Military

The Alliance military consists of the Navy and the Ground Forces. They share a single rank structure.

Navy

The navy is headed by the Chief of Naval Operations, a deputy to the Chief of Military Operations (currently Admiral Lillian Raeburne), based at the Alliance Military Headquarters on Londinium. It is divided administratively into Fleets, which may operate en masse occasionally, but each Fleet is usually distributed more widely to permit a larger area of space to be controlled. Beneath Fleets in size are Battlegroups which will be based around, and named after, a single (or rarely two) Capital ships (eg, ABG Patriot is a Battlegroup based around the Chimera Battlecruiser IAV Patriot). Additional vessels in the battlegroup will vary, but will typically comprise sufficient mid sized vessels to ensure a scanner picket, or one to two mid sized vessels and a large number of Gunships/fighters in order to provide a continuous space patrol over a wide area of space which also acts to protect the Capital ship from harm. The smallest tactical unit in the fleet is the 'detached vessel'- a single vessel of any size which has been tasked with a particular mission, which might be as simple as transporting a planetary Governor, or as complex as a patrol route lasting months.

Ships are classed according to a 'rating' system-

• 1st Rates- The largest of ships, the city sized cruisers. These are always Captained by a very senior Colonel, and will frequently have a Flag Officer on board as well.
  
• 2nd Rates- These ships are designed to be able to stand in the line of battle in the largest of engagements, and hold their own. Examples include Longbow Patrol Cruisers, and the Chimera Battlecruisers. They are typically Captained by a Colonel, and may have an embarked Flag Officer.
  
• 3rd Rates- Whilst not as large as the 1st or 2nd rates, these vessels are still formidable, and are designed for longer range patrols, and for trade protection duties and speed at the expense of the sheer firepower of the 2nd rates or of the scale of the 1st rates. Their role in warfare is as scouts and pickets for the larger 1st rates, as commerce raiders, and in hunting down opposing commerce raiders. The classic example would be an APC. They are typically Captained by a Commander or Lieutenant Commander
  
• 4th Rates- The smaller gunboats, ASREVs and fighters which comprise the smallest of the alliance fleet vessels. They are typically Captained by a Major or Lieutenant.

Company

A company, of around 200 men and women, is led by a Major. There will also be a Gunnery Sergeant and some medical specialists, normally three hospitalmen (or corpsmen) and an hospitalman apprentice.

Platoon (~40 men each)

The company is comprised of four platoons, each led by a Lieutenant and a Staff Sergeant, and three Sergeants each leading four squads.

Squad

Each squad is led by a Sergeant

Three squads make up a platoon.

Rifleman Squads (~13 men each)

Three of the squads are Rifleman squads composed of Fire Teams:

Each fire team is four men: a fireteam leader (normally a Corporal), an automatic rifleman (normally Lance Corporal), assistant automatic rifleman and rifleman (both Privates).

There are three fireteams in a squad.

Weapons Section (~26 men)

Rifle Companies typically include three rifle platoons, as outlined above, plus a specialized Weapons platoon, divided into sections.

Light Mortar Team

A light mortar team comprises two mortar men and three riflemen. Three mortar teams are typically in the specialist squad, attached to a weapons platoon of an infantry company.

Assault Team

An assault team comprises two rocket men and four riflemen. Six assault teams are typically in the specialist squad.

Medium Machine-Gun Team

A machine gun team comprises a gunner, assistant gunner and six riflemen for covering fire and flank protection. Three Med. M.G. teams are typically in the specalist squad.

Engineering Team

An Sapper team will typically comprise five combat engineers, specifically demolitions experts and entrenching specialists. Two teams are typically in each specialist squad.

Personal Weaponry

A soldier's primary weapon is the Enfield L85A2 automatic rifle. Derived from the Enfield rifle used by the British Army on Earth-that-was, it is a distinctive bullpup design with a forward pistol grip. Calibre is the popular 5.56mm round. Accessories include a wide range of combat optics, and an underslung AG36 40mm grenade launcher.

A soldier's sidearm is the Walther NT97M. Based on a similar weapon created by Blue Sun, this weapon is an energy pulse pistol capable of firing either a burst or a beam of coherent ionized superheated plasma energy, to inflict serious damage or to stun. Power derives from a four-cell AA battery pack. The hyperalloy frame and composite carbon fibre grip make it light and strong. Features include an adjustable trigger, ambidextrous safety, ceramic-clad barrel and emitter, and an accessory rail on the upper assembly.

Other weaponry are available to Alliance military personnel on a case-by-case basis.

Personal Armor

All Alliance Military personnel are issued a modified Starke 'Velites' armored underlay, optimized for wear under a dress/service uniform. The intent is to provide a seamless degree of protection to all personnel.

In combat areas, second-line support personnel and aircrews are equipped with Impax 'Guardian' armor kits for protection from fragmentation. Which pieces of the kit are worn is a matter of personal preference, as well as what is ordered by unit commanders. For direct battle, infantry combatants are issued with the highly-classified Advanced Individual Protective Equipment fully-sealed, full-body combat suits.