STRIKE Command (Kouralia)

The Strategic & Tactical Reconnaissance, Intelligence & Kinetic Expeditions Command is one of the Kouralian military's nine Joint Service Commands, responsible for special purpose operations. As a JSC, STRIKE is overseen by a Four-Star ranked officer, normally a Captain-General of the Royal Army. STRIKE Command encompasses units from all three services which are optimised for conducting assymetrical Special operations.

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CSjt Mikkelsen of the Royal Nemean Rangers.

Examples of special operations include: special reconnaissance/military intelligence, unconventional warfare, psyops and counter-terrorism actions. While the Special Forces elements are all retained within one single Joint Service Command, each territorial JSC has its own senior STRIKE Advisor who is a two-star or three-star officer.

Structure

Compared with the other Joint Service Commands the greater degree of micromanagement necessary in special warfare operations necessitates a much greater ratio of senior enlisted, or commissioned, personnel in relation to private soldiers. Compared to the regular infantry platoon's strength of one Commissioned Officer and one Senior Non-Commissioned Officers to twenty-seven Junior NCOs and Private Soldiers (29 total), the average Principal Special Warfare Troop has two Commissioned Officers and two Senior NCOs to 12 Junior NCOs and Private Soldiers (16 total). STRIKE Command is lead by a Four-Star Officer who is usually a Captain-General of the Royal Army. It is seconded by a Three-Star Officer who is also in charge of training and selection. These two are then supported by the Three-Star Officer of the Principal Operations Cadre and the Two-Star Officers of Army Special Warfare Group, Naval Special Warfare Group, and the Air Force Special Warfare Command.

Permanent Formations

Principal Operations Cadre

The Principal Operations Cadre of STRIKE Command is the nucleus of Kouralian unconventional warfare. The three regiments of the POC are the three primary special forces formations of the Kouralian military, and while they are all formations of the Royal Army they do accept candidates from the Navy and Air Force into their ranks. All members of the POC regiments are required to complete 'STRIKE Selection', the grueling six month-long joint training course which establishes a minimum standard of physical and mental fitness and toughness, competence in required skills, and SERE. Prospective recruits must be no older than 35 years. Following Selection the candidates are assigned to their unit and undergo further role-specific training. All POC Regiments wear the same Lovat Green uniforms of the Army's Commando Forces and wear distinctive Emerald Grey berets.

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Unit Coat of Arms for STRIKE Command.

• The Royal Mounted Grenadier Legion is the Army's principal direct-action special forces regiment, and is the largest of the three Principal Operations formations at a total of sixteen cohorts divided into four 'Special Operations Regiments' distributed throughout Kouralia.
• The Royal Nemean Ranger Regiment specialises in Special reconnaissance in comparison with other taskings within the Kouralian special operations community. The Nemean Rangers will often then deploy in small pairs of men, likely no more than a four-man fireteam to a single position. There are three cohorts within the Rangers.
• The Swimmer-Canoeist Regiment specialises in maritime operations, including deployment from submarines, airdropping into water, waterborne infiltration, and boarding actions. They also provide specialist close protection for the Kouralian Royal Yacht, and have a total of ten cohorts. While remaining an Army Regiment, a large number of Royal Navy personnel serve in it. For this reason the three junior enlisted ranks are referred to as 'Swimmer', 'Able Swimmer', and 'Leading Swimmer' as opposed to 'Private', 'Lance-Corporal', and 'Corporal' - though they correspond to the Army authority grades, and a Leading Swimmer ranks next to a Petty Officer, not a Leading Rate.

The most basic operating unit of the three POC regiments is the 'Troop', consisting of two officers - a Captain and a Lieutenant, two SNCOs - a Colour Serjeant and a Serjeant, and 12 JNCOs and Private soldiers. The Squadron contains three troops and a 12 man support and management staff, while the Cohort consists of five Squadrons grouped together and a fifty-man command staff. Therefore there are roughly 5,000 Mounted Grenadiers, 1,000 Rangers, and 3,500 Swimmer-Canoeists.

Army Special Warfare Group

The Army Special Warfare Group consists of a number of support units for special warfighting operations which are not required to be conducted by Principal Special Operations units, but which more-or-less fall under the purview of Army operations.

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Blackshield Rangers on exercise in Kouralia.

• 3rd Commando Raiders (The Blackshields) are the Army's specialist 'Special Operations Support' Light Infantry Regiment. Wearing the Lovat Green of Commando Units like the Army Commandos and Naval Commandos of the 4th Army, they are tasked specifically with supporting special warfare operations.
• 26th Signals (SPECIALIST) Regiment is responsible for providing personnel and equipment for signals and communications activity in the field alongside Special Forces units.
• 97th Special Purpose Ammunition Cohort provides specialist support for the setting and detonating of nuclear weapons in the field, and also for the disarming of such.
• Army Special Warfare Affairs is a Regiment responsible for planning and liaising with civil governments, such as host nations or liberated or exiled governments, as to how best to assist with Kouralian special forces.
• 319th Special Warfare Air Corps Regiment is the Army Air Corps' special warfare support unit, providing smaller utility helicopters such as Wildcats which are optimised for supporting special warfare operations.

Naval Special Warfare Group

The Naval Special Warfare Group consists of a number of support units for special warfighting operations which are not required to be conducted by Principal Special Operations units, but which more-or-less fall under the purview of Naval operations.

• Cannoeist Delivery Teams
• Special Boat Teams
• Naval Special Warfare Aviation consists of Skyfleet assets which are trained to operate in support of special forces operations.

Air Force Special Warfare Command

The Air Force Special Warfare Command consists of a number of support units for special warfighting operations which are not required to be conducted by Principal Special Operations units, but which more-or-less fall under the purview of Air Force operations. Unlike the 'Groups' of the two senior services, this is designated a 'Command' as it conforms more to the size and remit of an Air Force 'Command' than an Air Force 'Group', of which it oversees several.

• 13th Special Operations Group and 27th Special Operations Group provide generalised Special Operations Aviation support from fixed wing aircraft such as insertion, extraction, and gunship fire support.
• 30th Special Operations Group provides unmanned support to Special Forces soldiers.
• 101st Special Operations Group provides ground-support to Special Forces Operations. This includes Terminal Attack Controllers, Pararescuemen, and Combat Weather Technicians.
• 315th Special Operations Group provides rotary-wing support to Special Forces Soldiers, including insertion, extraction, reconnaissance, and gunship fire support.