Arekh Defense Forces

The All-Velorenkan Peoples Defense Forces is the professional standing military of the Reborn Velorenkan Arekh and consists of two branches and four independent armed services: the Velorenkan Peoples Army, Velorenkan Peoples Navy, Arekh Strategic Weapons Forces, the Air Defense Forces of the Homeland, the All-Velorenkan Marine Corps, and the Arekh Stellar Forces. A byproduct of revolutionary values and federalism places the structure of the active professional armed forces separate of the massed reservist levy force in the form of the Territorial Guards. However given the sole focus of the Popular Territorial Guards as a ground training contingent, both the Arekh Air Defense Forces and Peoples Navy organize reservist command formations with a pool of former airmen and sailors.

The order of precedence and importance of the branches and independent armed services is; Arekh Strategic Weapons Forces, Peoples Army, Air Defense Forces, Peoples Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Arekh Stellar Forces. In theory however all six armed services receive equal representation within the Zhaska High Command. Order of precedence within the Zhaska doesn't convey major weakness or deficiencies within lower ranked services, rather establishes the strategic importance and lethality.

Each armed service can be further broken up into it's own constituent armed services. For the case of the Navy this is the submarine force, surface ships, naval aviation, special purpose troops, and coastal troops. The Air Defense Forces feature fighter aviation, artillery anti-air, and radio-technical troops. The Peoples Army is unique in that it has four equal components which are then separated into their own constituent armed services.

At the head of each and branch or armed service is a Commander-in-Chief. The power of these commanders differs between branches. Three of them, the heads of the Peoples Army, Peoples Navy, and the Marine Corps, perform nothing more than administrative functions. Whereas the commanders of Strategic Weapons, the Air Defense Forces, and Stellar Forces are responsible for both the administration and operation of their services. This discrepancy between the standings of the commander-in-chiefs is due to the fact the Army, Navy, and Marines are expected to cooperate and function closely together. Velorenkan military doctrine demands the close cooperation between these three services in the spirit of combined arms. This theory is exemplified by the unified strategic directions, which combine operational forces from all three of those branches subordinate to the Zhaska. Likewise the more specialized services of air defense, strategic weapons, and space warfare act largely independent and report to the Zhaska.

Velorenkan Peoples Army (VPA)




The Union Army is the oldest, largest, and most diversified branch within the Union Defense Forces. It traces it's lineage to defected Imperial Army units and rural citizen militias of 1919. In many ways the Union Army is a microcosm of the rest of the Defense Forces, with their own rocketry troops, air defense troops, aircraft, and paratroopers. Originally a loose grouping of patriotic rebels resisting tyranny, the army has grown exponentially in terms of size and power. The mission of the Army is the defense of the Florenian people and territory on the land and air. To fulfill this mission the army maintains extensive commands, deploys a wide range of weapons and vehicles, and makes a great use of special purpose troops.

The Union Army does not administer a reservist formation directly subordinate to All-Union command. The separate conscript training organization that is Scarlet Guards in addition to the professional reservist National Militia fill this void. For all intents and purposes the Scarlet Guards and constituent republican ran National Militias are de facto organized as the reservist formation of the Union Army. Replacements from the guards would replenish regular army units during wartime, national militia units operate alongside their active counterparts, and all forces ultimately fall under operational authority to the Stavka.

For administrative purposes the Union Army is divided into the Army Ground Forces (training and procurement of combat troops and equipment), Army Rear Forces (rear support services that provide the material, infrastructure, and other miscellaneous services), Union Army Air Forces (frontal aviation, strategic bombers, mobile anti-air defense troops) and the Air Descent Troops (mechanized paratrooper and air deployable guerrilla units). Each of these four equal components are lead by commanders who, like the commander-in-chief of the Union Army itself, are administrative heads responsible for the training and equipping of their forces. Operational authority of these forces is invested in the commanders of the unified strategic direction commands. This isn't necessarily always practiced by both commanders of both the Union Army Air Forces and Air Descent Forces though.

Union Army Ground and Rear Forces


The Army Ground and Rear Forces are tasked with the administration, training, and equipping of professional volunteer soldiers to the unified strategic commanders. In this case of the ground forces it is combat arm troops, while the Union Army Rear Forces provides support echelon and technical support personal.

Union Army Ground Forces can be separated into six arms of service: infantry, air cavalry, cavalry reconnaissance, armor, artillery, and the diversionary troops. The rear forces likewise can be divided into combat pioneers, signal troops, transportation, medical, chemical warfare, among others. The designation of "rear" that is applied to the Union Army Rear Forces and their orientation towards the support and supply of the Army isn't to say these are combat capable troops. Every Florencian Republics soldier receives their proper 12 week basic combat training and must continually maintain their proper physical fitness and weapons qualifications. But after all, no proper army can be combat efficient without being properly feed and supplied.

The basic combat maneuver element of the Union Army is the division and regimental combat team. These formations are both cross component and are assigned soldiers from the ground, rear, and air forces. For example an armored division is made up of tankers and infantrymen from the ground forces. Engineers and transport troops from the rear forces. And artillery-anti airmen and a minor aviation compliment of rotary and unmanned aviation from the air forces, among many other specialists. The same goes for the airborne, whose light tank, rear echelon, and air defense units are drawn from volunteers of the other components before receiving airborne training and assignment.

Between the Union Army Ground Forces and Rear Forces, who make up the overwhelming number of soldiers within the Union Army, there are ten divisions and a slightly larger number of regimental combat teams. There also exists a number of independent combat and support brigades that augment the corps sized Operational Groups, which are subordinate to the unified strategic directions. The Union Army Ground and Rear Forces together reported at the beginning of 2020 that there 343,000 soldiers in service.

Union Army Air Forces


The Union Army Air Forces has had a confusing history within the Defense Forces. Originally conceived as the Army Air Fleet following the renaming of the former Imperial Air Service in 1919. By the 1930's it had grown more substantial in size and was re-purposed as the Union Army Air Corps in 1937. The Florencian Republics entry into the Second World War would see an unprecedented growth of the Army Air Corps, which was soon reorganized into the Army Air Forces to be a component equal to that of the ground, rear, and later airborne forces.

During the course of the Second World War the Army Air Forces would continually act and strive to be further independent from Army Command. The commander in chiefs of the Army Air Forces saw their purpose of winning the war with a large fleet of strategic bombers to crush the industrial heartland of Florencia's enemies and terrorize it's populations. General Headquarters Army saw the purpose of the Army Air Forces to provide front line aviation assets in support of the ground troops. Ultimately following the Second World War the Army Air Forces were separated into their own branch, the Union Air Force in 1947. However some front line ground attack aviation assets would remain under Army control.

The Union Air Force was to have the duel purpose of managing Florencia's strategic bomber fleet as well as to provide for the aerospace defense of the Republics. Though, like the second world war they took to the management of an extensive bomber fleet to be their foremost duty. When the Florencian Republics became a nuclear power in 1953, Air Force command was quick to monopolize on their piece of the nuclear triad. In 1965 a congressional committee began an investigation into the strength and procedures of the Union Air Force. The committee discovered that the Air Force had largely neglected it's purpose of aerospace defense, instead pouring it's funds and personal into the maintenance of the strategic bomber fleet and the assorted escort fighters.



Moreover the committee found that the Union Army was mismanaging it's own front-line aviation assets, with fighters being largely outdated and funds directed towards Army's growing fleet of helicopters. With the 1968 creation of the Strategic Weapons Command the the Air Force would find it's assets divided and once again subordinate to Army general headquarters. The Army Air Forces was reconstituted in 1968, with the new purpose of managing frontal, long-range, material, and rotary aircraft. Interceptors and heavy anti-air assets would be assigned to the newly created Air Defense Forces of the Republics.

Nowadays the Union Army Air Forces juggles the competing demands of supporting the ground troops with front-line fighter bombers, transport aircraft, and rotary aviation, alongside retaining a respectable strategic bomber and fighter force. Most frontal aviation, helicopter assets, and artillery anti-air troops are subordinate to the unified strategic direction commanders. However the Army Air Forces retains two separate major commands, the Strategic Air Command and the Material Air Command. As of fiscal year 2019 the Army Air Forces has over 4,000 aircraft and 148,000 airmen in service.

Air Descent Forces


The Air Descent Forces are the golden boys of the Union Army, despite being the smallest component. The inception of the airborne troops lay in several concepts created by the Imperial Army to overcome the static trench warfare of the First World War. This quite literally involved strapping soldiers with parachutes onto the wings of bombers, which would then fly over enemy lines and deposit the infantrymen behind enemy lines. While this is the the most rudimentary general concept of the airborne, it is quite dangerous at that.

The conclusion of the First World War and the beginning of the Revolution meant these concepts were forgotten until the nascent Union Army was tasked with putting down separatist holdouts in the Far Northern Islands. The seizure of enemy held islands was made difficult by a lack of landing craft and ships in Northern Florencia. To mitigate this the Union Army through the Army Air Fleet reviewed the earlier paratrooper concepts of imperials during the Battle of Trina Island in May of 1924. Requisitioning most parachutes from the Army Air Fleet a small composite task force of volunteer Army and Marine units was dropped from the wings of heavy bombers onto Trina Island with the task of seizing the port to facilitate further reinforcements by sea. This was the first large scale air deployment of paratroopers in history. Though the volunteers lacked proper training, were scattered over their landing points, and suffered heavy casualties, they ultimately accomplished their objectives through achieving surprise and fear over the separatists. This proved the paratrooper concept to the Union Army which would begin further training and experimentation until the second world war.

Both Florencian airborne troops and foreigner parachutists would prove the worth and vitality of paratrooper forces and in 1943 the Air Descent Forces were constituted as an equal component within the Army, alongside the ground forces, rear forces, and air forces.

Today the purpose of the airborne is to be able to rapidly deploy in order to overwhelm the enemy from the air, disrupt his command and control apparatus, and seize territory until relieved. To accomplish this task the airborne forces are arrayed into four divisions and several regiments of two types; Airborne and Airborne Assault. Airborne divisions and regiments more closely align with the paratrooper formations in other nations, being light infantry intended to act as near guerrilla units behind enemy lines. Whereas airborne assault formations are mechanized and equipped with air-deployable light combat vehicles that facilitate greater maneuverability and firepower.

Like the commander of the Army Air Forces the commander-in-chief of the Air Descent Forces is known to exercise both administrative and operational control over his 52,000 paratroopers.

Navy of the Republics (NR)




During Imperial times the Navy of Velorénsia was much ignored—and for good reason. The Empire's drive and ambitious were westwards, bringing the native tribes under heel and ultimately gobbling up the Shinjin Republic. The Navy during the time of the War of Unification primarily constituted outdated ships and riverine monitors. It'd not be till after 1870 that the Emperor and Autocrat of the Empire sought an ambitious expansion of the Navy to put the Empire on par with it's peers in Zhenia and Auroa. The Empire would be able to build a somewhat respected navy, one that during the Great War was prevented from leaving port to prevent it's destruction. As the war progress conditions on the ships would only worsen and the high admiralty in command of the fleet, was staffed with political appointees from the Autocrat with no proven merit. Thus when the war was concluded and the Empire begun to crumble from the inside, the sailors and lower officer corps of the fleet revolted. The revolutionary sailors of the Republican Navy were among the staunchest and radical supporters of the provisional government and would be rewarded for their dedication and valor.

However given doctrinal differences and the focus of the nascent UFR on it's ground forces and Scarlet Guards, while the Republican Navy's prestige was restored and it was still viewed as an auxiliary force. The Second World War would open the eyes of the Union Defense Forces and the Stavka to the necessities of retaining a capable navy able to stand on it's own two feet against Florencia's rivals. The Republican Navy would over go several periods of expansion and modernization, most notably following the 1968 reorganization of the military and during the 1990's reforms. As the massed divisions of the Union Army were shrunk, the scope of the Scarlet Guards scaled back, and the gross nuclear stockpile reduced, the Navy would only get bigger. As the scope of Florencian doctrine switched from a massive force necessary to defend the revolution from foreign aggression, to that of a respectable size able to gain supremacy in regional conflicts and project force abroad—the Navy was seen as paramount to deliver on this strategy.



In all the Republican Navy has two fleets and one flotilla: North Allonian, Western, and Upper Northern Sea, in order of strength. Each of these naval task forces has six arms of service: submarine, naval aviation, surface ships, diversionary troops, and coastal rocket and artillery troops. The first two services are considered primary arms of service while the other three, even the surface fleet, is intended as an auxiliary to naval aviation and the submarine forces. This isn't to say the surface ships of the Republican Navy are neglected nor are they not numerous, indeed they outnumber the submarines, but for doctrinal purposes they are subordinate. They act in support of naval aviation, which includes Florencia's five aircraft carriers, or in support of the submarine divisions.

The Republican Navy of 2020 can sortie over 620 vessels (including 2 super carriers), 800 aircraft, and 280,000 sailors. This making it the second largest branch to the Union Army.

Union Strategic Weapons Command (USWC)


The Florencian Republics discovered the mighty power of the atom in 1953 with their first nuclear test. Codename Operation Sundance, it was the culmination of billions of dollars of research, nearly ten years, and thousands of mobilized scientists. Sundance was detonated on a remote island in the far North of the constituent Sovereign Republic of Makedon on the 33rd Anniversary of the proclamation of the revolutionary provisional government. Immediately following the success of the Sundance weapon the Florencian Republics set out to make itself a proper respected nuclear power in order to combat the growing arsenals within Zhenia and the Auroan Community. The Sundance device was miniaturized and developed further until the most modern Florencian four engine turbo-prop bomber could deliver it. After additional funding and tests the Florencian nuclear program had developed to the point of maturity at a was thus in effect from 1968 and on.

In 1968 the decision was made to create the Union Strategic Weapons Command. The purpose of this was to centralize the command and control aspect of Florencia's nuclear weapons stockpile and thus eliminating inter-service arguments between the Union Army, Army Air Forces, and Republican Navy over it. The USWC thus holds the command of the Florencian Republics ground based silo and mobile ballistic missile launchers centered around Strategic Rocketry Brigades. Strategic nuclear warheads capable of air deployment are also managed by the USWC. A Weapons Release Officer (WRO) is also present on all three Republican Navy missile submarines.

Besides nuclear weapons Strategic Weapons Command is also responsible for the maintenance of the Union's chemical, biological, and radiological weapons stockpile. This includes the continued research into such deadly weapons of mass destruction programs in partnership with Union Army researchers.

Since the 1990's the Florencian nuclear stockpile has been continuously shrunk as both a cost savings measure and a perceived gross overabundance. Between 1991 and 2001 the stockpile fell from over 6,000 warheads to now an estimated 200. However the Strategic Weapons Command with the support of the Union Army maintains a chemical stockpile of over 30,000 metric tons. Not to mention continued research and advancement into chemical, biological, and radiological weapons of mass destruction. As of 2020 the Union Strategic Weapons Command employs a purported 8,200 soldiers.

Air Defense Forces of the Republics (ADF-R)


The Air Defense Forces took to its redefined mission after the dissolution of the independent air force branch with great vigor and dedicated its assets to the job of fighter, bomber, and missile interception. The branch comprises three specialized types of troops to provide for the anti-air defense of Union territory. That being the Radio-technical troops, Anti-Air Defense troops, and Fighter Aviation (FA). The principle role of Air Defense Forces is the interception of enemy bomber forces should they penetrate Union airspace, or intercontinental ballistic missiles on a trajectory for Florencian cities. The Air Defense Corps deploys heavy interceptors, extensively organized SAM sites, and an encompassing expansive radar array for the defense of Union air space.

To provide for the aerospace defense of the Florencian Republics, units of the ADF-R are typically organized into territorial air defense areas subordinate to the overall Continental Air Defense Strategic Command. An air defense area does not have a standardized organization and composition is instead dependent on the are of operations. Typically each air defense area features a fighter division of several interceptor squadrons and it's assorted support personal and services. The principle fighter aircraft in use by the ADF-R is the and it's more advanced derivatives and the high speed purpose built interceptor. Air defense is then further compounded by several regional artillery air defense brigades, the main combat element of these brigades being battalions centered around the modern surface to air missile system. Several other older but contentiously updated and modernized air missile systems remain in numerous use by the Air Defense Forces.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the air defense area is it's radio-technical troops. These airmen are responsible for the operation of early warning radars sensor arrays. They are the first line of defense for the Florencian Republics in regards to ballistic missile and other airborne threats. Radio-technical airmen are also responsible for manning a small fleet of aircraft. This is to provide for the coordination of the many different air and ground based units of the ADF-R tasked with the aerospace protection of the Motherland.

As of 2020 the Air Defense Forces of the Republics comprised over 51,000 airmen, 350 aircraft, and 1,200 anti-air missile systems between six air defense areas.

All-Union Marine Corps (AUMC)


The basis of the modern marine service of the Florencian Republics lay in the much famed revolutionary sailors stationed at the Kronshtadt port. They were among the first units of the Imperial military apparatus that defected and took up arms in support of the soon to be declared provisional combat. The fleet stationed at Kronshtadt had been the pride of the Imperial Navy, but was reduced to a during the First World War to prevent it's destruction by the enemy. With reduced pay, low rations, and poor treatment from the admiralty culminated in the sailors' rebellion. The revolutionary sailors and coastal defense troops around Kronshtadt would be instrumental in stopping the attempted coup by loyalist Imperial regiments and later quelling sectarian counter-revolutionaries. These experienced and zealous sailors and soldiers would form the basis of a new marine service, then apart of the Navy. Prior to the Florencian Republics entry into the Second World War the marines would be broken off to form their own separate service, the All-Union Marine Corps.

The marines are meant to act as the amphibious counterpart to the Army's Air Descent Forces. They are a quick reaction force capable of performing expeditionary missions across the globe in defense of Florencia's interests, or conducting combat operations in coastal areas in support of the fleet. They are built around flexible combined arms formations that enable them to conduct seaborne landings and seize hostile territory from sea. By utilizing the sea-lift capability of the Navy the marines are able to operate far from Union shores and respond to emergencies quicker than the rest of their Army counterparts, save the airborne. They also charged with both the defense of the Navy vessels and installations on land and sea.

The All-Union Marine Corps is centered around two marine divisions and division equivalent command. The basis of a marine division is two marine regiments similarly organized to Union Army regimental combat team specifications, this allowing a marine regiment to act as the smallest independent maneuver force. Asides from the normal command and logistical services, the marine division also features additional independent tank, amphibious reconnaissance, and paramarine battalions. The All-Union Marine Corps currently fields three paramarine battalions and several independent companies, which act as the special purpose forces of the marines. But perhaps the most striking element of a marine division is the inclusion of an organic marine aviation wing. This retaining both fixed wing carrier capable fighter aircraft squadrons and helicopter aviation squadrons. In this way the divisions of the All-Union Marine Corps are the premier combined arms force of the Florencian Republics, capable of conducting operations on the land, air, and sea. The marine divisions are further supplemented by several additional independent RCT's that can be reinforced with marine aviation elements.

As of 2020 the All-Union Marine Corps fields three divisions; 1st Marines, 5th Marines, and the Trans-Northern Marine Command situated in the Northern Florencian islands. Five additional reinforced RCT's, several separate operating battalions, and a number of marine air squadrons attached to naval aviation are also fielded. This leads to a total of 56,000 marines in service with the Florencian Republics.

Union Stellar Forces Command (USFC)




The Stellar Forces Command is the newest independent service of the Defense Forces, being constituted in 2015 at the behest of the Chancellor and approved by the All-Union Congress. It can trace it's lineage to the Union Army Air Forces Space Command, which was created in the 5th of November, 1991. The purpose of the USFC is to provision for the defense of the Florencian Republics and it's interests in the newest theater of warfare, space. To accomplish this it trains and makes ready Espateers, that being the space soldiers of the Union, who provide, operate, and maintain military communication and reconnaissance satellites. Through the espateers of the Stellar Forces Command the Stavka and strategic direction commanders are provided with the necessary tools of the spacial theater of space to wage war.

Much of the Stellar Forces Command work is theoretical and researched base. One of the supposed missions of the USFC is the develop and mature the doctrine for combat in space. It also works with the Union Space and Aeronautical Agency (USAA) to further the Florencian exploration and discovery of the greater universe. Lastly Stellar Forces espateers are expected to work closely with the Air Defense Forces of the Republics in regards to the interception of ballistic missiles and the downing of opposing force satellite arrays. As of 2020 the USFC has a force of 7,000 espateers assigned to it, making it the smallest arm of service within the UDF.