War Office (Great Nortend)

His Majesty's War Office
War flag
Founded	1734
Service branches	Navy Royal Royal Army
Headquarters	War House, 3 Fettercourt, Lendert-with-Cadell
Leadership
Commander in Chief	Alexander II
War Clerk	Frederic Hondle
Under-Secretary	Sir Colin Edford KMT
Commandership
Lord Admiral	The Duke of Derham
King's Marischal	The Margrave of Lasmere
Admiral of the Fleets	Admiral Sir Nicholas a Court
Captain of the Forces	Captain-General Sir John Haughton
Personnel
Military age	17 (to join) 18 (to deploy) 19 (to muster)
Conscription	Universal male muster
Active personnel	186,771
Reserve personnel	326,311

His Majesty's War Office is the ministry of the government of Great Nortend responsible for the administration of the Armed Forces of Great Nortend and implementation of the Government defence and military policy. The two branches of the Armed Forces are the Royal Army and Navy Royal. The former provides the main land warfare and defence capability, whilst the latter provides water and airborne capability.

The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces is the Sovereign, King Alexander II since his accession in 2003. The minister in charge of the War Office and Armed Forces is the Clerk of State for War, currently Frederic Hondle, who has ministerial authority in conjunction with the commanders of the Armed Forces.

The War Office takes a proactive role in defensive and offensive military actions on behalf of Great Nortend. Though there are no foreseeable armed military conflicts in the immediate region, the War Office and Armed Forces regularly coordinates humanitarian, peace-keeping and offensive action with other Astyrian forces abroad.

Great Nortend uses universal male conscription, known as muster, in order to provide around 60% of its active manpower in the Army and around 45% in the Navy. This is supplemented by the ranks of career or “regular” men and officers. Muster is compulsory for all able-bodied subjects at the age of 19 for a period of 12 months, followed by eight years of service in the home reserves.

Structure

Royal Army

The Royal Army is the land component of the armed forces of Great Nortend. It is headed by the hereditary King's Marischal, though operationally by the Captain-General of the Forces. The Paymaster of the Army is the ministre with responsibility for the Royal Army. Being in charge of Treasury funds expropriated for the Army, he is the civilian administrative head of the Army, whilst the Captain-General of the Forces remains the the operational head of the Army. The Paymaster sits on the Board of Marischalry, along with the King's Marischal as chairman, the Captain-General of the Forces, and certain Lieutenants- and Majors-General.

Navy Royal

The Navy Royal is the joint naval and air force of Great Nortend. It is headed by the Lord High Admiral, and operationally by the Admiral of the Fleets. The Paymaster of the Navy is the government ministre responsible for the Navy Royal, wielding authority with the Admiral of the Fleets. The Paymaster sits on the Board of Admiralty, along with the Lord Admiral, the Admiral of the Fleets and the fleet Vice- and Rear-Admirals.

Royal Quarry

The Royal Quarry is the national office responsible for the supply of military supply such as ammunition, ordnance, firearms, uniforms, general stores, machinery and materiel. The Royal Quarrier is an office held by a senior officer of either the Armoury Corps (Royal Army) or the Batisment Corps (Navy Royal). Its symbol is a crossbow bolt or 'quarrel', depicted in a stylised fashion pointing down. Often, it resembles a triangle with a cross, lending it the nickname of the 'fishbone'. The pike-head is usually accompanied by the letters “R.Q.”.

Bureaucracy

The front of War House, the location of the principal offices of the War Office.

The Armed Forces are administered by the War Office, which is based at War House at 3 Fettercourt, Lendert-with-Cadell.

Ministerial officials

The civil head of the War Office is the Under-Secretary of the War Office. Appointees to the position traditionally do not have any professional military experience; however, with the introduction of muster service, all appointees have at least some conscript experience in the military.

Military officials

The Board of Lords and Staff (L.S.B.) are the senior military advisors to the Crown, though in practice reporting to the War Clerk and the Lord High Treasurer. The Board comprises the Lord High Admiral, the King's Marischal, the Captain of the Forces and the Admiral of the Fleets as well as senior military and naval staff and a Lieutenant of the Board who acts as secretary. The King's Marischal and Lord High Admiral only sit ex officio, and do not play a large role in the actual command of the armed forces.

Manpower

Muster

See also: Royal Army § Muster, Home Service, and Home Fleet

Great Nortend has compulsory universal muster service for all able-bodied male subjects upon reaching the age of 19. All males are required to register by their 18th birthday, with preference of branch, regiment or corps, and depending on their birthday, will be required to muster at a particular military base at one of the three intakes annually. Muster service lasts for twelve full months, including three weeks' leave, and includes basic military training followed by postings for both military duties as well as labour or public duties.

After muster service, conscripts are required to join the home reserve forces, either the Home Service for the Army, or the Home Fleet for the Navy, for eight years. This may be avoided by paying a fine called scutage, and approximately half overall of all liable for reserve service choose to pay scutage and avoid it, or to reduce it to four years only.

Strength

Branch	Total	Regular Officer	Regular Other Ranks	Muster Officer	Muster Other Ranks
Royal Army	143,016	8,404	55,602	3,950	75,059
Navy Royal, Sea Division	32,604	1,050	15,752	1,053	14,748
Navy Royal, Air Division	11,151	800	5,761	395	3,555
Total active	186,771	10,254	77,115	5,398	93,362
Home Service	252,832	16,855	235,976
Home Fleet, Sea Division	63,208	4,214	58,994
Home Fleet, Air Division	4,741	593	4,148
Total reserves	320,781	21,662	299,118

Ranks

Ranks in the Armed Forces of Great Nortend are split into officer ranks, petty officers, and men. This rank structure is mostly harmonised with the civil rank structure in terms of pay and precedence. Officers are created by letters patent and commissioned by writs of commission, both issued in the name of the commander-in-chief. Petty officers and men, on the other hand, are collectively termed the “other ranks” appointed by each individual regiment or corps's commanding officer.

Officers

Insignia	No insignia
Royal Army	Cadet Officer	Ensign, Cornet, Second Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Captain	Major	Lieutenant- Colonel	Colonel	Major- General	Lieutenant- General	Captain- General	Field Marischal
Insignia	No insignia
Royal Army	Cadet Officer	Midshipman	Lieutenant	Captain	Frigate- Captain	Lieutenant- Commander	Commodore	Rear- Admiral	Vice- Admiral	Admiral	Fleet Admiral

The officers are divided into the company or junior officers, field or middle officers, and the general or flag officers. The company or junior officers include the Sub-Alterns (Ensigns, Cornets and Midshipmen), Lieutenants, Captains. The field officers include Majors, Frigate-Captains, Lieutenant-Colonels and Lieutenant-Commanders, Colonels and Commodores. The general or flag officers include Majors-General, Rear-Admirals, Lieutenants-General, Vice-Admirals, Captains-General and Admirals. The ranks of Field Marischal and Fleet Admiral are only held by the King's Marischal and the Lord Admiral, as well as certain other distinguished personages as a mostly honorary rank in peacetime.

Other ranks

Insignia	(No insignia)	(No insignia)
Royal Army	Besign	Private, Trooper &c.	Able Private, Lancepersade	Corporal, Bombardier	Serjeant, Warden	Warranted Officer
Navy Royal	Landman	Seaman	Able Seaman	Mate	Usher	Warranted Officer

Of the other ranks, the Petty Officers comprise the Serjeants, Wardens, Ushers and Warranted Officers, and their acting equivalents. The Men comprise the lower ranks of Corporal, Bombardier and Mate and below.