Ottonian Federal Defense Service
| Ottonian Federal Defense Service | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1872 (As Ottonian Federal Army) 1949 (as Ottonian Federal Defense Service) |
| Service branches | Ottonian Federal Army Ottonian Federal Navy Ottonian Federal Air Corps Ottonian Federal Guard Service |
| Headquarters | Fort Walder Filius, Ottonia City, Federal Capital District |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Premier Junn Andrsunn |
| Director of Defense | Rodrik Wyller |
| Head Chief of Staff | Field Marshal Erik Harrenhulm |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 16, the first age of majority. Maximum age for first enlistment is 34 for the Army and Navy, 36 for the Air Corps, and 36 for the Guard Service. |
| Conscription | No |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | Svaartaron, VHI |
The Ottonian Federal Defense Service, often referred to as the OFDS, is the the combined armed forces of the Federation of Ottonian Republics. It is comprised of three primary branches, administered by the Department of Defense. It is also often considered to include the (administratively separate) Ottonian Federal Guard Service due to the related nature of the Federal Guard's duties and training, although the Guard Service is actually administered by the
Federal Army
Federal Air Corps
Federal Guard Service
The largest of the OFDS branches by manpower, the Federal Guard Service is a large agency in its own right and fulfills a number of major functions. Jointly administered by the Department of Defense and the Department of Public Safety, the OFGS has an expansive mission and a number of subbranches designed to fulfill its complicated role.
Civil Guard
The Civil Guard acts as a national gendarmerie, ensuring adequate policing and safety officers for rural areas and supporting local public safety officials around the country, as well as acting as the police force for the Federal Capital District. The Civil Guard is mostly professionalized and also serves as an aegis organization for all Federal policing efforts.
Federal Investigative Service
The Federal Investigative Service is a federal police bureau, operating within the larger structure of the Civil Guard, dealing with crimes committed on federally-administered lands, across inter-Republic borders, federal crimes rather than Republic crimes, counterfeiting, terrorism, or involving members of the OFDS. The FIS's support can also be requested by local law enforcement when necessary resources for handling a crime outstrip those available. The FIS is the least-militarized of the Civil Guard, and is almost entirely professionalized with the occasional exception of some administrative and logistical staff positions that are sometimes filled by conscripts.
Transit Guard
The Federal Transit Guard is a federal police service that specifically handles security, law enforcement, fire fighting, rescue, and evacuation services on Ottonian inter-city, inter-Republic, and international trains, railway stations, highways, and airports. The FTG is unusually conscript-heavy, particularly for duties like traffic enforcement and routine security, leaving the more specialized duties to be executed by professionals.
Assault Guard
The Assault Guard is the only subbranch of the Civil Guard that is 100% professionalized. Serving as the SWAT units for the Civil Guard and its subbranches as a whole, the Federal Assault Guard is rarely used but has high standards for recruitment and retention.
Fire Guard
The Fire Guard is composed of Civil Guards who opt to specialize specifically in firefighting and urban rescue operations. Although Fire Guards can theoretically be pulled for regular Civil Guard duty in a pinch, in practice this is rare. The Fire Guard fills approximately half of its manpower needs through conscription.
Ranger Service
The Federal Ranger Service primarily deals with public safety duties, including search & rescue, law enforcement, and first aid, in the nation's rural and wilderness areas.
National Guard
Often referred to informally (and somewhat confusingly) as "Federal Guards", the National Guard acts as an emergency supplement to the Civil Guard as well as serving as the reserve militia for the Federal Army. The National Guard is only partially professionalized, with much of its manpower quotas being filled via conscription. The standing manpower of the National Guard is also quite low, limited mostly to a skeleton of professional administrative staff, as most conscripts who choose the National Guard for their national service opt for longer terms as reservists.
Republican Home Guards
Unusually, the Republican Home Guards are primarily organized and operated by the Ottonian constitutent republics, with assistance, auxiliary funding, and oversight from the OFGS. Each Republic maintains its own Home Guard, which serves a hybrid duty between the National Guard and Civil Guard in terms of serving as both army reserve/militia and gendarmerie. Home Guards cannot be filled through conscription with the exception of National Guard reservists being able to transfer to their home Republic's Home Guard.
Marine Guard
The Marine Guard serves primarily as the FOR's Coast Guard service, patrolling the nation's territorial waters as a marine gendarmerie, as well as serving as a reserve/auxiliary to the Federal Navy. The Marine Guard coordinates closely with the Frontier Guard. A significant amount of the Marine Guard's manpower is conscripted.
Air Guard
The Air Guard serves as an auxiliary and reservist pool for the Federal Air Corps, as well as providing air support for the other OFGS branches, usually via propeller-based aviation. While the Air Guard accepts conscripts, its manpower base is small enough that very few are requested or accepted.
Frontier Guard
The Frontier Guard serves as the FOR's border security agency. Aside from occasional logistical, administrative, or support positions, the Frontier Guard is mostly professionalized and is charged with controlling the nation's border crossings including at airports and port authorities, usually working closely with other bureaus.