Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Comments

Never been quite sure what's the difference between a detail and a detachment, except that detachments could be larger and have more autonomy.

So what we have here is a CAVALRY section that has been detached, in a very large, automated troop jump capable carrier, with at least two assault shuttles or dropships, which are also automated. Wouldn't be that anxious to jump into the low passage sleeping beauty caskets.

The assault shuttle carries an armed wheeled armoured personnel carrier, with the personnel capacity of a CAVALRY section, plus supernumeraries.

The detachment has a headquarters/support section, and one rifle section.

The headquarters section has a newly graduated Marine junior officer, a medic, an android technical sergeant, and a troop sergeant who's also senior section leader and senior lance leader.

The section is divided into four lances, a flight lance, a section headquarters lance, and two fire lances.

The flight lance consists of a flight sergeant and a gunnery sergeant.

The headquarters lance consists of the section sergeant and the armoured personnel carrier driver (who drove that thing again?).

The fire lance had a rifle binom and a gun binom, equipped with a squad automatic weapon of two men each.

There's a possibility that a section might have a qualified technician.

The headquarters section had attached a Solomani Security liaison and a civilian adviser, who's had contact with either a Droyne, a K'Kree, or a Hiver.

Armament includes advanced combat rifles with attached grenade launchers, semi automatic pistol, gauss squad automatic
weapon, flame throwers, and an automated stationary drone machine gun.


Oh yeah, so can't recall if the medic was armed, so that would make her a non combatant, as presumable also the technical android. The civilian consultant is given weapons for self defence, that would make her a temporary combatant. So the detachment has eleven permanent combatants, plus two armed armoured personnel carriers, two assault shuttles, and the troop carrier itself, coming to a total of sixteen permanent combatants.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Comments

Again, rifle and gun binoms combined into a lance, with a junior leader, two lances are led by a section sergeant for a total of nine troopers, two sections make a troop, presumably led by a troop sergeant and commanded by a lieutenant, sometimes directly by non seconded Navy officers.

Current doctrine prefers to standardize with a single type of sidearm, and spread the ammunition magazines amongst the lance instead of having to deal with the extra weight of a specialized automatic weapon.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Regional Lorried Yeomanry

Personal Development
1. Strength +1
2. Dexterity +1
3. Endurance +1
4. Gambling or Carousing
5. Melee or Stewardship
6. Jack of All Trades or pick a skill

Comments: the first three are physical statistics that most, if not all, close combat forces tend to develop; gambling seems to be an activity the military tends to spend a lot of their leisure time on, carousing being perhaps too politically incorrect to include; the rest of the time they seem to like to do a lot of physical conflict resolution; Jack of All Trades reflects how the CAVALRY is tasked with all sorts of stuff, and tend to be rather reliant upon their own resources.

Service
1. Athletics
2. Vacuum Suit
3. Tactics
4. Heavy Weapons or Explosives
5. Gun Combat
6. Driver

Comments: nothing controversial, driver reflects their reliance on ground vehicles, as the Army operates grav vehicles, while the Navy compensates with extensive utilization of spacecraft equipped with lifters; to be fair, a CAVALRY Squadron isn't expected to widely range from and within their deployment area.

Basic training would cover military etiquette, athletics, gun combat and driver; advanced would be how to survive in an hostile environment, operating heavy machinery, and understanding what's going on around you without losing your head.

Advanced Education

Comments: CAVALRY enlistees don't have this option, being more personal development than any formal educational and professional development programme(s) offered by the CAVALRY.

Commissioned Officer

Comments: Commissioned officers are seconded from the Solomani Confederation Marine Corps and the Confederation Navy.

Support
1. Electronics
2. Mechanic or Electronics
3. Medic
4. Engineer or Gunner
5. Profession or Education
6. Pilot/smallcraft

Comments: supporters are troopers who have found to have the qualifications or knack to assist the mission and the line units more behind the scenes, or are just chosen at random to perform a specific non combat function.

Shipboard
see Support

Comments: CAVALRY forces are tasked with a variety of missions, including shipboard troop contingents for merchantmen, if th situation so requires it; each squadron also operates their own starship.

Ground Assault
1. Survival
2. Recon
3. Melee
4. Stealth
5. Gun Combat
6. Heavy Weapons

Comments: close quarters combat, usually dirtside.

Ranks and Bonuses
E0 Recruit - Military etiquette
E1 Trooper - Gun Combat
E2 Lance Sergeant- Gun Combat
E3 [specialization] Sergeant - nothing
E4 Sergeant - Leadership
E5 Troop Sergeant - Administration
E6 Sergeant Major - Broker

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Comments

The Mobile Infantry is the ground military component of the Federal Armed Services of the United Citizen Federation. The primary military arm of the Federation Army, it is comprised of volunteers from all administrative regions of Earth and other Federal worlds joined into homogeneous units with no particular attachment to any specific region, eliminating the nationalistic tendencies caused by sovereign territories that provoked the Disorders and instilling personal sense of duty in the future Citizen franchise.

Contents[show]
Organization:Edit
The Platoon is the basic tactical maneuver brick of the Mobile Infantry. A Platoon consists of 36 personnel, commanded by a Lieutenant. A Viking Dropship can transport an entire Mobile Infantry platoon.

Each Platoon is divided into four Squads of eight troopers each. A command element of four people is in addition to the squads. The command element consists of the Platoon Commander (LT), the Platoon Sergeant (SGT), a Sniper (PVT), and a Communications Operator (CPL).

The four Squads each consist of a Squad Leader (J/SGT), a Assistant Squad Leader (CPL), and six Private troopers.

A company consist of four platoons and a command element of eight men. The command element consists of, the Company Commander (CAPT), the Company Senior Sergeant (SSGT), three Communication Operators (1 x CPL and 2 x PVT) and a Protection Party of three (PVT).

There are four companies per battalion, commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel.

Four battalions makes a regiment, commanded by a Colonel.

Equipment:Edit
UniformEdit
Vlcsnap-193764
Mobile Infantry Troopers on FedNet
The battle gear of the Mobile Infantry differs only slightly from modern day SWAT armor and Army BDUs (the uniforms greatly resemble Wehrmacht battle-gear from WWII). They are equipped with a helmet, thin body armor which is more for personal equipment carrying purposes, gloves and synthetic rubber combat boots. In hot environments, long sleeve field jacket are discarded in favor of the black T-shirt which is normally worn as an undergarment.

Communication operators carry a large backpack, possibly featuring radio and battlefield awareness system. The equipment not only allows surface to surface voice communications, but also surface to orbital, as well as real-time data updates, which keeps the operator well aware of the current battlefield events within 10 km radius. This is similar to the Blue Force Tracking systems developed in the early 21st century.

Weapons:Edit
The standard arms used are the Morita Assault Rifle, Morita II Assault Rifle, E-pulse 44 Rifle, Morita III Assault Rifle. They are also trained with combat knifes, E-pulse 88 Rifle, and Rocket launchers and Tactical Oxygen Nukes. Mobile Infantry personnel are seldom seen using pistols and no combat ground vehicles are seen to be used.


But you say that a platoon has 42 troopers. A viking can transport 40 troopers (plus 2 pilots). That's my problem. Aren't the command elements included in the 40 troopers?


Keep in mind that the Viking has the ability to carry additional personnel/cargo if needed; I have absolutely no problem accepting that two extra seats can be folded out for the L-T and the top kick;

Each squad is ten troopers: eight troopers (presumably in two fireteams of four troopers each), plus a Sergeant and a radioman (10 total). Four squads make up a platoon, plus a lieutenant and a first sergeant/radioman, for a total of 42.

The important thing is that it is one platoon to a dropper, not one company.


You guys would know that a platoon consists 26-64 soldiers in real life.


MI squads are 10 troopers. MI uses a "base-four" organization; 4 squads = 1 platoon, 4 platoons = 1 company, 4 companies = 1 battalion and so forth.

MI platoons add a lieutenant and a first sergeant/radioman, so a platoon = 42 troopers. One company would therefore be 128 troopers plus command elements.

The novel was written in 1959; at the time, a general reorganization was being contemplated in which line platoons would be integrated with their transport and support platoons, thus you would have a company-sized (and named) unit with the fighting strength of a platoon. Though this did not take place in the real world USAr (at the platoon/company level; a modified reorganization at higher levels resulted in the modern Army organization), Heinlein was fully aware of this reorganization plan; furthermore, since novel MI is heavily mechanized (with power suits), they have fewer troopers at every organizational level; these two factors would result in "companies" being commanded by lieutenants in the novel.


I said a platoon (not "company") is 42 troopers (four 10-trooper squads plus command elements). Each dropper (in the film) seems suited to carry about that number of fully loaded infantry.

TX55: Good info! Though I will observe that in the film, we see the Wildcats ONLY in the dropship and as they debark, while the Roughnecks are seen in-field in a fairly tightly packed formation; I'm not going to go count helmets, but it seems to me that the number is about right at 40-50 (give or take).

Yes, 40-50: Medics and Corpsmen (USN medics) are not integrated into platoons, but are attached as needed from the battalion or regimental pool. It is also not uncommon to reinforce a platoon with individual squads from another platoon from the same company.

Notice that when the Roughnecks request pickup, Fleet sends a single dropper, which is suitable for a platoon, not a company of 168 troopers!


The Mobile Infantry is an elite planetary fighting force of the Terran Federation. This Branch of the Terran Federation Army is the main ground combat force with other active ground units being K-9 Corps used for Recon.

Heinlein depicts the Mobile Infantry as a heavily armored but highly mobile force which virtually dominates the battlefield and greatly utilizes shock effect — much in the way of modern armored units. Likewise, they are utilized in the same missions (raids, screens, interdiction, etc.) as modern cavalry. In effect, the role depicted in the novel, relying on mobility, shock effect, and firepower, greatly follows the modern US Army Armor branch, with components running the gamut from light cavalry to heavy tanks. In addition, elite airborne infantry is a chief inspiration for Heinlein's troopers (both parachute and Air Assault).

SpecificationEdit
A Mobile Infantryman is equipped with a Powered armor suit as well as an arsenal of weapons, some built into the suit. These weapons range from conventional firearms to micro-nuclear warheads. The armor is strong enough to resist any conventional weapon less than high explosives or anti-tank rounds. The servo-motors give the wearer enough strength to crush a tank or tear through a concrete wall, but are dexterous enough to allow them to pick up an egg without breaking it. The armor is also equipped with jump jets and rockets, allowing the trooper to move rapidly about the field and cover entire square miles of terrain. One expression used in the book as a compliment to good soldiers is that they are "on the bounce". According to Rico, when one is suited up in the Powered armor, they appear like a "steel gorilla".

Usually, a Cap trooper of the Mobile Infantry in platoons would drop from individual capsules launched from a troop transports in orbit. The capsule is destroyed during descent. The Mobile Infantry platoons will then execute their missions. These missions range from hit-and-run strikes to search and rescue missions. The Mobile Infantry will usually deploy about one trooper every half-mile. After the mission is complete, the Transport will launch a retrieval beacon for the platoon to follow to the retrieval area. Usually the beacon will play music such as, in the case of the Starship Rodger Young, "The Ballad of Rodger Young." Once the retrieval boat lands, the platoon boards and returns to the transport.

The Mobile Infantry prides itself in its esprit de corps. This philosophy includes never leaving a wounded soldier for dead; instead they pick up their wounded and make sure they make it back alive. Also, all Mobile Infantry soldiers are combat soldiers; there are no dedicated support staff. This means that when a unit launches a mission, all soldiers do so.

TrainingEdit
The training of the Mobile Infantry is depicted as extremely strenuous, with a few dying before completion. The book's narrator, Juan Rico, describes how out of his entire 2000 man training unit, fewer than 200 make it all the way through.


The novel was pretty clear on the organization, but sparse on supporting components, besides canine units. On the whole, pretty squarish.

Going by the film, mass infantry tactics to the point you couldn't delineate any organization.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Comments

One of the best examples of efficient organization would be the Roman Legion, which some consider the equivalent to a brigade in size and function. It's not, or at least, not the classical variant.

It's recommended that the optimum number of line subunits that can be controlled would be between two and five; there's a case where a German general managed to take temporary control of seven divisions, and shuffle them around in a rather complicated manoeuvre in the face of the enemy, which tends to make that upper limit in my opinion for a rather gifted headquarters, not accounting for extraordinary instruments that can extend that control; Hitler didn't trust that general, probably the reason he never was promoted beyond corps command.

A Legion was divided into ten cohorts, which consisted of six centuries each, except for the first cohort, that had five double sized centuries. Constant training probably drilled into the Legion as a whole where each cohort was supposed to be and that cohort should be doing.

The standard cohort was subdivided into six centuries; six seems to be the upper limit of effective control, but that can be reinforced in more modern times by dividing that further, binarily into two formations of three each, or triangularly into three formations of two each. The issue seems to be the necessity of creating another headquarters with a separate support structure, not an issue at the lower end with binoms, teams, sections and platoons.

The classic Roman Legion had an equal number of allies and/or auxiliaries attached, which doubled it's strength, making it the equivalent of a division. Three regiments or brigades with three line battalions each equals nine line battalions, and then you add in an armoured battalion. and it looks rather similar to a Legion.

The lower end of a division would be six line battalions, organized into two brigades, three if you have enough trained officers. Supposedly, faster and more reactive, especially if it's more mobile and better equipped than opposing forces, but lacks the reserves necessary to reinforce the frontline, or to exploit a breakthrough; together with combat support, personnel should number at least six thousand.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Comments

Speaking of sixty, an almost mystical number in ancient times, a chort is composed of sixty tent groups, divided into six centuries of ten tent groups each, theoretically being eight times ten times six times ten combination.

In theory, a century could number between sixty to eighty legionaries, with a command group of centurion, his second in command optio, the watch officer tesserarius, the bugler cornicen, and the ensign signifer.

You could assign ten rifle squads per company, which could be divided into three rifle platoons of three squads each, with the tenth quad absorbed into heavy or specialized weapon teams.

A little more tricky with battalions, since they'd have six rifle companies, which could overwhelm a modern battalion commander.

A purely mounted infantry CAVALRY squadron would be reliant on other services providing transportation and heavy artillery support, but might be raised just to make up the numbers of boots on the ground. Or in orbit.

The establishment is capped at two hundred and ninety nine permanent combatants, which would be the equivalent of seventy five four man lances, so let's trim that to sixtyish as being the optimal number to keep track of; or sixty four, if one hundred twenty eight is supposedly the perfect number for a cavalry formation.

That can be parcelled out as thirty two eight man sections or twenty one twelve man sections; sixteen platoons of two eight man section, ten platoons of three eight man sections, eight platoons of four eight man sections; ten platoons of two twelve man sections, seven platoons of three twelve men sections. The limit would be ten rifle platoons for a squadron headquarters.

I don't think you have the luxury of not arming your battlefield medical personnel, so they have to considered combatants.There has to be one medic assigned per platoon or combat detachment. In other words, if you send an eight man detachment to investigate some bug reports, there has to be at least one medic attached.

Each squadron needs at least one surgeon attached, since he would be behind the lines in a clearly designated treatment centre, he'd be considered a temporary combatant if armed for self defence, though a permanent non combatant, as would be his medically qualified assistants. Ambulance drivers and stretcher bearers could be assigned from the rifleman pool, since as troopers they would all be able to drive, the heliborne equivalent would need a pilot and a smallcraft. Considering the autonomous nature of a CAVALRY squadron, one to three surgeon assistants, possibly one per hundred troopers. Since surgeons would need to have a medical degree and a commission, he would be seconded from the Confederation Navy, at least normally; they could hire a civilian on a two year contract.

A medical platoon consist of the surgical lance of a surgeon and one to three medical sergeants, two to three combat medic lances, and assigned one to three medical orderly lances to assist or chauffeur.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Comments

The LRDG never numbered more than 350 men, all of whom were volunteers.
...
The unit, initially known as the No.1 Long Range Patrol Unit (LRP), was founded on 3 July 1940.[5] Bagnold wanted men who were energetic, innovative, self-reliant, physically and mentally tough, and able to live and fight in seclusion in the Libyan desert.[7] Bagnold felt that New Zealand farmers would possess these attributes and was given permission to approach the 2nd New Zealand Division for volunteers; over half the division volunteered.[7] Two officers and 85 other ranks including 18 administrative and technical personnel were eventually selected, coming mostly from the Divisional Cavalry Regiment and the 27th Machine-Gun Battalion.[8] Once the men had been recruited, they started training in desert survival techniques and desert driving and navigation, with additional training in radio communications and demolitions.[5]
The LRP could initially form only three units, known as patrols,[nb 1] but a doubling of strength allowed the addition of a new Heavy Section.[10] In November 1940, the name of the LRP was changed to the "Long Range Desert Group" (LRDG),[11] and the New Zealanders were joined by volunteers from British and Southern Rhodesian regiments.[12] The British volunteers, who came mostly from the Brigade of Guards and Yeomanry regiments, were incorporated into their own patrols.[7] The original patrol unit consisted of two officers and 28 other ranks, equipped with a Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) Ford 15 Imperial hundredweight (cwt) truck and 10 Chevrolet 30 cwt trucks. In March 1941 new types of trucks were issued and the patrol units were split into half-patrols of one officer and 15–18 men in five or six vehicles.[10] Each patrol incorporated a medical orderly, a navigator, a radio operator and a vehicle mechanic, each of whom manned a truck equipped for their role.[13]

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Transport and How Special Forces setup their Hummer | Mount Weapons | Tactical Rifleman

Tactical Rifleman tries to bring our viewers a wide variety of information about subjects dear to our hearts… which is mostly things that go bang or boom. We have recently done a couple of weeks of new weapons, like the Army’s new pistol. So, this week, we wanted to change it up a bit. So, we are going to jump backwards in time and talk about our old reliable DMV (Desert Mobility Vehicle) and all the modifications that have been made along the way. First, we needed a HUMMER with most of the current modifications on it...
We went down to Military Systems Group, in Nashville, to check out some of their new toys and some of their old toys. MSG has been providing vehicle modifications and accessories to our military forces for as long as I can remember. I ran vehicles with their gear in Afghanistan. I ran vehicles with their gear in Iraq, and some of their latest gear can be found in just about every little hot spot on the planet.
In this week’s video Jay Johnson takes us through MSG’s Hummer, and talks in detail about all the mods currently available. Jay and I go way back; he was on my first A-Team close to a hundred years ago. When I moved on to the CIF Company; Jay moved on to specialize in Desert Mobility. If you want to talk tactical vehicle operations in the desert, you talk to Jay Johnson.
Jay and I get nostalgic a couple times during the filming of this video, and we wanted to go down the rabbit hole telling war stories; but we held back. Good thing, because this video is almost 48 hours long!!! Well, not that long, but it is still the longest Tactical Rifleman video to date.
We cover everything from bumpers to Swing-Arms to Barrett .50cal mounts. So, if you like military gear, or you want ideas for that Jeep Rockcrawler, please enjoy the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IK0aQU_8kk
If you arrive by surprise, the opposing forces usually don't have time to plant mines.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgCNVdYzIcw

Better equipped than the default CAVALRY Squadron; I would presume that their rifles tend to fire heavier calibres.

Note the gun nests on top.

Would also think that cloth armour will cover arms, if you already need breathing apparatus to deal with the toxic atmosphere.

Might consider an actual breastplate made out of crystaliron.

Presumably default United States Marine Corps organization, with one exoskeleton suit per squad or platoon equivalent; I think their problem was that the ground and air components became isolated from each other, the thick jungle canopy preventing mutual support.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Smallest Authorized Establishment

Having ascertained that sixty is the magic number for sub sub units, at it's most basic element, the trooper, the smallest squadron size that a CAVALRY Regiment would bother to output would be:

CAVALRY Squadron
. Headquarters Troop
.. Squadron Command Section
... Squadron Command Lance
...... Captain - Squadron commander
...... Lieutenant - Headquarters troop commander, senior Squadron Lieutenant, Adjutant
...... Sergeant Major - Squadron leader
...... Batman - trooper assignment, radioman, chauffeur
...... Clerk - trooper assignment, administrative assistant
...... Bugler - trooper assignment
... Colour Lance
...... Cornet - Squadron guidon bearer, aide de camp
...... Colour Sergeant - troop sergeant assignment; guidon, Squadron Headquarters Troop, and paychest security
...... Trooper
...... Trooper
...... Trooper
.. Signals Section
... Headquarters Troop Signals Lance
...... Signals Sergeant - Signals section leader, electronic security, drone operator, system administrator
...... Radioman - trooper assignment
...... Radioman - trooper assignment
...... Radioman - trooper assignment
... Radio Lance...... Radioman - trooper assignment, assigned Special Weapons section
...... Radioman - trooper assignment, assigned Special Weapons section
...... Radioman - trooper assignment, assigned Alpha Troop
...... Radioman - trooper assignment, assigned Bravo Troop
...... Radioman - trooper assignment, assigned Charlie Troop
.. Medical Section
... Surgical Lance
...... Squadron Surgeon - Squadron medical officer
...... Medical Sergeant - Surgeon's Assistant
...... Medical Orderly - trooper assignment, ambulance driver, stretcher bearer
...... Medical Orderly - trooper assignment, ambulance driver, stretcher bearer
... Medic Lance
...... Medic - assigned Headquarters Troop
...... Medic - assigned Alpha Troop
...... Medic - assigned Bravo Troop
...... Medic - assigned Charlie Troop
.. Support Weapons Section
... Support Weapons Command Lance
...... Weapons Sergeant
...... Radioman
... Machine Gun Crew
...... Lance Sergeant - machine gunner
...... Trooper - assistant machine gunner
...... Trooper - ammunition bearer
... Machine Gun Crew
...... Lance Sergeant - machine gunner
...... Trooper - assistant machine gunner
...... Trooper - ammunition bearer
... Tactical Missile Crew
...... Lance Sergeant - tactical missile launcher operator
...... Trooper - assistant tactical missile launcher operator
... Tactical Missile Crew
...... Lance Sergeant - tactical missile launcher operator
...... Trooper - assistant tactical missile launcher operator
... Laser Crew
...... Lance Sergeant - laser weapon system operator
...... Trooper - assistant laser weapon system operator
... Laser Crew
...... Lance Sergeant - laser weapon system operator
...... Trooper - assistant laser weapon system operator
... Sniper Binom
....... Sniper Sergeant
....... Trooper - observer
.. Supply Section
... Supply Command Lance
...... Fourrier Sergeant - supply leader
... Armoury Lance
...... Armourer Sergeant - weapons and non perishable goods supervisor
...... Armourer - trooper assignment
... Maintenance and Transport Lance
...... Mechanics Sergeant - motor pool supervisor
...... Mechanic - trooper assignment
...... Mechanic - trooper assignment
...... Mechanic - trooper assignment
... Catering Lance
...... Culinary Sergeant - chief cook, dietician, perishable goods supervisor
...... Cook - trooper assignment
...... Cook - trooper assignment
. three CAVALRY Troops
. CAVALRY Troop
.. CAVALRY Troop Command Lance
...... Lieutenant - troop commander
...... Troop Sergeant - troop leader
...... Medic
...... Signals Sergeant
.... two CAVALRY Rifle Sections
.... CAVALRY Rifle Section
..... Rifle Lance
...... Sergeant - senior section leader, lance leader
...... Trooper - rifleman
...... Trooper - rifleman
...... Trooper - rifleman
..... Rifle Lance
,,,,., Lance Segeant - junior section leader, lance keader
...... Trooper - rifleman
...... Trooper - rifleman
...... Trooper - rifleman

. Captain - one
. Lieutenants - five (including the Surgeon)
. Cornet - one
, Sergeant Major - one
. Troop Sergeants - four (including the Colour Sergeant)
. Fourrier Sergeant - one
. Armourer Sergeant - one
. Weapons Sergeant - one
. Signals Sergeant - one
. Sniper Sergeant - one
. Mechanics Sergeant - one
, Medical Sergeant - one
. Culinary Sergeant - one
. Medics - four
. Sergeants - six
, Lance Sergeants - twelve
. Troopers - sixty six

total one hundred and eight

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed Lorried Regional Yeomanry: Combatant Definition and Calculation

. Spaceship
.. turret
... per separate installed weapon system
.... one combatant
.. fixed mount
... per separate installed weapon system
.... one combatant
.. barbette
.... five combatants
.. small bay
.... twelve combatants
.. medium bay
.... twenty four combatants
.. large bay
.... one hundred twenty combatants
.. point defence battery
.... four combatants
.. spinal mount
... per damage die
.... three thousand combatants

. ground vehicle
... per separate installed heavy weapon system
.... one combatant

. air craft
... per separate installed weapon system
.... one combatant

. water craft
... per separate installed weapon system
.... one combatant

. troopers
.. rifleman
.. combat support: artillery, tankers, pioneers, provosts, signals, logistics personnel
.. combat support crews: spacecraft, aircraft, watercraft, ground vehicles
.. armed medical personnel
.. armed administrative personnel
.. armed private contractors
.... one combatant

. drones
.. armed
.. reconnaissance
.. patrol
.. guard
.... one combatant

. computer programmes
.. per simulant
... gunner
... pilot
... engineer
... sensor operator
.... one combatant

. limitations
.. without an officially assigned Solomani Security liaison officer
... two hundred ninety nine permanent combatants
... plus fifty nine seasonal temporary combatants
.. without a Solomani Security liaison detachment
... nine hundred ninety nine permanent combatants
... plus one hundred ninety nine seasonal temporary combatants

 

[Sigtrygg]

I would delete this post but all I can do is edit it.

 

[Condottiere]

That leaves me with a dilemma; my viewpoint and personal biases may evolve, especially over five years, but not in this case.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Cruiser Gap

1. The Confederation Navy labels almost every jump capable ship as a cruiser variant, so that capability gap isn'y publicly obvious, and even foreign intelligence agencies have trouble keeping track.

2. Fast dreadnoughts are colloquially known as battle cruisers, a category of capital warships that until just shortly before the War of Imperium Aggression had been extensively commissioned, before being superseded by the aforementioned fast dreadnoughts.

3. Three to hundred kay tonne hulls commissioned in the Confederation Navy are relatively scarce, and tend to be one off experimental testbeds, trying out new concepts or doctrines, and crewed by the best and brightest that the Confederation has to offer, though not necessarily the most politically reliable.

4. Cruiser hulls optimized for stealth and infiltration, with the exception of strike cruisers, specifically between three to a hundred thousand tonnes, are clandestinely constructed and passed over to Solomani Security control, which number about half of the starships actually constructed in this displacement category.

5. In actual numbers, three to hundred kay tonne commissioned starwarships are about only ten percent of their Imperium equivalents.

6. Cruiser equivalents are placed under the Strategic Reserve Command, and parcelled out to the Confederation Naval regional commands by perceived need; there are no separate Cruiser Squadrons, either fielded or administratively, being assigned or attached directly as headquarter or command elements.

7. As such, what might be categorized by the Imperium as frigates, destroyer escorts, or corvettes, would be termed by the Confederation as patrol cruisers.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Slug Throwers and Gauss Smallarms

The Gauss Rifle is the standard smallarm for unpowered troops of the Confederation Army, Confederation Marines and the Regular units of most Solomani Confederation militaries.

The Gauss Pistol is the standard smallarm of the Confederation Navy, and the backup weapon of choice for the Confederation Army, the Confederation Marines, and a substantial number of Regular units of most Solomani Confederation militaries.

These are supplemented by Gauss Sniper Rifles, Gauss Carbines (essentially a shortened barrel variant of the Gauss Rifle), and what I'll assume are twelve millimetre Assault Gauss Guns shooting one to three bundles of twenty four two millimetre needles.

While Solomani Confederation militaries do not need to adopt the patterns of the Confederation Army, Marines and Navy Services, there is a mandate for standardized ammunition and magazines, that permit them to be utilized by any Gauss smallarm weapon system manufactured within the Confederation.

The Confederation has a distinct preference for penetration over damage, believing that any ground forces they will face will wear personal protection gear, one reason Magnetic Rail weapon systems weren't widely adopted, except by internal security forces.

Gyroscopic stabilization, and other methods to reduce recoil feature prominently for Gauss weapon systems issued by the Confederation Navy and Confederation Marines, making them rather effective in zero gravity combat situations.

The four standard ammunition variants are:

1. 5.5 millimetres heavy dart

2. 4 millimetre rifle dart

3. 4 millimetre pistol dart

4. 12 millimetre bore/24 times 2 millimetre light dart

Unofficially, assault dart bundles can vary, and two millimetre light darts have been used in purse variant pistols.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Slug Throwers and Advanced Combat Smallarms Weapon Systems

The default Advanced Combat Rifle is the mandated standard issue smallarm that equips the majority of Army Home Guard units, those that can afford it would upgrade to Gauss smallarm weapon systems in line with the guidelines that insist on ammunition and magazine compatibility.

It's also the weapon of choice for the Confederation auxillary organizations, the CAVALRY Corps amd Coi

Army Home Guard units are an odd combination of maintaining a somewhat trained military reserve and a voluntary planetary militia to provide a sufficient deterrence against an invasion, and a manpower pool that will be tapped when the time comes to make up the numbers for the wars of liberation against the Imperium to come.

Standardization of parts and ammunition eases up logistics, since mobilized Home Guard troops and volunteers from liberated planets will make up the vast majority of the Confederation ground forces.

In fact, Confederation policy is to encourage vast production and export of Advanced Combat smallarm weapon systems, even and especially into the Imperium occupied worlds of the Solomani Sphere and adjacent sectors. Sterilized barebone examples have turned up in the hands of insurgencies and criminal organizations on the Imperium side of the border, making tracing of their origin a somewhat fruitless endeavour, and allowing the addition of locally sourced electronics and modifications to improve performance, if required.

The default six millimetre round is similar to the default five millimetre assault rifle round, except having better ballistic performance, being lighter and more compact due to caseless propellant and the requisite tighter seal and greater pressure that advanced metallurgy and chemistry permits at technological level ten.

The three standard ammunition variants are:

1. 9 millimetres heavy rifle round

2. 6 millimetre standard rifle round

3. 9 millimetre standard pistol round

Standard military ammunition is at least armour piercing, discarding sabot being optional.

Different sized barrels permit a more efficient application to the assigned roles of troopers, whether as a sniper rifle, squad support, carbinized as close support, or for the pistol round, backup weapon or close defence weapon.

There are effective solutions for specialized and important missions, like an upgrade to gauss weapon systems, but the advanced combat rifle family of weapons allow the Confederation to standardize and subsidize their Home Guard units, and provide a great deal of deniable plausibility when they turn up in the Imperium.

There's also a robust civilian market, depending on the local law level, since demilitarized variants exist in a gray area, which gauss weapon systems would notm and caseless ammunition is easier to control and monitor.

 

[Condottiere]

Solomani Confederation: Slug Throwers and the Advanced Survival Round

The rather puny “survival rifle” is a simple double barrelled, collapsible weapon included in survival kits. It can fire a weak five millimetre rifle cartridge (not compatible with other rifle ammunition) from one barrel and an equally unimpressive shotgun round from the other. Both cartridges are roughly the same in terms of performance. The survival rifle is really only any useful when hunting small game. It has no intrinsic armour piercing capability.

Though I suppose you could game the system, hollow out or armour the tip, and inject an explosive substance into the warhead.

Statistically speaking, in peace time, this is probably the most lethal cartridge, as effective in taking down human threats as larger and heavier calibres, considering the normal ranges of engagement, though tampered by the fact that a third of the time, it has no practical and immediate effect, and is akin to poking the bear.

In terms of game mechanics, recoil might not register.

Comparatively speaking, you might be looking at air gun pellets, except that in terms of force, there's actually a great deal more potential, and rate of fire is higher; at full automatic, it's been compared to a swarm of angry bees.

As far as I can tell, at default it's technological level five with a muzzle velocity of four hundred and fifty metres per second; let;s say that at technological level seven the upper end is six hundred metres per second, you could lower the velocity to three hundred metres per second to make it subsonic, and at close range, ideal for assassination and infiltration.

Default ammunition costs one Credite Imperiale per hundred rounds.

Default damage would be two dee six, the same for air pellets and balled snub rounds.

Default range I'm not sure; calculation indicates it has the same force as an air gun pellet at muzzle velocity at seven hundred yards. commentary indicates it's still lethal at three hundred yards, and supposedly ballistics go off a cliff at one hundred and fifty yards.

So I think using the air rifle range of seventy five metres is probably a safe yardstick.

It's a safe bet that at technological level ten you have a reliable caseless round, though at default damage potential; question is, will it effect ballistics, in that the range is suddenly increased two and a quarter times? How does that effect recoil and muzzle velocity?

If you stage up velocity to seven hundred and fifty metres per second, at least for larger calibres, the natural resiliency of human tissue is destroyed, one reason you don't want to get penetrated by an assault rifle round.

Food for thought.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Authorized Volunteer Armed LONG RANGE Yeomanry

 

[Condottiere]

Member World Ground Forces: 10 Worst Sci-Fi Armies You Can Join

Science Fiction Armies are usually not the most well though organizations here are 10 you really want to avoid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q55NLR5-fZc

Localized carnage.

And recruitment.

 

[Condottiere]

Logistics and Biological Warfare: Hogs in History - Creator and Destroyer - Extra History

In 1494, among the colonization forces from Spain, eight pigs arrived in Cuba. With multiple uses in culinary and craft trades, as well as their general top-tier hardiness, pigs would naturally propagate themselves throughout the Caribbean, and then to Central, South, and North America--but they were also incredibly destructive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WkjHyKHyX4


And chickens.

There should be porkers everywhere where the Solomani stepped foot. And possibly dropped on planets they just passed by.

And cats .

And rabbits.

The Vilani never saw it coming.


Pigs used to be Overpowered

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xbQ2WbTp0E

Makes you wonder why there are no uplifted Porcs Waaughing their way across the galaxy.