General Military - Overview and Info (Pre-Protocol)

The Republic of Greater Istanistan is a country whose pride and strength is based upon its military might, and the power of its armies is nothing to be scoffed at. Combining vast scientific advancement with huge pools of healthy and intelligent manpower, the military is strong, well-balanced, and overall an extremely powerful foe for any nation which dares oppose Istanistan’s vast might.

The Republican Army is the great bastion of the nation’s power and its greatest symbol of the people's pride. An army bloodied in ten thousand battles against foreign armies, rebels, would-be coup plotters, separatists, and other foes uncountable, it is a grim and forceful unit.

Soldiers are typically equipped with heavy ceramic armour capable of blocking most light and long-range gunfire, along with heavy assault rifles. Exoskeletons, helmet HUDs, and personal electronic warfare equipment are increasingly common given Istanistan's scientific power. Priority in personal equipment is given to adaptability and versatility. Every soldier is trained in the use of AA or AT missile launchers, which are common weapons scattered throughout the military in order to increase infantry versatility. Infantry squads are usually attached to IFVs due to painful experiences in infantry vulnerability during the Reaper War and the strategic focus on non-homeland military operations in more open territories where striking power is key, although more focus of late has been placed on light infantry units.

Tactics usually consist of disruptive actions (mass artillery barrages, assassinations of leaders, night raids, missile strikes, light infantry actions, and cyberwarfare attacks) aimed at reducing the enemy's tactical capabilities and removing their coordination, followed by either a mass assault in case of an attack or a redoubling of aggressive fortification in the case of defensive warfare. The idea is to keep the enemy off balance and as such vulnerable. Heavy use of drones, electronic warfare, and asymmetrical tactics define the main approach.

Standard Infantry Trooper

Saber-class Main Battle Tank

Spectrum-class Armour Support Vehicle

Rainbow-class Military Artillery Unit

Stacy-class Infantry Support Vehicle

Archer-class Heavy Support Vehicle

Arc-class Mobile Support Fortress

Avalanche-class Local Aerial Denial Vehicle

Asteroid-class Distance Strike Platform

Tuvhalia-class Area Aerial Denial Vehicle

Organization

The army's basic building blocks are divisions, each with 12,000 troops. A division itself is divided up into 4 brigades. Depending on the purpose of the division, they are divided up in specific fashions. This is listed below. When on battlefields, the divisions are organized upwards into corps composed of 4 divisions along with a variety of strike aircraft, field armies composed of 4 corps along with a range of support battalions for specific tasks, line armies composed of 5 field armies, and fronts composed of somewhere between 5 and 10 line armies along with a variety of independent units, typically those of other branches. Route Armies are also occasionally formed, consisting of all forces in the area. These are almost always multi-branch entities. They are typically under Army command, but can include paratroops, Marines, volunteers, and foreign units.

Republican Army

6000 Mechanized Infantry Divisions: 2 mechanized rifle brigades, 1 armoured brigade, one light infantry brigade, 1 mobile artillery battalion, 1 mobile AA battalion, 1 command battalion, 1 infiltration battalion

1300 Armoured Divisions: 2 mechanized rifle brigades, 2 armoured brigades, 1 mobile artillery battalion, one mobile AA battalion, 1 command battalion

1200 Light Infantry Divisions: 3 light rifle brigades, 1 light armoured brigade, 1 scout/infiltration battalion, 1 AA battalion, 1 command battalion

400 Helimobile Storm Divisions: 2 rifle brigades, 1 light armoured brigade, 1 engineer brigade, 1 command battalion, 3 heavy infantry battallions, 1300 assorted transport helicopters, 400 attack helicopters

200 Artillery Divisions: 2 mechanized rifle brigades, 1 armoured brigade, 1 mobile artillery brigade, 1 mobile AA battalion, 1 heavy artillery/missile battalion, 1 command battalion

400 Rapid Assault Divisions: 1 mechanized rifle brigade, 2 light armoured brigades, 1 armoured brigade, 1 mobile AA battalion, 1 heavy tank battalion, 1 command battalion

General tactical doctrine centres around a leap-frogging motion, in which infantry and artillery divisions hold ground while helicopter groups, tank units, and other fast-moving assets move forward to secure territory and set up defences. Once that occurs, the infantry and artillery move up to hold the ground and prepare for another rapid assault. However, when on the defensive the infantry and artillery provide a solid line which mobile assets can retreat behind to prepare for a counter-strike. Istanistani tactics are usually rather flowing and organic, reacting to situations as they come and taking opportunities where they appear. Weaknesses are ruthlessly exploited for advantage, and major emphasis is placed on disrupting chain of command and reducing coordination capabilities of enemy troops.

Based around carrier strike groups, destroyers, and submarines, the Republican Fleet is charged with maintaining the nation's hold over its home waters and increasing its power projection capabilities. It is not a particularly large force, but it is quite heavily armed and armoured and is capable of engaging most forces it confronts with a mixture of cyberwarfare, missile strikes, and inventive tactical solutions. Ship captains are advised to be aggressive, daring, and creative. One can advance far in the Fleet with daring, self-sacrifice, and honest hard work. Cameraderie is a virtue which the fleet works hard to uphold, as a cohesive fleet is a good fleet.

Each class of ship is ID'd with a number and a letter. The first ship in the A10 class would be A11, then A12, so on, and so forth. Note that the first number does not change, only those which come after. For example, the 500th A60 could be A6500. The important part, which identifies the ship class, is the letter and first number. The only exception is the current Legatus series, which has displaced the A-series carriers as the top-ranked fleet unit and is known only by its designation number, with the "Admiral Sahin", flagship of the Istanistani fleet, being "1". The list of ship classes is below:

Truong-class Legatus

The Admiral Truong-series Legatus is as much a vanity project as a genuine military necessity. However, it reflects the need for a heavy vessel capable of going toe-to-toe with the largest foreign units. The Titan War showed the necessity of more units like this, given that existing Istanistani fleets lacked punch. Furthermore, such a unit would be a priceless and nigh-unsinkable command centre if screened right, and could serve as a platform for any number of absurdly large systems. With that in mind, the government assigned the secretive 5th Naval Design Bureau with the construction of 12 ultra-heavy dreadnought units. Each Truong-series platform is heavily armed with both missiles and Teronian-inspired rocket-boosted artillery. Furthermore, 9 of the 12 carry massive railguns capable of launching satellites, ultra-heavy artillery rounds, missiles, and space interceptors of the one-use Red Angel pattern. On the other three, this is replaced with a macro-cannon specifically designed for shooting down intercontinental heavy artillery rounds. The Truong also possesses extremely powerful command-and-control facilities allowing it to be a nerve centre for land, air, sea, space, and unconventional operations at the same time. Theoretically, the Istanistani General Staff could conduct the fighting operations of 50 million troops from a Truong-series Legatus' command centre. So far the series is unfinished, meaning that it may significantly evolve as models continue to roll out of their heavily-secured shipyard on the Bronsson Line.

A10: July-Class Fleet Carrier

A fairly powerful nuclear-propelled fleet carrier. Carries AA/AM radar-guided machine guns, large dedicated information/communications warfare suites, a high-power nuclear reactor, four anti-ship long-range missiles, several anti-sub torpedo launchers, and some of the world's finest battlespace tracking and fleet command systems. Aircraft can be launched with an electromagnetic catapult. Capable of carrying up to 95 aircraft.

CA20: Alansson-class Light Carrier

A 60-plane carrier with a nuclear reactor capable of long-range cruising. Fast, mobile, and an oddity of the Istanistani fleet, the Alansson is a fantastic asset. It is used to provide air cover for smaller and more mobile fleet units.

CB20: Arenvast Destroyer Carrier

A rather strange vessel, the CB20 Arenvast is, while theoretically a carrier, in actuality more a support vessel than anything else. It can, of course, launch up to 20 aircraft, but it is mostly preoccupied with huge radar and sonar arrays, along with sizable AA and AM weaponry and, in some cases, powerful anti-ship missiles. Most major battlegroups have at least one in order to aid in maintaining battlespace awareness, but except for that it is rarely used. Republican Intelligence is suspected to operate several across the world as part of its signals intercept network.

A30: Axiom-class Battlecruiser

Any task group's heaviest firepower is bound to come from its Axiom. Housing ridiculously huge arrays of missiles, the Axiom's goal is to simply hose enemies until they sink or give up with such a huge volume of firepower that they are simply unable to resist. Extremely long-range radar, coupled with a variety of inventive armament options make the Axiom the key element in any serious takedowns. In particular, it was originally designed to tangle with carriers and Legatuses. Istanistan's fleet, now mostly consisting of fast destroyers and carriers, lacks a certain variety of impressive raw firepower which the Axiom can deploy. Its ability to host massive numbers of missiles, or alternately hard-hitting larger weapons, makes it an impressive mainline combat unit.

A40: Sahin-class Line Cruiser

Serving as the workhorse of any Istanistani fleet, the Sahin-class is a well-rounded, general purpose vessel. Mounting a fair mixture of AA, AM, anti-sub, and anti-ship weaponry, the main purpose of the Line Cruiser is to engage enemy fleet elements of any scale and destroy them. An all-round solid and dependable vessel. Its payload can be customized for coping with specific opponents, ranging from carriers to patrol boats.

A50: Estren Zhavoz-class Destroyer

The destroyer is the foundation of the new Istanistani fleet. Named after the much-missed Social Democrat Prime Minister of Istanistan, it is one of the most ubiquitous naval vessels in the world. Its primary selling point is flexibility - it can cope with almost any mission. Primary armaments are an automated deck cannon and powerful mid-range missiles. Each destroyer is equipped with a potent CIWS to deflect enemy missiles. A powerful electric engine allows the vessel to move exceptionally fast, and its complex array of EW equipment allows it to punch far above its weight. It is also equipped with long range pop-up missiles to give it the element of surprise. Zhavoz destroyers have unique networking capabilities, allowing them to link up to each other and coordinate to an exceptional degree. More recent runs also usually play host to medium-range scout and surveillance drone packs.

A60: Glorious July-class Cruising Submarine

A curiously customizable vessel, the massive Glorious July has a large area in the forward half that is usually empty. This can be filled with a variety of preset "blocks", including torpedo launchers, cruise missile launchers, electronic warfare systems, comms intercept equipment, extra detection tech, a command area, or any of a dozen or so different arrangements. This grants these submarines a versatility unparalleled in the Istanistani fleet and makes them the wild card in any engagement. An admirably quiet submarine. However, they are mostly used as long-range ballistic missile subs, or for intelligence gathering and espionage. Uses a water-cooled nuclear reactor.

A70 Scarlet Hammer-class Attack Submarine

In contrast to the Glorious July-class, the Scarlet Hammer has only one purpose - to attack and destroy enemy ships. Scarlet Hammers are quiet, fast, and deadly. Their systems are, for the most part, highly automated and computerized to keep upkeep requirements to a minimum. Crew size is around 70, which is much lower than normal for a submarine of this type.

Deployments:

All deployments are generally ad-hoc and subject to momentary change. Individual units, not entire groups, have strong sense of camaraderie and coordination. Groups swap between commands fairly regularly. Note that these deployments are solely applicable to the Western Colonies - if you're interested, check the map there out. MT RP will have the numbers stay the same, but mission roles change as need be.

Deployments of the Istanistani Navy

The RADF is the designated force for homeland air security. Charged with maintaining armed strength within the core nation's territories and supporting military operations towards that goal, it is rarely deployed outside the Unilateral Aerial Security District which encompasses the mainland and the protectorates around it. As such, it rarely sees any active combat duty. However, that does not have anything to do with its capabilities - RADF fighters are among the most advanced in the world, sporting self-guided drone missiles, advanced cyberwarfare and stealth suites, and ultrapowerful computers which are able to use learning algorithms to extrapolate the positions of enemy jets and provide targeting correction based on that data. Aircraft are also extremely well-integrated with local defense grids, giving pilots near-total situational awareness and access to immediate ground support, electronic warfare options, and coordination with local assets. When overseas, this creates something of a logistical problem given the level of command-and-control required to keep the force running at maximum capabilities, but in a pinch these can be provided by a converted ship of battlecruiser-weight or above, and the air force has been working successfully to develop easily-relocatable headquarters units with the requisite equipment. An increasing prevalence of AWACS units and dedicated support fighters has also started to plug the gap and allow for mass foreign operations. Pilots are extremely highly trained and well-equipped.

The RADF also has jurisdiction over several major homeland missile bases which would be vital to the destruction of any foreign threat to the nation, including the stockpiles of long-range anti-carrier equipment which forms the core of Greater Istanistan's deterrent.

Makeup:

1000 Fighter Wings: 20 GISA-342s (fighters), 32 GISA-DA9s (attack fighter/bombers), 4 UNAI-SQPs (fast scout fighters), 2 UNAI-DD4s (in-air refuelling craft - rarely brought into combat missions), 2 SUMC 34ds (AWACS craft)

50 Paratrooper wings - 70 GISA-DA-9s, 60 GISA-342s, 70 SBHS-2s - each wing carries a brigade of crack paratroopers.