Citizens Vigilant of the Sanctified Republic
 Citizens Vigilant Emblem | |
| Abbreviation | CVDS |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Toujours vigilant, toujours fidèle" |
| Formation | 6 August, 1985 |
| Type | Party Paramilitary, Volunteer Militia |
| Headquarters | Skiara Palace, Amlaí, Valtrissia Province, Veltria |
Founder | Apostle Reynar Murat |
General Superior | Constans Bernadotte |
Archprelate | Apostle Kirila Adélie |
| Affiliations | Department for State Security, Astąhvist Unity Party |
| Website | cvds.vel.org |
The Citizens Vigilant (Veltrian: Citoyens vigilants du Dominion sanctifié), officially the Citizens Vigilant of the Sanctified Dominion, and frequently abbreviated CVDS, is the paramilitary volunteer militia of the Astąhvist Unity Party (AUP) in the Sanctified Dominion of Veltria. Established by the AUP following the martyrdom of Councilor Mila Atnavis in Virakia (where Riskom Suldad rebels overthrew the local Aylanian government in 1985, initiating the Lakkari Insurrection), the Apostolic decree Sur la défense de la patrie encouraged the formation of a national people's militia - composed of Astąhvist men in noble civic standing - to defend brothers and sisters of the faith from the threat of violent secularists at home, and oversee adherence to Astąhvist social doctrine in their local communities. During the 1990s, the CVDS played a critical role in the political destabilization of the Aylanian Federation - clashing with paramilitaries controlled by opposition parties, and providing "protection" for AUP polling stations and rallies. During the 2000 Unitist Revolution and fall of the Aylanian government, the CVDS' paramilitary wing grew to over 88,000 troops, and was an essential component of the newly ascendant Unitist government's effort to neutralize counter-revolutionary sentiments among the Veltrian population.
Today, the force is composed of faithful Veltrian women as well as men (representing 53% of the organization's total membership), and remains mostly dominated by its youth membership. Two thirds of the CVDS' 4.7 million members are reportedly under 30, attracted by a variety of social benefits conferred by volunteering - including financial support programs for poorer families, university scholarships, job-training services, use of CVDS community centers, and access to the CVDS' network of professional employment contacts. While all members may be called to active service in the group's paramilitary wing in the event of a national mobilization, only 58,000 members currently serve in the CVDS' standing battalions dispersed throughout the country. Acting primarily as an auxiliary force, the militia's standing troops are an integral component of Veltria's internal security, law enforcement, and morality policing apparatus.
Administratively, the CVDS falls under the jurisdiction of the Department for State Security, and receives its peacetime directives from the Second Chief Directorate of the State Inspections Agency (SIA). CVDS members have been known to directly inform on suspect citizens to SIA Section G-9 personnel, and keep the Agency updated on local efforts to enforce Astąhvist social doctrine (particularly when such efforts encounter "conscious resistance" in a given community). In wartime and national emergencies however, consular authorization may fully mobilize the CVDS and place it under the command of the Apostolic Guard. The current CVDS General Superior, Constans Bernadotte, is a former member of the Veltrid Senate from Useri, and a retired Colonel of the Apostolic Guard.