Royal Acrean Army
| Royal Acrean Army Hæren Heer Armée | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 16 January 1432 - Present |
| Country |  Acrea |
| Type | Army |
| Size | 473,264 active duty personnel 352,667 Army Reserve personnel 400,523 Regular Reserve personnel 1,195,454 total |
| Part of | Acrean Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Trier |
| Motto(s) | "För allt vi har och allt vi är" |
| Engagements | Kunhegyes Conflict Ruvelkan Civil War Great Eracuran War Liberation War Refusal War Zemplen War Midsummer War |
| Commanders | |
| Chief of Defence Staff | Eirik Stordalen |
The Royal Acrean Army is the land warfare branch of Acrea, a part of the Acrean Armed Forces. It is the oldest branch of the armed forces. The official commander-in-chief of the Acrean Armed Forces and therefore the Army is the Crown, however the Chancellor has served as the de facto commander-in-chief on behalf of the Crown since the early 20th Century. The Army is administered by the Ministry of Defence and is led by the Chief of the General Staff.
First established in 1432, the Acrean Army is one of the oldest standing modern armies in Tyran. The formation of a standing Army was done as a consequence of the Ivorian Reforms; the Acrean Empire had been one of the first civilisation to create a standing army, made up of professional soldiers who dedicated years of service before retiring. The first regiments of professional soldiers that were stood up consisted primarily of former Acrean mercenaries. These men were experienced, trained, and favoured the prospect of a regular wage and the accompanying security that came along with it.
The Army is the largest Acrean military branch. It has three main components- the active-duty Army, the Army Reserve, and the Regular Reserve. The active-duty Army consists of the professional regular army, and at the end of 2020 had approximately 481,000 personnel. Conscription for the regular army became unenforced in 1990, as the military's active-duty components moved to an entirely professional force. Both the Army Reserve and the Regular Reserve make up the Acrean Army Reserve Forces, with the Army Reserve serving as the upper echelon and the Regular Reserve as the lower echelon. The Army Reserve, Army comprising the volunteer reserve force, is kept to a much higher readiness and training standard than the Regular Reserve. Its personnel are required to attend regular drill training at least once a month, and two-week trainings three times annually. They receive higher priority for equipment, however the equipment generally trickles down from the regular army. Soldiers who are transitioning from active duty service to Army Reserve service are allowed to keep their already issued equipment for the duration of their contract. As a consequence of their greater time commitment, Army Reserve personnel are also afforded higher pay compensation than the Regular Reserves.
History
First founded in 1432, the Acrean Army traces its modern traditions to 1630 and King Leopold IV's martial and social reforms. The Leopoldine Era, in contrast to the Ivorian Era which came three centuries before it, was centered around power rather than the uplifting of society. Although a boon to the Kingdom, the social reorganisation of the Ivorian Reforms and economic prosperity of the Aterlysning brought a fundamental challenge to Leopold IV in the form of social conflict between a still-growing middle class, and the "Junkers"; lower noble landowners. Distinct from the middle and upper classes of the population, as well as from the higher titled nobility, the Junkers constituted their own tightly-knit group of elites who sought to maintain their growing economic dominance at the expense of the high nobility, as well as the middle- and upper-classes. A program was instituted by Leopold IV called the Friste, in which in exchange for the payment of a huge sum to the Crown, the King would allow the Junkers the ability to rule their estates without direct interference from the Crown or thehigh nobility. Leopold IV subsequently used this newly centralised bounty of wealth to re-acquire power and resources from the Junkers. He first targeted the weaker and more rebellious of the Junker families; with each, they were stripped of much of their wealth, which was subsequently re-invested back in the growth of the army, until it had grown so powerful that the strongest of the Junker families did not need to be physically confronted or challenged to fall in line.
To a lesser extent, the Friste was extended to the high nobility as well. However, in compensation, Leopold generously offered positions and postings within the government and the new army. These positions were not only well-paid but prestigious, reflecting the high opinion of the new, wholly professional army under the Crown's command. For those Junker families who had not engaged in conflict with the common people or treasonous behaviour, they were offered lower positions. Through these actions, Leopold IV successfully tied the well-being and success of the nobility to the state and the Crown. Thus, anyone who was anyone in Acrean society then had an interest in the well-being of the state and, by extension, the army.
Following the Friste, Leopold IV's attention turned to reform of the army which, although vastly expanded in size and repute, still followed the model of the 200-year old Ivorian-era professional army. The army was considered the bastion of what became known as "Acrean Virtues"; traits such as discipline, loyalty, and modesty. In 1628, Leopold IV instituted the levy, or Landvakt, system. The Landvakt system was the first organised system of conscription in Acrea, and was created with the purpose of not only increasing the number of soldiers available at any given time, but also providing an immense, deep reserve of military-trained men which could be called upon in times of war. The reforms stipulated that all able-bodied men were required to serve at least two years under standard beginning at any point from their nineteenth to their twenty-third birthday, formed into Landvakt regiments which were based locally in the areas from which their manpower originated. These regiments would serve in support of the regular professional army, and would receive training equal to the regular army with the only fundamental difference being their shorter time of service.
Organisation
At the highest level of command is the Army Ministry, headed by the Chief of the General Staff. It oversees both the Army and the Marine Corps, and the portion of the defence budget granted to the Army Ministry is divided between both. The Army and the RAMC maintain separate procurement and supply, though maintain a high degree of standardisation for logistics.
The combat strength of the Acrean Army is organised into two Army Groups- Army Group North (AGN), commanded by Gen. Solveig Stensrud, and Army Group Center (AGC), commanded by Gen. Fredrik Rasmussen. The active duty component of the Acrean Army is composed of four field armies: 6th Army in Götland and 1st Army in Nyland under AGN, and 2nd Army in Visingsö with the 8th Army in Côte d'Or under AGC. Together, the four field armies comprise a combat strength of 21 active duty combat divisions, and are supplemented by a further 17 reserve divisions.
Personnel
Rank Structure
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Generals
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Field Officers
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Enlisted
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