The Alexiandran Royal Army

Built around the Alexiandran polity's need to project power across the globe, the Royal Army consists primarily of small, highly mobile infantry and cavalry battalions. As one of Greysteel's best-financed military forces, it employs a wide variety of equipment from around the world. Today, over ninety percent of the Royal Army's troops are deployed within Alexiandra itself.

In March 1967, the people of the Alexiandran Empire rose up in revolt against their monarch, Emperor Joseph Sevra. Protests had initially arisen as a result of seemingly unnecessary tax increases and a shift towards extremist foreign policies. Within a month of the first uprisings, the Alexiandran People's Senate came into being. It was, essentially, a ragtag coalition of rebel leaders who had agreed to unite in their quest to depose Emperor Sevra. In its first act as a legislative body, the People's Senate authorised the creation of a "Proletarian Army" which would "militarily oppose the forces of tyranny."

By September 1967, the tide of the Alexiandran Civil War had turned decisively in the rebels' favour. The Proletarian Army, despite being numerically and technologically inferior to the forces of Emperor Sevra, had managed to overrun many major settlements using guerrilla tactics and irregular formations. Led by the charismatic war hero Colonel Jones, the Proletarian Army liberated Lockbourne on September 19, 1967. After storming the palace of the now-deranged Emperor, troops of the Proletarian Army clambered onto its roof, hoisting the flag that would soon become a symbol of Alexiandran national pride.

Immediately after the Alexiandran Civil War, a democratically-elected socialist regime took power in Lockbourne. It passed legislation that made the Proletarian Army an official branch of the nation's armed forces. At the time, most Proletarian Army personnel were preoccupied with hunting down exiled members of Emperor Sevra's regime. An incursion by armed raiding groups from Alexiandra's east was swiftly repulsed by Proletarian troops, and the nation's borders were extended slightly in the interests of national security.

Over the course of the ensuing decades, the Proletarian Army refined its strategic and tactical doctrine. Hordes of conscripted youths were gradually replaced by efficient, well-trained and well-equipped professional soldiers. Advances in military technology opened Alexiandra's eyes to the need for a strong, dependable army, and thus more funding was devoted to the Proletarian Army. In December 1989, a rebel coup took place on the island of Harvia - one of Alexiandra's colonial possessions - resulting in the death of its military governor. Alexiandran Army personnel formed part of a task-force that was sent to reclaim the island.

After a long, bloody counterinsurgency operation, Alexiandran troops were formally withdrawn from Harvia on February 2, 1991. During the conflict, over nine-thousand members of the Proletarian Army had perished. These high casualty figures led to radical reforms within the military; these reforms later came to be known as the "Harvian Reforms".

After enjoying many years of relative peace, Alexiandran troops were once again put on alert during the Vakali Wars of 2010 - 2012. Although Alexiandran forces never actually met Vakali formations on the ground, the Proletarian Army embarked upon two aborted invasions of enemy territory. The wars proved inconclusive, and peace resumed after a series of tense negotiations.

On April 6, 2014, Michael Winter, former Head of the Alexiandran Senate, declared himself ruler of Alexiandra via a public communiqué. Supported by the Army's highest-ranking officers, he renamed the Proletarian Army the Alexiandran Royal Army on April 19. Royal soldiers soon took to the streets of the nation's major cities, quelling unrest and controlling peaceful protests. By April 27, many other nations within Greysteel had turned firmly against Alexiandra's new monarch, and Royal Army troops - under the control of the Royal Army Home Command - assumed defensive positions along the country's northern frontier.

The basic unit of troops within the Royal Army is the fireteam. A standard fireteam usually contains four or five troops - the exact number varies based on the nature of the fireteam's mission. Fireteams are usually led by a corporal or senior lance corporal.

There are two fireteams in a squad. Squads are comprised of eight to nine soldiers, and are usually commanded by a sergeant. Normally, a single squad contains two field medics, two automatic riflemen, and five regular riflemen.

A section is made up of around twenty-four soldiers, and contains three squads. Sections are usually led by senior non-commissioned-officers - staff sergeants or sergeant-majors. Occasionally, a regular sergeant may assume responsibility for a section.

The standard Alexiandran platoon contains around forty-eight infantrymen. Most platoons are led by a junior lieutenant, and consist of two sections. Specialised platoons, such as those of the Engineering Corps, are often led into battle by more experienced personnel.

An Alexiandran company often consists of ninety-six troops. Led by a senior officer such as a captain, companies are made up of two platoons. Each platoon operates autonomously on the battlefield - captains are only responsible for strategic planning and the welfare of their men. When in the field, companies often receive their own headquarters.

There are four companies in a battalion. Battalions of the Royal Army consist of around three-hundred-and-eighty-four infantrymen, and are normally led by a veteran major. In order to assume responsibility for a battalion, a major must have served in a combat theatre at least three times.

Brigades are among the largest formations in the Royal Army. Composed of around one-thousand-five-hundred soldiers, a brigade falls under the command of a seasoned colonel. Unlike most of the aforementioned units, brigades are often deployed to theatres as self-sufficient expeditionary forces.

A Royal Army division is made up of around six-thousand troops in three brigades. Led by a general or junior commander, a division's command staff are responsible for strategically directing all of its constituent units.

There are two divisions in a corps - each corps contains about twelve-thousand men. Led by commanders or senior generals, corps are often very specialised. The Royal Corps of Combat Signallers, for example, is responsible for co-ordinating the movements of Alexiandran forces in the field. A corps does not function as one coherent unit - instead, it operates as a collection of smaller formations. A commander communicates with his men via divisional generals.

Finally, an Army of the Royal Military consists of four corps, and is composed of about forty-eight-thousand soldiers. Armies are headed by senior commanders or Field-Marshal Nicholas Fenn himself.

The Royal Army is controlled by six different operational command organisations. These are:

-RAHOC

The Royal Army Home Command is responsible for overseeing armed operations on the Alexiandran mainland. It deals with peacekeeping operations, the maintenance of public order, the protection of the High King, and the defence of the nation's land borders. If Alexiandra were ever invaded, all land forces involved in its defence would be placed under the authority of RAHOC.

-RASC

The Royal Army Steel Command manages land-based expeditionary operations within Greysteel. It co-ordinates invasions, routinely gathers intelligence on the nations of Greysteel, and provides security personnel for Alexiandran diplomatic missions and embassies in the region. RASC recently organised the movement of Alexiandran troops into an unoccupied swathe of land during the 2014 Ascension Crisis.

-RASOC

The Royal Army Special Operations Command is responsible for co-ordinating covert missions undertaken by units such as the Alexiandran Reconnaissance Unit (ARU) and the Alexiandran Special Intelligence Service (ASIS). It also controls all of the nation's counter-terrorism operations, and is often called upon to resolve hostage situations.

-RASALC

The Royal Army Supply and Logistics Command is responsible for delivering rations, ammunition, firearms and other articles of equipment to Alexiandran soldiers. It is the only Royal Army command that does not actually control any combatants. RASALC employs a variety of logistical vehicles in its capacity as a supply organisation.

-RAAC

The Royal Army Air Command directs aerial operations in support of land-based forces. It manages helicopter transport divisions, ground attack jet formations, and occasionally assists members of RASALC in their efforts to deliver supplies. Many of the personnel under RAAC's command are trained combatants.

-RANC

The Royal Army Nuclear Command manages and maintains the United Kingdom's land-based nuclear assets. It is responsible for Alexiandra's missile silos, launch vehicles and ground-based control installations. ICBMs and their nuclear warheads are property of the Alexiandran Royal Air Force.