Royal Acrean Army

Royal Acrean Army
Active	16 January 1432 - Present
Country	Acrea
Type	Army
Size	581,000 active duty personnel 328,000 Home Guard personnel 165,000 reserves 1,074,000 total
Part of	Acrean Armed Forces
Headquarters	Trier
Motto(s)	"Für alles was vi har, und alles was vi er." Acrean: ""For everything we have, and everything we are"
Engagements	Ruvelkan Civil War Great Eracuran War Liberation War Refusal War Zemplen War
Commanders
Chief of Defence Staff	Eirik Stordalen

The Royal Acrean Army is the land warfare branch of Acrea, a part of the Acrean Armed Forces. It is the oldest branch of the armed forces. The official commander-in-chief of the Acrean Armed Forces and therefore the Army is the Crown, however the Chancellor has served as the de facto commander-in-chief on behalf of the Crown since the early 20th Century. The Army is administered by the Ministry of Defence and is led by the Chief of the General Staff.

First established in 1432, the Acrean Army is one of the oldest standing modern armies in Tyran. Formation of a standing Army was supported by Acrean military history; the Acrean Empire of antiquity had been one of the first civilisation to create a standing army, made up of professional soldiers who dedicated years of service before being relieved. The first regiments of professional soldiers that were stood up consisted primarily of former Acrean mercenaries. These men were experienced, trained, and favoured the prospect of a regular wage and the accompanying security that came along with it.

The Army is the largest Acrean military branch. It has three main components- the active-duty Army, the Home Guard (Acrean: Heimatvärnet), and the Army Reserve. The active-duty Army consists of the professional regular army, and at the end of 2018 had approximately 581,000 personnel. Conscription for the regular army became unenforced in 1998, as the military's active-duty components moved to an entirely professional force. The Home Guard is the second-largest component, and comprised 328,000 personnel at the end of 2018, and the Army Reserve consisted of 165,000 personnel at the end of 2018. Both the Home Guard and the Army Reserve make up the entire Acrean Army Reserve Forces, with the Home Guard serving as the upper echelon and the Army Reserve as the lower echelon. The Home Guard is kept to a higher readiness and training standard than the Reserve, and are required to attend regular drill training at least once a month, and two-week trainings three times annually. They receive higher priority for equipment, however the equipment is generally second-hand equipment that trickles down from the regular army. Soldiers who are transitioning from active duty service to Home Guard service are allowed to keep their already issued equipment for the duration of their contract. As a consequence of their greater time commitment, Home Guard personnel are also afforded higher pay than the Reserves.

Equipment

Main article: List of equipment of the Acrean Army

Weapons

Individual Weapons

The Acrean Army employs two primary service rifles. The first is the M90, first issued in the mid-1980s to replace the older M51. It is supplemented in service by widespread use of the M06, a derivative of the Shalumite StG 64-pattern rifle. Although nominally replaced by the M90 and M06, the M51 remains in regular use across the Acrean Armed Forces. Its standard sidearm is the P93, which replaced the earlier P81. The P81 remains in extensive use by reserve forces and many examples remain in storage. the P93 is supplemented by the P16, an upgraded derivative of the P81 originally intended for use by special forces and select infantry units. In 2017 the option became available for soldiers to select either sidearm. Vehicle crews and light infantry make extensive use of the MP 01 personal defence weapon.

Fire support within a squad comes from a selection of light and general purpose machine guns. The MG59 remains the predominant GPMG in use by Acrean forces, and is being supplemented by the MG15 which will eventually replace it. The MG89 is the only 5.56mm light machine gun in widespread use by any Acrean forces.

Combat Uniforms

An Acrean soldier wearing M/89 Fyrretarnmuster and carrying an M51 rifle.

The Acrean Army utilises several different designs of uniforms, as well as a variety of camouflage patterns. The most common regular battle dress are Typ-1, and Typ-4, with Typ-3 a specialised cold-weather uniform design and Typ-2 intended for use in hot weather. These are general purpose working uniforms, and possess differences in features and style though maintain the same general profile. The exact uniform a unit uses is often decided at the division level, although in practice all soldiers will possess a set of Typ-1 in addition to any other uniform their division dictates. As each uniform is constructed with different environments in mind, a division's uniform selection is often dependent on their intended area of operations. Selections of uniform type and pattern are often recommended by the Army Group's leadership. In some cases, these logistical decisions are made at the regimental for special-purpose or prestigious regiments. During wartime emergencies, the process of uniform procurement is streamlined, and only two types of uniform are produced for the regular army- a cold weather and hot weather uniform. Reserve units are usually already issued with their particular uniforms, but strategic reserve callups will be issued with whatever uniform is available from the military stockpile.

Acrean soldiers wearing M/85 Nordtarnmuster (left) and M/83 Waldflecktarnmuster (right).

In addition to different uniform patterns, there is also a wide array of camouflage patterns in use by the Acrean Army. Utilising a variety of camouflage patterns is a common trait of the Acrean Army dating back to the Eracuran Great War, and until the 1980s camouflage was primarily used in the form of patterned smocks and covers rather than being printed onto uniforms. Up until the 1980s, camouflage patterns used were largely holdovers from much earlier patterns which entered service in the 1940s. Additionally, the typical olive-drab grey uniforms were considered to be very desirable for their flexibility; they blended in remarkably well in urban environments (especially in rubble or debris) and could be made to blend into a multitude of environments with the application of dirt, dust, sand, and foliage that accumulated naturally in field operations. Camouflage smocks being used as-desired or as-necessary was considered a cost-effective alternative to uniforms printed with patterned fabric. This reasoning changed beginning in the early 1980s, however the tradition of having a multitude of camouflage patterns never left Acrean military thought, as reflected by the introduction of numerous camouflage patterns into Acrean military service throughout the 1980s and beyond.

File:M85Camo1.jpg

A NORDAG soldier wearing M/85 Nordtarnmuster.

A Jagdkommando with M/15 Multiflecktarnmuster.

There are five common woodland patterns in use in the Acrean Army. The two most common patterns in use are M/83 Waldflecktarnmuster and M/85 Nordtarnmuster. M/83 serves as the primary camouflage pattern for most of the Acrean Army, while M/85 in is the typical pattern in use by troops serving with NORDAG, being specifically developed for use in the lighter foliage and environment of northern Eracura and northern Acrea where the darker-hued M/83 proved to be less effective. Beginning in 2015, a number of Acrean troops have been increasingly issued with M/15 Multiflecktarnmuster, a colour variation of the M/83 pattern meant to be utilised in a variety of different environments. Another distinct variety known as M/89 Fyrretarnmuster is in use with some select units and home guard troops. It is notable for being its own completely separate pattern, rather than others which are simply recoloured varieties of M/83 and M/85. In addition to being printed on uniforms, Fyrretarn is also commonly distributed as a pattern on camouflage smocks. It is specifically designed for use in the frequent, expansive moss-covered pine forests of northern Acrea and northern Eracura, and is considered as supplementary to Nordtarn. Consequently, it is very rare to see in use with regular army units, and is more common among home guard units which are local to areas with such terrain. A similarly uncommon and local pattern is M/93 Camouflage forêt centrale, used solely by the Venetian Legion, which is composed of both Acrean Venetian recruits and Venetian volunteers. Designed in cooperation between the Acrean and Venetian armies, the pattern is used as a symbol of kinship and is worn for distinctiveness rather than particular purpose. It is designed to function in the same environments as the M/83 pattern.

Personnel

Rank Structure

Generals

• OF-10: General
• OF-9: Generalleutnant
• OF-8: Generalmajor
• OF-7: Brigader

Field Officers

• OF-6: Oberst
• OF-5: Oberstleutnant
• OF-4: Major
• OF-3: Stabskaptein
• OF-3: Kaptein
• OF-2: Oberleutnant
• OF-1: Leutnant

Enlisted

• OR-9: Sersjantmajor
• OR-8: Oberssersjant
• OR-8: Kommandsersjant
• OR-7: Sersjant 1. Klasse
• OR-6: Stabssersjant
• OR-5: Sersjant
• OR-4: Stabskorporal
• OR-4: Korporal
• OR-3: Visekorporal
• OR-2: Obergefreiter
• OR-1: Gefreiter
• OR-0: Rekrut