2022 Syaran military reforms

The 2022 Syaran military reforms resulted in a reorganization and reformation of the Syaran Commonality Armed Forces instituted under the leadership of Anita Beleska, Executive of Syara.

Budgetary

Under the leadership of Executive Beleska, defense spending for the Commonality was capped at 2% of GDP, or $122,600,000,000. This was higher than 2021 ($118 billion), but lower than the post-Zemplen War high of $131 billion in 2015.

Personnel and training

As part of the 2022 Reforms, the total active duty strength of the VZS was reduced to 800,000 personnel, a reduction of around 90,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen. At the same time, reserve personnel strength was raised from 2,860,000 to 3,000,000. The total strength of the VZS is measured at 3,800,000 personnel. Syaran promotion protocols for non-commissioned officers was changed from a "points" based system to an aptitude testing sequence, consisting of a written examination of occupational-related duties and a field test circuit. Pay rates for NCOs were increased 4%, while promotion priority was shifted towards careerists. Minimum contract lengths were reduced from six years to five years for professional volunteers. Bonuses for renewed contracts were increased 5-15% depending on the occupation of the service member.

Conscription policy changed in several ways. Conscription duration for CAF and SCN personnel was reduced from three years to two years, the same as the SNA. College deferments were accepted with the auspice that those taking said deferments were required to serve as reserve officers. Exemption for religious minorities, including Muslims, Vilageians, and Concordians, was revoked.

Physical fitness training standards were reworked to four primary categories; upper body, core and abdominal, legs, and cardio. Physical fitness examinations now include a combat drill testing sequence.

Organization

Following the 2014 Reforms, the VZS was organized into four Realm Forces in Symmeria, Galania, Scitaria, and Hayreniky. Realm Force Commands controlled all ground, land, and sea within their domain. While the Realm Force structure was largely maintain, its internal organization was altered. Simulations by VZS Central Command concluded that in the event of hostilities, training times to bring Syaran reserve divisions and brigades into operational status delayed divisional and corps deployment. Mixed divisions and corps consisting of both active and reserve brigades and divisions was abandoned, with reserve units shifted to reserve formations. This led to the transferring of of VII Corps, I Corps, IX Corps, and X Corps to the Syaran National Forces. Reallocation of active divisions to active corps meant the number of active divisions remained at 20. The number of active corps was reduced to eight, while the number of reserve corps was raised to 11.

Realm Defense Forces

Under the Commonality Constitution, defense of Syara falls both to the Central Government in Zovahr and to the Realms of Syara. As a result, the Realms are each expected to maintain their own military forces, known collectively as the Realm Defense Forces of Syara. Due to the pressures of national security concerns and defense, the Realm Defense Forces were largely subordinated to the VZS, especially in light of the Imerti Conflict and the Zemplen War. Under the 2022 Reform, Executive Beleska authorized the reassignment of some 450,000 troops of the Syaran Strategic Forces to the Realm Defense Forces, allowing the Realms to call upon Syaran Strategic Forces as their own reserve personnel. Strategic Forces were allocated based on geographic location; 125,000 troops were assigned to the Symmerian Home Guard, 115,000 to the Scitarian Security Forces, 110,000 to the Galanian Territorial Forces, and 100,000 to the Hayreniky Combined Militia. The total strength of the Realm Defense Forces was raised from 102,000 to 552,000. Between 2022 and 2026, the VZS is expected to release approximately 2,000 main battle tanks, and 5,500 armored vehicles to Realm control.

Technology

The 2022 Reforms saw the introduction of several newly developed weapon systems into service. The Hetairos main battle tank was officially declared to have surpassed 1,000 vehicles, with an additional 1,000 to be procured by 2025. The first squadron of Aeolus stealth fighters was established, and the Commonality Air Force announced it had finalized production of the Kaikias stealth bomber, slated to enter service in 2023. The Syaran Commonality Navy announced that the XheKal hypersonic cruise missile had entered service with the SCN and would begin outfitting anti-ship missile batteries in Chryse and Hayreniky.

Doctrine

VZS Central Command outlined Syaran doctrinal emphasis in 2022 as centering around "counter-offensive warfare", aimed at neutralizing the perceived advantages of adversaries through exploitation of systematic reliance on specific technologies and procedures.

Syaran mechanized companies were augmented with an additional heavy weapons squad centered around anti-tank weaponry. Mechanized battalions were given a heavy mortar battery while brigade-level artillery was restricted to centralized command under the brigade headquarters. The corps was defined as Syara's "premier operational level formation", centered around a mixed force of mechanized and armored forces, supported by extensive long range shell and rocket artillery and ample reconnaissance assets. Brigade reconnaissance battalions were granted additional Unmanned aerial vehicles, while attack aviation regiments were organized into separate squadrons for direct divisional support as opposed to central "battering ram" as they had been employed during the Zemplen War. The mechanized brigade of each armored division was expanded to four battalions. Radio electronic combat, defined as jamming the enemy's communications and sensory equipment, is dependent on division-level electronic warfare units supported by corps and army level jamming arrays designed to blanket enemy communications with white noise and false information.

The Commonality Air Force renounced much of its fixed wing attack aircraft, leaving close air support to drones and helicopters and thus largely within the purview of the SNA. In ground operations, the SNA largely dismissed emphasis on exploitative breakthrough operations at the strategic level, shifting instead to a "bite and hold strategem" of seizing critical territory then inviting counter-attacks to be met with sustained barrages from fire support platforms including artillery, aircraft, and long range munitions. Traditional Syaran emphasis on aggressive and rapid action is retained, with special emphasis reiterated on isolating and eliminating enemy fire support platforms to ensure Syaran dominance in the realm of firepower.