NationStates Jolt Archive

For what had appeared to be a sizeable portion of the Corporation’s existence, foreign visitors – and even those who had spent their entire lives there – would realize rather quickly that the most prominent military branch in the entire nation was the air force. Naval and troop movements, budgetary debates, and surprisingly enough, the introduction of any new weaponry for the other services would rarely hit the pages of the national press, often finding that the information would be buried away in a local newspaper that barely anyone read. Of course, when one pursued the reasoning behind all of this, they would seldom be surprised by the outcome. Comprising a hefty seventy-two percent of the defense budget, the air force provided the necessary defense for the skies over the Grummian homeland, but also employed roughly eight million people aboard its seven battlefleets stationed over each of the Corporation’s worlds and colonies. They were the first line of defense against almost all of the aggressors that had been faced so far and were the most active, seeing action in the fairly recent war against Xanthal, defensive maneuvers on Mars, and countless other conflict. There was no denying that, and because of this, it garnered most of the attention from the press, the population, and all of the leaders.

However, the army had found themselves at a significant disadvantage over the decades as the focus turned more and more towards space. Gone were the days that a ground war would have been feasible. Now most of the action would be seen far above any world with, at the very most, limited special forces deployment to deal with any defensive measures that a planet may very well have. It was simply not in anyone’s interest to deploy the Grummian army anywhere because of what a logistical nightmare it would involve. So these forces would be mostly delegated to the homeland, training on outdated tanks and other mechanized armor from the late twentieth century and serving as nothing more than a heavily armed police force when it was truly needed.

But in recent times, there had been discussions floating among the higher ranks of the military brass and the corporate leaders about expanding the size of the army due to a majority of it being delegated towards a policing role in the capital and other major cities due to religious unrest, and to provide better security on hostile worlds such as Mars. Though, due the amount of hostility between the military branches over budgetary constraints and the unwillingness of the Chair to force the entirety of the Corporation into any more debt, there needed to be a detailed plan covering all necessary expenses, how to rework the defense budget into taking on these debts, and to decide what needed to be done to ready the army and the civilian population for this expanded role.

One of the ideas that had been brought forth to reduce recruitment costs and any other diversion of costs was the conscription of able-bodied citizens of a fairly young age into a new ground defense force under the direction of a locally based general and colonial governor. Now, whether or not this was feasible or not depended on gathering information on how it was implemented in other nations, considering the Corporation’s inexperience in such a matter. So this was discussed with one of Northrop-Grumman’s allies in the Concordat – Taraskovya more specifically – as they have had a defense force comprised of mainly conscripts from their population, and it was decided that a few of the army generals would visit one of their Territorial Defense Force training complexes, at Platzdarm New Thun, located in the Southern Crown Territory of Nyi-Gardarika.

Several days after this decision had been made, quite rapidly when considering how slow the Corporation tended to be about executing these sorts of plans, a lone dropship, inbound from Earth, descended into the Martian atmosphere over the Taraskovyan territory. Aboard it was Army Chief of Staff, General Stephen Clayton, who was one of the few remaining commanders who had seen their career start just prior to the civil war thirty years ago and essentially lived through the heyday of the Grummian army. He had an expressed interest in seeing the return of his branch to a place of honor alongside the others as it had been during the Corporation’s early years and hoped that this plan would allow it to grow and prosper long after he would leave his command position. Others aboard this ship were Colonel George Hochstein and Brigadier General Andrew Vance, two possible candidates to lead the initial trial run of the colonial defense forces should they ever have that opportunity to do so. Hochstein’s past most notably consisted of heading his tank division’s defense of the capital building during the war against the forces Hremstir several years prior that managed to nearly obliterate the rest of the city and several hundred thousand people. As for Vance, he commanded most of the forces during that battle, despite communications problems and a heavy death toll in the officers’ ranks, and now held the capital city and other major cities under a state of martial law for the past several months.

Now, as the dropship settled down on the appropriate landing pad at the Taraskovyan compound, a side panel on the side of the vessel lowered, providing a convenient set of stairs for the older general and his younger subordinates. Clayton was the first to step down from the craft, taking this opportunity to greet those who met them with a handshake, if at all possible, and a subsequent chuckle along with, “Good afternoon, I am General Stephen Clayton, and these men are Colonel George Hochstein and Brigadier General Andrew Vance. I hope we’re at the right place.”

Great! Keep It Up!

The Taraskovyan war doctrine has already relied on extensive using of all available forces in any given theatre of operations. To the Taraskovyans it was simply unimaginable to launch simply an orbital operation that would not be backed by a ground invasion and vice versa. The TNDF itself fielded such an extensive array of ground and naval based anti-orbital weaponry, that even the loss of friendly orbital back up would not be enough to fully breach the Taraskovyan defences (albeit it sure as hell would help).

This was why for a time now there has been no branch partition in the TNDF. Whilst separate ranks remained, all the administrative hassle was largely centralized and allowed to no longer differentiate between the air force, the space fleet, the ground forces or the wet navy. There were no such things as “space fleet needs” or “army needs”. A fully efficient operation involved both and, as such, both had to receive the equipment and training they required. Of course, it was clear that a general could not command a space fleet during the heat of battle, which was why some de facto separation still existed.

What existed instead were three “force types”. These were not branches to speak properly of, but instead types of training a soldier would receive throughout his career.

The Security and Quarantine Forces (the SQF or the VTO as the Russian abbreviation went) were, as their name dictated, charged mainly with matters of securing vital objectives and military installations, serving as an occupation constabulary, leading anti-guerilla warfare. Somewhere in between a regular military and a police force, the SQF were somewhat apart in the overall TNDF structure, having their own traditions, tasks and quite often organizational structure. Before the formation of the current TNDF, the SQF were under the orders of the Department of Interior Affairs of the then Grand Duchy of Taraskovya. The advent of the Empire saw their integration into the TNDF.

The most known to foreigners were surely the Engagement Forces (E-FOR, or the UDAV as the Russian abbreviation went), for they were nothing else but the TNDF before the reorganization. Made up of professional soldiers and officers, the Engagement Forces were meant to engage the enemy offensively in defence of the Empire or during aggressive operations. After all, Taraskovya never portrayed itself as a peace loving country, instead it took some pride when some foreigners portrayed it as an aggressive militarist power.

Finally, the “newborn” in the family were the Territorial Defence Forces (TDF, or VTO as the Russian abbreviation went). The exact translation from Russian would, however, be Forces of Territorial Defence. These units, made of conscripts, existed three weeks a year and then whenever the need to mobilize the citizen soldiers arose. They were fully part of the TNDF and integrated tightly with the Engagement Forces and doctrinally were intended as back-up to the latter during any large scale operations. In fact, as promotion to officer was done only after completing a lengthy period of instruction and training, officers commanding the VTO were technically part of the UDAV by virtue of being career professionals.

Every Taraskovyan citizen able of body and sane of mind had to serve at least 600 days with the TNDF spread over 20 years of service. Of which approximately 200 days were done in the boot camp alone. Candidates for unter-officer promotion served longer due to the additional period of unter-officer training and instruction. The initial period of basic training was more or less the same for all as it concerned such of the most basic things as firing an assault rifle, learning discipline, army structure and other things without which a soldier was not a soldier.

Dragoons, voltigeurs, airforce pilots and spaceship engineers all had to pass through it. All recruits would, thus, enter service on one of the Platzdarms, huge military complexes that offered all the required space to train thousands of recruits. After the initial period, conscripts would enter function specific training. Those volunteering for professional service and recognized fit and able to undergo professional service would then either continue their training in the same Platzdarm (these complexes were also used to train UDAV personnel, after all) or be filed off to other specialized schools, academies and training centres.

New Thun was a gigantic complex located close to the border of the Province of Stribog, but within the Southern Crown Territory. It had the specialized facilities to train cavalry and armoured troops (both integrated the respective equivalent of tanks and troop carriers, just that the missions and vehicles were different), but also served as the initial basic training site for all other sorts of forces. When the Grummian officers arrived, however, the initial basic training period was already finished and recruits went into their function specific training, with many having left for the UDAV and OKV.

It was, thus, no wonder that it was chosen to show the Grummians around. New Thun just yelled “LOOK AT THE MIGHT OF THE TARASKOVYAN PANZERS!” to any visitor who would be allowed access.

The Grummians were met by two Taraskovyan officers in their “work outfits” as it was called in the army. In reality, these were combat suits, just with helmets off and berets on.

“Polkovnik Miroslav Dajko,” the Colonel, who looked about fifty years old presented himself after saluting. “Unfortunately, General-Major Konstantinov could not meet you personally as we are planning regimental level maneuvers in several weeks time and the General-Major is surveying the grounds personally.”

He gave a look at the man behind him. It was an Ober Feldfebel, thus not an officer, but a high unter-officer. His rank corresponded to a function, that of being responsible for quartners, ammunition, discipline and the general good functioning of the unit entrusted to him, the function corresponding to a unit sergeant major. Most Ober Feldfebels served as company sergeant majors, but some could be “promoted” to higher positions such as battalion or regimental sergeant majors. They did not technically switch rank, but did become superior to their “lower ranked” colleagues.

“This is Ober Feldfebel Igor Kondratiev,” the Ober Feldfebel saluted by clacking his heels together and bringing his right hand to his forehead. “We shall first show you to your quarters in the Officers’ Quarters building. After this, we shall meet the General-Major and then you’ll proceed with your scheduled visit.”

With that, the Grummians were led to what appeared to be as two small military armoured vehicles. In fact, these were Eagle “levijeeps” used by the ground forces for scouting purposes. The vehicles carried a crew of four, of which one was logically the driver, the second operated communications and the two were recon specialists that could leave the vehicle to check out an objective closer if need be, or conduct surveillance from the vehicle by using the turret’s cameras. The turret was armed and could be operated from any seat by using the integrated mind-reading system that was used in a bit every piece of Taraskovyan military hardware. Taraskovyans were not known as telepaths, but at least they managed to teach their toasters to read the users’ minds.

Colonel Dajko got into the drivers’ seat of the first levijeep and invited General Clayton with him, while Colonel Hochstein and Brigadier General Vance would be driven in the second levijeep by the Ober Feldfebel.

With their thoughts not all that different from those of the Taraskovyans, the Grummian officers had wisely decided to forgo their formal dress that would have been required for almost every official foreign visit and, instead, opted for their more utilitarian combat uniform that was intended for touring training grounds, where one might possibly dirty them. But the uniform itself was nothing special and consisted primarily of a simple field jacket and trousers that provided a decent enough camouflage with a carefully selected blend of natural colors such as green and tan. Combat boots, also bearing a similar tan, accompanied this outfit, along with a patrol cap for each of the men. And finally, their last names were sewn across their left breast, and their ranks had the same treatment upon their shoulders.

One could very well say that these officers’ clothes could not compare in appearance and use to their counterparts in other militaries, but that was the nature of the beast that was Grummian efficiency. Of course, the men themselves paid no mind to that sort of thinking while they were visiting and never once considered how they looked aside from the need for being neat and clean. They simply snapped off their salutes in response to the Taraskovyan greetings and proceeded to follow through on their plans here.

Now, with the colonel’s invitation extended to him to ride along in the first levijeep, General Clayton promptly accepted and followed the man toward the vehicle. It required some effort to get in though, as it seemed that this was one of those days where his arthritis in his knees nagged him. But he understood that these things came with age; after all, he had reached his sixty-eighth birthday just last month. Thankfully, it had not made its way up into his knuckles any as the most he had to be concerned with there was a tinge of numbness in the morning and a random twitch here and there throughout the day. That, unfortunately, had been brought on by his years inside the standard rickety, old tanks of the army, whose vibrations had done a number on his nerves.

Nevertheless, the arthritis had not posed too much of a problem on this day, and he was able to hoist himself into the seat with nothing more than a slight grunt. He then nodded to the colonel that he was ready to leave and settled down for the ride, his eyes following the scenery as it passed them by. “Colonel,” he finally said after a few moments of silence, attempting to make some sort of conversation. “If you don’t mind me asking, what all have you done in your service here? Is there anything you’ve specialized in?”

“I enrolled with the army about twenty years ago,” the Colonel said as they rode through a forest. The local ECTOS was configured as to produce a scenic forest around the “airport” of the Platzdarm. “As a dragoon. We are mechanized infantry of sorts, but with the cavalry. Ride on levitating fighting vehicles and specialize in wrecking havoc behind enemy front lines after the armour has pierced through a gap for us to engulf in.”

A certain distance up in front of them they saw a soldier wearing a bright orange reflector vest who made them the signs to slow down and stop. Behind him an entire company of recruits was marching over the road to vanish back in the forest. They were already dressed in the combat armours of the TNDF, having done the first weeks of their training in fabric camouflaged outfits. They carried their assault rifles, additional storage pockets upon their armour plates and the full combat rucksack, with sleeping bag and helm fixed upon them. All in all, it was quite heavy, especially considering the recruits did not have the right to use the artificial muscles of their combat armours yet.

“Hm… alpha company, first battalion, cuirassiers training regiment,” Colonel Dajko said after having looked something up on a display to the right of the steering handles. “They staff the cavalry equivalent of the main battle tanks.

“At any rate, when I signed up the army was all-professional. I climbed the entire ladder from private to colonel since then. Right now I am the instruction officer for the combat dragoons training regiment. You see, the introduction of conscription allowed us to change our unter-officer and officer training. Our regiments here, for example, are commanded by majors that seek to advance to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and later on colonel. So I am here to supervise the commanding officer of the regiment entrusted to me. I am his professor, if you wish.”

As the rather long column of about three hundred recruits finished crossing the road, the traffic soldiers allowed the levijeep convoy to pass. On one of the lanes heading back to the a column of tanks also resumed their voyage, passing by the jeeps. The armoured vehicles were on tracks, however. The beasts looked impressive, heavily armed and armoured, ready to crush all and any that stand in their way. They rolled slowly. In fact, vehicle speed on general roads of the Platzdarm was limited to 30km/h, high speed allowed only on special tracks where instruction was given. Security measures.

“We do not train only cavalry here. Also armoured units, which include infantry, and then artillery and also logistics personnel. All in all, everything is quite integrated and recruits pretty much learn through practical work. Lots of work.”

Beyond the twitchy, trembling fingers that the General suffered throughout his day-to-day activities, another issue that had been brought upon him because of his lengthy military service was the aggravating inability to relax in a motor vehicle and allow his thoughts to flutter around between whoever might be talking, whatever song the radio was playing, and wherever he might be, never at all placing too much attention on any of them. Those years had taught him to always remain observant of one’s surroundings, keep aware of the possibility that anyone or anything might be hidden beyond the roadway, and to always keep in mind what might be needed or done in the event of an attack. Even though he had not been in one of these situations in over a decade, it had managed to stick with him to this day, wherever he might be riding or driving.

So it was unsurprising that for the duration of this trip with Colonel Dajko, his eyes were constantly sweeping over the landscape through the windows of the levijeep, taking in everything around him and keeping track of all that he had seen thus far. Some of this he had been familiar with, such as the hundreds of recruits marching across the road in training, but the presence of the column of tanks rolling past always seemed to stir a bit of feelings in him. It was one of those things he had missed during his more active days, rolling throughout the empty farmlands with your faith and trust placed in the crew under you and the metal behemoth that protected every one of them. It was a simpler time, certainly far less paperwork and bureaucracy than today, one that seemed to be more down to earth. You understood that most things were entirely up to you and that any problems along the way were to be solved by you and your crew, and that you needed the determination, strength, and intelligence to bring yourself back alive at the end of the day.

Even though his thoughts pondered such things, General Clayton was still fully attentive towards all that the Taraskovyan was saying and sought to respond to everything accordingly. “It sounds to me like you’ve led a fairly interesting career so far and one that, I believe, certainly does your country a great service….first, starting off as a dragoon, gaining experience and know-how along the way as you do your duty…then becoming an instruction officer here where you can impart that knowledge to those you train.”

He nodded thoughtfully to his own words before continuing on. “I’d have to say that that is an ideal way to operate an army, and it would’ve been something I would have considered doing a long time ago, but never got the chance to. I had spent most of my service in an armored division, tank corps to be exact – that had been some of the more enjoyable parts of my career and I’d love to get back into that again, but I have to push paperwork all day now, but I digress – the civil war had broken out a number of years later, and with the Chairman missing and most of the command staff either dead or defected to the other side, I had to take the reins of the entire army and thus got a field promotion because of that, which is where I’ve been ever since.”