Holyn Ground Forces

Holyn Ground Forces
Holynské Pozemné Sily
Emblem of the Holyn Ground Forces
Active	1923–present
Country	Holynia
Type	Army
Size	190,000 active duty 370,500 reserve
Part of	Royal Holyn Defence Forces
Headquarters	Cizekporok
Motto(s)	S'nami Boh'je!
Colors	Red   Black   Grey   Green
Anniversaries	3 March
Engagements	Bogorian War for Independence Holyn-Bogorian Border Conflict (2002-present)
Commanders
Commander of the Holyn Ground Forces	General of the Army Valentín Chrobák
Deputy Commander of the Holyn Ground Forces	Colonel General Viliam Havel
Insignia
Flag

The Holyn Ground Forces (Holyn: Holynské Pozemné Sily) is the land forces of the Royal Holyn Defence Forces. As of 2020, the Holyn Ground Forces has 190,000 active duty and 370,500 reserve personnel, totalling 580,500 personnel. It maintains forces across Holynia in both active duty and part time reserve roles.

History

The Narodna Rada dissolved the Armed Forces of the Union of Holyně Socialist States on 20 May 2000. The Defence Forces of the Holyn Republic were formed on the same day. The Ground Forces, the new land warfare branch, inherited the personnel, command structure and equipment of the former communist Holyn Army. The military was in a rapid state of collapse with desertions, low morale, destroyed equipment, and limited funding. With the conclusion of the Bogorian War and drastic changes in the geopolitical landscape, a massive demobilization had to be undertaken. The Ministry of Defence wrote off entire divisions that were deemed unneccesary. The Ground Forces went from 20 divisions in 2000 to 9 by 2001.

Unification with Skoskie

Adding to the challenges to reform the military, a national referendum on reunification with the former Holyn colony of Skoskie was held on 10 September 2000. The referendum saw overwhelming support for reunification. Skoskie, which by 2000 was an independent nation with its own military and defence industry, was to become an overseas territory of Holynia.

The Holyn and Skoskie governments agreed that Skoskie's armed forces, the Royal Skoskie Defence Force, would merge with the mainland military. Military representatives from Holynia and Skoskie formed the Military Unification Group to develop the best course of action for reunification. The Skoskie military consisted of roughly 92,500 active soldiers. It was decided in June 2001 that the remoteness of Skoskie and relatively low threat to the territory, that the structure RSDF could not be retained. Skoskie's military would form the core of Holyn Forces Skoskie, a smaller contigent of the Holyn military stationed in Skoskie. This force would number at roughly 12,000 active soldiers. A division sized contigent would form the Ground Force contribution to Holyn Forces Skoskie.

The remaining RSDF commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers and career soldiers were offered discharge or relocation to the mainland. Roughly 51,000 personnel of the RSDF opted to relocate to mainland Holynia, with another 9,000 remaining with Holyn Force Skoskie. Personnel who opted to relocate retained their rank and service history. The pay rate of the RSDF could not be maintained as the mainland military was five times larger than the RSDF. The reduction in pay for former members of the RSDF would depend on many factors. All other personnel were honorably discharged from service.

Very little equipment of the RSDF was retained. The Skoskie military was much smaller and was built for a different purpose than the Holyn military. The most notable equipment retained post unification was the infantry combat uniform and work uniform of the RSDF, which proved popular with mainland soldiers.

Post-war reforms

Mainland Holynia's military was viewed as "inefficient" by the new government. Minister of Defence Cvesek stated a top to bottom reform had to occur. A post-war parliamentary commission also recommended the Ground Forces be rebuilt. The commission found a bloated officer corps and lack of NCOs led to poor control of the ground forces when dealing with the quasi insurgency in Bogoria. Junior officers were often unable to make independent decisions, sometimes leading to suicidal operations. This forced senior officers to deploy to the front lines, resulting in high casaulty rates of senior officers. Lack of coordination and communication with the Air Force meant air support, the biggest advantage the Holyn military had, was insufficient. Friendly fire incidents caused roughly 10% of all casaulties.

A seperate parliamentary inquiry accused the ground forces of participating in an "organized ethnic cleansing campaign" organized by "senior officers".

Roughly 7,000 enlisted and commissioned personnel were dishonorably discharged related to these events. Public opinion gradually turned against the military as details of wartime attrocities were publicised. Many discharged service members faced criminal charges.

In March 2003, the first reform plan was unveiled before the Narodna Rada.

2003 Reform Proposal

• Reduce Ground Forces from 750,000 active personnel to 400,000.
• Create a professional NCO corps.
• Reduce officer count.
• End conscription by 2005.
• Increase size of reserves.
• Increase personnel pay.

The reforms began to implemented in the fall of 2003, with a series of buyouts of commissioned officers and merging several military academys. In January 2004, the new reserve structure was unveiled, with a officer corps and enlisted corps. The Defense Ministry set a goal of having 2 reserve divisions fully staffed with officers and enlisted personnel by 2005. In May 2004, the first mainland NCO academy was established in Cizekporok at the former campus of the defunct Military-Political Academy. Many of the instructors were former Skoskie military NCO school instructors.

Non-commisioned officers were seen as essential to the reform effort. NCO ranks were given increasing duties and authority, previously assigned to lieutenants. Seperate tiers of officers, such as political officers were abolished, with their duties disseminated among both commissioned and non-commissioned officers.

Newly graduated NCOs were deployed throughout the Ground Forces coinciding with their specialty.

In February 2005, the final draft was held with 13,000 men conscripted into the Ground Forces for 12 month mandatory service. The new contract/volunteer program for enlisted personnel began with the 785th Recruitment Brigade established. Four more recruitment brigades would be founded in 2005 to assist with attracting and retaining contract personnel. The Ministry of Defence stated 40% of conscripts in 2005 opted to remain in the military, signing 4 year contracts. Higher pay was attributed to the rise in contract personnel, with pay rising from U$300/month for a conscript to U$1,900/month for a entry level contract soldier.

Significant reorganization of the structure of the Ground Forces continued throughout 2005. The Military Districts were dissolved, with the command structure changing from (Military District - Army - Division - Regiment) to (Unified Military Command - Division - Brigade). The Unified Military Commands would be unified commands for all branches of the Defence Forces, with the goal of creating better coordination between branches.

Regiments began to be reformed in Brigades starting in early 2005. The Brigade Combat Group concept was first trialed with a Motor Rifle BCG being formed later that year. The number of Divisions was reduced, with the 14 Divisions in 2004 being reduced to 6 by 2007.

2009 rearmament plan

Annual defence spending allocated to procurement reached a low point in 2004, as budgets were geared towards the organizational shakeup of the military. The Ground Forces were in desperate need for new equipment. Growing portions of the Ground Forces stock was reaching 40 years of age and entire units were becoming unable to perform basic functions. Other issues such as the poor conditions of housing barracks, inadequete storage facilities and limited training facilities were being highlighted during the 2000s.

In 2009, Defence Minister Boris Přibyl announced a proposal to re-equip the armed forces by 2020. The rearmament plans were geared to support the structural reforms within the military and enable greater flexibility within units.

The proposal was approved by the Narodna Rada in 2010, with a 50% increase in defence funding. The 2010 election saw a change in government, however, the re-equipment program was retained and arms deals began to be signed in early 2011. The program saw new main battle tanks, armored vehicles and surface to air missiles enter service with the ground forces by 2013. Older weapon systems were also upgraded during this period, bringing much of the armed forces up to modern standards.

In 2015, the rearmament plan became embroiled in a corruption scandal involving the Ratkovic government. Members of the government were accused of accepting bribes from defence companies. In return, these companies were favored in contracts. This led to the eventual downfall of the Ratkovic government. Arms sales dropped in the 2016 budget as parliament investigated the claims. Several senior officers were forced to resign, including the commander of the ground forces.

The 2010s rearmament programme continued in the aftermath of the scandal, albeit much smaller than intended.

Structure

The Ground Forces are commanded by the Ground Forces Commander, a General of the Army, from the Ground Forces Headquartes in the Defence Ministry building in Cizekporok. Three operation commands, Ground Force Operations Command, Ground Force Training and Support Command, and Special Operations Command are subordinate to the Ground Forces Command. The Capital Defence Command reports directly to the Ground Forces Headquarters and is independent of the other Ground Forces Command. Five geographic commands, roughly equivalent of a corps are subordinated to the Ground Force Operations Command. The five geographic commands consist of 2-3 motor rifle (combined arms) or tank (armoured) divisions.

Personnel branches

Personnel in the Holyn Ground Forces belong to a Personnel Branch applicable to their trade/unit. These include the Motorised Rifle (Infantry), Tank (Armoured), Artillery, Rocket Artillery, Air Defence Corps, Aviation Corps, among others. Several sub-branches gain additional distinction. These include (in order of precedence): Life-Guards, Royal Guards and standard Guards units.

Life Guards troops are the personal division of the Holyn monarch. The Life Guards are the formal personal protection detail of the monarch. Formally they report directly to the King, but de-facto follow the standard chain of command of the Ground Forces. They are considered the most elite branch of the Ground Forces and wear special uniforms as the personal protection detail of the monarch. They perform ceremonial guard duties throughout the capital.

Hussars troops are the calvary branch of the Ground Forces. They are the quick reaction forces of the Ground Forces and tend to be equipped with Main Battle Tanks and light vehicles, combining both speed and armour in their ranks. They wear seperate uniforms from standard Motor Rifle troops. They are considered elite units, above a standard Guards unit.

Motor Rifle troops are the infantry branch of the Ground Forces. They are equipped with a variety of weapons for different tasks including armored troop carriers, tanks, artillery, anti-aircraft weapons and mortars. The Ground Forces have 7 Motor Rifle divisions.

Tank troops are the armored branch of the ground forces. Tank divisions are made up primarily by Tank regiments. Main battle tanks are the primary equipment of the tank troops, however other heavy weaponry including fire support vehicles support main battle tanks. Tank troops are geared as shock forces, meant to break through enemy lines and lead offensive operations. The Ground Forces has 5 Tank divisions.

Artillery and Rocket Artillery troops make up artillery regiments. They are geared to support motor rifle troops and tank troops by providing fire support.

Intelligence, Signals, Reconnaisance and Communications troops are one of the support branches of the Ground Forces. The Aviation Corps consists of enlisted and officers responsible for flying and maintaining the aircraft of the Ground Forces. The Air Defence Corps is responsible for the air defence of the Ground Forces as well as maintaining a wide array of fixed radars across Holynia. The Royal Medical Corps is responsible for healthcare services of the Ground Forces and frequently assists the other branches of the Defence Forces. The Logistics Corps assists with supplies and maintanance of the ground forces.

Personnel

The personnel of the Ground Forces consist of 201,600 active duty and 370,500 reserve personnel. Regular Service personnel are active duty enlisted personnel. They are full-time professional soldiers who sign a four year initial contract and additional contracts between four to nine years. Primary Reserves consist mainly of combat and support units. The other aspect of reserve personnel are the Secondary Reserve, which primarily consist of support units. Both Reserves are paid and receive benefits, but at a lower scale compared to Regular Service personnel.

Conscription was the primary form of recruitment prior to 2005. All personnel since 2005, full-time and reserve, have been volunteers. Enlisted personnel that were originally conscripted prior to 2005 still remain in the ground forces. They make up 9% of active duty personnel and have voluntarily signed contracts since being enlisted.

Regular Service

The Regular Service personnel are 190,600 active duty full-time enlisted and commissioned personnel. They are subject to deployment and have long term contracts. Training is subsidised for enlisted personnel, while officer cadets pay tuition which is then waived once they receive their commission. Regular Service personnel receive pay based on rank and length of service. They make up 52 regiments, 21 seperate battalions and 11 seperate companies. Many regiments are only enlisted from specific demographics or regions. Regular Service personnel make up the entirety of the household division (9th Guards Tank Household Division Cizekporok - Prince Vinazlec). All other divisions divide regiments into Regular Service and Primary/Secondary Reserve.

All enlisted and officer cadet recruits receive 5 weeks of initial training, either Initial Soldier Training or Initial Cadet Training. Enlisted personnel then move onto specialised training of 9-12 weeks for their respective trade. Officer cadets will move onto their respective academy.

Many Regular Service personnel sign contracts which commit them to 2-5 years of Primary/Secondary Reserve service. All other enlisted Regular Service personnel who elect to leave either are discharged or become Immediate Reserve, which is seperate from the Primary/Seconday Reserve. Immediate Reserve is a holdover from the Communist era. Immediate Reserve receive no pay and no obligation for training. In an emergency, Parliament may call up Immediate Reserve for active duty. In the Communist era, this duty was mandatory for all military personnel leaving on good terms, however since 2002 has been voluntary.

Primary Reserve

The Primary Reserve consists of 210,500 personnel. They are part-time and full-time reserve soldiers, NCOs and reserve officers. Primary Reserve are both civilian volunteers and Regular Service personnel who volunteered for Primary Reserve. Primary Reserve undergo similar initial training to Regular Service personnel and receive ongoing training which they must attend at least 2 days per month. Some Primary Reserve units are at constant readiness, meaning some members, generally officers, work full time. Primary Reserve personnel are assigned to units, similar to Regular Service units, but are only part time manned units. The Primary Reserve staffs all front line reserve units along with support units. Most Divisions feature a 40/60 mix of Regular Service and Reserve personnel. Primary Reserve may be called up for service by the Minister of Defence for up to 365 days.

Secondary Reserve

Secondary Reserve consists of 160,000 part time personnel. Secondary Reserve undergos similar training to the Primary Reserve. Secondary Reserve staff most support divisions and several administrative units. They do not serve in front-line units, receive less pay than Regular Service or Primary Reserve personnel. They must attend drills 2 days per month and may be activated for up to 365 days by the Minister of Defence. Secondary Reserve heavily recruits medical, clerical and other skilled trades to man specific units.

Organization

Main article: Organization of the Holyn Ground Forces

The Holyn Ground Forces is made up of 6 Armies, two of which are Tank Armies. An Army is a administrative unit, rather than an operational role. Armies align the Divisions under their command with a common strategic purpose. For example, the 1st Guards Tank Army is primarily tasked with the defence of the capital, with the Divisions underneath the Army designated to serve a part in that defence. Army commanders do disseminate orders to subordinate units, however, an entire Army is not intended as a deployable unit.

Divisions are the largest operational unit of the Ground Forces. They focus on three different types of formations, Tank (Armored), Motor Rifle (Mechanized) or Light Rifle (Infantry). The main combat power of a Division is the Brigade Combat Group. Under current doctrine, Divisions are deployable as a whole, or can be deployed piecemeal, with Brigade Combat Groups from seperate divisions forming adhoc assault divisions. Division level assets, such as air defence and artillery are able to be deployed to support different brigades in operations. Divisions also contain much of the logistical and support network for the Brigade Combat Groups.

Brigade Combat Groups are the primary tactical unit of the Ground Forces. Similar to the Divisions, they focus on three different types of formations. BCGs bring a variety of capabilities and firepower under a single brigade. These include maneuver battalions, air defence and artillery units.

The HGF Aviation Corps inherited the majority of the helicopter fleet from the Air Force in 2005. Typically a Division has an Aviation Regiment attached to it. The Aviation Regiment provides combat, reconassiance and transport helicopters to the Division.

Brigade Combat Group

• Tank Brigade Combat Group
  • 1st Armoured Battalion
    • 2x Tank Company
    • 2x Mechanized Infantry Company
    • Firepower Company
  • 2nd Armoured Battalion
    • 2x Tank Company
    • 2x Mechanized Infantry Company
    • Firepower Company
  • 3rd Armoured Battalion
    • 2x Tank Company
    • 2x Mechanized Infantry Company
    • Firepower Company
  • 4th Armoured Battalion
    • 2x Tank Company
    • 2x Mechanized Infantry Company
    • Firepower Company
  • Reconnaissance Battalion
  • Artillery Battalion
  • Air Defence Battalion
  • Headquarters Unit
  • Logistics Battalion
  • Engineering and Maintanence Battalion
• Motor Rifle Brigade Combat Group
  • 1st Motor Rifle Battalion
    • 3x Motor Rifle Company (Wheeled or tracked IFV)
    • 1 90mm or 100mm Assault Gun Company (Wheeled or Tracked)
    • Firepower Company
  • 2nd Motor Rifle Battalion
    • 3x Motor Rifle Company (Wheeled or tracked IFV)
    • 1 90mm or 100mm Assault Gun Company (Wheeled or Tracked)
    • Firepower Company
  • 3rd Motor Rifle Battalion
    • 3x Motor Rifle Company (Wheeled or tracked IFV)
    • 1 90mm or 100mm Assault Gun Company (Wheeled or Tracked)
    • Firepower Company
  • 4th Motor Rifle Battalion
    • 3x Motor Rifle Company (Wheeled or tracked IFV)
    • 1 90mm or 100mm Assault Gun Company (Wheeled or Tracked)
    • Firepower Company
  • Reconnaissance Battalion
  • Artillery Battalion
  • Air Defence Battalion
  • Headquarters Unit
  • Logistics Battalion
  • Engineering and Maintanence Battalion
• Light Rifle Brigade Combat Group
  • 1st Light Rifle Battalion
    • 3x Light Rifle Company (Light wheeled vehicle or APC)
    • Firepower Company
  • 2nd Light Rifle Battalion
    • 3x Light Rifle Company (Light wheeled vehicle or APC)
    • Firepower Company
  • 3rd Light Rifle Battalion
    • 3x Light Rifle Company (Light wheeled vehicle or APC)
    • Firepower Company
  • 4th Light Rifle Battalion
    • 3x Light Rifle Company (Light wheeled vehicle or APC)
    • Firepower Company
  • Reconnaissance Battalion
  • Artillery Battalion
  • Air Defence Battalion
  • Headquarters Unit
  • Logistics Battalion
  • Engineering and Maintanence Battalion

Type of unit	Field Army (Wartime)	Commands (Peacetime)	Division	Brigade Combat Force	Regiment	Company, Squadron, Battery	Platoon or Troop	Section	Fire team
Contains	3 divisions	2 divisions	6-9 regiments, 9-10 support battalions, 2-3 support companies	3–5 regiments	4–6 companies	3 platoons	3 sections	2 fire teams	4 individuals
Personnel	37,000	25,000	12,000	5,000	700–1,000	120	30	8–10	4
Commanded by	Armádní generál	Armádní generál	Generálporučík	Podplukovník	Podplukovník	Major	Nadporučík or Poručík	Rotný	Četař

Equipment

Main article: List of equipment of the Holyn Ground Forces

Equipment summary

Type	Active	Reserve
Main battle tanks	1,627	2,338
Infantry fighting vehicles	2,457	≈2,600
Armoured personnel carriers	2,435	≈1,800
Towed artillery	3,071	≈8,000
Self-propelled artillery	3,071	≈1,800
Rocket artillery	1,352	900
AA systems	1,137	≈900

List of equipment of the Holyn Ground Forces

• 

  PS-08S Holynia (188 Units)

• 

  PS-87 Holynia (350 Units)

• 

  RM-70Z Holynia (140 Units)

• 

  PS-110 Holynia (23 Units)

• 

  P-98 Holynia

• 

  MD-80V Holynia

• 

  HT-90 Holynia

• 

  BVP-3 Holynia (1,300+ Units)

• 

  OT-6 Holynia (1,900+ Units)

• 

  LOT-150 Holynia (1,400+ Units)

Uniforms

A Holyn enlisted soldier demonstrating the dress/parade uniform of the Ground Forces.

The uniforms of the Ground Forces vary between service branches and units. The standard officer daily service uniform is a pine green jacket with green epaulettes. A peaked cap is worn with a gold cockade of the Ground Forces emblem. The daily service uniform features green plastic/fabric buttons. The formal service uniform adds gold/red piping to the uniform, a red band on the cap and gold buttons to the coat. Gold epaulettes replace the green epaulettes. The enlisted service uniform is the same, with red epaulettes replacing the gold on the formal service uniform. The winter model adds a green great coat for both junior officers and enlisted. A parka is also offered. This may be worn with or without the jacket depending on needs of the soldier. A brown belt may also be worn depending on the occasion.

The standard parade uniform is split into the inspection model and the stand by model. The inspection model is for soldiers walking out on parade. Officer models feature a gold ceremonial belt with commission sword signifying their status as an officer. Enlisted and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) wear a white belt. Jack boots are worn with the walk out model of the parade uniform. The great coat for senior officers is grey instead of the standard gold.

The work uniform consists of either a camoflauge or pine green shirt with epaulettes. Berets replace the peaked caps. Boots are typically worn, either sage green or black (depends on the unit).

The combat uniform consists of a HolCam 2 camoflauge pattern coat, with accompying gear. Sage green boots are the only authorized combat boots.

Specific units wear different parade uniforms than standard servicemembers. The officer and enlisted uniform of the Royal Hussars is a red tunic with a closed collar. Hussars wear a shako instead of a peaked cap. The Royal Life Guards wear a red tunic with closed collar, but retain the standard peaked cap. The Royal Dragoons wear a light black/grey closed collar tunic with a shako. All these specific units wear a grey great coat in the winter. They retain the standard service uniforms of the Ground Forces for all other uses.

Ranks and insignia

Officers

NATO code	OF-10		OF-9		OF-8		OF-7		OF-6		OF-5		OF-4		OF-3		OF-2		OF-1						OF(D)						Student officer
Holyn Kingdom Epaulette rank insignia (Parade variant)																															No equivalent
	Marshal Maršal		Army General Armádní generál		Colonel General Generál plukovník		Lieutenant General Generál Poručík		Major General Generál Major		Colonel Plukovník		Lieutenant Colonel Podplukovník		Major Major		Captain Kapitán		First Lieutenant Nadporučík			Second Lieutenant Poručík			Officer Cadet Kadet
Holyn Kingdom Epaulette rank insignia (Service variant)																												No equivalent
	Marshal		Army General		Colonel General		Lieutenant General		Major General		Colonel		Lieutenant Colonel		Major		Captain		First Lieutenant			Second Lieutenant			Officer Cadet

Other ranks

NATO code	OR-9				OR-8		OR-7		OR-6				OR-5		OR-4		OR-3		OR-2				OR-1
Holyn Kingdom Epaulette rank insignia (Parade variant)
	Chief Warrant Officer Štábní praporčík		Senior Warrant Officer Nadpraporčík		Warrant officer Praporčík		Master Sergeant Nadrotmistr		Sergeant First Class Rotmistr		Staff Sergeant Rotný			Sergeant Četař			Corporal Desátník			Private First Class Svobodník			Private Vojín

Commanders

Commander-in-chief (2001–present)

Standard of Commander-in-Chief of the Holyn Ground Forces.

• Borek Šimek (2002)
• Emanuel Dvořák (2002-2003) Acting
• Leoš Navrátil (2003-2005)
• Medard Adamec (2005-2007)
• Kazimír Král (2007-2011)
• Herman Krejčí (2011-2015)
• Jan Vlček (2015) Acting
• Hugo Poláček (2015) Acting
• Svatopluk Jeřábek (2015-2016)
• Alexandr Šrámek (2016-2019)
• Valentín Chrobák (2019-present)

Gallery

Holyn Ground Force soldiers during exercises in 2011.

An example of HolCam 2, the current camoflauge of the Gound Forces.