Valderan Military

The Armed Forces of the Valderan Royal Empire are the primary defensive and offensive warfighting forces of the Empire, tasked with defending the Empire from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

The existence of the Armed Forces is guaranteed by the Valderan Constitution, and the Emperor or Empress shall serve as the Commander in Chief of all Armed Forces.

The Armed Forces collectively refers to the His Majesty's Royal Army, Royal Navy (Starfleet), Royal Marines, and Royal Starfighter Corps

CENTRAL COMMAND
Valderan Central Command is the Headquarters of the Valderan Armed Forces. All four services share a common headquarters as part of the Ministry of Defense. The Headquarters Building is located in the Imperial District of Valderis City, approximately 1.6 kilometers west of the Imperial Palace.

The offices located at Central Command include the Office of the Minister of Defense, The Offices of the Secretaries of the Department of War(Royal Army and Starfighter Corps) and the Department of the Navy (Royal Navy and Royal Marines), as well as the Office of the Warmaster, The Offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces (The senior commissioned officers of each of the 4 services), and the Offices of the senior enlisted advisor for each service.

Approximately 100,000 people work at Central Command, both Military and Civilian.

ROYAL ARMY
The Valderan Royal Army is the primary ground combat force of the Valderan Armed Forces. The Royal Army currently lists more than 375,000 Officers, 100,000 Warrant Officers, and 4,000,000 Enlisted and Non-Commissioned Officers in it's ranks, both active and reserve.

FORMATIONS
The Royal Army has 5 field armies, each consisting of 4 Corps each. Three Corps' of each Army are heavy corps', with 3 Infantry Divisions and either an Armored Division or a Cavalry Division. The fourth Corps is a Light Corps, with two expeditionary Infantry Divisions and a Cavalry Division. An Artillery Division is assigned to each army, and a brigade from the division is assigned to each Corps.

In addition, there are several Divisions and Brigades that have no affiliation with a higher formation. These independant units are Special Troops units, including special operations forces, musicians, and support personnel.

ROYAL NAVY
The Valderan Royal Navy provides starships for the defense of the Empire and Offensive assaults. Starships are divided into three categories: Warships, Support vessels, and Special Services.

FORMATIONS
The Navy has 6 numbered fleets, each consisting of roughly 400 warships, plus a seventh fleet, the Reserve Fleet, which consists of 600 ships. Each fleet is divided into Strike Groups and Battle Groups, centered around a specific mission. For Example, a Battleship Strike Group would consist of 3 Battleships, 4 Battle Cruisers, 5 Cruisers, 8 Destroyers, 8 Frigates, and 12 Corvettes. A Carrier Battle Group would consist of 1 Fleet Carrier, 2 Escort Carriers, 4 Cruisers, 10 Destroyers, 10 Frigates, and 12 Corvettes. Task Forces consisting of multiple Battlegroups or strike groups would be formed on an as-needed basis.

ROYAL MARINES
The Royal Marines are the primary expeditionary ground fighting force. They work side by side with the Navy, with Marine units being stationed on most large Valderan Warships.

FORMATIONS
The Marines have 40 Divisions available for deployment at any given time: 30 Active Duty and 10 Reserve. Each Division consists of 3 Infantry Brigades (each with 5000 Marines) an Armored Brigade, and an Artillery Regiment. The Marines also have 8 Starfighter Wings, roughly the equivalent of a Division. Each Starfighter Wing consists of 2 Starfighter Groups, 1 Assault Group, and 1 Bombardment Group. Each Assault Group can lift an entire division.

ROYAL STARFIGHTER CORPS
The Royal Starfighter Corps is the Valderan equivelent of a 24th Century Air Force. The Starfighter Corps operates Fighters, Interceptors, Heavy and Medium Bombers, Attackers, and Transport craft.

FORMATIONS
The Starfighter Corps has 35 Starfighter Wings, 30 Bombardment Wings, and 37 Logistics Wings. Starfighter Wings consist of 3 Starfighter Groups, 1 Bombardment Group, and a Logistics Squadron. Bombardment Wings usually consist of 1 Heavy Bombardment Group, 1 Medium Bombardment Group, 1 Attack Group, 1 Starfighter Group, and a Logistics Group.

MILITARY STARLIFT COMMAND
The Military Starlift Command falls under the Ministry of Defense's Logistical Support Department, and provides the primary space mobility for the Army and Starfighter Corps, as well as support services for the Navy and the Marines. The Starlift Command is mostly civilian, although military personnel are assigned as defensive systems operators and coordinators.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND INDOCTRINATION
The Valderan Military has an extensive education and training system, designed to increase the professional abilities of it's personnel.

ACADEMIES
The Valderan Military Service Academies provide professional undergraduate education to prospective Officers of the various services. Each Service has it's own academy, with a curriculum focused specifically to the roles of it's parent service. Admission to a Service Academy is not easy. Prospective Cadets and Midshipmen must have completed at least 4 years at a Junior Military Academy, and have a recommendation from a member of the Legislature, A senior MOD Official, or the Emperor. The Academies offer 4-year Line Officer, 6-Year Legal Officer, and 4 or 8 year Medical Officer courses. Graduation from an Academy automatically results in the Graduate being commissioned as an O-1 Officer in the respective service. Officers commissioned from the Academies are required to serve specific minimum terms in their service, depending on several factors: Military Specialty, Post-Commissioning Training, and the specific time period.

JUNIOR ACADEMIES
The Junior Academies are Government funded charter schools, designed to prepare students for the rigors of Military Service. The Junior Academy system provides a General Military Education in a boarding-school environment. The Junior Academies operate on a 7-year program. Students may transfere in or out at any time, and graduation from the Junior Academy does not require Military Service.

BASIC ENLISTED TRAINING
Each of the four services requires it's enlisted servicemembers to undergo intensive basic military training. The training is broken down into three phases: Basic Military Service Training, which lasts 12 Weeks and is Military-wide; Service-Specific Entry Training, which is another 12 Weeks, and then Advanced Individual Training, which can last anywhere from a few weeks to one or two years.

The first 24 weeks of training, both BMT and SSET, the servicemembers in training are essentially quarantined, and live in a highly structured training environment. The training cadre, always Non-Commissioned Officers, make it their personal mission to turn the Civilians that arrive for BMT and SSET into the finest military men and women that they could possibly be. The 24-week training cycle, combined with prior JMA training, makes Valderan Servicemembers among the most professional Military Personnel in the Quadrant.

OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL
Officer Candidates coming from Civilian Universities, the NCO Ranks, and Independant Military Service Universities attend Officer Candidate School. First, Officer Candidates attend the 12-Week BMT with the Enlisted Personnel. From there, they are segregated off to Officer Candidate School, which lasts a further 16 Weeks, where they learn the basics of being an Officer in their service.