The High Command is the organising body of the Andari Armed Forces. The High Command is made up of the Staff Generals and the Tribune of Horse. There is one Staff General for each of the service branches, elected from among the Generals and Senior Generals of the branch by their own subordinates. The Tribune of Horse is an elected magistrate; he has little power in the Command, but acts as a civilian control on the actions of the Armed Forced.
It is the duty of the High Command to direct the actions of the Armed Forces, and in this they are assisted by a corps of staff officers and staff NCOs, who act as aides, administrators, clerks and advisers to the Staff Generals and a small number of civilians working for the Tribune of Horse. The High Command have full control of the military, but answer to the Federal Senate for their actions.
There are 87 service branches in the vast machine of the Andari Armed Forces: 45 Land Divisions, 25 Fleets, 10 Logistical Sections, 2 Corps and 5 Air Divisions. Each branch is headed by a Command Staff of Senior Generals, Generals and Lance-Generals, and each (with one exception) is represented on the High Command by a single Staff General.
Each service branch has a type designation (such as Infantry or Cavalry) and number, and also a name which reflects the heritage of the branch. For example, the 9th Mobile Infantry Division have a history of being the first into a conflict zone and the last to withdraw, and are nicknamed the Bloody Rags.
Each branch is highly specialised and so the Armed Forces deploy in combined armies under the command of a flag officer. An army is a semi-permanent organisation and will contain a mixture of troop types intended to fulfil a particular mission. As they are not standing bodies, armies do not attract nicknames.
The Infantry are the largest section of the Armed Forces, numbering more than one million infantrymen and women across eighteen Divisions. The officer corps of the Infantry is modest, a mere 10% of their total number, and the Combined Infantry Command Staff (CICS) consists of some 100 generals. Infantry officers carry a broadsword.
Infantry Divisions have nicknames that reflect their position at the bottom of the combat food chain and their reputation for no-nonsense, unromantic service. Example include the 5th (Regular) 'Bootmakers', the 9th (Mobile) 'Bloody Rags' and the 17th (Security) 'Last Lines'.
The 1st-7th Regular Infantry Divisions are the largest service branches, each between 75,000 and 100,000 soldiers strong. They are the front-line troops of the Andari Armed Forces and usually deploy in concert with Cavalry and Artillery forces.
The 8th-12th Mobile Infantry Divisions are smaller than the regular division and the smaller scale filters to all levels. The mobile infantry are trained and equipped for swift deployment; they are less heavily armed than the regulars and typically deploy with Dragoons and Rangers.
The 13th-18th Security Divisions are responsible for the defence of Andari soil. They occupy border fortresses and coastal facilities and deploy in concert with the Coastal Fleets.
The Cavalry are the armoured divisions and, as the inheritors of the mantle of chivalry passed down by the knights of the old provinces, they form a sort of aristocracy among the land divisions. They are much smaller than the Infantry Divisions, with around 250,000 cavaliers spread across nine divisions. The officer corps accounts for close to 20% of the total strength and the CCCS consists of around 50 generals and their staff officers. Cavalry officers carry a sabre.
Cavalry Divisions use nicknames drawn from the old orders of chivalry and are closely associated with the provinces from which those orders arose. Examples include the 1st (Medium) 'Flaming Spear', the 3rd (Medium) 'Temple of Soria' and the 8th (Heavy) 'Golden Circle'.
The 1st-5th Medium Cavalry Divisions are rapid deployment troops, using light tanks for fast attack and deep strike roles in concert with Air and Ranger divisions.
The 6th-9th Heavy Cavalry Divisions drive main battle tanks and dreadnoughts. They are front line troops deployed with Infantry and Artillery forces in open combat and siege roles.
The Dragoons are fast attack troops who occupy a 'middle class' role between the working infantrymen and the dashing cavaliers. The ten Dragoon Divisions number a total of 350,000 dragoons, with an officer corps which makes up 15% of their total strength. CDCS consists of some 45 generals. Dragoon officers carry a sabre.
Dragoon Divisions typically have nicknames which reflect their role as the cutting edge of the Armed Forces. Examples include the 3rd (Light) 'Thunderbolts' and the 10th (Mechanised) 'Tin Tigers'.
The 1st-5th Light Cavalry Divisions are used to supplement Mobile Infantry attacks and for heavy reconnaissance missions. They use fast attack vehicles and specialise in hit and run strikes.
The 6th-10th Mechanised Infantry Divisions are much larger than the Light Cavalry Divisions, but have about the same number of officers. They use APCs to enable long-range infantry operations in support of the Cavalry and Ranger groups.
The Artillery Divisions are small and specialised, with eight divisions and a total of 25,000 artillerists. The officer corps is only 7% of the total strength and the CACS consists of only 15 generals, two from each division, less the one elected as Artillery Staff General. Artillery officers carry a cutlass.
Artillery Divisions have straightforward nicknames reflecting the nature of their work, such as the 1st (Artillery) 'Bullroarers' and the 8th (Battery) 'Sentinels'.
The 1st-6th Artillery Divisions deploy on the line of battle for open warfare and siege engagements, manning batteries of heavy guns and rockets.
The 7th and 8th Battery Command Divisions man the fixed defensive batteries which protect Andari territory from assault. The VII defend land borders with cannon and anti-aircraft rockets and the VIII man the coastal artillery and torpedo batteries.
The maritime military forces of the Andari Federation are consolidated under a single Combined Naval Command Staff of almost 120 generals. There are three-quarters of a million sailors in the navy, spread across twenty-five fleets, with some 25% of the total strength being made up of officers. Naval officers carry a cutlass as their ceremonial blade; the design is quite distinct from the artillery cutlass.
Battle and Carrier Fleets are nicknamed after their flagship. For example, the 1st (Battle) Fleet has the battleship AWS Mantara as its flag and is known as the 'Mounties'. The 10th (Carrier) Fleet are known as the 'Eagles'.
The 1st-9th Battle Fleets are the largest of the twenty-five fleets. Each centres around a single battleship, 10-15 other large ships, dozens of escort vessels and considerable port facilities.
The 10th Carrier Fleet is a recent innovation, similar to a battle fleet, but centred around the AWS Alamut, Langara's first aircraft carrier. The Alamut has a complement of fifteen fighter bombers, piloted by aviators from the III Air Cavalry. The vessel has the potential to revolutionise maritime warfare doctrines on Langara.
The remaining war fleets have no central flag. Instead, they bear the names of mythological figures associated with the sea. Examples include the 12th (Crusier) Fleet, the 'Nethu'; or the 19th (Submarine) 'Tritons'.
The 11th-15th Cruiser Fleets each consist of 15-20 capital ships, support vessels and port facilities. They have no central command vessels, being instead designed to break into fast-sailing mission groups.
The 16th-20th Submarine Fleets are the Andari silent service. Each submarine fleet has between 20 and 30 submarines, some designed for anti-shipping duties, others as mobile missile batteries. Their enlisted personnel are called submariners, instead of sailors. Due to the limited space in their vessels, submarine officers use a short sword instead of a cutlass.
The Coastal Fleets are named for their home ports, for example the 21st (Coastal) Sorians or the 24th Coastal 'Brinkmen'.
The 21st-25th Coastal Fleets are made up of the multitude of small patrol vessels and torpedo 'lifts which protect the Andari coast from enemy naval attack. They also maintain a sonar perimeter around the coast.
The sprawling transport division - nicknamed 'The Generals', because they are rumoured to truly control the deployment of the Armed Forces - consists of 250,000 drivers (all enlisted transport personnel begin with the rank of 'driver', regardless of their actual duties), divided into seven logistical sections. Although technically a single division, with only 0.5% of their number of officer rank and most of these only Lance-Captains, Transport Command consists of seven Staff Generals (this is usually attributed to the inevitable influence of the logistical machine over military policy). The few officers in the division carry heavy machetes.
Transport Sections 1-4 are responsible for general logistics, transporting supplies and munitions. Hazardous Transport Section 5 are entrusted with the carriage of hazardous materials, from chemical waste to naquadria. Maritime Transport Section 6 control military cargo shipping, while Airborne Transport Section 7 fly transport planes and gyrolifts.
The unwashed masses of the Machine Division - the 'Greasers' - are the custodians of all of the vehicles in the Armed Forces. 500,000 mechanics, less than 0.1% of whom are officers, are represented by a mere 9 generals, but elect three Staff Generals to represent each of their three logistical sections. Mechanic Officers carry a machete.
General Mechanical Section 1 are responsible for the maintenance of land vehicles, while Maritime Mechanical Section 2 look to the upkeep of the Navy's ships. Flight Mechanical Section 3 tend to the Aerial Divisions' gyrolifts. The transport section alone have their own mechanics.
The Rangers are the Andari elite reconnaissance troops and commandos, nicknamed the 'Angels'. They are trained to carry out special operations, clandestine insertions, sabotage, assassination and intelligence reconnaissance. Ranger Command consists of 15 generals, coordinating a mere 10,000 rangers, but the Ranger Corps has the unique privilege of being represented on the High Command by not one, but two Staff Generals. Ranger officers carry a short sword.
The Engineering Corps - or, the 'Fulcrum' - is a 50,000 strong body of military engineers who undertake the work of coordinating the use of mines, fortifications and bridging work. Much of the corps consisting of academically trained engineers, who are of course officers. 35% of the corps carry the officer's falchion and there are 15 generals on the Engineering Command Staff. Enlisted members of the corps are known as sappers.
Among the newest branches are the Aerial Divisions, who maintain and fly the Andari Federation's relatively small fleet of combat aircraft. A mere 15,000 aviators in five divisions are led by an officer corps which accounts for 35% of the total force. The CAeCS consists of some 25 generals.
The 1st-3rd Air Cavalry Divisions deploy fixed wing and rotary fighters and gunships. Their flight crews are all officers and carry a cavalry sabre as their ceremonial sword. These Divisions use the names of old knightly orders as befits a cavalry division.
The 4th and 5th Air Artillery Divisions deploy heavy, fixed-wing bombers and torpedo gyrolifts. Only the pilots of these craft are officers, who carry an artillerist's cutlass. The 4th (Bomber) Division are known as the 'Couriers', while the 5th (Torpedo) are the 'Fishermen'.