Iverican Navy

Navy of the Republic of Iverica
Armada dei L'República Iverica
Active	1275 (as the Armada Imperial) 1650-Present (as the Armada Iverica)
Country	Republic of Iverica
Type	Navy
Role	Naval Warfare
Size	350,000 Regular Personnel 90,000 Irregular Reserves
Headquarters	Manille Comande Marítima, Nou Stille
Nickname(s)	Plassa Sotavento
Patron	St. Erasmo
Motto(s)	Astra inclinant, sed non obligant (Aroman) "The stars incline us, they do not bind us"
March	Marche Real
Mascot(s)	Merlion
Engagements	Peninsular Conquest (1620-1650) Iverican Civil War (1740-1746) Thalassan War First Argic War Second Argic War Vasqqan Civil Wars Operation Ultra Violet Operation Verde Operation Deliverance
Commanders
Capo-Almirante dei Armada	Francisco Mondragón
Capo-Audante dei Armada	Giulius Adorno
Encicomandante dei Tercios	Iago Norman Matti
Sargento Mayor dei Tercios	Rikkard Lee Emeri

The Armada Iverica (ARIV) translates directly to "Navy of Iverica". It is the Republic of Iverica's naval warfare service branch and one of the 4 main branches of the Republican Armed Service (RAS), consisting of roughly 250,000 servicemen and women. The Armada is the RAS's largest branch by number of personnel. It incorporates a body of trained amphibious warfare personnel known as the Republican Marine Regiments or Tercios and an aerial complement known as the Naval Aviation Service or Armada Servicio L'Aire.

The Armada often acts as Iverica's primary resort in high-risk foreign affairs far from home territory, protecting citizens and interests abroad with the deployment of Carrier Task Forces. Armada task units also police the ever-important shipping lanes in Iverica's surrounding strategic waters, maintaining order and Iverican influence over important straits and other marine avenues.

The official ship prefix of the Armada is "VRI" which stands for "Vaixell L'República Iverica".

Mission

The Republic's Armada is tasked with the defence of her citizens and national interests wherever they may be. The Armada must maintain experienced and combat-ready forces both terrestrial and maritime, in order to effectively uphold Iverican foreign policy in the Tricontinental area and abroad.

— Mission statement of the Armada Iverica

The Armada has three primary areas of responsibility:

• The preparation of naval forces necessary for both effective deterrence of escalation and effective maritime security.

• The maintenance of naval aviation, including land-based naval aviation, air transport essential for naval operations, and all air weapons and air techniques involved in the operations and activities of the Armada.

• The development of aircraft, weapons, tactics, technique, organization, and equipment of naval combat and service elements.

As part of the Republican Armed Service, the Armada Iverica's functions comprise sea control, power projection and nuclear deterrence, in addition to "sealift" duties.

History

An Imperial Galleon.

The Armada Iverica was rooted in the Iberic Imperial seafaring tradition, which produced a large community of sailors, captains, and shipbuilders. The current Armada claims that its tradition and history originates from the first Iberic Imperial Armada assembled in the 13th century A.D. It would not be chartered as an official "Armada Imperial" until the Duke of Gerona and Madura-Extrema, Iago Iuannes Dei Lloret ét Vados was appointed the first Lord of Ships in an act that also chartered the Armada Imperial.

In the centuries following, the Armada Imperial would expand in size and influence, competing with other navies of Southern Europa. Until the migratory period of the Gran Viatge, the Armada would remain focused on protecting coastal holdings and ranging out of the enclosed Iberic Sea. The crowding in the Iberic sea coupled with the limited exploitation opportunities therein prompted the Armada to try building larger ships and experiment with different types of rigging. In the 16th century, the Armada would become one of the first navies to use large square rigged ships known as Galleons.

During the years of the Gran Viatge, the Armada's large fleet of Galleons allowed it to defend and transport large numbers of colonists to Argis, Alharu, and to Marenesia. However, the long periods at sea took their tolls; the lack of access to port facilities meant that most of the ships had to be cannibalised for material. The few ships that survived would undergo extensive repair and refit once Deiargon secured the colony of Intreimor. The ships that survived were seen as prized relics, and also as remnants of a level of advancement that the Iberic colonists would not be able to reach again for decades. Nonetheless, they were quickly pressed into service out of the necessity to defend against marauding Soluks from Altaria and Alharu. From that period on, the fleets became known as the Armada Iverica.

Over the succeeding centuries, the Armada to grow in size out of Iverica's need to defend its vast coastline from raiding Argic kingdoms in the north and Mediargic pirates in the south and east. The ports of Manille and Súbic would become known as some of the largest and busiest shipyards on Eurth. As colonial enterprises began to supply the access to black powder, steel, and good timber; ships of greater size and armament began to fill the rosters of the Armada. Ships that would be known in the early-modern period as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Rates were laid and finished in Manille and Súbic shipyards.

A Marea Class Submarine formation during the 1st Argic War.

As technology became available, the Armada would adopt iron-clads, screw propulsion, steam boilers, and other innovations. By the late 19th century, the Armada would adopt armoured cruisers and by the early 20th century would experiment with dreadnoughts and turreted ships.

In the 1947 and again in 1968, the Armada would participate in total-war conflicts known as the First Argic War and Second Argic War respectively. Both conflicts would prompt extensive post-war advancement and contribute greatly to the Armada's current position as a leader in wurld naval technology.

Organisation

The Armada consists of only two main fleet groups, the Peninsular Fleet Group and Expeditionary Fleet Group. The Peninsular Fleet Group is based in the three main naval harbours of Manille and K.L. Aark while the Expeditionary Fleet Group are blue-water fleets that remain on patrols stopping only periodically for refits and crew R&R. The EFG maintains 2 Carrier Task Forces (CATFOR) while the HFG maintains 3 Capital Task Groups lead by Amphibious Assault Ship elements. The HFG is further supplemented by an array of support, surface warfare, submarine warfare, mine warfare, and shore warfare units.

Fleet formations receive orders from Manille Comande Marítima (MCM), otherwise known as Manille Maritime Command, a facility located close to the city of Manille. MCM is not to be confused with Armada Comande Corregidor, MCM's redundant office in the Armed Service's Corregidor High Command. Orders are issued from CMC to several relay stations using satellite communications, radio communications, and hard-line networks to pass orders to fleet flagships and task unit flagships. The dispersion of fleet elements means that the Armada could potentially survive a crippling strike on the homeland command and operate independently to carry out special orders.

The Armada as a whole employs guided missile destroyers, guided missile cruisers, submarines, 2 nuclear-powered carriers, littoral support ships, replenishment ships, offshore defence platforms, and a host of other support ships.

Doctrine

Carrier Task Force Deiargon on an Exercise in the Tiauhai Sea, 1981.

The Armada's two-fold duty consists of the protection of home territories and power projection abroad. The Republic of Iverica's reliance on those missions require the Armada to be the largest, and best-funded branch. The Peninsular Fleet Group relies extensively on combined-arms, strategising with the other branches of service while dedicating itself to routinary patrols around Iverican waters. The Expeditionary Fleet Group is significantly more mobile, ranging as far as the Oriental Ocean and Thalassa securing shipping interests in the area and occasionally being deployed to foreign theatres for projection or peacekeeping.

The Armada's combat doctrine is focused on disruption, counter-insurgency, maritime policing, and aerial supremacy. This is achieved by the Armada's fleet composition of carrier-based strike groups operating with the aid of guided-missile cruisers and reserve amphibious assault forces. It uses a combined force of Marine infantry, and ground vehicles supported by fire from cruise missiles and carrier-based sorties to damage enemy infrastructure. This highly mobile doctrine is not suited for static conventional warfare but rather, quick skirmishing targeted at destroying or disrupting the enemy's ability to wage war. Deployed forces are organised less for even, plodding advances, but are better fit for dynamic operations in detail. Marine units are best configured for seizing advantageous positions quickly to maintain a constant factor of surprise and pressure. This forces the enemy to either commit disproportionately more forces or to over-extend his current strength, making it easier for Army forces to occupy and decisively break enemy strength.

Naval Aviation

Main Article: Iverican Naval Aviation Service

The Naval Aviation Service or Armada Servicio L'Aire (ASA) is a subdivision of the Iverican Navy created with the purpose of training, maintaining, operating, and advancing aero-naval equipment. Their primary role is to provide the Navy and Marine Tercios with effective aero-naval warfare capabilities. Their missions vary from anti-ship missions, anti-submarine missions, carrier-based combat air patrol, AEW&C, SEAD, ground strike, close air support, to name a few. All Air Service aircraft bear the distinctive navy flash, roundel, and lettering "AAR" (Armada Aero dei L'Republica, "Naval Aircraft of the Republic"). The Air Service's motto is Non Solis radios sed Iovis fulmina mitto, which in translates in Anglish to, "Send not the rays of the Sun but the lightning-bolts of Jupiter".

Republican Marine Regiments (Tercios)

Main Article: Republican Marine Regiments

Sleeve Insignia of the Iverican Tercios

The Republican Marine Regiments or Regiminetos Tercio dei L'República currently has a force of 80,000 marines inclusive of service battalions and support crews. The Tercios function as the Republic of Iverica's elite amphibious infantry body. The Regiments not only serve as security for naval vessels but are the premier choice for honour guards in the Iverican government. Thus, all Iverican Embassies and a majority of foreign delegates are attached with a security detail of veteran marines.

The Regiments primarily carries out amphibious assault and air-assault operations. Tercio doctrine is heavily focused on Third-Generation and Fourth-Generation strategies and tactics including but not limited to, Manoeuvre warfare, Counter-Insurgency, and Asymmetric warfare. The regiments excel at operations-scale combined-arms deployments. Given the advances in the engagement range of shore-based weaponry, the Tercios have adapted well to air-assault deployments via parachute or helicopter insertion.

Given Iverica's geographical conditions and heavy naval focus, the Tercios are necessary as one of the best-equipped infantry bodies in the Armed Service. By many standards, they are better equipped and more rigorously trained than the regular infantry of the of Iverican Army. Many land systems developed and procured by the Armed Service consider deployability by the Tercio regiments above other concerns.

Fleet Commands

Súbic Naval Base, part of the greater Súbic Joint Forces Station

The Armada is divided into 5 Commands, the Peninsular Fleet Northern Command, the Peninsular Fleet Southern Command, the Expeditionary Command, the Shore Command, and the Reserve Command. Each command is administrative and led by an Almirante (OF-8). Unit tasking and the formation of mission task forces are under the discretion of this Almirante dei Comande (Admiral of the Command). The Almirante dei Comande and his staff are responsible for the maintenance of Armada standards, upkeep, and general readiness of the groups and forces under the Command.

Peninsular Fleet Northern Command
Known as Classis Peninsulare-Comande Norte in Iverican and abbreviated to "COMNOR", the northern command is focused on security in the Argic Ocean, protecting the vital shipping routes to and from Iverica and her northern trading partners. As of 2019, COMNOR duties extend to the protection of the Iverican Autonomous Region of Las Islas Ultramares. Headquartered in Súbic Júnt-Fuersas Stacióne, COMNOR maintains a winter-long ice-breaking unit to prevent their positions and routes from icing and ice-floe occurrences. Like the Southern Command, COMNOR maintains a small array of early warning stations and missile stations that support any fleet deployment by providing OTH radar intelligence, weather intelligence, and fire support.

Peninsular Fleet Southern Command
Known as Classis Peninsulare-Comande Sur in Iverican and abbreviated to "COMSUR", the southern command is focused on security in the Mediargic Seas, protecting the high-traffic routes that must pass Altaria's twin straits. COMSUR is faced with the need to constantly conduct civil maritime security and piracy deterring operations. Attempts by Alharun pirates to capture or raid civilian ships are common. Headquartered in Manille Júnt-Fuersas Stasione, CP-COMSUR maintains a relatively long area of operation. Its duties extend its patrols from the Sakspatí to the south-central regions of the North Oriental Ocean. Like CP-COMNOR, COMSUR maintains a small array of early warning stations and missile stations in the North Oriental that support any fleet deployment by providing OTH radar intelligence, weather intelligence, and fire support.

Expeditionary Fleet Command
Known in Iverican as Classis Expediciónaria Comande and abbreviated to "EXCOM", the expeditionary command is focused on far-reaching patrols into Thalassan waters and the closer fringes of the Adlantic Ocean. EXCOM is largely commanded from its two task force flagships, the VRI Deiargon and the VRI República and maintains its Iverican port-headquarters for administrative and berthing purposes only. EXCOM's decentralised chain of command makes it highly adaptable and quick to respond. Unlike formations in other commands, formation leaders in EXCOM communicate directly with the Capo-Almirante in Manille Maritime Command, needing only executive oversight from the Palá dei Primo to execute impromptu missions.

Home Shore Command
The Pàtriate Comande Litoral, abbreviated to "COMLIT" is composed of shore missile batteries, airfields, and a few coastal formations that mainly specialise in mine warfare and shore-based fire support. COMLIT maintains a dedicated corps of Marine Tercio infantry and Armada-Aire wings scattered in small battalion-sized formations throughout the coast. Alertness and quick-reaction is emphasised in combination with the Shore Command's relatively small size. As the command's various regional headquarters cannot maintain a secure coverage of the entire coast, it relies on a Defence-in-Detail doctrine together with support from all other branches of service.

Armada Reserve Command
The Armada Comande Reserva, abbreviated to "COMRES" is a collection of mostly support formations grouped together for administrative purposes. With some combat units and a wide variety of different support, service, and miscellaneous hull types in its roster, the COMRES serves other commands by re-tasking its elements to join other formations as needed. The reserve units act to bolster or extend the mission capabilities of formations actively pursuing a mission. Despite this, it holds a primary combat element of one Capital Task Group on hand for domestic security contingencies.

Map Showing Fleet Operating Areas.

  COMNOR

  EXCOM-Thalassa

  EXCOM-Adlantica

  COMSUR

  Limited Operations Area

Administrative Commands

Some commands are adminitrative in nature; handling training, procurement, discipline, and other management factors of various parts of the Armada. These commands will typically oversee a sets of personnel or ships of a certain class or type.

Aerial Command
The Armada Comande L'Aire refers to the administrative body managing Armada aerial assets and personnel. This command oversees the procurement of aircraft, their outfitting, storage, maintenance, service and support. The Aerial Command is also responsible for the upkeep and standards of the Armada Aerial Academies; institutions that provide courses and examinations that all naval aviators must pass before earning the designation of Aviador dei Armada (Aviator of the Navy). The command also ensures that service and support personnel like aircraft engineers, technicians, and controllers are all educated for their roles and responsibilities.

Auxiliary Command
The Armada Comande Auxilieri is responsible for a wide variety of the Armada's broad capabilities. This command alone administers the upkeep of the Armada's sealift, sea support, and service craft. In addition, a critical responsibility of the Auxiliary Command is the recruitment, training, and management of the Marineros Civil (Civil Sailors); a non-combatant paramilitary unit of irregular sailors that are recruited for auxiliary roles like crewing Tugs, Hospital Ships, Cable Layers, and other types of auxiliary ship.

Submarine Command
The Armada Comande Submarino manages the care and maintenance of submarine vessels and their personnel. Submarines require different facilities from surface ships and intake a different order of supplies and fuel. Submarine personnel are also more rigorously tested for technical expertise and psychiatric stability. Given these factors, the Submarine Command typically enjoys a larger budget per capita for victuals and crew comfort in order to maintain morale in the stress of an undersea environment. The Submarine Command also requires its enlisted personnel to undergo an extra submarine qualification course and its officers to attend a Submarine Warfare school in the province of Nou Navaerre.

Tercio Command
The Armada Comande Tercio is considered the subordinate entity under the Office of the Tercio Commandant. It is tasked with managing Tercio equipment, facilities, and personnel affairs. It operates depots, academies, training facilities, barracks, fortifications, and other Tercio installations. It is also tasked with researching and recommending equipment requisitions, recommending changes to operating procedures, amendments to the training standards, and other aspects of Tercio affairs.

Polar Service Command
The Comande dei Servicio Polar is the newest of Armada commands, having been formed in 2020 to manage Armada assets and personnel being positioned in the Argic Cirlce as part of the Polar Service Initiative. The majority of the polar service is made up of non-combatants that crew the Armada Polar Bases and stations, though a small percentage of Tercios and Armada officers are maintained for security reasons.

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  A SeT-91C executes a low approach to the aircraft carrier Deiargon.

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  VRI Notus, an fast combat support ship capable of underway replenishment.

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  A Domitor-class submarine embarks from Súbic Naval Base.

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  Tercios of an Extreme Climate Assault Battalion.

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  A Polar Service Patrol vessel in the Argic Circle.

Group System

Armada formations are organised into Groups or Grupos. These formations are loosely classified according to the role of their primary vessel or the type of naval warfare they specialise in (Mine warfare, Anti-Submarine warfare, etc) as oppossed to Squadrons, which merely refers to any small formation capable of being deployed on limited independent operations. This means that groups are usually structured to engage in short-term low to medium intensity operations and are limited to an operational or tactical scale unless operating with a larger formation.

To effect their role in the Armada, each Group is required by Armada doctrine to maintain at least one ship with capable ferry range and suitable surface self-defence and aerial defence capabilities (usually in the form of a CIWS paired with aerial-intercept and/or anti-ship missiles). All ships in the formation rely on the flagship for operational command and control. This ship is to act as the Group Flagship and must be commanded by a Group Master, a Contra-Almirante (OF-6) or higher.

The Group Master acts with the authority to take any defensive action necessary to safeguard his formation. At the absence of contact with a home command, it is the Group Master's responsibility to interpret the most effective means of accomplishing the last received orders.

Formations

Main Article: List of Active Iverican Navy Formations and Ships

Group Variants

• Auxiliary Group- typically provides sealift, sea service, tender, logistics, survey, and other service and service-support to combat groups. the AUXGRU is typically never deployed as a whole but instead delegates its elements to the mustering or reinforcement of other formations.

• Capital Task Group- an expeditionary group that conducts long-range patrols where the deployment of Marine ground forces and extensive aerial assets may be necessary. A CAPGRU is defined by being capable of totally autonomous operations for an extended duration, having at its disposal, all needed mission modules. A CAPGRU is typically defined by a capital ship; a Command Ship, or Aircraft Carrier. Some of its roles include:
  • Air Defence (Long Range)
  • Air Superiority (Fighter Deployment)
  • Air Early-Warning & Detection
  • Anti-Mining capabilities (Detection and Disposal)
  • Anti-ship and Anti-Submarine Warfare
  • Ballistic Missile Countermeasures
  • Ground Forces Deployment
  • In-land Bombardment (Cruise Missile & Air Strike)
  • Submarine Warfare (Submarine-launched guided missiles)

• Coastal Group- a coastal group refers to a formation of frigates, corvettes, or small littoral vessels which specialise in patrol, reconnaissance, mine warfare, and anti-submarine warfare. Unlike other groups, a COAGRU need not be composed of ocean-going ships.

• Mine Warfare Group- a group dedicated to deploying or detecting and disposing of mines at sea. Typically composed of frigates and/or corvettes, a MINGRU will have several module loadouts for its respective squadrons. Towed and hull-mounted sonar is used for detection, aided by rotor aircraft mounting mine detection and disposal modules. The group can also carry mines on vessel's aft sections or deploy them from their rotor aircraft.

• Mobile Strike Group- a lean quick response group meant for combat operations. A MOSGRU is can be underway in less than 24-hours.

• Sea Station Group- a mostly static cluster of manned and unmanned sea stations. With the primary missions of early-warning and air defence, a SESGRU is typically composed of vessels run aground and converted into static installations. Primary assets include Over-the-Horizon Radar, Anti-Aircraft Missiles, Anti-Ballistic Missile Missiles, Anti-Ship missiles, and CIWS.

• Shore Defence Group- a shore-based group manned by quick-reaction infantry and artillery units and supported by aero-naval units. Equipped primarily to resist hostile shore operations with Towed Erector Launchers using supersonic anti-ship missiles or with anti-aircraft missiles.

• Submarine Group- Armada submarine groups are currently composed of both nuclear and diesel-electric submarines in attack roles and ballistic missile roles. Primarily equipped with submarine-launched missile systems like the TevRan and ME-DE missile systems, SUBGRUs are commonly used as deterrents and anti-ship standoff assets. Diesel Electric elements are cheaper alternatives that are used for short-range patrols.

Other Group-Sized Formations:

• Carrier Task Force- identical to a Capital Task Group in mission capability and autonomous capability. It differs in the use of a nuclear-powered carrier as flagship, with a much larger destroyer and submarine escort.
• Air Detachment- referring to air formations hosted on Carriers, shore installations, or sea installations. Unlike air formations in the Fuersas L'Aire, Armada Air Detachments carry flights trained and equipped for anti-ship operations and other aero-naval operations.
• Reserve Task Force- identical to a Reserve Task Group, but equipped with an aircraft carrying capital ship.

Squadron Variants

Unlike Groups, Squadrons are smaller formations of ships, usually between 2-6, which can vary in composition, but are usually configured to carry out a specific operation. A squadron may be composed of vessels with differing hull classifications that complement one another in the pursuit of a mission that may require more than one type of warfare specialisation. As the smallest permanent unit capable of limited independent operations, the squadron typically designates a squadron leader vessel and in extended operations, relies on the squadron leader's captain and/or executive officers to coordinate supply and endurance efforts.

Installations

Maritime Installations

Sound Surveillance System

The Iverican Navy maintains national and extra-national maritime installations. In the Navy's case, these are ship-servicing facilities (docks, berths, naval yards, fueling points, dry docks, etc.), shore defence facilities (Anti-Ship Missile sites, Flight facilities, Signals facilities, etc.), and static sea-stations (usually vessels run delliberately run-aground and reinforced to serve as resupply points and quick-depolyment points. Both the Air Force and Navy maintain masts or unmanned installations at sea tha collect weather data and other forms of intelligence data (acoustic data, infrared data, radar rata, etc.)

• Islandero Sea Stations located on Mischief Reef, the Mid-North Oriental Shelves, the Verde Sea and marine protrusions and elevations are examples of large military vessels reinforced with concrete and equipped with OTH radar, SONAR, flight facilities, and Anti-Ballistic Missiles.
• Submarine monitoring infrastructure assets are also used by the Armada to maintain surveillance of surrounding waters. SOSUS networks are set up along naval chokepoints and borders; the channels between Iverica, Altaria, and Verde are one example of this. The Armada is suspected to operate SOSUS installations in their static Sea Stations in the North Oriental Ocean and the Verde Sea.
• Oceanographic installations in conjunction with projects to create detailed submarine maps using depth-sounding and other hydrographic and oceanographic technologies are used to identify possible anomalies, threats, or covert submarine measures like planted mines, buoys, or submersibles. Seafloor mapping technology of the 21st century is sufficiently detailed that even small discrepancies in submarine topography can be identified by vessels equipped with towed arrays.

Orbital Installations

During the Second Argic War, the Iverican government began efforts to equip itself with military and civilian satellites. Launch capabilities were explored in conjuction with research and development of communications, weather, and spy satellites. The Armada employed a partner company in the Sunset Sea Islands to launch its first constellion of communications satellites. About 8 military satellites were launched from the Sunset Sea Islands in 1979 with a further 10 to follow by 1990. Current assets include space-based imaging, radar, and other sensors.

Orbital Assets include:

• Communications satellites that provide dedicated communication for the Armada.
• Space-based Radar which is shared with the WARD.
• Imaging (Optical, Thermal, Electro-magnetic, and Spectral) which assists intelligence collection and monitoring.
• Small reconnaissance satellites that can be air launched to orbit. These are typically "disposable" satellites which can be deployed into unusual decaying orbits that most satellites would normally not pass.

Personnel

Escuela Naval Militar, in Nou Stille

The Armada Iverica has over 350,000 personnel, approximately 300,000 are on active duty. More than 186,000 enlisted sailors and around 43,000 are commissioned officers; the rest are Subcabineros of the Armada naval academies and Subcabineros of the Youth Volunteer Corps at over 42 universities around the country.

The service boasts one of the most competent sailors in the wurld, regularly deployed abroad and often engaged in combat over the numeroud flashpoints around the wurld. The Armada's body of experienced enlisted and commissioned personnel have the benefit of a naval science built upon a canon of experience and theory incorporating several wars, 3 of which are modern wars. Personnel are taught to draw inspiration from the Armada's 8 centuries of unbroken service to the Iberic people. Service in the Armada is valued in Iberic society as a indicator that an individual is competent and disciplined at his trade. Armada Officers carry international reputation as gentlemen. Despite not having used purchased commissions since the 18th century, Armada officers are strictly trained in decorum and etiquette as they are often expected to act as representatives of the Republic when no Foreign Ministry personnel are present.

Sailors prove they have mastered skills and deserve responsibilities by completing tasks and examinations. Among the most important is the "warfare qualification", which denotes a journeyman level of capability in Surface Warfare, Aviation Warfare, Information Dominance Warfare, Naval Aircrew, Special Warfare, Seabee Warfare, Submarine Warfare or Expeditionary Warfare. Many qualifications are denoted on a sailor's uniform with Armada badges and insignia.

Recruitment

A batch of volunteers is tested for physical fitness

The Iverican Navy recruits volunteer male and female citizens between the ages of 16 and 38. Volunteers under the age of 18 must have a signed consent form from a parent or legal guardian. While Solidaridad nationals who are not yet Iverican citizens may volunteer, they must have at least 5 years of uninterrupted residency in Iverica, must have no criminal record in any country that they have previously resided in, and must have begun the process of seeking citizenship in Iverica before volunteering for service. Just before graduating from Fleet School a Solidaridad national must renounce any citizenship they may have held.

Among the uniformed branches of service, the Armada experiences the largest influxes of recruits per annum. Roughly 39% of all recruits that apply, do so with Armada recruiters. As such, the Ministry of Defence has discouraged the Armada from recruiting at secondary schools. Despite this, the majority of Armada recruits tend to be aged 16-18 years. Given that certification from Armada schools tend to be highly regarded, many citizens apply in the interest of free education.

Applicants must pass tests evaluating physical health, mental health, and general intelligence before they can begin basic training at Fleet School. The Armada does not accept foreign nationals residing in Iverica, Ivericans with non-Solidaridad dual citizenship, or non-Solidaridad foreign nationals seeking citizenship. If the Iverican parliament officially declares a state of war, the Iverican Armada may choose to open a draft according to constitutional regulations.

Unlike the Iverican Army, navy recruits do not enlist at regimental offices; the armada uses a centralised "continental" approach to training and organising its personnel, meaning that training and incorporation are not restricted to the confines of a single unit. Rather, personnel that enlist together in the same municipality may find themselves trained and quartered in any Armada facility for Fleet School. Armada recruits training for an occupational speciality are also more free to choose a vessel or command to be deployed in.

A pair of recruits are briefed on damage control and firefighting

The Armada segregates its recruits into Classes (Class A-D) according to an enlistment field filled by a recruit stating a desired school of service. While standards for Class C and D recruits (civil mariner training or irregular occupations) are very inclusive and manageable, standards for Class A and B (surface warfare, submarine warfare, aero-naval warfare, etc.) are much higher. Aspirants to combatant occupations in classes A and B must have no prior criminal record, must pass a different physical fitness exam, and must be further screened for mental health issues. Recruits aspiring for aero-naval warfare's flight school must take special exams focusing on physics and varying mathematical disciplines. Flight School aspirants must also have 20-20 vision.

Recruits who pass evaluations proceed to basic training or Fleet School. Recruits of all classes herein may be mixed. Tests for Class A and B personnel are administered during basic training at Fleet School. Class A and B recruits who pass are sent to their respective occupational specialty schools like Armada Surface Warfare School or Armada Flight School. A recruit aspiring for Class A or B occupations who fails any part of basic training may attempt once after the first failure, and only once every three years succeeding. Recruits who do not meet the standards for their desired occupations may remain in basic training to take lower class evaluations.

Recruits who are aspiring for an officer's commission must have (at least) a bachelor's degree from any recognised Iverican University and must apply with a signed letter from either a Member of the Chamber or his province's Governadorcillo. Apart from more rigorous general intelligence tests, officers must also possess adequate decorum, discipline, and speaking skills; these are assessed at Officer's Qualification Course, a 2-week assessment before joining the Officer's Academy.

Training

Graduates at the Escuela Naval Militar prepare to receive their epaullettes

Fleet School provides basic training for all enlisted recruits. Apart from evaluating physical and mental capacities, fleet school teaches other basic skills all Armada sailors are expected to possess. Here, recruits learn communications (flags, morse, radio), basic signals training (operating signal terminals), weapons training and first aid. Class A and B will also be expected to learn basic seamanship. Basic seamanship teaches sailors how to stand a watch, how to assist with damage control, how to manage and maintain ground tackle, deck fittings, lines, cables, booms, and includes basic boat seamanship. Class C and D recruits spend approximately 6-8 weeks in Fleet School. Class A and B recruits must finish 12 weeks. At the end of this period, recruits are tested extensively with practical and written exams. Class A and B recruits will enter a 1-week immersion and examination period where they will be tested aboard an Armada vessel. Completing Fleet School awards the recruit with the rank of Marinero (OR-1).

Graduates of Fleet School may either spend 4-6 months serving on a naval vessel as a trainee sailor or may go directly to an occupational specialty school depending on the circumstances or the graduate's choice. Specialty schools teach a wide array of competencies such as: management schools, corpsman school, engineering schools, and schools of different naval warfare. Specialty schools may be conducted in Armada bases, ships, or dedicated academies. They vary in difficulty and duration. Some of the shorter school courses only last 4-weeks but some (like Armada Corpsman School) may take up to a year to complete unless the sailor has previous accreditable education. Graduating from any occupational specialty school usually results in the attainment of a warfare qualification and a Marinero's promotion to either Aptmarinero (OR-2) or Cabremarinero (OR-3). Depending on the specialty completed, a pair of badges relevant to the school of warfare completed will be presented to graduates.

For officer aspirants, Officer Qualification is nearly identical to Fleet School, though with the added decorum classes. Graduating from the qualification course allows an officer to hold the rank of Subcabinero (OF-D). Subcabineros are expected to serve 12 months on a naval ship learning the basics of all stations from propulsion all the way to tactical action and bridge stations. At the end of this training tour, a competent Subcabinero may be promoted to Cabinero (OF-1) and may choose a specialisation at the Armada Officer's Academy, in the Escuela Naval Militar in Nou Stille. Graduating from the officer's academy with honours may result in promotion to Subteniente (OF-1); regardless, a graduate is officially worthy to be an officer at sea—denoted by a pair of specialty badges presented upon graduation. Upon graduation, the officer is also presented with one smallsword, an auiguillette, an officer's cap, and his first epaullette (worn on the right shoulder).

A Fleet School recruit navigates a crawl obstacle

Equipment

See Full List

Active Classifications

Main Article: List of Active Iverican Navy Ships

ANCILE Combat System

VRI Servantes, a Saragossa-Class (CG-991-D) ANCILE guided missile cruiser. The Servantes is the largest and most heavily-armed ANCILE surface ship and is currently equipped with the upgraded G-42 Vertical Launch system to better accomodate the new blocks of ME-DE missiles.

The ANCILE Combat System (ACS) is an Iverican integrated naval weapons system developed by the Armada Division of the Republican Armed Service's Office of Military Technology in 1979. ANCILE is an acronym taken from the first two letters of pioneer developers Oscar H. Andersson, Marco M. Cincinato, Hugo A. Leif, who were responsible for researching and developing the phased-array radar integration with interceptor missile technology. The name was also chosen in reference to Ancile, the shield of the Arhoman god of war.

Originally developed from the ANCILE Missile and Air Raid Defence System (developed in 1975); ANCILE Combat System operates under the same principle of utilising an ecosystem of intelligence, computing, and weapon systems that are engineered for compatibility and interoperability. In essence, the combat system uses radar and fire-control computers to coordinate weapon systems (often multiple) to destroy a target. The Combat System is considered by the Office of Military Technology to be a more comprehensive, combat-capable version of the Missile and Air Raid Defence System.

Combat Information Center (CIC) layout of early ANCILE ships

The Combat System links a variety of modules and components but these can generally be subdivided into Radars, Fire-Control Computers, and Weapon/Countermeasure systems. ANCILE relies on high-volume searching and targeting-quality data from its radars as input in a computer which uses a heuristic to classify targets according to velocity, vector, relative proximity, and other characteristics.

Both ANCILE Defence and Combat Systems were remarkable in the era they were introduced because of the leaps in radar integration and computing that they introduced to the battlespace. ANCILE was made possible by the development of the first Iverican phased array radar (RPA-1, known via the modern TRIDENT designation RI/SPY-1); a non-rotating radar allowing for permanent watch on the airspace at all times. Equally, the advances in computer processing were also critical factors; as the newer automated systems that allowed the tracking and locking of multiple targets enabled the concept of a system capable of countering swarm or mass-raid tactics. ANCILE was a pioneer system that allowed the weapon system's rough guidance from the surveillance radar to be shifted to the more precise guidance of a fire-control radar in a matter of seconds.

Today, ANCILE maintains its necessity in naval warfare. The Armada's continual advancement of radar and computer technology has scaled ANCILE's capabilities to the demands set by modern manoeuvrability, stealth, and countermeasure advancements. According to the Armada, ANCILE's current value in the naval battlespace stems from the wide array of ANCILE compatible radar, computer systems, and weapon systems created by various Iverican and TRIDENT-aligned developers. This allegedly gives ANCILE the flexibility to engage a wide variety of threats ranging from ships to ballistic missiles, depending on the ANCILE ship's configuration. As of 2020, ANCILE has been tested for Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), a term used by the Armada Iverica to refer to an evolution of the ANCILE Defence System's launch/engage-on-remote technology; CEC aims to grow previous capabilities to include airborne ISR for the engagement of surface and lower aerial targets in addition to engage-on-remote's ballistic missile defence interception focus.

Initially used by the Armada Iverica, ANCILE is now used also by the United States of Prymont Navy, the Royal Gallambrian Navy, and the Federated Commonwealth Defence Forces

Recent Developements

Sicario Class SSNs in a covered wetdock, Ultramares Naval Base

The modernsation initiative, RAS 2020 resulted in the improvement of the Armada's greenwater efficiency while advancing its bluewater presence significantly.

Armada Commands responsible for close-to-shore defence experienced a reshuffling of their order of battle. In 2015, the Armada began a gradual effort to re-base destroyers, cruisers, larger frigates, larger submarines, and capital ships to strategic positions in the Argic Circle and the Mediargic Seas. Re-based units were gradually replaced with a greater number of minewarfare ships and smaller diesel-electric submarines. Overall, the shift reduced the operating cost of Commands closer to home shores while expanding the Armada's capability to defend interests further from the Iverican Peninsula.

RAS 2020 had also financed the procurement of ship-board nuclear reactors from the United States of Prymont Navy, the retrofit of several submarines and carriers to nuclear vessels, the refit of 3 Amphibious Assault Ships into light carriers, the mass-production of the ME-DE (Missile Estandarde-Distancia Extendé) missile series, and the mass production of the Variotan-Iverican anti-ship missile known as the TevRan