Barrayar Command
The Barrayar Command (BARCOM) is a Regional Service Strategic Command of the Imperial Service tasked with providing military support for civil authorities on Barrayar, and protecting the territory and national interests of the Empire within the star system of Barrayar and the space approaches to these areas. Being directly subordinated to the Commander-in-Chief (i.e. to the Emperor of Barrayar), the BARCOM Commander is always the Emperor, assisted by an Executive Vicariate, currently held by General Adalbert Vorslainer.
The BARCOM comprises subordinate component commands, headed by GROFORBAR and SPABAR officers.
Headquarters
BARCOM headquarters has approximately 3,500 members, and few permanent forces. Forces from all branches of the Imperial Service may be assigned to the Command as needed. The most visible units are the Military Public Relations Task Force and the Imperial Service Corps of Engineers - Barrayar (the latter part of LOGBAR).
BARCOM is commanded by a full general or admiral and consists of officers or enlisted persons from all branches of service and liasies with Barrayaran law enforcement, and employs civilian recruits after special training. Because of security reasons, its military draftees were tagged and interviewed before usual military recruit trainings.
BARCOM Commander
The BARCOM Commander exercises command, control and coordination functions over the subordinate Military Regions. He has the rank of General and depends on the Chief of the General Staff. The Commander has management responsibilities, particularly in the administrative sector, in personnel management, recruitment and management of the Reserve, in propaganda (to the extent applicable) and especially in the protection of military security and secrecy. He also proposes to the central organs of the organic changes in the structure, personnel, equipment, stocks of weapons, equipment and means of commands, agencies or departments employees. In relation to subordinate commanders, the BARCOM Commander is Corps Commander, while he is the Unit Commander of its own staff. In relation to civilian personnel, he is the Office Head.
As regards relations with the local authorities and communities, the Commander has the task of monitoring the use, by agencies and civil organizations, uniforms that might be confused with those of the Imperial Service. In this regard, he examines and authorizes the use of uniform bodies that are independent from the state, like marching bands, educational institutions, public services, etc. He may, before authorizing the adoption of the proposed uniforms, must ensure that they have significant similarity - as a whole and in the friezes distinctive - with uniforms, decorations, badges in use for the Imperial Service.
In the field of military security, the BARCOM Commander is the organ of coordination and control in the application of unified standards for the protection of state secrets for subordinate institutions and commands employees and to perform such a function making use of Military Region Commands. Within the territorial premises of his area of responsibility, the Commander is the overall manager of military police activities, using the structures of the Service Security. Regarding the protection of military secrets, he manages and releases the Security Authorization and maintains contacts with the executive bodies of the Service Security and of the Military Intelligence Service. Finally, the BARCOM Commander must report, to the extent applicable, the information pertaining to the area of jurisdiction and affecting their scope.
Territorial subdivisions
BARCOM is functionally and territorially subdivided into a number of subdivisions. While the functional organization consists of Task Forces, the main territorial subdivision has four major Subordinate Military Regions (SMR). In turn, ground-based SMR are further subdivided into Imperial Service Districts (ISD). It is to note that the Internal Troops deployed on Barrayar depend only on GROFORBAR Commander, and only for territorial matters, while Imperial Security is completely outside the chain of command. The BARCOM organization is the following:
- Star System and Outer Space SMR - Space forces-led
- Southern Continent SMR - Ground forces-led
- Black Mountains District
- Northern Coast District
- Southern Plains District
- Northern Continent and Vorbarr Sultana SMR - Ground forces-led
- Vorbarr Sultana District
- Bosanklar District
- Southern Coast District
- Northern Continent and Arctic Circle SMR - Ground forces-led
- Weienovya District
- Lazkowski Base District
Subordinate Military Regions
BARCOM has four Subordinate Military Regions: three ground-based and one space-borne SMRs. The Star System and Outer Space SMR comprises only and exactly SPABAR and its commander is always commander of the SPABAR; the Northern Continent and Vorbarr Sultana SMR is led by the commander of the GROFORBAR, while other two ground-based commands are respectively led by 2nd Field Army and 3rd Field Army commanders, although they have a separate staff and some attached administrative and security units (an Administrative Battalion and a Security Regiment, composed of light infantry), as well as a Combined Enhanced Brigade for internal defence purposes.
Imperial Service Districts
Planet-bound Subordinate Military Regions are further subdivided into Imperial Service Districts (ISD), which are in charge for a portion of territory, and are, as a rule, commanded by officers of a different branch. ISD Commanders are the overall local military commanders.
The ISD commander is the overall commander of all BARCOM forces within its boundaries; during local military operations he is the operational commander, and the chief of staff of the formations involved, while actual commanders of the individual formations receive operational orders by the General Staff, but the ultimate authority lies in the territorial commanders. Every important city has a Military Commander of the Square, in charge of the local Imperial Service forces, with the same exceptions of the upper layers.
Each ISD has an Administrative Company and a Security Battalion, each subordinated to, but not part of, the relevant parent unit at the SMR, and manages a Documentation Centre, which are the main interface between the Imperial Service and Imperial subjects. The centres are structured in several sections and are organized to treat and retain all documentation of personnel discharged of all roles of the Imperial Service and maintain contacts. It is to note that local Imperial Service troops garrisons depend on the military unit commander, who depend on, in peacetimes, the ISD Commander.
Local Military Areas
The Local Military Area is primarily responsible for all matters related to military operations and military service of military personnel born or resident in that part of the territory. They also ensure the matriculation service and accommodation of the force on leave. At present there are 800 Local Military Areas, distinguished according to their importance in five classes. The Local Military Area Command includes the Local Military Area Commander; a Command Office, which deals with all matters of a general nature; an Office of Recruitment and Mobilization, for carrying out studies and measures related to recruitment, mobilization, to the calls of classes, etc.; a Local Draft Commission; an Administration Office and a local contingent, proportionate to the importance and strength of the Local Military Area (from a platoon to a battalion) and having the following main tasks: to provide staff when needed, to provide personnel for the administration and discipline of the recruits and reservists during the time they remain at the command of the Local Military Area.
The Local Military Areas are divided into five categories: 1st, Vorbarr Sultana; 2nd, Hassadar, Tanery, Black Reach, Deronigrad; 3rd, Local Military Areas see of Field Army or of Army Corps Head-quarters; 4th, Local Military Areas see of Divisional Head-quarters; 5th, Other Local Military Areas.
Task forces
BARCOM itself is composed of several standing specialized groups: the most important are the Headquarters Vorbarr Sultana Region and the Civil Support Task Force (separate from the Interior Troops).
Headquarters Vorbarr Sultana Region
Headquarters Vorbarr Sultana Region is directly responsible for the homeland security and defence of the Vorbarr Sultana area as well as surrounding Vorbarra District. Primarily made up of military units within the Vorbarr Sultana Region and overseen by a ground officer, the Region assists civilian agencies and disaster response teams in the event that the Vorbarr Sultana's security is or possibly could be breached by acts of terrorism.
Civil Support Task Force
The mission of the Civil Support Task Force is to provide command and control for Ministry of War forces deployed in support of the National Response Plan, specifically, managing the consequences of a domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high explosives situation. These military forces consist of discrete units of specialized consequence management troops from all branches called CBRNE Emergency Response Forces. The Civil Support Task Force directlu manages the Barrayar Emergency Rescue Office, which provides Barrayar (and its star system) aid in the aftermath of disasters.
Emergency Response Forces
The Emergency Response Forces are battalion-sized specialized forces tasked with CBRNE consequence management response while recognizing the primary role that the Counts and District Governors play in controlling the response to CBRNE incidents that occur in their Districts. ERFs have a 6-12 hour response posture.
ERFs are primarily equipped to deploy via ground transport to CBRNE incident sites, but can be moved by air if necessary.
Each ERF is composed of 800 personnel:
- Medical Team: 150
- Search & Extraction Team: 100
- Decontamination Team: 75
- Security Team: 275
- Command & Control: 200
- Total Personnel: 600
Barrayar Command Public Relations Task Force
The Barrayar Command Public Relations Task Force centrally provides public relations support to Barrayar Command operations, exercises and other activities. It is tasked with supporting community relations activities through to the production of public relations product, such as video, still photography and text. Personnel employed include photographers, reporters and public relations officers, also drawn from the Imperial Service Women's Auxiliary.
Barrayar Mobile Division
The Barrayar Mobile Division is a specialised infantry formation responsible for patrolling the planet of Barrayar. The Division conducts regular operational patrols during peacetime, and Reservists–who make up 90% of the Division personnel: they carry out most of their training during these patrols. The Barrayar Mobile Division is an unconventional formation whose mission is to conduct long range reconnaissance and surveillance patrols in the sparsely populated and remote regions of Barrayar. The Division is on a permanent operational footing, conducting real patrols with real world objectives during peacetime: the nature of their work means patrols can often provide valuable intelligence to Imperial Security and to civilian agencies.
Within the Barrayar Mobile Division there are currently four brigades:
- Arctic Mobile Brigade
- North Mobile Brigade
- South Mobile Brigade
- Antarctic Mobile Brigade
The Barrayar Mobile Division is directly incorporated into the Barrayar Command, and not under any GROFORBAR formation or command unless for supply purposes. Its headquarters is located at Victory Barracks, Vorbarr Sultana.
The basic concept is to raise and train a reconnaissance and surveillance unit that is capable to take over the reconnaissance duties of the Special Forces. The small unit tactics and training are nearly identical to tactics employed by the Special Forces personnel, and there is a steady exchange of personnel and ideas - especially with regard to SF being posted to the Division to keep the it 'up to speed' with reconnaissance and guerilla warfare techniques, and to keep the special forces 'up to speed' with the skills required to train indigenous peoples in guerilla warfare. To be effective, patrols must remain completely undetected, so guerilla skills, particularly camouflage and concealment, are very important to soldiers tasked with such patrols.
In the event of a small or large scale insurgency, the Division role would be to detect hostile movements, especially near the important economic and defence infrastructure in their areas of operation. In the extremely unlikely event of a planetary invasion, the Division would operate in a 'stay-behind' capacity. Patrols remaining in the field deep behind enemy lines would inevitably end up supplementing their diets from the land in order to survive and complete their mission as the first line of defence. Tasks for such a scenario are reporting on enemy movements, calling in air strikes, killing and capturing the enemy in close quarter combat or sniping roles, demolition by explosive or sniping to impede enemy advance, and disrupting enemy supply lines for as long as possible.