Milostian National Army

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Milostian National Army
CountryMilostia
Size238,000 nominal

The Milostian National Army ('MNA') is the regular national armed forces of the Milostian state, one of the nation's three armed forces alongside the Ecclesia Guard, and the Martyr's Militia. It is composed of the Milostian National Army Ground Force, the Milostian National Army Air Force, the Milostian National Army Navy and the Milostian Army Strategic Rocket Force. It is manned by conscription - male Milostian citizens are compelled by law to serve for three years, and females two years. In times of war, it may be augmented by whatever militia and paramilitary forces which can be mustered in an emergency.


MNA Ground Force

In 2005, the MNA went to war with some modern equipment, but a force structure and operational doctrine fundamentally based on the lessons of the 1940's. It possessed 12 Infantry Divisions, 4 Mechanised Divisions, 2 Armoured Divisions, 6 Artillery Divisions, as well as a Republican Guards Corps of 2 Armoured Divisions, 2 Mechanised Divisions and an Airborne Division.

The catastrophic Milostian defeat in the 2005 Polnitsian War over the course of a three-day ground campaign fundamentally reshaped the doctrine and organisation of the MNA. Taking its cue from the 'brigadisation' reforms of Liothidia's PRA, the MNA embarked upon a decade-long process of root and branch modernisation. Gone are the ponderous infantry divisions or the inflexible command and control doctrine of yesteryears. The modern MNA is a leaner, fully mechanised land force which incorporates many key technological developments indispensible to modern armies in the network-centric age and built around mobile combined arms brigade groups, which subdivide into battalion tactical teams with great latitude for independent action. At the same time, some traditional strengths, such as the use en masse in time and space of artillery and anti-aircraft weapons, remain standard operating procedure. The result is an force structure which, whilst smaller, is many times more lethal and effective than the pre-war force.

Higher organisation

The organisation of a MNAGF Tank Brigade

The MNAGF is the largest component of the MNA. It is the regular national army of the Milostian government and its major units answer directly to the MNA General Staff.

In peacetime, the main force of the MNAGF is comprised of three Armies, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, each comprised of two Corps, plus an independent formation known as the Army Guards Corps. The maneouvre elements of the Corps of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Armies each consist of three Mechanised and two Tank Brigades.

In each corps, two of the five brigades are classified as 'Category A' formations, meaning that they are manned at close to 95% strength in peacetime and capable of immediate offensive operations. Another two brigades are classified as 'Category B', meaning that they are manned at 50% strength and require an infusion of reservists to be capable of operations. The single remaining brigade is classified as a 'Category C' unit, meaning that it is maintained only at cadre strength in peacetime.

A Mechanised Brigade consists of some 4,500 personnel, and possesses three Mechanised Battalions (typically two of wheeled APC's, one of tracked IFV's), a Tank Battalion (with 40 main battle tanks in four companies), two Mobile Artillery Battalions, a Rocket Artillery Battalion, a SAM Battalion, an Air Defence Battalion (equipped with SPAAG), an Anti-tank Battalion, an Engineer Battalion, a Supply Battalion, a Maintenance Battalion, a Reconnaissance Company and an NBC Company.

A Tank Brigade is organised on similar lines, except that its ratio of Tank to Mechanised Battalions is reversed to 3:1 of the former to the latter, and it omits the Anti-Tank Battalion. The Tank Battalions in a Tank Brigade only have three companies instead of four, for a total of 30 MBT's per battalion and 90 in the entire brigade.

Aside from Tank and Mechanised Brigades, a Corps contains a number of support elements, including one to two Artillery Brigades, a Ballistic Missile Battalion, a SAM Brigade, an Engineer Brigade and a Combat Support Brigade.

The Republican Guards Corps provides the MNA garrison for the capital city. It consists of a high proportion of professional, full-time personnel, and typically are the first to receive newly-introduced equipment. It consists of three Tank Brigades, two Mechanised Brigades, and the Air Assault Brigade. The latter is a unique formation which is trained in conducting helicopter-mobile operations and, at least partially, parachute operations. It has two mechanised and two light infantry Air Assault Battalions.

Battalion Tactical Groups

The basis for the MNAGF's tactical maneouvre warfare doctrine is the Battalion Tactical Group. These are ad hoc formations, created around battalion headquarters by the brigade staff, and incorporates tanks, infantry, artillery, engineering and other assets in a combined-arms formation tailor-made to fulfill its tactical mission.

Small unit organisation

A typical Mechanised platoon consists of thirty personnel – a platoon command team consisting of a platoon commander, a platoon sergeant and a radio operator, six vehicle drivers and gunners, and 21 dismounts. The dismounts are divided into three squads of seven, each accompanied by one member of the platoon command team. Each platoon is issued one M76 or M91 marksman rifle.

Each rifle squad consists of a machine gun team of three, equipped with one M72 light machine gun or, in the alternative, one M84 medium machine gun or M53 medium machine gun. It also has four riflemen armed with M70 rifles plus one to two 40mm underbarrel grenade launchers. When fighting in the open, the squad deploys as a blunt wedge formation, with the machine gun team forward, with two pairs of riflemen covering its flanks slightly to the rear, waiting for the enemy to be suppressed before moving forward to assault with automatic fire and bayonets. In close quarters fighting, such as in urban areas, MNA infantry are trained to operate in groups of four.

General Staff Reconnaissance Bureau

The GIB ('Generalstaba Biro Izvrsni'), or 'General Staff Reconnaissance Bureau' is the intelligence arm of the MNA. It serves three primary functions. The first is to operate part of Milostia's foreign HUMINT network by running agents to gather military intelligence, although it adheres to a strict division of labour with the Ecclesia, with the latter having the role of collecting intelligence on political and other non-military matters. The second is to coordinate the activities of the intelligence units of the army's front-line combat formations, most notably those of its three 'frontier' armies. The third and newest is to manage the MNA's increasingly sophisticated media warfare and cyberwarfare operations, the Unit 173, which has become the likely suspect of several major high profile hacking incidents in Belisaria.

General Staff Spesnag

The Spesnag (from "specijalne snage" - special forces) are the special forces of the Milostian People's Army. Its members are trained in special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, covert operations, parachuting, sabotage and terrorism. It works in close conjunction with the Guard Air Assault Division in its operations, which may be tasked with providing heavy reinforcements to Spesnag operations.

Each of the three 'frontier' field armies of the MNA possesses one battalion-sized Spesnag unit of roughly 500 personnel. They are directly subordinated to the field army's intelligence formation and are tasked with long range infiltration, reconnaissance, sabotage and assassination within the army's operational zone. Two more battalions are held in reserve by the General Staff Reconnaissance Bureau to deal with unexpected contingencies.

MNA Air Force

The MNAAF consists of four main components: the tactical ‘fast jets’ force, the utility and transport force, the helicopter force and the air defence force.

For years, the MNAAF had relied on three main tactical fast jets of Liothidian origin – the Fe-20 interceptor, the Fe-19 strike aircraft and the Fe-26 ground attack aircraft. In the 1990’s, a new multirole fighter of indigenous design, the Novi Avion began to enter service. Due to the latter’s relatively high cost, it is mostly reserved for elite, high readiness squadrons. Also available are a substantial number of J-22 Orao trainers, which would be employed as attack aircraft in times of war. In air operations, these fast jets are supported by Tu-64 AWACS aircraft.

The helicopter force is intended to work in close conjunction with the MNAGF. It consists of medium and heavy lift helicopters, as well as and attack helicopters (DM-20KH).

The air defence force is charged with protecting vital areas of the republic from enemy air attack. It is separate from the MNAGF’s own air defence units, which are responsible for providing protection for mobile ground formations. Accordingly, it is equipped with weapons with greater reach, albeit lesser mobility than those available to the MNAGF, such as the HQ-9 batteries which protect the Capital Garrison District.

MNA Navy

The MNAN is the most neglected of the MNA’s three armed services, having been starved of funds in order to enable the modernisation of the MNAGF and MNAAF. Its most modern units are the trio of Ruegen-class submariness imported from Liothidia, supported by frigates, missile boats and older diesel submarines of indigenous design.

The MNAN is also responsible for defending the republic’s ports and coastlines. Its primary means of coastal defence consists of mobile missile batteries armed with Styx missiles, although a few more modern elements use imported Kh-35. Rumours that 3M-54 Klub missiles are deployed in the coastal defence role, hidden in containers, is unconfirmed.

The MNA Naval Infantry, a battalion-sized force trained in amphibious warfare, is a part of the MNAN. It is theoretically equipped with a number of small landing craft. Its true readiness in operating as a marine unit is unknown to most international observers, although it is reputedly one of the more professional and combat-ready of the MNA's ground units.

Strategic Rocket Force

The MNASRF is an independent arm of service directly subordinated to the General Staff. It is the republic’s primary means of strategic deterrence against ‘regime change’ actions from hostile and ‘imperialistic’ foreign powers. It is equipped with a plethora of indigenous and imported ballistic missiles, giving it the means to deliver payloads against the urban centres of Estoni’s strategic adversaries in the area.

Although the current status of the Milostia nuclear program is not known to any degree of exactitude to NATA intelligence apparatuses, Milostia is the acknowledged possessor of significant quantities of nerve agents. These include GA (Tabun), GB (Sarin), VX and the potent ‘Novinara’. The Milostian arsenal also includes blistering agents such as Sulfur Mustard and blood agents such as Cyanogen chloride, the latter being regarded as especially dangerous owing to its ability to degrade the effectiveness of CRBN filters. The Milostian military-scientific establishment is also known to have experimented with biological agents such as Anthrax, Small Pox and various viral hemorrhagic fevers.

The Rocket Guards Regiment is a professional infantry unit directly under the command of the SRF rather than the Ground Force, intended to provide security to the SRF's launch sites and storage facilities for weapons of mass destruction. It is a rapid reaction force of light mechanised infantry, equipped with the BOV family of wheeled armoured vehicles and staffed by some of the most professional and politically-reliable of the MNA's personnel.

Equipment

Small arms

Name Origin Type Ammunition Notes
M75 hand grenade  Milostia Fragmentation grenade N/A
CZ 99  Milostia Pistol 9x19 parabellum
M88  Milostia Pistol 9x19 parabellum
M57  Milostia Pistol 7.62×25mm Tokarev
M56 Submachine gun Template:Country data Mlostia Sub-machine gun 7.62×25mm
Master FLG  Milostia Sub-machine gun 9x19 parabellum
M92  Milostia Carbine 7.62x39 Widely distributed to rear personnel, pilots and drivers. Suppressed version used by special forces.
HP9-1  Mutul Shotgun 12 gauge
M70  Milostia Assault rifle 7.62x39 Main service rifle, being upgraded with Kobra reflex sights
M76  Milostia Marksman rifle 7.92x57
M91  Milostia Marksman rifle 7.62x54mmR
M48  Milostia Sniper rifle 7.92x57 Accurised and fitted with synthetic stock, suppressor, Harris bipod and 3-9x42 variable-zoom scope, used in small quantities by dedicated sniper teams
M93 Black Arrow  Milostia Anti-material rifle 12.7x108
M72  Milostia Light machine gun/light support weapon 7.62x39 Some 75-rounds drum magazines and 40-rounds extended box magazines are supplied
M53 Sarac  Milostia General purpose machine gun 7.92x57
M84  Milostia General purpose machine gun 7.62×54mmR
M02 Coyote  Milostia Heavy machine gun 12.7x99
BGP 40  Milostia underbarrel grenade launcher 40mm grenade
M93  Milostia Automatic grenade launcher 30mm grenade
M80 Zolja  Milostia Disposable AT launcher
M79 Osa  Milostia Reloadable AT launcher
PzF-07  Liothidia AT launcher
M90 Stršljen  Milostia AT launcher Elite units
RPO-A  Liothidia Thermobaric launcher

Mines

Name Origin Type Ammunition Notes
PROM-1  Milostia Bouncing anti-personnel mine N/A
PMA-2 mine  Milostia Anti-personnel mine N/A
TMM-1 mine  Milostia Anti-tank mine N/A
MRUD  Milostia Directional anti-personnel mine N/A

Anti-tank weapons (crew-served)

Name Origin Type Ammunition Notes
Bumbar  Milostia Light man-portable ATGM Special forces
AT-3D Sagger  Milostia Man-portable ATGM Main anti-tank missile. Mostly modernised to 2T5 standard with radio-mediated SACLOS guidance and tandem warhead capable of defeating ERA and penetrating 1,000mm+ of RHA.
AT-14 Kornet  Liothidia Man-portable ATGM Elite units only
AT-13 Saxhorn 2  Liothidia Man-portable ATGM Equips the Guard Air Assault Brigade
T-12 antitank gun  Liothidia Mostly employed by reserve formations
Sprut anti-tank gun  Liothidia
M60 recoilless gun  Milostia Mostly employed by reserve formations

Anti-air systems

Name Origin Type Ammunition Notes
FlaRak-2  Liothidia MANPAD Battalion-level AA weapon
M55  Milostia Towed triple 20mm AA gun Reserve formations, mostly in storage
BOV-3  Milostia SPAAG/SAM combination system Regimental mobile AA system, mainly the HS M09 BOV-3 version equipped with eight Strela-2 missiles and three 20mm autocannons.
SA-8 Gecko  Rhynovia/ Milostia Short range SAM system Main division-level air defence weapon of the MNAGF, production license purchased from Communist Rhynovia.
SA-3 Goa  Liothidia Medium range SAM system Employed as static defence of strategic locales
SA-6 Gainful  Liothidia Medium-range SAM system Employed as semi-static defence of strategic locales
FlaRak-16  Liothidia Medium-range mobile SAM system Employed by Army-level air defence units of the MNAGF
FlaRak-9  Liothidia Long-range area-defence SAM One regiment employed to protect the Capital Garrison District.
AZP S-60  Liothidia 57mm anti-aircraft gun Used by local AA gun units

Artillery

Name Origin Type Ammunition Notes
M57 mortar  Milostia Commando mortar 60mm Company-level weapon for infantry units
Mortar 120mm M95 Long Range  Milostia Heavy mortar 120mm Battalion-level weapon for infantry units
Universal Mortar UB M52  Milostia Heavy mortar 120mm Mainly used by reserve units at the battalion level
M-56 Howitzer  Milostia Field gun 105mm Mainly in reserve
Gun-howitzer M84 NORA  Milostia Towed gun 152mm Formerly used as a divisional-level piece. Largely relegated to reserve formations as a brigade-level weapon.
D-30  Liothidia Towed gun 122mm Mostly in reserve
M-46  Liothidia Towed gun 130mm Two battalions per Independent Artillery Brigade
PzH 12.2  Liothidia Self-propelled gun 122mm Formerly used as a regimental-level piece. Largely relegated to reserve formations as a brigade-level weapon.
Sora 122mm  Milostia Self-propelled gun 122mm Primarily used as a brigade-level artillery piece
Nora B-52  Milostia Self-propelled gun 155mm Primarily used as a brigade-level artillery piece
M-77 Oganj  Milostia Self-propelled MLRS 122mm/128mm rockets Brigade-level weapon
Kosava Rocket-Assisted Aerial Bombs System  Milostia Self-propelled rocket-assisted aerial bombs projector 100, 250 or 500kg aerial bombs Equips some independent battalions
M-87 Orkan  Milostia MLRS 262mm rockets Two battalions per Independent Artillery Brigade
M-1978  Milostia Heavy artillery 170mm gun One battalion per Independent Artillery Brigade
FrW-01  Liothidia Thermobaric rocket artillery 220mm Equips some independent battalions
2S4  Liothidia Heavy self-propelled mortar 240mm Equips some independent battalions

Armoured fighting vehicles

Name Origin Type Variants Notes
IMV 0.75  Milostia Light general purpose vehicle
Spähwagen-2  Liothidia Wheeled armoured reconnaissance vehicle
9P148 tank destroyer  Liothidia Wheeled tank destroyer BRDM-2 fitted with AT-5 missiles
OT M-60  Milostia Tracked APC All variants Mostly in reserve
TPZ-70  Liothidia Wheeled APC Reserves
BOV  Milostia Wheeled APC All variants Mostly in service with the Strategic Rocket Force Regiment, border guards, and the armed forces of various internal security apparatuses.
BOV-1  Milostia Tank destroyer Armed with six AT-3D Sagger missiles in two launch baskets.
BOV M11  Milostia Armoured reconnaissance vehicle To be introduced with the Guards Corps
BVP M-80  Milostia Infantry fighting vehicle
M-84  Milostia Main battle tank
M-84AS  Milostia Main battle tank Roughly 800 in service, equips elite units
Pz-55  Liothidia Main battle tank Reserves
Lufsturmpanzer-125  Liothidia Airborne light tank One company in service with the Guards Airborne Brigade
Lufsturmpanzer-1  Liothidia Airborne infantry fighting vehicle In service with the Guards Airborne Brigade
VIU-55 Munja  Milostia Heavy engineering vehicle
PP-64  Liothidia Pontoon bridge
MT-55  Liothidia Armoured bridgelayer
Tpz-152  Liothidia Wheeled-APC Mainly reserve/paramilitary use

Rotary-wing aviation

Name Origin Type Variants Notes
Dem-20KH  Liothidia Attack/utlity helicopter 60
Dem-11H  Liothidia Medium lift helicopter
Dem-80HK  Liothidia Heavy lift helicopter

Drones

Description! style="text-align: left; background: #aaccab;"| Name Origin Type Variants Notes
Vrabac Mini UAV  Milostia Light drone
Pegaz 011  Milostia Medium drone

Fixed-wing aviation

Name Origin Type Variants Notes
Fe-20  Liothidia Fighter-bomber Built under license until 1997. Being upgraded en masse to the Bison configuration 150 (120 in reserve)
Fe-19  Liothidia Strike aircraft 60 (48 in reserve)
Fe-26  Liothidia Ground attack aircraft 48
Novi Avion  Milostia Multirole fighter 96
J-22 Orao  Milostia Trainer/light attack aircraft 84
Tu-62  Liothidia STOL AEW&C aircraft 9
Tu-64  Liothidia STOL medium transport 15
Ze-75  Liothidia Medium transport 12

Naval forces

Name Origin Type Variants Notes
Kotor-class frigate  Milostia Coastal frigate 4 in service, re-armed with 16x Kh-35 in lieu of Styx missiles
Končar-class missile boat  Milostia Missile boat 5 in service, equipped with Kh-35
Kralj-class missile boat  Milostia Missile boat 4 in service, equipped with Kh-35
Ruegen-class submarine  Liothidia Diesel-electric submarine 3 in service, rumoured to be upgraded with 3M-54 Klub missiles in 2015-2016.
Sava-class submarine  Milostia Diesel-electric submarine 2
Heroj-class submarine  Milostia Diesel-electric submarine 2
Gersfeld-class landing craft  Liothidia Small landing craft/coastal mine-layer 4 in service
Mirna-class patrol boat  Milostia Patrol boat 9 in service
SS-N-2 Styx  Liothidia Anti-ship missile Equips most coastal defence batteries
Kh-35  Liothidia Anti-ship missile Equips a number of modernised coastal defence batteries

Ballistic missiles

Name Origin Type Variants Notes
OTR-21 Tochka  Liothidia Short-range ballistic missile Standard battlefield ballistic missile employed by the MNAGF, 70-185km
BM-4 SCUD-B  Liothidia Theatre ballistic missile 300km
BM-6 SCUD-E  Milostia Theatre ballistic missile 500km
BM-7 SCUD-F  Milostia Medim range ballistic missile 1,200km
BM-25  Milostia Mobile IRBM 4,000km