United Communes Defense Forces
| United Communes Defense Forces | |
|---|---|
| ⴰⵙⴻⵔⴷⴰⵙⵉ ⵏ ⵜⵉⵖⵉⵡⴰⵏⵉⵏ ⵢⴻⴹⵓⴽⵍⴻⵏ Aserdasi n Tiɣiwanin Yeḍuklen | |
 Emblem of the UCDF | |
| Founded | 1836 |
| Current form | 1922 |
| Service branches |  Army Corps Air Corps Navy Corps Black Guard Corps |
| Headquarters | Tiɣremt Building, Maktarim, Talahara |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Executive Council |
| Defense Committee Senior Chair | General Tafsut Amalu |
| Defense Committee Elected Chair | General Baragsen Nasumer |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18-55 |
| Conscription | Voluntary service only |
| Active personnel | 259,700 total: Army Corps: 100,080 Air Corps: 31,400 Navy Corps: 8,720 Black Guard Corps: 119,500 |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | $51.84 billion |
| Percent of GDP | 3.04 |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | |
The United Communes Defense Forces, (UCDF; Takelat: Aserdasi n Tiɣiwanin Yeḍuklen; ⴰⵙⴻⵔⴷⴰⵙⵉ ⵏ ⵜⵉⵖⵉⵡⴰⵏⵉⵏ ⵢⴻⴹⵓⴽⵍⴻⵏ) are the unified armed forces of the United Communes of Talahara. The UCDF is made up of four components: the Army Corps, Air Corps, Navy Corps, and the Black Guard Corps. The UCDF is headed by the Executor of Defense of the Executive Council and governed by the Defense Committee, a group of senior military representatives and civilian oversight agents.
The legally authorized maximum size of the UCDF is 150,000 members across the three professional components, with no maximum size for the Black Guard Corps. In practice, the total size minus the Black Guards is just over 140,000 members. The three main professional components are the Army, Air, and Navy Corps. The Black Guard Corps is an irregular force of local militias. While ostensibly independent, the Black Guards are trained by and coordinate with the Army Corps.
History
The Black Guards of Talahara emerged as one of the major revolutionary factions during the Talaharan Civil War. In 1836, sympathetic elements of the Royal Talaharan Army defected to the Communard cause after the execution of the Court of the Lions and formed the Central Commune Army. However, the majority of Communard fighters were untrained, local militias who took up the black banner of the revolution. So-called Black Guards were decentralized, organized at a local level, and coordinated democratically. As the conflict progressed, most units relied on directives or services directly offered to the Commune Council.
At the conclusion of the Civil War, the Central Commune Army was disbanded owing to concerns that it could exert undue influence over the nascent United Communes of Talahara. The Black Guards remained the only military body of the Commune until the consolidation of the Talaharan Navy in 1845. Both the Black Guards and the Talaharan Navy were renamed the Black Guard Corps and the Talaharan Navy Corps, respectively, in 1853. In 1854, the Talaharan Army Corps was founded as a professional standing army to supplement the Black Guards, largely as a response to tensions over the Protectorate of Taršiš which remained occupied by Yisrael since the Talaharan Civil War.
The first major direct operation conducted by the Talaharan Army Corps was the Annexation of Amara, known as the Invasion of the Timna Strip in Yisrael. Seizing on the weakness of the Kingdom of Yisrael in the direct aftermath of the Second West Scipian War, Talaharan forces quickly invaded and consolidated control over Amara, an oil-rich region that was home to a population of Kel Hadar and Kel Tenere peoples living under Yisraeli rule. The rapid invasion was a major success, with few engagements or casualties before the region was formally conceded. While Talahara was regarded at the time as an entrenched syndicalist fortress-state, contemporary foreign analysts had largely dismissed the Commune's power to project and the ability of its professional forces.
Developments in airpower beyond reconnaissance aircraft and dirigibles led to the creation of the Talaharan Air Corps in 1922. The next major military campaign of the UCDF was the 1951 Liberation of Taršiš. Similar to the previous land war with Yisrael, rapid and decisive action seizing on a period of weakness led to few casualties on all sides. This conflict saw the deployment of the three main branches of the UCDF, with the main thrust of the army supported by air superiority and naval support.
Over the subsequent 70 years, the UCDF has maintained a defensive role, in addition to supporting allies within the global left and more directly through the Rubric Coast Consortium. The most recent mobilization of the UCDF was during the Onekawan Affair when tensions between the Rubric Coast and the Kingdom of Yisrael led to the credible threat of an invasion of the former by the latter.
Unified structure and elections
The United Communes Defense Committee is the central command of the unified armed forces. The Defense Committee is composed of the commanding officers of the four branches and chaired by two members. The first chair is referred to as the Senior Chair and is elected from the Defense Committee members, though traditionally the role is ceded to the most senior member. The second chair is elected by the entire memberships of the Army, Air, and Navy Corps.
Advancement and compensation grades are standardized across all branches. Most enlisted leadership roles are elected by and from amongst subordinates and certified by officers. Disagreement between voting enlisted and officers may be referred to a Superior Judicial Council for adjudication. Advancement to and within officer ranks have specific educational requirements. Higher ranking officers submit a list of qualified candidates to the affected subordinates who then vote for their preferences. The list of candidates for flag officers (OF-5 or higher) is determined directly by the Defense Committee. An appointment to the Defense Committee lasts for five years. Officers of OF-8 rank or higher may present themselves as candidates in UCDF-wide elections.
Army Corps
The Talaharan Army Corps is divided into three arms. The Hammer Arm consists of six divisions, incorporating a large number of tanks and mechanized infantry units. The Spear Arm counts five divisions with a greater proportion of light infantry. All heavy and light divisions are mixed with armour, infantry, and support units. Each division includes three to four regiments or brigades. In Talaharan army organization, brigades are twinned regiments of the same type within the same division.
The Sword Arm is Talahara's main military and signals intelligence unit. It is ostensibly organized under the Army Corps, though it both acts independently and collaborates directly with other branches as well. The Army Corps Commissariat Division is another special division that liaises Army Corps members with Black Guard units, facilitating operational cooperation and training. Members of the Commissariat Division are colloquially referred to as "war commissars" and hold dual roles within the Commissariat Division and their regular force units.
| Equipment | # |
|---|---|
| Main battle tanks | 650 |
| Infantry fighting vehicles | 1,726 |
| Armoured personnel carriers | 1,276 |
| Armoured cars | 842 |
| Self-propelled artillery | 223 |
| Towed artillery | 404 |
| Unarmoured vehicles | 2,620 |
Air Corps
The Air Corps is the newest component of the UCDF; its creation leading to the present form of the forces. The branch has a fleet of 438 aircraft, organized into six air groups. Most air groups have their own bases and include two or three wings of aircraft.
The Air Command and Development Group is the central command unit. The group includes training squadrons and three research and development squadrons. Missile Command is a group formation of two air defense battalions equipped with surface-to-air and rapid interception missiles. Rather than occupying a single base, both Air Command and Missile Command assets are strategically distributed across the Air Corps's bases.
| Equipment | # |
|---|---|
| Multirole combat aircraft | 210 |
| Attack aircraft | 75 |
| Attack helicopters | 36 |
| AEW&C/recon aircraft | 14 |
| Tanker aircraft | 2 |
| Cargo aircraft | 42 |
| Maritime patrol aircraft | 6 |
| SAR/medevac helicopters | 27 |
| Utility helicopters | 16 |
| Trainer aircraft | 16 |
The UCDF Navy Corps is the oldest professional element in the modern Talaharan armed forces. There are three major naval bases on Talahara's coast, though Talaharan vessels frequently take part in exercises with the Tyreseian Workers' Naval Fleet and berth in Tyreseian ports. The official headquarters of the UCDF Navy Corps is aboard the lead ship of the Mass Akli-class helicopter cruiser, though the flagship is generally docked at the Tiɣraman Naval Base in Maktarim, which also houses the Navy Corps Administrative Centre.
The Talaharan Navy Corps also has no permanent ship groupings, but doctrinally has formations based around its flagship and patrol missions along the coast and operations across the Periclean basin. Task forces are typically centred on at least one destroyer with further support from frigates and smaller vessels, including corvettes. Auxiliary vessels and smaller surface combatants such as patrol ships are organized into ad hoc groups, typically for patrol missions. The Navy Corps's three submarines are also typically grouped together into a special task squadron but can be broken off into a pair or an individual unit for specific missions.
The main role of the Navy Corps is coastal defense and the protection of commerce. Talahara shares maritime borders with Yisrael and Gran Aligonia, but has freedom of movement through the east along the Rubric Coast. Beyond littoral defense, Talahara's navy is commonly regarded as being de facto subordinate to the Tyreseian Workers' Navy.
| Equipment | # |
|---|---|
| Helicopter cruisers | 1 |
| Destroyers | 4 |
| Frigates | 6 |
| Corvettes | 5 |
| Patrol ships | 3 |
| Attack submarines | 3 |
| Minehunters | 3 |
| Auxiliary ships | 1 |
Black Guard Corps
The Black Guard Corps is the oldest and most unconventional branch of the UCDF. While similar to reservists forces in other militaries, the Black Guards are dedicated specifically to local defense. Its membership, barring administrative workers and its flag officers, maintains regular employment in local industries, with guaranteed time provided to drill and make defense arrangements. Deployments and exercises can take the Black Guards across the country, as Talahara has developed defense-in-depth plans for myriad scenarios.
Most units of the Black Guard Corps are infantry, using second-hand equipment from the UCDF Army Corps. Certain units have also privately contracted for other equipment. A number of civilian-grade aircraft and watercraft are also employed by coastal and riverine units.
The secondary function of the Black Guard Corps is that of an auxiliary service. Specialists including surgeons and legal advocates work normal civilian careers but can dedicate a number of work hours to assisting the Black Guard Corps or the UCDF more broadly.
| Equipment | # |
|---|---|
| Main battle tanks | 380 |
| Armoured personnel carriers | 988 |
| Armoured cars | 205 |
| Towed artillery | 660 |
| Unarmoured vehicles | 3,120 |
| Transport aircraft | 9 |
| Patrol boats | 14 |
