Ulolan Defense Forces

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Ensign of the Ulolan Defense Forces

 Ulolan Army Air Force

 Ulolan Army Navy

## Leadership

### Commander-in-Chief

 Paramount Chief *Papa Hauʻoli Volakinarī (de-facto)* Council of Chiefs *(de-jure)*

## Related articles

### History

* **War of Thieves**
* **First Reclamation War**
* **Second Reclamation War**
* **Natunay War for Independence**
* **War in Ulola**

The **Ulolan Defense Forces** (**UDF**) (Ulolan: *Malōsiagīʻo Puigaʻiā Ulōlōa;* "the protection forces of Ulola") are the official armed forces of the Ulolan Confederacy. They comprise three branches of service, including the Land Army (ULA) (Ulolan: *Vagāiʻo Lagituʻa*), Army Air Force (UAAF) (Ulolan: *Malōsiagīʻo Vagāiʻo Līgeʻa*), and Army Navy (UAN) (Ulolan: *Malōsiagīʻo Lōguʻa o Vagaʻiā*). Constitutionally, the UDF does not have a commander-in-chief but rather a commander who advises the Council of Chiefs, the body in control of the armed forces.

The Ulola event reduced the size of the UDF from a pre-event figure of 80,000 soldiers in the army in January 1984, to an estimated 5,000 personnel left disjointed across the country; it also lost most of its equipment and infrastructure during the ensuing disasters. In 1988, Paramount Chief *Papa* *Hauʻoli Volakinarī* passed a chiefly decree mandating all tribal agencies of law enforcement be folded into the UDF, in order for the government to more effectively organize disaster relief efforts with its limited resources. Under his administration the military became a conscripted force, requiring by customary law that all males upon reaching the age of 13 must serve in the military in a non-combative role until they reached 18, after which point they could leave at their discretion; they would be exempted if they did not have any male kin-of-age who could take care of their legal guardians for the duration. This allowed the military to grow into an extremely large size, with the World Congress estimating the UDF to have over 2 million service personnel in December 1992, of which over 50% was aged between 18–23.

Before the start of the War in Ulola, the conscription policy was being eased overtime with a decreased compulsory service period and a higher minimal age of enlistment, with it being entirely removed by 1995 as the population had matured past the need for child recruitment. Since its outbreak however, the Ulolan military's enlisted numbers have dropped by over half of their pre-war figures, due in part to casualties, defections and desertions; the rise of self-proclaimed political factions in Ulola divided UDF loyalties, leaving an estimated 500,000 personnel, including reservists, across all branches still loyal to the constitutional government as of 1999.

## Structure

### Ulolan Land Army

> Main article: Ulolan Land Army
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The Ulolan Land Army encompasses the ground forces of the UDF, and is the founding service of the armed forces. Indigenously raised in 1725, the army has historically exhumed the most influence upon the nation's military culture; over the years however, foreign ideas were adopted which subverted this by defining requirements for the military which the army could not fulfill. In 1830, the army was discharged of its maritime responsibilities to allow the newly raised Ulolan Army Navy to assume instead; by 1930, it was further broken up with the formation of the Ulolan Army Air Force as military aviation became an essential component of the armed forces. Despite these partitions, the army still remains the largest and most senior of the three service branches to this day.

After the Ulola event occurred, the army was the only branch that was still capable of responding to the provisional government. The Council of Chiefs took note of this, and immediately authorized the army to be granted jurisdiction over all emergency services to control the natural disaster; this entailed the formation of a firefighter, paramedical and police department within the army. These new offices would provide for internal affairs of the nation, enabling army personnel to directly perform civic actions such as construction, education and other social services at their own discretion. As of 1999, the World Congress estimates that over 80% of Ulola's public services are worked under military supervision.

Today these roles still persist, with the army having been developed into a self-reliant, civil-military coordinated institution. It is primarily an infantry fighting force capable of most conventional operations, both in external and internal security; however it is ill-experienced and ill-equipped, with limited funds to import weapons to arm itself with. Several proposals have been submitted to try and resolve this, but the lack of available infrastructure and ongoing conflict has prevented these from being passed. This has had a negative impact on the army's abilities to effectively combat more modern armed forces; the disparity in equipment was one of the most defining factors that led to the army's defeat during the 1982 invasion of Ulola.

Throughout the War in Ulola, the ULA has been heavily scrutinized by the international community as the greatest cause for concern for Ulola's national stability. Many accusations have been levied against it during the 1990s, encompassing violations of everything from human rights to international law; war observers reported the army also allegedly operating independently of government control, although the validity of these accusations and reports has been a controversial subject. It is unclear if the army has officially committed any crimes of war as per the International Charter, however numerous case attempts have been made to incriminate them, all to no avail thus far.

Women have historically served in non-combative roles of the army for centuries, however since the War in Ulola's outbreak female soldiers have been observed being armed and entering frontline service. This new generation of women warriors has had a profound impact on the army, who officially allowed them to enlist for combative roles as of 1995, when the conscription policy was lifted.

#### Current organization

After the Ulola event devastated the UDF's infrastructure, the Ulolan Land Army had to undergo an extreme reorganization process. Many military formations were disbanded or eradicated, and the chain of command was reworked to be based around military garrisons and their zones of control. This placed each and every settlement or island under the jurisdiction of a select few army officers per, who would operate from a command post or military base in proximity; all of these garrisons would be under the high command of army headquarters, which is able to reassign garrisoned supplies and troops at the macro-level instead of relying on a hierarchy of units. This strategy was deemed necessary at the time, as majority of the military's professional personnel and officers were killed in the event's fallout; however, it has rendered the army very inefficient and uncoordinated during wartime as a result. Presently, the highest-ranking officer within the army is the Commander of the Army, which has a rank equivalent to a five-star General and is an eligible position to represent the entire UDF in the Council of Chiefs.

Currently, the ULA oversees 56 major garrisons spread throughout the Ulolan Sea region, of which nearly half have been engaged in the war. Communication centers exist in most of these locations, with a plethora of outstations and mobile communication units installed throughout the archipelago. All active forces are responsible for the management and operation of these garrisons, often supplementing or superseding tribal authority if the war situation demands it. Reserve forces encompass a variety of non-combative auxiliaries who work in public service sectors under military oversight; however, some of these forces are capable militias and augment the primary infantry forces' capabilities. As of 1999, is believed that all citizen militias are employed as army reservists or are in some way under army oversight; this includes non-state actors and mercenaries in Ulolan employ.

All army personnel are under the auspices of a command headquarters in the Garden Tricity, along with the headquarters of the UDF which it coordinates with. Training for these personnel usually occurs in the large swathes of the nation's uninhabited forests and jungles. This training is heavily assisted by foreign advisors and joint exercises with the Natunayan and Talossarese armed forces. However, as a consequence of poor capital funding and professionalism, very few army officers are considered qualified for their ranks.

The Ulolan Land Army is currently structured into the following departments as per the 1988 chiefly provisions laid out:

* Command HQ (Garden Tricity);
* TBD.

### Ulolan Army Air Force

> Main article: Ulolan Army Air Force
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TBD.

### Ulolan Army Navy

> Main article: Ulolan Army Navy
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TBD.

## Equipment

> Main article: List of equipment of the Ulolan Defense Forces
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TBD.