Tengarian Home Guard

Tengarian Home Guard
Тенгарска патрия Oхрана
Banner of the Home Guard
Founded	1407 (1407)
Country	Tengaria
Type	Gendarmerie
Role	Bodyguard Border control Law enforcement Military police Intellegence Security guard
Size	43,220 active personnel 14,455 reservists
Headquarters	Okhrana Building, Lenovo
Patron	Saint John the Apostle
Motto(s)	"Semper Vigilans" "Винаги бдителен" "Always Vigilant"
Colors	Gold, White, Dark Green
March	"Oхрана Марш" "Okhrana March"
Mascot(s)	Eagle
Anniversaries	Feast of Saint John 8 May Repose of St. John 26 September
Engagements	Iconoclast Wars Green Revolution Great War Tengarian Civil War
Commanders
Current commander	Petar Lucov
Notable commanders	Aleksendar Manev

The Tengarian Home Guard (Tengarian: Тенгарска патрия Oхрана), historically known as the Imperial Guard and known simply as the Okhrana ("Guard"), is the gendarmerie of Tengaria and a section of the Tengarian Armed Forces. It has historically served a wide variety of functions, and currently serves as the primary Tengarian unit for internal security. Comprised of multiple branches and subunits, it is one of the world's most broad-reaching gendarmerie forces.

The Home Guard has four primary divisions. The largest of these is the Gendarmerie Guard Corps, which is one of Tengaria's two law enforcement agencies, dealing with significant internal crises and emergencies, and functions as the military police for the Armed Forces. The second is the Border Guard Corps, which covers the country's border control and protection, as well as customs and immigration control. The most historic branch, the Life Guard Corps, serves as a bodyguard and security guard for important politicians and political assets. The Guard Department is an intelligence agency which historically also functioned as a secret police. As a part of the Armed Forces, it is overseen by the Ministry of Defense, although the Guard Department and Gendarmerie Guard also report to the Ministry of the Interior.

The Imperial Guard was founded in 1407 by Emperor Vasil II "the Bold" from his companions, initially as a unit of cavalry which accompanied the Emperor on the field of battle. After Vasil's death the Guards transitioned into several elite units which remained in the personal service of the Emperor but often operated with the Imperial Army. In the 19th century the Guard began to expand its capacities and numbers, taking on roles of a gendarmerie following the Gaullican model and later containing the Tengaria's counter-revolutionary intelligence agency and secret police. During the Tengarian Republic, the Guard was renamed and split into various branches. After the Tengarian Civil War, the Home Guard was again reformed and restored to its functions.

Organisation

Life Guard Corps

The oldest branch of the Home Guard is the Life Guard Corps (живот Oхрана), which used to consist of the entire Imperial guard and bear its name. The lifeguard were considered distinct units of the Tengarian Army, first of cavalry before expanding to include other aspects. Although a part of the army, the remained under the personal command of the Emperor, and developed a unique rank and honor system. Over time, these Imperial Guards became also known by the Weranic term Leibgarde, after the practice of several Eastern Euclean states. Although functioning as part of the Army, the Imperial Guard became a unique branch in 1806, responsible for the protection of the Emperor as well as the security of the capital. However, most of the combat capable Guard still coordinated with the Army.

Border Guard Corps

The Border Guard Corps dates back to the 18th century, as military units assigned to protect Tengaria's borders. Although they bore an Okhrana name, they were not originally a part of the Imperial Guard, but functioned as an offspring of the Army. In the early 19th century, these units were reorganised under the recently formed Imperial Guard in 1808.