Commonwealth's Armed Forces

## The Armed Forces of the Commonwealth

The history of the Commonwealths armed forces is lengthy, it possesses a pre-exodus, 23rd and 24th century history; each era itself filled numerous military doctrines, tactics and strategies as a result of rapid technological advancement and an increasingly vehement opposition to partaking in wars.

For clarity, all discussion of the Commonwealth does not concern the pre-exodus Commonwealth; the OCN shall also simply be referred to as the ‘Early Commonwealth’ whilst the Commonwealth as it stands shall simply referred to as the present Commonwealth or just ‘Commonwealth’.

### A Short Summary

The military of the Early Commonwealth, and even early stages of the present Commonwealth, was somewhat lacking in experience of galactic warfare and in a sense simply adopted whatever tactic seemed to fit best at the time. There was no official doctrine or established ruleset, planning was left entirely up to the currently leading general and his staff; the generals themselves were well trained and disciplined but had no tried and tested strategies to call upon. The armies were also entirely voluntary based.

This was not really realised though, due to decisive technological advantages in every field of warfare, tactics and strategies that worked for the Early Commonwealth would have ended in catastrophe if they had been competing with technologically equal opposition; even with the advantages though, casualty rates were found abhorrently high… figures such as 100,000 dead were grains of sand amongst loses of millions. Anti-war sentiments ran higher and higher, peaking with city riots and nation-wide strikes after the invasion of voice; after said event a review of the military as a whole was audited, the result of which resulted in the dismantlement of the current military and the formation of the ‘steel legions’ and adoption of the ‘Steel Rain’ war doctrine.

The ‘Steel Rain’ war doctrine emphasised the use of automated war machines and adopted tactics based on a pre-exodus doctrine known as ‘blitzkrieg’. The industrial might and technological advancement of the Commonwealth afforded these ‘Steel legions’ to serve as almost absolute replacements for sentient warriors.

Below here is a more in-depth exploration of the Commonwealth armed forces. There are two parts below; the stratagems, doctrines and tactics of the Early Commonwealth and then stratagems, doctrines and tactics of the Commonwealth as it stands.

## The OCN & Early Commonwealth (2200 – 2280)

### Prominent Military Traits:

* No standing army besides planetary guard
* Entirely volunteer based
* Technologically advanced
* Use of Combat drugs
* Use of Automated war machines
* Use of Clone troops
* Somewhat lacking in proper tactics
* Reliant on technological advantage
* Military & Void Navy considered separate militaries

### Prominent Generals of the 23rd Era:

* General Branicki (Leading General of the 23rd Era, Human, Deceased - KIA)
* General Telaviin (Subordinate General, Kithri, Deceased – Assassinated)
* General Aspinaca (Secondary General of the 23rd Era, Leading General of the 24th, Jir)

### Overview

To say the early Commonwealth had a military would be grossly incorrect, besides a few planetary guard whom had seldom been professionally trained let alone been in combat, the military was completely inadequate; this was at least until the first actual war broke out and a volunteer army was mobilised, the volunteer troops were trained but not to any high standards, instead the Commonwealth relied on technological superiority, mech suits and void guns to win.

The primary method of invasion was to establish beach heads on the ground via massive assaults with whatever could be shipped down from space, this was slow and difficult as AA made planetary approach dangerous.

Combat drugs were used to dull the senses of the green troops, automatic drones became high collateral tools of destruction and clone troopers became the cannon fodder; the moral question of sending to clones to the slaughter was debated but ultimately lost in favour of the desperate need for troops and thus The Act of Genetic Warfare was passed.

The folly was not entirely realised until the invasion of voice which saw gross casualties of 13 million, a high number for the Commonwealth, and the army was stood down in favour of a completely new army.

(unfinished)

## The Commonwealth (2281 – 24th Century)

### Prominent Military Traits:

* Technologically advanced
* Primarily uses Automated War Machines
* Few organic troops
* Organic troops more heavily trained, still entirely voluntary
* Small standing army of professional sentient troops
* Large reserves of automated war machines on standby & ready to deploy
* Cloned soldiers considered cost inefficient and the use of them morally ambiguous, thus not used
* Blitzkrieg & Drop-pod tactics
* Greater integration between Military & Void Navy

### Prominent Generals of the 24th Era:

* General Aspinaca (Secondary General of the 23rd Era, Leading General of the 24th, Jir)

### Overview

The reformed army was hosted a smaller yet more professional army of organic individuals who formed the backbone of the military, but legions of automated and controllable drones / war machines were constructed, these drones could be dropped directly from space in pods allowing rapid deployment; the bots would destroy sites of importance and create a safe zone for the main army to land.

(Section unfinished)