Union of The Empire's Special Forces

The Union of The Empire's Special Forces
Official Flag.
Active	1981-Present
Country	The Empire of Common Territories
Allegiance	TECT
Type	Special Operation Forces
Size	N/A
Part of	TECT Armed Forces
Nickname(s)	The Union, USF, UESF
Motto(s)	"Commoners not so common."
Colors	Black & Gray
Mascot(s)	Krieg, Commoner Angel of War
Commanders
Commander in-Chief	Emperor JC
Secretary	GEN Rochus Faust
Chief of Staff	Major GEN Nicolaus Arbeit

The Union of The Empire's Special Forces or USF for short (also called UESF), is the organized military branch for the TECT Armed Forces' special operations forces. Gathered from every branch of the armed forces, the Union is a collective of special operations forces who were once part of multiple branches in the TECT Armed Forces. Emperor Charles II created the USF in 1981 after following advice from his military leaders to better organize the many special forces units inside the military. To further this new branch's capabilities, the military created an entirely new command structure to support TECT special operation missions around the globe. This new command would be known as SOC, or the "Special Operations Command", though unofficially it is referred to as "USFC", or Union Special Forces Command.

The SOC is made up of lower commands who specialize in different theaters of action; for example, ground combat oriented forces fall within the GOC, or "Ground Operations Command". There is also the "Airborne Operations Command" (AOC), "Seaborne Operations Command" (SOC), "Cyber Warfare Command" (CWC), and the "Union Intelligence Services Command" (UISC). Although public knowledge is kept to a minimum, what is known further about these commands is that special forces units within them either consist of company sized elements, or could be greater than battalions in strength. It is presumed that that commands act as branches of that service, like other TECT service branches. Units within every branch have classification levels that depend on their unit's need for secrecy; these classification levels are often referred to as "Tiers", which most speculators believe to be between one (the highest) and three (the lowest).

Commands

Ground Operations Command

Service	Role
Commoner Foreign Legion	The Commoner Foreign Legion (CFL) is a Tier 3 elite light infantry force that originate from TECT's early colonial history in the 1700's. Although the CFL isn't a member of the USF service branch (they are actually still part of the Imperial Army), they were paired with the SOC during the early 2000's when the CFL was elevated to a special operations force. This branch of the Imperial Army today still predominately recruits foreigners and colonials to fill most of its ranks, native Commoners make up less then 5% of its ranks. Tasked with performing predominantly expeditionary combat operations with light infantry equipment, the CFL conduct missions typically with no vehicular support assets and can be deployed from air, sea, or land. Their training includes a special ranger school, survival school, advanced combat school, urban combat school, and other special operations training. There are over forty-four thousand CFL personnel which largely deploy in regiments but have been organized in brigades in the past when needed, otherwise most units will be organized in standard regiments.
SABER	Surface Attack Battle Enriched Readiness (SABER) Teams are an elite force of special operation teams that perform the GOC's most vital combat missions. As a Tier 1 unit, SABER Teams are generally kept out of the light of day and operate in deep secrecy; they are privy to the best training schools the USF can offer for its combat troops. SABER Teams have been responsible for, according to declassified documents, combat missions to hunt down special targets, rescue missions, sabotage operations, search and destroy missions, and other high valued operations. Although known to be deployed by ground and air assets mostly, missions involving sea deployments were eventually revealed; the same documents hinted the unit deploys in "Teams". Until 2005, many media outlets had wrongly reported SABER Teams as being "new precision guided weapons" because leaked documents revealed the term "SABER" along with targets that were "destroyed", leading to speculation that "SABER" was the name for a new series of prototype guided ground-attack missiles. Declassified documents in 2012 revealed an SOC Operation to mislead media sources digging into the USF into following the false narrative by "leaking" fake documents revealing "SABER Missile" uses, performance details, and other falsified evidence; the "SABER Missile Crisis", as it was dubbed in media outlets, criticized the TECT Government and military for actively tricking the media.
SIGS	Surface Infiltration Guerrilla Sabotage (SIGS) Groups are a Tier 2 sabotage oriented special operations force created during the 1950's to infiltrate and sabotage enemy countries from within. The primary missions of the modern SIGS branch are unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, and counter-terrorism. "Force Multiplication", the original strategy followed by SIGS Groups throughout the 20th century, involved recruiting local dissidents to combat a region's government or whoever the SIGS were tasked with eliminating; the prospects of using local forces rather than Commoner soldiers intrigued military commanders, making SIGS an alternative to military operations that usually required large military units to conduct combat operations. According to leaked documents released in 1982, SIGS Groups would typically recruit dissidents, prisoners they've freed, or other interested parties using bribes or payments, train them to fight, and lead the small army to conduct sabotage missions behind enemy lines. The media eventually dubbed SIGS as "Warlords" for their style of fighting and ability to wage war using an army they controlled. SIGS personnel go through extensive combat schools, cultural classes, and science lessons so they can adapt to almost any environment they may have to be deployed to, whether it's a Middle Eastern kingdom, a mountainous communist state, or the jungles of south-east Asia. Since the early 1990's, the TECT Armed Forces have revealed SIGS Groups are used to assist allies with training, direct combat missions where needed, and have conducted other infiltration missions not pertaining to direct military sabotage.

The Ground Operations Command (GOC) is the organized Command Structure of Union Special Forces units that focus specifically on ground operations. GOC units typically conduct combat missions on the ground no matter the deployment method used - no other Command utilizes the same structure of ground forces that the GOC possesses. When one thinks about special forces from TECT, GOC units are typically the first to come to mind. This is likely because the ground command units are the SOC's primary muscle for military operations - they have also been popularly depicted in the media more so than other commands.

Airborne Operations Command

Service	Role
SAAT	The Special Airborne Assault Troopers (SAAT) are an elite airborne infantry force that originally performed search and rescue missions in the Imperial Air Force. As a Tier 1 special operations force, SAAT Teams perform the AOC's most vital missions; these include search and rescue, air assault, sabotage, search and destroy, anti-terrorism, and other high valued operations. Although similar to their ground counterparts (SABER), SAAT Teams rely on airborne assets to get them into operation areas - helicopters, planes, and jets would be in this category. Joint teams of helicopters (and their crews) and SAAT Teams have operated together since the early 2000's according to military leaders; according to reports, the joint helicopter and SAAT teams offer efficient transportation, immediate close-air-support, and quicker search and rescue assets.
SASF	The Special Air Support Forces (SASF) are an elite force of air support units that provide air support to ground and naval forces. Units consist of planes, helicopters, drones, jets, and their crews. As a Tier 3 force, SASF is typically the SOC's answer to air support, proving ground forces with expert air support. SASF units typically include helicopter teams, strike aircraft squadrons, and ground attack squadrons (which can be anything from bombers to gunships).
SAWS	The Special Air Warrior Services (SAWS) are elite operators of combat aircraft including but not limited to fighter jets, drones, bombers, strike aircraft, and other combat aircraft within (and outside) the Imperial Air Force's inventory. SAWS is made up of squadrons of highly experienced and highly trained pilot aces and aircraft crews on and off the ground. As a Tier 1 force, SAWS are responsible for various roles including air superiority, air support, ground attack, and other air services their operators can perform. SAWS pilots also act as the Emperor's air escorts, Royal Family air escorts, and serve as the SOC's flight demonstration units.

The Airborne Operations Command (AOC) is the organized Command Structure of Union Special Forces units that focus specifically on air power and air support. With both combat and support oriented units, the AOC is both diverse in inventory and capabilities. Consisting of helicopters, drones, combat personnel, planes, jets from bombers to fighters, and support crews - the AOC is dominated by aircraft and their operators. Air Command provides a diverse service of both combat and support, making the Command a vital component to the SOC.

Seaborne & Marine Operations Command

Service	Role
SBT	The Special Bullfrog Team(s) are an elite special operations force closely aligned to naval and marine operations. As a Tier 1 unit, Bullfrogs operate in small teams to accomplish SMOC's highest valued combat missions. SBT is more often referred to by their mascot, popularly known in the media as "Bullfrogs"; bullfrogs have many native species living in the Empire's Mainland, for which SBT draw influence from. Unlike their counterparts in the ground and air command (SABER & SAAT), SBT typically deploy using marine, naval, or airborne assets alone - although land insertion methods are still available to Bullfrog Teams. Also unique to Bullfrog's field of expertise are the variable naval missions that fall within their responsibility, including naval sabotage, anti-ship sabotage, naval infiltration, marine raiding, and other amphibious operations. Anti-piracy and terrorism missions also fall under the Bullfrog's mission set, with media outlets popularizing SBT raids against pirates around the world. Bullfrog Teams are believed to undergo the harshest marine and naval training available to SOC units, along with undergoing advanced combat, survival, cultural, and science based courses.
EMB	Elite Marine Battalion(s) are elite marine infantry units who originally operated under the Royal Guard and Imperial Navy command structure; they were transferred over to the SOC's Seaborne & Marine Command in 2001. Their primary role in SMOC as a Tier 3 unit is to conduct amphibious based combat missions, large or small; this includes direct combat, combat naval landings, sabotage, and other marine based operations. Although obviously being alluded to being organized into marine infantry battalions, how many battalions within the EMB is still a mystery. EMB marines undergo both basic marine courses (airborne and basic) the Royal Guard offer, an advanced marine and airborne school, advanced combat school, and an advanced survival course. EMB marines have been known to deploy from helicopter, parachute, combat landing vehicles, and other marine/naval/air crafts.
1st Guardsmen Division	The 1st Royal Guardsmen Division is an elite Guardsmen infantry division paired with the SOC's Seaborne & Marine Operations Command; although paired with the SOC, they still fall into the Royal Guard's command structure. As a Tier 2 unit, 1st Division is a highly respected and traditionally honored Guardsmen unit - it is also the longest serving unit within the Royal Guard. The iconic unit is known for its long list of military decorations, multiple combat deployments, garrison within the Homeland State, and is best known as the military unit tasked with protecting the Emperor and the Royal Family. To become a Guardsmen is tough but to become a 1st Division Guardsmen is nearly impossible because candidates not only have to pass extensive training, commanding officers and the Emperor must approve any applicants entry personally before the candidate is able to transfer into the Division. Candidates must pass multiple ethics and security courses, an advanced combat training school, a special military police and security school, and pass a final two week test course to have their chances at being approved for their final course, which is a dress uniform practice school; once they pass their final school, applicants must be approved to join the Division, or their names will be recycled for the next drawing. 1st Division has many responsibilities including garrisoning the capital, the Emperor and Royal Family estates/properties, embassy district, government buildings, and acting as a military police force for the entire State of the Homeland. Combat operations for 1st Division can be hand ordered by the Emperor (who has direct command over the Division) or the SOC, but Guardsmen are not tasked offensive operations since their purpose is defensive in nature; this is why 1st Division will usually only see domestic deployments focusing on security and/or defense rather than foreign deployments, or combat deployments overseas.
UDST	The Underwater Demolition & Sabotage Teams is a Tier 3 special operations force tasked with underwater based missions. Originally serving with the Imperial Navy, UDST's perform underwater missions such as sabotaging naval vessels, damaging ports/docks, underwater engineering, deactivating and setting up naval mines, and underwater reconnaissance. Unlike the SBT, who can perform similar missions, UDST specializes in the underwater theater - more so than the Bullfrogs who're more centered on combat missions.

The Seaborne & Marine Operations Command (SMOC) is the organized command structure of Union Special Forces that operate from the sea, conducting naval, marine, and airborne operations. SMOC have access to a wide selection of equipment and vehicles that offer excellent performance amphibious environments. Compared to other commands, SMOC has a larger focus on anti-terrorism and pirating - the SOC and Imperial Navy closely cooperate in the fight against pirates internationally. Similar to ground command, SMOC also possess many direct combat units within its command structure. Unlike other commands, however, SMOC is the only command to have forces dedicated to naval warfare.

Cyber Warfare Command

Service	Role
ACWU	The Arachnophilia Cyber Warfare Unit (ACWU) is an elite cyber warfare unit. As a Tier 1 unit, the ACWU is made up of cyber specialists, hackers, computer and software experts, and former cyber criminals turned cyber soldiers, among many other cyber experts. "Arachnophilia", the unit's namesake and mascot, referrers to the term "love of spiders", which is a metaphor pertaining to the "world-wide web" the unit operates in. Arachnophilia is very secretive, but some civilian and non-civilian experts have made public facilities where Arachnophilia may operate from and operations they've conducted; the list of facilities includes Imperial Air Force bases, secret government facilities, and other military properties. Although rumored to operate in a larger staff or small teams, it is not public how many personnel Arachnophilia has. As the SOC's, and CWC's, chief cyber warfare unit, Arachnophilia is theorized to be responsible for the Empire's most vital cyber warfare operations including espionage, cyber sabotage, cyber warfare against countries and organizations, propaganda creation, cyber defense and counter-offenses, multiple intelligence gathering and destroying, and other activities most would categorize as cyber warfare. Arachnophilia stands accused of multiple acts of cyber war, though only few of their operations left clear signs of their presence; some of them include injecting spider based information into available formats, such as images, GIFs, video, and sound.
NSD	The National Security Department (NSD) is a Tier 3 domestic intelligence gathering organization that answers to the CWC, the Ministry of Justice, and the Director of National Security & Intelligence. As a cyber oriented domestic intelligence organization, it is tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information/domestic intelligence for the MOJ and MOAF (Ministry of The Armed Forces); the NSD do this by observing phone, internet, and other information delivery systems and their activities. As a "department" and not a traditional military unit, the NSD has publicly made aware it employs several thousand or more personnel who perform various tasks. Not without controversy, however, as the NSD is typically referred to as an "internal spy agency" by critics; critics accuse the NSD of abusing privacy, warrantless cyber intrusions, and other offenses deemed "harmful to basic human freedoms." Since much of the NSD's and CWC's activities are closely kept out of public view, speculations on how bad the intrusions vary from "the NSD reads everyone's emails" to "the NSD can go into your email if they suspect you." Former CWC spokesmen have came out against such accusations claiming "NSD concerns itself with credible and possible threats to national security, both in real life and the cyber world. We don't go into your average Joe's emails because we want to know what they're up to. We are only focused on criminals and domestic enemies plotting to attack our Empire and people."
FSD	The Foreign Security Department (FSD) is a Tier 2 foreign intelligence gathering organization under the CWC command structure. Similar to its domestic counterpart (the NSD), the FSD gathers, processes, and analyzes national security information/foreign intelligence instead of domestic intelligence; some of its many duties include observing phone, internet, and other information delivery systems and their activities, just like the NSD. The FSD, as a cyber oriented foreign intelligence gathering organization, focuses on other intelligence activities, including observation on foreign government and military activities, foreign espionage, foreign sabotage, cyber security, military intelligence gathering, security for military intelligence pertaining to the Empire and her allies, and is responsible for other acts of cyber warfare. Critics of the FSD cite the organization's military influences even though it handles civilian and government intelligence, broad scope of operations, and its shady history of cyber warfare and cyber intelligence gathering. FSD employs several thousand or more personnel who perform multiple tasks within the organization.

Cyber Warfare Command, or shortened to Cyber Command, is the command structure of Union Special Forces that operate in Cyber Space. The CWC is tasked primarily with cyber warfare (including offensive and defensive operations/activity), intelligence gathering (both domestic and foreign) through use of information technology, and waging war over cyber space. Cyber Command works closely with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and other government bodies, more so than other USF Commands; CWC also works closely with the Ministry of the Armed Forces, delivering military and diplomatic intelligence to the TECT Armed Forces.

Union Intelligence Services Command

Service	Role
NIS	The National Investigation Services (NIA) is a domestic intelligence and security service part of the Ministry of Justice and UISC; the NIS also answers to the Director of National Security & Intelligence, who is part of the Ministry Cabinet. As a Tier 1 service, the NIS serves as both a criminal investigative body and a domestic intelligence agency. Among their duties include counter terrorism, counterintelligence, domestic intelligence gathering, criminal law enforcement and investigation, and the enforcement of national security. Upon request, NIS will take up cases to investigate on behalf of local police forces, or, if they are assigned to the case - NIS also holds jurisdiction over numerous criminal acts that it can investigate. NIS' is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information/domestic intelligence in order to combat foreign intelligence operation on TECT soil; NIS will investigate detected instances of foreign intelligence gathering, make arrests, or it will eliminate the threat(s) using paramilitary force.
FIS	The Foreign Intelligence Services (FIS) is the foreign intelligence service tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world; it is part of the UISC, consults with the Ministries of The Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs, and answers to the Director of National Security & Intelligence. As a Tier 1 service, FIS focuses heavily on overseas intelligence gathering and covert action; this includes using human intelligence, gathering cyber intelligence, exerting foreign political influence, and using its paramilitary forces on behalf of the country's leaders to perform covert actions. Among its recognized duties, paramilitary and offensive covert action have been spotlighted in recent decades. Intelligence gathering on foreign government, military, and intelligence forces have traditionally been an FIS duty.
CTTF	The Counter Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) is a special task force of UISC, other USF Commands, MOJ, and MOAF personnel assembled to detect, investigate, and eliminate extremist threats to the Empire. Born from the need to combat modern terrorist threats, CTTF is tasked with combating global terrorism/insurgency, homegrown terrorism/insurgency, militias or gangs domestic and foreign, and insuring national security is met against these asymmetrical threats. Although largely independent, CTTF answers directly to the Director of National Security & Intelligence and is part of the UISC; it is understandably a Tier 1 service. CTTF is made up of hand selected operatives/officers/soldiers who specialize in intelligence gathering, criminal investigation, and advanced military combat. The Task Force operates on two principles: gathering intelligence and investigating the target to make arrests, and eliminating the threat with lethal military force if the need arises. Although not inherently a law enforcement agency, CTTF do provide assistance to law enforcement by request higher authorities and can perform law enforcement duties if needed to, namely to departments who lack the manpower, experience, or equipment that CTTF possess.

The Union Intelligence Services Command (UISC) is the command structure of Union Special Forces that operate in the intelligence, sometimes law enforcement, and anti-extremism theater. From military intelligence to counter espionage, the UISC is a far reaching and feared intelligence block of the TECT Armed Forces and TECT Government; alongside Cyber Command, the UISC have had a significant role in protecting TECT's national security from both asymmetric and military threats. UISC operates on a covert level with every service under its command being Tier 1, meaning their actions are highly classified and their role in the USF is significant. Military intelligence, counter terrorism, counter insurgency, counter espionage, national security, foreign espionage, and intelligence gathering are many of the well known trades of the UISC.