by the Commander-in-Chief, which is designated, and has been designated, as the ruling **Ríonmháthair**. Immediately below the Commander-in-Chief is the **Minister of Defense** and the **Chief of Defense**, the civilian and military components of the Communal Forces, respectively. The overall high command structure of the Communal Forces is referred to as **HIGENCOM** (High General Command).

The Communal Navy and Ground Service are each lead by their respective chiefs, which are usually flag officers, however this is not a requirement. The respective positions are the **First Admiral of the Navy** and **Marshal-General of the Ground Service**. Additionally, the Communal Naval Infantry is lead by the **Commander of the Naval Infantry**, who operates under the First Admiral of the Navy.

## Personnel

The Communal Forces' personnel is primarily comprised of the Communal Ground Service and Communal Navy, with a considerable minority in the Communal Naval Infantry with differing rank structures for all three. The Communal Forces employs Enlisted, Sub-officers, Commissioned Officers, and Flag Officers, with specialized ranks being present in the Communal Naval Infantry and Communal Ground Service. About 10.8 million serve in the Navy, with an additional 1,080,000 in the Communal Naval Infantry. The remaining 6.12 million serve in the Communal Ground Service.

### Enlisted

The bulk of the Communal Forces is comprised of Enlisted personnel, ranging from fresh recruits to those just about to become Sub-officers. Unlike the SDC and other human-based militaries, the Communal Forces officially refer to ranks above E-5 as 'Sub Officers', and thus only E-1 through E-5 are considered Enlisted. Additionally, the Communal Forces skips over various ranks. For example, the lack of an E-3 equivalent in the Communal Navy. Like the SDC, however, Enlisted are generally the workhorses of the Communal Forces, carrying out orders given by Officers and Sub-Officers alike.

Unlike the SDC, Enlisted in the Communal Forces are not required to graduate from Secondary Schooling. However, as the ranks climb higher, the requirements for schooling become more apparent, with individuals not completing Secondary Schooling being completely unable to obtain a rank higher than E-5. Additionally, those enlisting in the Communal Forces go through rigorous training, much of which would be grueling or even impossible for Humans. The Ground Service in particular, as well as the Communal Naval Infantry, train at multiple camps to ready their members for the various climates of the Community's colonies and homeworlds. Once an individual passes Basic Training, they are given their respective E-1 rank for their service branch, whether that be the Ground Service, Naval Infantry, or Navy.

### Sub-Officers

Once an Enlisted reaches a high enough rank, officially E-6 and higher, they are considered a 'Sub-Officer'. Generally regarded as the Communal equivalent of a Non-Commissioned Officer, Sub-Officers are required to have passed Secondary Schooling. Generally they serve as the Enlisted command structure much like NCOs. Once a Sub-Officer reaches a significant rank, generally E-7 (E-8 for the Ground Service), a Sub-Officer can undergo training as well as higher education to become an Officer, usually as an O-3.