Keflistan Armed Forces
| Keflistan Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| File:Emblem of the Keflistan Armed Forces.png Emblem of the Keflistan Armed Forces | |
| Founded | 1715 |
| Current form | 2021 |
| Service branches |  Keflistan Army Keflistan Navy Keflistan Air Force |
| Headquarters | Kefli City |
| Leadership | |
| Supreme Commander | Bosede Henryson |
| Secretary of Defence | Clark Chamberlain |
| Chief of Staff | General Wálter Lucas |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18–49 |
| Conscription | No |
| Active personnel | 24,550 |
| Reserve personnel | currently disbanded |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | $2.7 billion (2021) |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers |  Ibica |
| Related articles | |
| History | List of engagements First Kefli War (1535) Second Kefli War (1542 Third Kefli War (1602) Keflistan Civil War 2008 - 2021 |
The Keflistan Armed Forces are the state military organisation responsible for the defense of Keflistan. They consist of the Keflistan Army, Keflistan Navy, Keflistan Air Force and the Keflistan Coast Guard.
The President of the Republic serves as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The Secretary of Defense is Clark Chamberlain, and the Chief of Staff is General Wálter Lucas.
The armament of the Keflistan armed are largely provided by Ibican companies, such as Aegis Aerodynamics.
Command structure
Command over the Keflistan Armed Forces is established in the Constitution. The sole power of command is vested in the president as commander-in-Chief. The Constitution presumes the existence of "executive Departments" headed by "principal officers". This allowance in the Constitution formed the basis for creation of the Department of Defense by the Military Reorganization Act. The DoD is headed by the secretary of defense, who is a civilian and member of the Cabinet. The defense secretary is second in the Keflistan Armed Forces chain of command, and is just below the president and serves as the principal assistant to the president in all defense-related matters. Together, the president and the secretary of defense comprise the National Command Authority, which by law is the ultimate lawful source of military orders.
Just as the president, the secretary of defense is in charge of the entire military establishment, maintaining civilian control of the military, so too are each of the Defense Department's constitutive military departments headed by civilians. The four DoD branches are organized into three departments, each with civilian heads. The Department of the Army is headed by the secretary of the Army, the Department of the Navy is headed by the secretary of the Navy and the Department of the Air Force is headed by the secretary of the Air Force. The Coast Guard is organized under the Department of the Navy, however they are still considered a separate and equal service.
The president, secretary of defense and other senior executive officials are advised by a eight-member Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is headed by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking officer in the Keflistan military and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The rest of the body is composed of the heads of each of the DoD's service branches (the chief of staff of the Army, the chief of naval operations, the chief of staff of the Air Force), and the commandant of the Coast Guard. Despite being composed of the highest-ranking officers in each of the respective branches, the Joint Chiefs of Staff does not possess operational command authority. Rather, they are only charged with advisory power.
Personnel
Total active duty strength as of February 28, 2021, was 24,550 servicemembers, with an additional reserve components yet to be constituted. The Department of Defense is one of the largest employers in Keflistan.
As in most militaries, members of the Keflistan Armed Forces hold a rank, either that of officer, warrant officer or enlisted, to determine seniority and eligibility for promotion. Those who have served are known as veterans. Rank names may be different between services, but they are matched to each other by their corresponding paygrade. Officers who hold the same rank or paygrade are distinguished by their date of rank to determine seniority, while officers who serve in certain positions of office of importance set by law, outrank all other officers in active duty of the same rank and paygrade, regardless of their date of rank.
Types
Enlisted
Prospective service members are often recruited from high school or college, the target age ranges being 18–35 in the Army, 18–34 in the Navy, 18–39 in the Air Force and 18–27 (up to age 32 if qualified for attending guaranteed "A" school) in the Coast Guard. With the permission of a parent or guardian, applicants can enlist at age 17 and participate in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), in which the applicant is given the opportunity to participate in locally sponsored military activities, which can range from sports to competitions led by recruiters or other military liaisons (each recruiting station's DEP varies).
After enlistment, new recruits undergo basic training (also known as "boot camp" in the Navy and Coast Guard), followed by schooling in their primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), rating and Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) at any of the numerous training facilities around Keflistan. Each branch conducts basic training differently. Air Force Basic Military Training graduates attend Technical Training and are awarded their Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) at the apprentice (3) skill level. All Army recruits undergo Basic Combat Training (BCT), followed by Advanced Individual Training (AIT), with the exceptions of cavalry scouts, infantry, armor, combat engineers and military police recruits who go to One Station Unit Training (OSUT), which combines BCT and AIT. The Navy sends its recruits to Recruit Training and then to "A" schools to earn a rating. The Coast Guard's recruits attend basic training and follow with an "A" school to earn a rating.
Initially, recruits without higher education or college degrees will hold the pay grade of E-1 and will be elevated to E-2 usually soon after basic training. Different services have different incentive programs for enlistees, such as higher initial ranks for college credit and referring friends who go on to enlist as well. Participation in DEP is one way recruits can achieve rank before their departure to basic training.
There are several different authorized pay grade advancement requirements in each junior-enlisted rank category (E-1 to E-3), which differ by service. Enlistees in the Army can attain the initial pay grade of E-4 (specialist) with a four-year degree, but the highest initial pay grade is usually E-3 (members of the Army Band program can expect to enter service at the grade of E-4). Promotion through the junior enlisted ranks occurs after serving for a specified number of years (which can be waived by the soldier's chain of command), a specified level of technical proficiency or maintenance of good conduct. Promotion can be denied with reason.
Non-commissioned and petty officers
With very few exceptions, becoming a non-commissioned officer (NCO) or petty officer in the Keflistan Armed Forces is accomplished by progression through the lower enlisted ranks. However, unlike promotion through the lower enlisted tier, promotion to NCO is generally competitive. NCO ranks begin at E-4 or E-5, depending upon service and are generally attained between three and six years of service. Junior NCOs function as first-line supervisors and squad leaders, training the junior enlisted in their duties and guiding their career advancement.
While considered part of the non-commissioned officer corps by law, senior non-commissioned officers (SNCOs) referred to as chief petty officers in the Navy and Coast Guard perform duties more focused on leadership rather than technical expertise. Promotion to the SNCO ranks, E-7 through E-9 is highly competitive. Personnel totals at the pay grades of E-8 and E-9 are limited by federal law to 2.5 percent and 1 percent of a service's enlisted force, respectively. SNCOs act as leaders of small units and as staff. Some SNCOs manage programs at headquarters level and a select few wield responsibility at the highest levels of the military structure. Most unit commanders have a SNCO as an enlisted advisor. All SNCOs are expected to mentor junior commissioned officers as well as the enlisted in their duty sections. The typical enlistee can expect to attain SNCO rank after 10 to 16 years of service.
Senior enlisted advisors
Each of the five services employs a single senior enlisted advisor at departmental level. This individual is the highest ranking enlisted member within that respective service and functions as the chief advisor to the service secretary, service chief and Congress on matters concerning the enlisted force. These individuals carry responsibilities and protocol requirements equivalent to three-star general or flag officers. They are as follows:
- Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
- Sergeant Major of the Army
- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
- Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
Warrant officers
Additionally, all services except for the Air Force have an active warrant officer corps. Above the rank of warrant officer one, these officers may also be commissioned, but usually serve in a more technical and specialized role within units. More recently, they can also serve in more traditional leadership roles associated with the more recognizable officer corps. With one notable exception (Army helicopter and fixed-wing pilots), these officers ordinarily have already been in the military often serving in senior NCO positions in the field in which they later serve as a warrant officer as a technical expert. Most Army pilots have served some enlisted time. It is also possible to enlist, complete basic training, go directly to the Warrant Officer Candidate School and then on to flight school.
Warrant officers in the Keflistan military garner the same customs and courtesies as commissioned officers. They may attend the officer's club, receive a command and are saluted by junior warrant officers and all enlisted service members.
The Air Force ceased to grant warrants in 1959 when the enlisted grades of E-8 and E-9 were created. Most non-flying duties performed by warrant officers in other services are instead performed by senior NCOs in the Air Force.
Chiefs of staff
Each service has a uniformed head who is considered the highest-ranking officer within their respective service, with the exception of the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau. They are responsible for ensuring personnel readiness, policy, planning and training and equipping their respective military services for the combatant commanders to utilize. They also serve as senior military advisors to the president, the secretary of defense, their respective service secretaries, as well as other councils they may be called to serve on. They are as follows:
- Chief of Staff of the Army
- Chief of Naval Operations
- Chief of Staff of the Air Force
- Commandant of the Coast Guard