Home Guard of TECT
| The Home Guard of TECT | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of The Home Guard | |
| Active | 1970-Present |
| Country | TECT |
| Allegiance |  The Empire of Common Territories |
| Type | Land force, Militia, air force |
| Size | 10,000,000+ |
| Part of | TECT Armed Forces |
| Nickname(s) | Imperial Militia, Home Guard, HG, Imperial Guard |
| Patron | Sgt. Miller |
| Motto(s) | "Defending our homes, our nation, and our families." |
| Colors | White and Green |
| Mascot(s) | Wolverine |
| Anniversaries | June 16th |
| Commanders | |
| Secretary | Christian Nadel |
| Chief of Staff | LT. GEN. Ulrich Luft |
| Sergeant Major | Dirk Koertig |
The Home Guard of TECT or Imperial Guard (HG), is a reservist military branch under the TECT Armed Forces. The Home Guard is comprised of States', Imperial States', and territories' armed forces; units in these armed forces are then organized on the national level by said branch commanders. Each state operates an armed force that serves as its armed forces in a time of need and thus are regulated under both their State's (or other territory's) government and the national command structure. Home Guard forces are primarily filled with volunteers who opt to join said armed forces either full time or part time; a standing quota does require some the conscription of some citizens who are deemed fit for duty. On August 21, 1996 the Congress of TECT passed a law heavily regulating the Home Guard. Home Guard Regulations Action, signed by the Emperor for approval, limited territories and the national command from recruiting outside irregular levels, requires a stable and well regulated budget, and to tighten loopholes between state and national commands. HGRA is famous for setting a national level of ten million Guardsmen at a time to be the maximum recruits possible; once volunteers are counted, conscription based on committee decisions will take place; it is here where States often fight for additional numbers or funds. If the number after graduates decreases from the original recruitment process, the entire cycle is repeated until the ten million mark is reached.
The Home Guard's primary role is state defense from natural forces, threats both foreign and domestic, and to enforce state law and security; state executives have used such armed forces in the past to assist in disasters and increase manpower for security situations - colony and territory governments use Guards as their primary security forces, often as self-defense forces. The primary command structure is made up similar to the Imperial Army's structures; leaders are commanding officers with the State's/Territory's executive acting as the Commander-In-Chief (culturally speaking, the Emperor still remains the Commander-In-Chief of all military forces - this case is no different and the structure, through the national command structure, still has the Emperor as the executive.). Ranks, structure of units, and organization is identical to the Imperial Army. In terms of equipment, Home Guard units operate most ground equipment the Imperial Army does - the difference being that the equipment is often older handy downs and with less strategic means. For example, Home Guard units operate older Feurig 1A1s and Feurig 2A1s along with modern troop carriers and artillery. The Air Branch of Home Guard forces operate standard Imperial Army helicopters but not fighter or strategic aircraft. Home Guard forces often do not operate naval or maritime equipment; some, however, operate river boats and other patrol oriented craft. Primary naval defense is handled by the Imperial Navy's Coast Guard Branch.
Guardsmen serve a standard two years deployment which is for all soldiers. Recruits have a choice of part time service (often working a week or weekend at a time) or full time (deployed like other military forces in bases or actual combat deployments). These soldiers are reservists (except full time deployed) and will receive requests to deploy to war if necessary; conscripted soldiers being forced to go to war has never happened or is so rare that it has never happened. This makes recruitment cycles annually ever two years rather then having recruiting in branches. Recruits then travel to Imperial Army recruitment centers/bases for basic and job training.
Conscription Debate
The debate whether to conscript or not is heavily based off the number allowed and demanded for manpower. Ten million was the estimated cap during the time primarily because of the Mainland States. According to the HGRA law still, "Territories, foreign to the Mainland, are outside the established number requirement standard." This portion protects territories and colonies from penalties in having larger then average Home Guard troops; the idea being they are less protected since they're farther away from home, requiring as much manpower as possible. These entities do however have to abide by budgeting and conscription regulations, preventing the past abuses seen by the pre-HGRA Home Guard scandals. The debate continues, however, with Colonial States. One side supports the same policy as territories must follow because such "States are isolated to the same extent as colonies and territories - they lack immediate help if under attack or under a disastrous situation." Opponents of this often make the claim that the fact such territories achieve statehood means they should follow the same standards as the States. "Part of achieving statehood is following the standards set by them and the central government. This must include HGRA limits. The fact they were able to achieve such a status as a state means they are established enough to mean they are well protected and organized as a territory." Appeals in national court system are reaching both State and the Empire's Supreme Courts. A 2012 ruling, upheld by the Emperor, exempts Colonial States from the Mainland's standards. Citing the original 1st District Judge's ruling, "A Colonial State, like any, must follow the standards given to it by other States, the central government, and the Emperor. However. Security in terms of national defense and other risks leaves such territories open for damages if not prepared strongly enough. Any territory, state or not, outside our mainland is at risk everyday of attack or looming threat - thus, Colonial States should be allowed to prepare rationally as any other foreign bound territory to the Empire."