Solomani Confederation (Military)

Solomani Military: Naval Home Guard

Militarily, I count five distinct organizations in the Confederation, the Navy, the Army, SolSec, the Naval Home Guard and the Army Home Guard.

Member worlds could have separate civilian organization(s) policing the system, but I think it will remain the responsibility of the Naval Home Guard, since it would be a duplication of effort.

Instead of naming it the Naval Home Guard, perhaps a better (and easier) designation could be (planet/system name) Aerospace Force. So when the Home Guard is referred to, you know it means the dirtside militia forces.
 
Solomani Military: (Wo)Manning


1. Low berths

I like Aliens, but outside of having a Xenomorph wandering around the ship, their freeze chambers are practically foolproof, if not Xenomorph proof. Travellers' are not.

The Solomani Confederation isn't going to waste it's expensively trained military personnel in a game of Russian Roulette, though medical emergencies, mass evacuations, and prisoner of war exceptions would remain. They prefer to overman their ships.


2. Unit Size

We've already move an echelon down, from division to brigade, and brigade to battle group, from battalion to company, in carrying out what normally would be seen as the larger unit's role or mission, assuming the lower unit is properly supported.

So outside perversity, the three hundred man limit seems appropriate for a mercenary company to operate, as it keeps players book keeping within a reasonable level, and reflects actual developments. You could probably keep track of every member in the company.

A well trained and motivate platoon could probably carry out the roles and missions given now to companies (again, if well supported), though probably closer to the fifty man size, rather than twenty to thirty.

One interesting issue if if commissioned officers are encouraged to lead from the front, since it's likely they'll be identified and sniped, if possible, though I'd probably go first for the senior NCOs.
 
Solomani Confederation: (Wo)Manning

This probably applies across the board, but there is no draft for the Navy, and the Marines, and I'm going to add the Army.

There are far too many people, and even if they did overmanning and built up a considerable reserve of trained personnel, not enough slots in either the Navy or Marines. The Navy and the Marines may headhunt promising individuals, but in the quasi militaristic society of the Solomani Confederation, there should be more than enough volunteers.

My take on the Solomani Army is highly technical and mechanized, so they're probably choosy as well, and prefer enthusiastic and capable recruits.

Home Guards may not be so choosy, but Aerospace Forces should be (exact policy would vary), considering that budget constraints would limit the number of ships and strikecraft they'd have.

Now, manning merchantmen for dangerous convoys in the midst of war ...
 
Solomani Confederation: (Con)federal Service

There may be no draft, but anyone can apply for Confederal Service, and the Confederation will find them something to do, dependent on current needs.
 
Solomani Confederation: (Con)federal Service

Following this path, if he doesn't end up as an experimental subject, or Peace Corps volunteer, Confederale Service may end with him in the Motorized Infantry (as opposed in this universe's equivalent of the Mobile infantry, the battle dressed Confederate Marines), the low end of military service, surpassed only by the Penal Battalion.
 
Solomani Army: Motorized Battalions

Looks like you could evolve this concept to sort of parody Heinlein, plus fit it in with the Phoenix Project.

Motorized battalions are equipped at a tech base that is at the discretion of the local Army commander, which made the operational plan of Project Phoenix once they became cognizant of it, wholly believable to Imperium Intelligence, in that guerrilla teams would be recruited from Solomani loyalist families within the occupied Solomani, and provided with prepositioned hidden arms and equipment caches of varying tech levels.

Outside the fact that both the Solomani Army, Solomani Navy, and Confederate Marines operate within the bounds of their respective budgets, and that candidates are accepted from the cream of the recruits, there would be many disappointed who wouldn't find a slot, even though they may be just qualified for it, the Services provide (affordable) outlets for such outpourings of patriotism.

For the Army, it's acceptance int their Motorized battalions, which while nowhere as technically proficient nor equipped as their frontline units, do fulfill roles and tasks that while not quite as glamourous as those carried out by the frontline units, are still important in maintaining the security and harmony of the Confederation.
 
Solomani Army: Motorized Battalions

I see the Solomani Army going with a square organization but Motorized Battalions use a triangular one.

Your basic Motorized Battalion line squad would be one sergeant plus three rifle cells; each rifle cell would be two riflemen with one corporal.

Each Motorized Battalion line platoon would be one lieutenant, one leading sergeant, and three line squads.

One Motorized Battalion line company would be three line platoons, plus a captain, an executive officer, a staff sergeant and a supply sergeant.

A Motorized Battalion would be three line companies, a transport company, and a headquarters company.

The transport company would consist of a light transport platoon per line company with thirty seven jeeps. The jeeps could have a pintle mount with a double autorifle mount (like double-bolters), which would still qualify it as a slug thrower, and not require an additional skill in heavy weapons.

The headquarters would have a command element, a medical platoon, a heavy weapons platoon, a supply platoon, a military police platoon, and a signals platoon.
 
Solomani Army: Motorized Battalions

If we make this a separate branch of the Army, or even possibly the armed forces, the highest ranking officer would be the Sky Marshal, possibly responsible for subsector operations. Well, the chain of command could extend to Sky High Marshal, for a military district or sector.

Sky Marshals need to have experienced combat command of both a brigade and a capital ship, or at least, a major combatant.

Most Sky Marshals are appointed from the ground forces, so the Solomani Navy arranges to fast track them in four years to a command of a legacy cruiser, with an experienced crew and a very efficient executive officer.
 
Solomani Army: Motorized Battalions

Mongoose may have oversimplified skills. But, Motorized Battalions are predicated on being simple.

If you just emphasize slug throwers, any modern and advanced bullet based rifle will do, as well submachine guns and pistols.

The basic weapon of the Motorized Battalion would be the autorifle, which can be configured to from standard issued smallarm, to the squad light machine gun, and a marksman rifle. If you add in a bipod, or even a monopod, and a scope. A rifle grenade adds additional firepower and can be used as an ad hoc light mortar.

The same bullet could be used in the general purpose machine gun, which supposedly goes under heavy weapons. Might have to skip the heavy machine gun.

I'd also skip the assault rifle, though the carbine version would make a reasonable close assault weapon.

Starship Troopers seem to have a fondness for the combat knife as a second weapon, but Aliens and presumably Han Solo seem to go with an autopistol. Autopistol ammunition could be used by a sub machine gun, while assault rifle ammunition would be different from either pistol or rifle.

Since this is all at a base of tech level six, troops would be issued mesh armour and a steel helmet, more for psychological effect.

The upper end would be troops issued with a gauss rifle and tech level eleven hostile environment suit, which would make them look like Sardaukar. Motorized battalions wouldn't be usually equipped with any higher tech than twelve. The additional skill they'd need would be vacc suit zero.

So your basic Motorized Battalions would be equipped at tech level six, and your really advanced one would be tech level eleven/twelve, possibly some tech level thriteen equipment.

Motorized Battalions are supposed to provide a pool of cannon fodder that SolSec and the Solomani Army can use to supplement their forces, though I'm beginning to wonder if you couldn't deploy mostly pure formations.

I'll have to figure out variants between six and twelve tech levels.
 
Solomani Army: Motorized Battalions

Motorized units, at all echelons, can also be augmented, both by other motorized units as well from units from other service branches.

Assault cell - two privates and a corporal armed with submachineguns and shotguns, trained for lose assault and urban warfare; can be attached to any tactical squad, or a tactical cell can be attached to an assault squad, to provide additional firepower.

Combat engineer cell - three sappers can be attached, usually at the platoon level, to help clear explosive ordnance and make breaches in buildings, as well as supervise the construction of field fortifications; tactical squads can be attached to combat engineer units to provide security and/ or manual labourers.

General purpose machinegun cell - two ammo carriers and a gunner, with a medium machine gun, and maybe a tripod, usually attached at the platoon and company level.

Recoilless cannon cell - two gunners and a bombadier, with a four inch recoilless cannon, usually mounted on a jeep inclusive driver, attached at the platoon and company level.
 
Solomani Military: Solomani Confederation Motorized Corps

So the latest iteration of my take on an amalgamation of the Imperial Army, Mobile Infantry, Colonial Marines, and Falkenberg's Legion.

First of all, Motorized units are organized into Corps, led by Sky Marshals.They are hardly ever deployed as such, since individual formations tend to be attached to Solomani Army, SolSec, and possibly Solomani Navy task forces.

Divisions are assigned per system, under the command of a General. Divisions are all arms formations (well, such as are available).

Brigades are, well, fairly major tactical military formations with three Motorized Battalions, plus supporting elements, usually operating semi-independently, and commanded by a Brigadier.

O0 Cadet
O1 Lieutenant
O2 Sky Captain
O3 Colonel
O4 Brigadier
O5 General
O6 Sky Marshal
 
Solomani Military: Solomani Confederation Motorized Corps

The skill most emphasized is gun combat, specializing in slug throwers.

Gun combat 0 - Everyone fights, no one quits
Gun combat 1 - minimum requirement for inclusion in a tactical cell
Gun combat 2 - minimum requirement for an ULTRA cell
Gun combat 3 - minimum requirement for a terminator cell
Gun combat 4 - minimum requirement for becoming a sniper, usually headhunted by a mercenary unit at this point
 
Solomani Military: Solomani Confederation Motorized Corps


As can be seen, the concept has evolved.

At the base level, you have cannon fodder equipped at tech level six, which should be viable against most insurgents upto tech level nine.

Experienced cannon fodder get reassigned to Ultra Light Tactical Reaction Auxiliary cells, equipped ACRs and other interstellar dawn equipment.

Veteran ULTRA riflemen get promoted to Tactical Emergency Reaction Men In Nice Armoured Tuxedos Off Road, who look like Sardaukar, and are issued with a gauss rifle and a tech level eleven Hostile Environment Suit.

Suitable ULTRAs are recruited for the ULTRAMarine companies, that are run by the Solomani Navy, and of course, since they're likely to be deployed on something space related, need Vacc Suit Zero.

Anyone who manages to achieve a proficiency of four, gets assigned to sniper detachments, and are usually headhunted by Private Military Contracts at very attractive salaries and sign up bonuses.
 
Solomani Military: Solomani Confederation Motorized Corps


Mixing up a little more from Star Wars:

Platoon - commanded by a Lieutenant
Company - commanded by a Captain
Legion - commanded by a Commandant
Battle Group - commanded by a High Colonel
Division - commanded by a General
Corps - commanded by a Sky Marshal

O0 Cadet
O1 Lieutenant
O2 Sky Captain
O3 Commandant
O4 High Colonel
O5 General
O6 Sky Marshal

E0 Recruit
E1 Trooper
E2 Corporal
E3 Sergeant
E4 Master Sergeant
E5 Staff Sergeant
E6 Sergeant Major

S0 Apprentice
S1 Specialist
S2 Technician
S3 Petty Officer
S4 Warrant Officer
S5 Senior Warrant Officer
S6 Chief Warrant Officer
 
Solomani Military: Solomani Confederation Motorized Corps


Weapon Systems

The SCMC are notorious for combining longarms as a form general purpose machine gun, though mounted usually on an open vehicle. At the basic level, it's two auto-rifles on a pintle mount, while at the upper end it's four gauss rifles in a square quad mount, that everyone agrees is almost as nasty as the heavy support gauss machinegun, though luckily for most insurgents, rarely encountered outside of TERMINATOR units.

In between those, are double ACR mounts, quad GPMGs and eight millimetre miniguns.
 
Solomani Confederation Mobile Corps

As anyone would have guessed by now , the Motorized Battalions were originally intended to provide locally cannon fodder for the Solomani Army for security or low intensity conflicts. I couldn't resist adding in elements from other games and/or settings, the more i thought about expanding the concept.

As such, it sort of evolved/evolving.

The ULTRAMarines were supposed to be the equivalent for the Solomani Navy, for ground operations, to be led by promising Marine NCOs and junior officers, and structured to not require a mandatory SolSec liaison. They were, of course, based on the United States Colonial Marine Corps from Aliens, which is why they were equipped with ACRs, and partially as a joke on Forty Kay's Ultramarines.

They've since been amalgamated with the Motorized Corps, to give the cannon fodder a path to a career if they are competent and lucky enough to survive, as well as provide the Solomani military with more professional units and cadre for the newly recruited units.

Continuing with the Forty Kay theme, though looking like Sardaukar from the Dune movie, justified on the grounds that Combat Armour, let alone Battle Dress, just would be considered too expensive for expendable troops, we have the veteran TERMINATOR troops, who generally can hit what they shoot at, and get the most advanced variant of slug thrower weaponry available.

The Star Wars Imperial Army gets involved with the concept of augmentation, which at this point meant I considered making the Motorized Corps more widespread and possibly self contained, though their primary function is to support the Stormtrooper Corps (Confederation Marines), and the Solomani Army, who in my view, would be almost entirely mechanized, and highly technical, which is why they needed cannon fodder to provide a personal presence on the field. In either case, both the Army and Marines would have had their choice of recruits, but would have size constraints, so they picked the best. The Motorized Corps allows those disappointed but still enthusiastic for a Confederation military career outside of the Home Guard, to have one.

In theory, the Home Guard is supposed to be a planetary reserve militia, which begs the question, do member worlds have a professional military? Considering some of the ambitious ones mentioned, very likely, otherwise how do they plan to project their power and create a sphere of influence? But that's probably a topic for another day.

Overall, Pournelle's influence should be remarked on, even if it wouldn't be obviously so. At the lowest end, troops are issued with an autorifle, which can outrange an assault rifle, and remains at least in parity until the introduction of ACRs, which are likely to be similar to Judge Dredd's Lawgiver in that they have effective user recognition biometric guards that prevent unauthorized ones from being able to use them. While mileage will vary, it seems likely that Confederation subpolities will designate them as military hardware and restrict them. So you can neither collect nor hunt with them.

Note that I've changed the name from Motorized to Mobile, as a nod to the film.
 
Solomani Confederation Mobile Corps: (Wo)manning


An autorifle isn't the lightest of weapons, nor in general, is the load that Ye Plebeian Foot Slogger is meant to schlep along, but it's the SCMC, with the emphasis on Mobility, and in most cases, the SEPOIs aren't expected to carry their entire gear with them, only about twenty kilos, or in Traveller terms, let's say twenty four kilogrammes, with the rest stowd on their assigned vehicle.

That means that anyone below the usual human male average can be expected to participate.


Vehicles

At the basic level, four wheel drive unarmoured offroad utility vehicles, because they are a lot cheaper than grav ones, followed by agile, well-armed, light patrol vehicle, somewhat armoured. Trucks and vans are used more for logistics purposes, than troop transporters.

Where necessary, there's a preference for IFVs supported by AFVs.

As the Navy has control and ownership over all spaceships, so does the Army over grav propelled carriers, which leaves the loophole for ground vehicles, one reason the Mobile Corps uses them a lot. The Army does second grav units to the Mobile Corps, but they tend to be slotted into roles that formerly used to be performed by helicopters, being a far more efficient platform.

The Navy does not have the same obligation to support the SCMC as they do the Army, so will try to push it off to the local Aeroforce, but an escort carrier task group tends to be as good as it gets. With their picked ULTRAMarine units, a lot more support is extended, since they would be under the direct control of the Navy.
 
Solomani Confederation Mobile Corps: Qualifying

Enlistment requires Strength six, Endurance Six, Dexterity three, Education three, Intelligence ... three. Your target number is five, and you count up all mentioned characteristic modifiers. Existing skills, Gun Combat/Slug Thrower (zero plus one, one plus two, two plus three, three plus four, four plus five).


Ultra Light Tactical Reaction Auxiliary

Transfer requires Strength six, Endurance Six, Dexterity six, Education six, Intelligence ... six. Your target number is six, and you count up all mentioned characteristic modifiers. Existing skills, Gun Combat/Slug Thrower (two plus one, three plus two, four plus three).
 
Solomani Confederation Mobile Corps: Vehicles

So you get the air/raft at tech level eight, which costs about the same as a helicopter, but a helicopter can carry more, and is available at tech level six. I guess it would depend more on operating cost, and you'd have to maintain separate logistics, and a couple of extra MOS.

The SCMC is still a apart of the Solomani military, though a separate branch, and it doesn't make much sense to maintain helicopters, when they could get grav vehicles, which have to be easier to maintain and fly. Ground vehicles are still cheaper, especially as the SCMC are usually attached to the other branches to make up the number, rather than given planetary or even continental area to operate independently.

If you keep vehicles mostly wheeled, if not entirely, you only need one type of driver. Without tracked vehicles, cross country accessibility for armoured vehicles is going to be affected, a lighter option would be providing ATGMs mounted on jeeps, and you could always get an actual grav tank if you need that sort of support. Eight or ten wheeled armoured cars might be sufficient.

Reconnaissance forces would have a mixture of motorcycles, jeeps and drones.
 
Solomani Confederation Mobile Corps: Specialty

As cannon fodder, an enlistee is likely to end up as infantry, though everyone has to be able to properly fire a gun without shooting off their foot, or worse, their drill instructor's, the powers that be may deem that recruit more suitably positioned elsewhere in the organizational table.

Cavalry are obviously drivers of wheeled vehicles. Mounting double or quad rifles means that you don't have to have a specially trained heavy weapons gunner, except for guided missiles, artillery and maybe GPMGs.

Support is somewhat diverse. Combat medic (medic), combat engineer (explosives), signals (communications, sensors), clerical (admin), technician (mechanics, electronics), cook (steward). Of which, cook may be the most influential one.

E0 Recruit - Gun Combat
E1 Trooper - Gun Combat/Slug Thrower
E2 Corporal - Recon
E3 Sergeant - Leadership

S0 Kitchen hand - chef de plonge
S1 Prep cook - Garçon de cuisine (Steward)
S2 Cook - Cuisinier
S3 Range chef - Commis
S4 Station chef - Chef de partie
S5 Sous-chef de cuisine - (Admin)
S6 Executive Chef - chef de cuisine, managing the entire kitchen in addition to creating the menu and purchasing food (Broker)
 
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