Vetokite Army

Vetokite Imperial Army
Founded	12 July 1421 (1421-07-12)
Country	Vetok
Allegiance	Emperor of the United Dominion of Vetok
Type	Army
Role	Land warfare
Size	53,392 active personnel (October 2023) 14,436 Territorial Reserve personnel (October 2023)
Part of	Vetokite Armed Forces
Equipment	List of equipment of the Vetokite Army
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	Emperor Súrvan Jaansma
Chief of the General Imperial Staff	Marshal Patrick Delana, Lord Delana
Deputy Chief of the General Imperial Staff	Lieutenant General Carole Bester
Serjeant Major of the Lancers	Warrant Officer Class 1 Himán Carnassi
Insignia
War flag	File:Flag of Vetok.svg
Non-ceremonial flag
Logo	File:British Army logo.svg

The Vetokite Army is the principal land warfare force of Vetok, and one of the four key warfighting parts of the Vetokite Armed Forces along with the Vetokite Dominion Navy, Vetokite Imperial Air Force and Vetokite Strategic Weapons Command.

Early beginnings

The Vetokite Army can trace a rudimentary history back to the 10th century CE and the roaming warband of the nation's namesake, Vetok Déithe-bane, although it more properly should trace its lineage from a mercenary unit founded by the great-great grandson of Vetok Déithe-bane, Earl Roger of Carrishem. Initially formed as a feudal levy, disagreements between the Earl and his uncle, King Vetok II (Harald Vetok, former Duke of Mvellen prior to his accession) led to the Earl convincing a majority of his force to seek employment abroad with him as soldiers of fortune, in which they spent the following three decades without returning back to the homeland. It was Roger's Band that made a name for the valour and skill-at-arms of the Vetokite peoples, and the Earl's return later in life as his cousin's Lord Martial

19th Century to the dawn of the new millenium

The 1800's saw a retrenchment of the Army as it became relegated to the position of second string to the Vetokite Navy which had begun to assume a dominant position in controlling and protecting the nation's overseas possessions. Many regiments in this period saw service in rotation aboard navy vessels as erstwhile marines, and were often

At its height in the 1920's and throughout the Eastern Marches campaigns of the 1930's, the Army numbered fifty divisions, organised into corps ranging anywhere from one-to-five divisions in strength. Half of these were infantry divisions, with a further eight armoured divisions, nine paraborne divisions and eight lancer divisions, for a total of 620,219 active personnel. The 6th Corps was one of the most active units during this period; as a composite unit of infantry, armour and lancers, it moved frequently around the borders of the country and was the first force involved on the Vetokite side during the 2nd Arakite War, when attempts to seize the Arakite Valley were instigated by the First Minister of the time.

Artist's rendition of an early Model-137A Light Tank during the 2nd Arakite War

Modern Army

The Vetokite Army has been a volunteer force since 1997, following the abolition of national service by the hand of Emperor Vetok XII. Although there has been a standing reservists force since the late 1940's, only since the ending of conscription has it adopted a more formal and important role, with a sixth of the Army's combat brigades composed of Territorial personnel following Force Update 2020. With a stripped down composition, the Army of today has moved away from the hidebound ways of old

Organisation

The modern Army is a three-line force, composed of the regular forces (those in full-time soldiery), the Territorial Army (composed of

Equipment

Infantry

The standard weapon of the Vetokite Army for full-time members since the early 2010's is the 7.62mm L16 assault rifle, which also serves as the basis of a widespread weapons family. Some of these variants include the G16C, a shortened carbine version of the standard G16 intended for use with Paraborne troops, aircrew, and vehicle crew. Both weapons are traditionally equipped with iron sights, though they can use various forms of other sights through the Picatinny rail atop the weapon. The G16 is also often equipped with the L90 under-barrel grenade launcher. Previous to this, the main service rifle was the indigenous L14 battle rifle, which still serves in the hands of training commands and also for the use of SOPECC detachments, and this weapon is still manufactured for foreign export as well.

Some soldiers are equipped with the 7.62mm L162 light support weapon which was also adopted in the early 2010's, though plans exist for a replacement with greater magazine capacity and ability for sustained fire. Support fire is otherwise provided by the L20 autocannon within dedicated fire-support teams, and indirect fire is provided by L90 57mm and L91 90mm mortars. Sniper rifles include the L118A1 7.62 mm, L115A3 and the AW50F, all manufactured by Accuracy International.[150] The British Army utilises the Glock 17 as its side arm.[146]

Anti tank guided weapons include the Javelin, the medium range anti-tank guided weapon replacement for Milan, with overfly and direct attack modes of operation, and the NLAW. The Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) is the first, non-expert, short-range, anti-tank missile that rapidly knocks out any main battle tank in just one shot by striking it from above.[151]

Public Criticism

The Army has seen much criticism throughout its centuries of service. (Talk about the discomfort when one of the dynasty first implemented it, the involvement in the Tarro Affair of the late 1700's, the failings of the Eastern Marches war of the early 1900's)