Defense Commission (Ventora)

The Defense Commission (: Comisión de Defensa) is the Ventoran government cabinet-level department responsible for matters of defense and the country's armed forces. It is headed by the Defense Commissioner, currently Frederico Léon Guerra Larsala. Technically a civilian agency, the Defense Commission also has many military staff personnel. The Defense Commissioner is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces during peacetime while the Governor General is the commander-in-chief during wartime.

Head offices for the Defense Commission are in El Bastión (The Bastion) located within the Presidio de Esgues in the northwest of the municipality of Plenas,. The term El Bastión is sometimes used as a for the Defense Commission and the Defense Staff.

History
Following the end of the War of the Three Capitals in October, 1964, the Protocols of State, an addendum to the Treaty of Terelle, formed the current commonwealth and kingdom form of governance in Ventora. Tulio Seve Olmo Cantú, Duke of Caniza, was elected the first Regent of Ventora and he commissioned the first Defense Commissioner, Emilio Suárez Barros, who took office on November 2, 1964. The new Defense Commission assumed the roles, responsibilities, and legal successorship of the former War Commission.

King Clemente I issued the first Commission of War on August 20, 959, just three days after assuming the throne of the new Kingdom of Ventora. From then until the 1700s, War Commissioners served only during times of war. Their commissions were withdrawn once peace was re-establshed. Following the release from Haksar in 1740, Ventora became more concerned for its security in the lead-up to the Coffee Wars. Although the country took a position of neutrality during the conflicts, King Pedro I saw the need for a permanent naval force and a standing army. As a result, he established the War Commission as a permanent commission on January 10, 1748. Thus, while the present Defense Commission dates from 1964, it traces its legacy back to 1748.

Structure
The Commission is organized as follows:
 * Secretariat&mdash;offices of the Commissioner and senior commission officials
 * Defense Policy Council
 * Gendarmerie Councillor
 * Civil Protection Liaison
 * Ventoran Armed Forces
 * Chief of the Defense Staff (Estado Mayor de la Defensa, EMD)&mdash;national level military staff which sees to strategic level planning, analysis, and military operations
 * Directorate of Plans and Strategy
 * Directorate of Military Archives
 * Military Studies Council
 * Force Protection Council
 * Chief of Army Operations
 * Chief of Naval Operations
 * Chief of Aerial Operations
 * Chief of Logistics
 * Directorate General for Defense Administration (Dirección General de Administración de Defensa, DGAD)
 * Directorate for Defense Management and Budget
 * Directorate for Defense Personnel
 * Directorate for Defense Colleges (Dirección de Colegios de Defensa, DCD) &mdash;military personnel training, education, and advanced studies
 * Directorate General for Defense Materiel (Dirección General de Material de Defensa, DGMD)
 * Directorate for Defense Development (Dirección de Desarrollo de la Defensa, DDD)
 * Directorate for Defense Procurement
 * Directorate for Strategic Reserves (Dirección de Reservas Estratégicas, DGRE)
 * Directorate General for Defense Facilities (Dirección General de Instalaciones de Defensa, DGID)

Agencies

 * Armaments Registration Board (Junta de Registro de Armamento, JRA) &mdash;registry of all armaments and firearms
 * Defense Attaché Service (Servicio de Agregado de Defensa, SAD)
 * Defense Health Service (Servicio de Salud de Defensa, SSD)
 * Defense Judiciary (Poder Judicial de Defensa, PJD)
 * Veteran Services Organization (Organización de Servicios Veteranos, OSV)

Gendarmerie
Although officially part of the Defense Commission, the Gendarmerie falls under the jurisdiction of the Interior Commission during peacetime. The Gendarmerie sees to border protection, diplomatic protection, port security, safeguarding government installations, and anti-terrorism. Its Military Police Group provides law enforcement services to the Ventoran Armed Forces.

Civil Protection Corps
The Civil Protection Corps (Cuerpo de Protección Civil, CPC) is a government-chartered private non-profit organization charged with duties. The organization receives some funding from the state but reliese on donations from individuals, businesses, and charities. CPC has over 10,200 full-time personnel, about half of which are persons fulfilling their national service obligation with CPC in lieu of military service, a practice permitted since 1977.

CPC has three main operational branches:
 * Maritime Safety Service (Servicio de Seguridad Marítima, SSM) &mdash;provides search and rescue services at sea, including the use of small and medium-sized rescue boats as well as helicopters
 * Search and Rescue Service (Servicio de Búsqueda y Rescate SBR) &mdash;provides search and rescue services on land, including specially trained and equipped groups for urban, rural, and mountain environments, depending on locale
 * Technical Assistance Service (Servicio de Asistencia Técnica, SAT) &mdash;provides emergency planning assistance and technical and logistical support and relief during and after natural and man-made disasters

Chain of command
Although members of the armed forces take an oath of fealty to the Regent, the actual commander-in-chief in wartime is the Governor General. During peacetime, the senior official is the Defense Commissioner. This unique division of authorities results from the experiences leading up to the War of the Three Capitals and is intended to ensure no one office has too much control over the military. The Defense Commission oversees the day-to-day administration and functioning of the forces. The Captains-General of the branches and Logistics Corps report to the Commissioner directly. Although the Gendarmerie receives support from the armed forces, provides military police, and may be subordinated to the military during wartime, it is subordinate to the Interior Commission during peacetime.

Reserve forces are under the peacetime control of the various duchies, distributed roughly on a basis of population. The reserves must maintain skills and competencies to standards set by the Defense Commission and are subject to recall for national service at the order of the Governor General or by consent of the duke or duchess. Reserve unit equipment and mandatory training requirements are funded by the national government. The duchies may use their reserves for any lawful purpose at ducal expense.