Defence Force of the Free Republics

―Motto of the DFFR

The **Defence Force of the Free Republics (DFFR)** is the military force of the Herschel Nations, comprised of the Mobile Infantry, Free Republic Navy, Strategic Support Force and the Sovereignty Patrol. It is the second-largest and most advanced military in the Settled Systems. Since its inception, the DFFR has played a decisive role in the history of the Herschel Nations, including forging a sense of unity and identity through victory in various wars.

The DFFR is headed by the First Marshal, who is elected by various Sky Marshals within the H.N.'s Moot. Universal conscription is in place, under which all men and women serve for at least two martian years; military service provides various benefits, including the ability to vote.

## History

### Early History

The Defence Force of the Free Republics formed in 2235 through the merger of three planetary militias - those of Harmony, Gagarin and Schwarzschild, as agreed in Article Two of the Free Republic Charter - as a mutually defensive organization with the stated objective of deterring any Collective efforts to prevent their secession. This pact came about thanks to the efforts of Solomon Jayne, an aresian revolutionary famous for his actions during the Battle of Schwarzschild, who was designated as the DFFR's chief of operations.

By the end of 2235, five more colonies, including Mars, had signed the Free Republic Charter and donated their resources and manpower to the DFFR; this action divided the Interstellar Collective into two: the colonies that remained loyal to Earth, and those that wished to confederate with the Free Republics. The final blow came when the Free Republics announced their formation of a new cooperative government, the Herschel Nations, in direct opposition to the doctrine of unity espoused by Earth and her colonies.

With the secession of the Herschel Nations, the remaining colonies banded together as the United Colonies; upon receiving this news, the DFFR was fully mobilised and entered its first conflict: the Herschel Wars.

## Military departments

The DFFR is comprised of four major military departments: the Mobile Infantry, the Free Republic Navy, Strategic Support Force and the Sovereignty Patrol (rangers). Unlike the U.C. SPACECOM, the DFFR does not have a separate air force; aerial operations are conducted by the Mobile Infantry Air Corps and the Navy Air Corps.

### Free Republic Navy

The Navy is the senior service of the DFFR, formed in 2235 during the Herschel Wars. The Navy is commanded by the Marshal of Defence with a Chief of Naval Operations serving as their deputy. The Marshal of Defence holds the rank of Sky Marshal and serves as the Navy's representative in the Moot.

The Navy operates, trains, organizes and equips space forces to establish local naval superiority in deep space and close orbit - primarily signified by the use of its vast fleet of spacecraft. This force is used for the purpose of destroying or suppressing enemy space components, in particular those seeking to attack H.N. commercial or terrestrial holdings. The Navy ensures the safety of H.N. trade and commerce and assists other governmental agencies in objectives of interstellar governance; as such, very little of interstellar consequence happens without the help or oversight of the Navy. The Navy is headquartered at Orbital Staryard *Jayne* in orbit around Schwarzschild.

The Navy's collateral functions include;

* Interstellar transportation of DFFR combat assets
* Development of doctrine, procedures and equipment that are of common interest to the Air Corps and Marine Corps
* Providing forces for joint aerospace and terrestrial operations, in accordance with DFFR doctrine
* Coordinating with civil agencies for the establishment and maintenance of naval depots and orbital yards
* Establishment of emergency military government in designated crisis areas

Navy warships are assigned to fleets, which are organised in one of two ways:

* Expeditionary fleets - Numbered fleets (e.g. Third Fleet) designed for offensive operations in deep space and centered around massive carriers
* Defensive fleets - Named fleets typically named after the star system in which they are based

Fleets are comprised of numerous battle groups, flexible combat elements that can be "plugged together" into ad-hoc fighting forces depending on the immediate situation. Squadrons serve as administrative groupings of warships for record-keeping and honorific purposes.

#### Marine Corps

The DFFR Marine Corps is another senior service of the DFFR, and was formed alongside the Navy in 2235. The Marine Corps is the naval infantry department of the Free Republic Navy and works closely alongside the Navy to effect military action across H.N. territory. The administrative head of the Marine Corps is the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC), who serves as the Marine Corps' senior general within the Marshal of Defence's staff.

The Marine Corps is responsible for maintaining an expeditionary force in readiness, which can seize and defend strategic sites in advance of a larger main DFFR deployment. As such, the Marine Corps organizes, trains, equips and maintains land, air and space-based combined-arms teams capable of being rapidly deployed by the Navy. They are the general-purpose combat force of DFFR and employ a wide range of personnel, from sharpshooters to combat engineers.

#### Air Corps

The Navy Air Corps is one of two aerial divisions in the DFFR, the other being the Mobile Infantry Air Corps.

#### Penal Fleet

The Penal Fleet is a division of the Navy overseen by the Punitive Bureau that maintains a collective of isolated space stations, each of which house a single prisoner whose purpose is to repair and maintain probes, satellites and small starships within their system. The Penal Fleet contains non-violent prisoners only and provides a source of manual labour for the duration of their sentence; these prisoners can go without physical human contact for several years, making the Penal Fleet a form of solitary confinement.

### Mobile Infantry

The Mobile Infantry is the primary terrestrial department of the DFFR and provides the majority of the logistical support and reserve soldiers who fight in ground campaigns. The Mobile Infantry is responsible for defense of H.N. territorial holdings and the long-term occupation of enemy territories, and as such trains, organises, equips and maintains amphibious, land and airborne forces for this mission.

While all Mobile Infantry soldiers are trained warfighters, in peacetime they also provide an invaluable force of engineers, technicians, builders and designers who perform public works and improve existing colonial infrastructure to support future DFFR deployments. The Mobile Infantry also maintains its own Corps of Engineers for performing some of the duties listed above, alongside the Security Forces for the purpose of military policing.

The Mobile Infantry's collateral functions include:

* Conducting civil works that have strategic application, including projects for improvement of navigation
* Development of doctrine, procedures and equipment that are of common interest to the Free Republics
* Organisation and training of civil defense units
* Providing forces for joint aerospace and space operations, in accordance with DFFR doctrines

### Strategic Support Force

The Strategic Support Force is the preeminent intelligence service within the Herschel Nations, responsible for military intelligence, cyber, political, and electronic warfare. Its operations are strictly clandestine, with no public record on its number of personnel. The SSF is headed by the Marshal of State Affairs, who sits on the Moot, and is the only DFFR department that does not answer to the Marshal of Defence.

The SSF's collateral functions include:

* Deployment of covert teams for direct action and technical data collection
* Oversight of the gathering, analysis and dissemination of national security information from around the H.N. and elsewhere
* Development of doctrine, techniques and equipment for the collection and exploitation of information in support of H.N. security
* Providing combat support intelligence for DFFR operations
* Establishment of covert observation systems around enemy colonies and facilities

### Sovereignty Patrol

Also called the rangers, the Sovereignty Patrol is an elite outfit consisting of volunteers from the other DFFR departments. Its primary purpose is dealing with threats regular forces cannot handle, as well as keeping the borders of the H.N. secure, scouting out threats and other special assignments. Only the finest of volunteers are chosen for service in the rangers, and they are considered the best and most advanced military wing in the Settled Systems. Their superior training, weaponry and assortment of technology allows them to tip battles in the H.N.'s favor even when a situation may see them outnumbered and outgunned.

## Ranks

### Executive

* First Marshal
	+ The highest possible rank in the DFFR, the First Marshal serves as both commander-in-chief of the DFFR and head-of-state of the Herschel Nations
* Sky Marshal

### Free Republic Navy

#### Commissioned officers

* Fleet Admiral
* Admiral
* Rear Admiral
* Captain
* Commander
* Lieutenant Commander
* Lieutenant
* Ensign

#### Enlisted

* Gunnery Sergeant
* Sergeant
* Corporal
* Private

### Mobile Infantry

#### Enlisted

* Sergeant
* Corporal
* Private