Post by Michelle Dupreas on Jul 12, 2011 19:55:09 GMT 10
Rank
The ComGuards use a ranking system roughly similar to the civilian branch of ComStar, with Acolytes equivalent to enlisted ranks, Adepts equivalent to junior officers, Precentors and Demi-Precentors the senior officers, with the sole exception being the rank of Precentor Martial. Created by Primus Waterly with the reorganization and public unveiling of the ComGuards, the Precentor Martial is the overall commander of ComStar military forces.
Shows theta symbol, indicating JumpShip/WarShip crew. Other service branches replace theta with appropriate Greek letter.
Due to the hidden nature of the Guards for most of their existence and their peace-keeper role in public life, the Com Guards had little need for awards to commemorate battles. This has changed since the Battle of Tukayyid, with an increasing number of decorations and medals coming into use.
Tukayyid Campaign Ribbon:
Every member of the Com Guards who fought in the Battle of Tukayyid is entitled to wear a two-centimeter campaign ribbon indicating which Clan they faced. A number of divisions faced multiple Clans and thus a few warriors wear multiple ribbons.
Those colors are:
A black star on the ribbon indicates the wearer defeated a Clan BattleMech or fighter, while a silver star shows that the wearer was injuried during the battle. Many veterans wear multiple stars.
Star League Awards:
Awarded to Com Guard troops who have served as part of the modern SLDF, take the form of two centimeter silver Cameron Star hung from variously colored campaign ribbons. Like the Tukayyid Campaign Ribbons, each action has a unique color:
Precentor's Sword: Considered a medal of honor in the Com Guards, this dagger shaped pin is personally awarded by the Primus or Precentor Martial.
The Focht Star of Honor: A silver, twelve pointed star mounted on a red and white ribbon, the Star of Honor is awarded for acts of extreme valor. The award automatically grants the receiver a promotion to the next rank in ComStar, or five years seniority if the receiver is already a Precentor.
Sinclair Wings: An award specifically for AeroSpace pilots who have demonstrated bravery above and beyond the call of duty, the Sinclair Wings commemorates Adept Charles Sinclair valiant sacrifice in battle on Tukayyid.
Structure and Composition
Unlike Successor States' 4-unit and Clan 5-unit groupings, the ComGuards base their forces on multiples of six. The ComGuard's equivalent of a Lance or Star is a Level II, made up of six Level I units, and given the Guards use of combined arms tactics most frequently consists of mixed unit types. A Level III, made of up of six Level II units, is roughly parallel to the Regimental Combat Teams of the AFFC. ComGuards do not commonly use a formal organization above Level IV. Outside of such rare instances as the Battle of Tukayyid and Case White, Levels V and VI are purely administrative groupings.
Rank Unit Consists of
Each ComGuard unit is a combine-arms force, with Greek Letters used to designate the composition of the unit, be it an Army, Division or Battalion. Letters higher in the greek alphabet indicate a ‘Mech heavy formation, while lower letters indicate vehicle and infantry heavy units. Save for those assigned directly are spacecraft escorts, Aerospace Fighters are distributed evenly. The list below specifically indicates the proportions at a Division level in number of Level I units, giving a rough indication of the portions at Battalion and Army levels:
Units of the ComGuard
The basic ComStar military unit is the Division or Level IV, roughly parallel to two SLDF-era regiments or a single Regimental Combat Team (RCT). Normally each Division is assigned to an Army or Level V. Upon their formation the Com Guards were arranged in thirteen armies, twelve assigned throughout the Successor States and with the thirteenth serving as the Terran Defense Force. Prior to the ComStar Schism each Army was assigned an "hour" on the Inner Sphere Clock, but the ejection of ComStar from the Free Worlds League and Guards changed focus on the Clans led to larger volumes being assigned "north" of Terra. Continuing losses after the FedCom Civil War, Case White and the early years in the Jihad led Guards to reorganize and reduce the twelve armies down to six, one of each of the five Great Houses and sixth for the Periphery and minor states. Upon the Guard's public unveiling each Army consisted of six Divisions, the heavy losses of Tukayyid and the Schism led to this number has been reduced to four, expanding back to six after the reduction in the total number of armies.
While the Division is the most commonly encountered field unit, unlike a Successor State regiment due to the Com Guards role in defending the numerous ComStar HPG compounds throughout the Inner Sphere, they are commonly split into Level III, II, or I groups depending on the importance or level of risk attack of the worlds within their assigned Theater.
1st Army – Level V-Kappa
Originally assigned the Dieron Theater, from 1 to 2 on the Inner Sphere Clock, the 1st Army primarily faced Clan Ghost Bear on Tukayyid, adopting the name of The Bear Maulers.
2nd Army – Level V-Mu
Originally assigned to the Fomalhaut Theater, from 2 to 3 on the Inner Sphere Clock, elements of the 2nd Army faced all the Clans on Tukkayid save the Ghost Bears, adopting the name of The Iron Warriors.
3rd Army – Level V-Lambda
Originally assigned to the Caph Theater, from 3 to 4 on the Inner Sphere Clock, before becoming the Army posted to the Draconis Combine, the 3rd Army performance against Clan Jade Falcon on Tukkayid, only enchanced by its participation in Operations Bulldog and Serpent, led it to adopt the name The Emerald Falconeers.
4th Army – Level V-Iota
Originally assigned to the Bryant Theater, from 4 to 5 on the Inner Sphere Clock, before nominally becoming the Army posted to the Capellan Confederation, the 4th Army served as a reserve force on Tukkayid facing multiple Clans, and as the primary SLDF peacekeeping force in St. Ives Compact, being known as The Defenders of Honor.
5th Army – Level V-Omicron
Originally Assigned to the New Home Theater, from 5 to 6 on the Inner Sphere Clock, the 5th Army faced multiple Clans on Tukayyid and extensive action in the Chaos March before becoming the nominal Army assigned to the Free Worlds League, known by the nickname of The Mountaineers.
6th Army – Level V-Kappa
Nominally assigned to the Procyon Theater, 6 to 7 on Inner Sphere Clock, after the collapse of the Sarna March the 6th Army were assigned to the Draconis Combine theaters prior to becoming the Jihad era Guards Periphery focused Army, calling themselves Grim Defiance.
7th Army – Level V-Iota
Nominally assigned to the Talitha Theater, from 7 to 8 on the Inner Sphere Clock, the 7th Army inflicted heavy losses against Clan Nova Cat on Tukayyid, being now known as The Dark Wave prior to being disbanded in the Jihad.
8th Army – Level V-Pi
Assigned to the Castor Theater, 7 to 8 on the Inner Sphere Clock, prior to being disbanded in the Jihad, the 8th Army was located border of Lyran and Marik space, making it a prime target for Blakist terrorist attacks, being known as Stern Defense.
9th Army – Level V-Lambda
Prior to being disbanded in the Jihad era restructure, the 9th Army was Assigned to the New Earth Theater, from 9 to 10 on the Inner Sphere Clock, and were known by the name of The Rag Tags for having faced multiple Clans on Tukayyid.
10th Army – Level V-Nu
Assigned to the Rigil Kentarus Theater, 10 to 11 on the Inner Sphere Clock, prior to being disbanded in the Jihad, the 10th Army took a battering against Clan Wolf on Tukayyid before serving along side Clan Wolf-in-Exile in the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon, calling themselves The Red Legion.
11th Army – Level V-Eta
Prior to being disbanded in the Jihad, the 11th Army was assigned to the Yorii Theater, from 11 to 12 on the Inner Sphere Clock, adopting title of The Honorable after facing Clans Jade Falcon and Wolf on Tukayyid.
12th Army – Level V-Beta
Assigned to the Tukayyid Theater, the renamed pre-Clan Invasion Asta theater or 12 to 1 on the Inner Sphere Clock, after the Battle of Tukayyid, the elite 12th Army was stationed in the remains of the Free Rasalhague Republic and suffered heavy losses during the Blakist assault on Tukayyid that led to 12th disbandment.
Terran Defense Force – Level V-Beta
Assigned to the defense of Terra, the so-called Defenders of the Faithful were an uncommitted reserve force Clan Wolf on Tukayyid, before facing annihilation during Blakist’s capture of Terra. The mercenary unit Brion's Legion made up half of the Terran Defense Force.[3] Their contract ran from the end of the Fourth Succession War to the beginning of Operation Guerrero. Their departure, and the subsequent hiring of the 21st Centauri Lancers, would eventually cause ComStar to lose Terra.
ComStar WarShip Fleet
Due to their retention of Star League era technology and relative lack of military adventurism in the Succession Wars, prior to the Jihad ComStar boasted the largest active WarShip fleet in Inner Sphere. Consisting of a mixture of both SLDF ships left behind by the Exodus Fleet and limited construction of new designs during the ComGuard's foundation, these ships are primarily divided into the two fleets, the Com Guard 1st and 2nd Fleets are stationed in the uninhabited Luyten 68-28 and Ross 248 systems. The bulk of Comstar's WarShip fleet was destroyed during the disastrous Case White assault on Blakist Terra.
Military Academies
When Terra fell to ComStar, so did control of the SLDF's so-called "War Triad" of Sandhurst, the War Academy of Mars and the Military Academy of Aphros. All save the prestigious Sandhurst were mothballed, until the Word of Blake's capture of the Sol system, which also forced the Com Guards to expand their training grounds on Tukayyid to become the Focht War College.
Sandhurst Royal Military College
Located in Berkshire, England on Terra, Sandhurst is one of the longest continually active military academies in human history. After Michael Cameron graduated from the college, Sandhurst became to be considered the best and most prestigous military academy in the Terran Hegemony and later the Star League. After ComStar took control of Terra in 2788, the academy was converted to serve as a training facility for ROM, until the formation of the Com Guards which saw its revitalization and expansion back to a full military academy in 2933. Sandhurst served as the primary training facility and headquarters for ComStar's military forces, with the bulk of the both the secular Com Guard and Word of Blake Milita receiving their training here.
Focht War College
Even before the loss of Terra, the Com Guards long sought to expand and formalize the ad-hoc training fields on Tukayyid created after the climatic battle into a true military academy, but even being denied access to Terran facilities it took the new SLDF to co-finance the facility and the Eridani Light Horse's training personnel to make it a reality. Opened in October 3060, the first class graduating in 3062.
The ComGuards use a ranking system roughly similar to the civilian branch of ComStar, with Acolytes equivalent to enlisted ranks, Adepts equivalent to junior officers, Precentors and Demi-Precentors the senior officers, with the sole exception being the rank of Precentor Martial. Created by Primus Waterly with the reorganization and public unveiling of the ComGuards, the Precentor Martial is the overall commander of ComStar military forces.
Rank Insignia
Shows theta symbol, indicating JumpShip/WarShip crew. Other service branches replace theta with appropriate Greek letter.
ComGuard
Acolyte
ComStar Acolytes use a ComStar logo with a gray halo to show their rank.
Adept
ComStar Adepts use a ComStar logo with a blue halo to show their rank.
Demi-Precentor
Formalized by Comstar as a rank after the Schism, ComStar's Demi-Precentor features the ComStar logo with a blue-yellow-red halo to show their rank "midway" position between Adepts and Precentors.
Precentor
ComStar Precentors use a ComStar logo with a red halo to show their rank.
ComStar Acolytes use a ComStar logo with a gray halo to show their rank.
Adept
ComStar Adepts use a ComStar logo with a blue halo to show their rank.
Demi-Precentor
Formalized by Comstar as a rank after the Schism, ComStar's Demi-Precentor features the ComStar logo with a blue-yellow-red halo to show their rank "midway" position between Adepts and Precentors.
Precentor
ComStar Precentors use a ComStar logo with a red halo to show their rank.
Decorations
Due to the hidden nature of the Guards for most of their existence and their peace-keeper role in public life, the Com Guards had little need for awards to commemorate battles. This has changed since the Battle of Tukayyid, with an increasing number of decorations and medals coming into use.
Tukayyid Campaign Ribbon:
Every member of the Com Guards who fought in the Battle of Tukayyid is entitled to wear a two-centimeter campaign ribbon indicating which Clan they faced. A number of divisions faced multiple Clans and thus a few warriors wear multiple ribbons.
Those colors are:
- Smoke Jaguar: - Gray
- Nova Cat: - Midnight Blue
- Ghost Bear: - Sky blue with white horizontal stripe
- Wolf: - Scarlet
- Diamond Shark: - White
- Jade Falcon: - Green
A black star on the ribbon indicates the wearer defeated a Clan BattleMech or fighter, while a silver star shows that the wearer was injuried during the battle. Many veterans wear multiple stars.
Star League Awards:
Awarded to Com Guard troops who have served as part of the modern SLDF, take the form of two centimeter silver Cameron Star hung from variously colored campaign ribbons. Like the Tukayyid Campaign Ribbons, each action has a unique color:
- Operation Bulldog: - White, with silver bars baring the name of each planet fought on.
- Task Force Serpent: - Blood Red, with silver bar listing the name of each battle fought.
- Great Refusal: - Black bar added to either the Bulldog or Serpent ribbon.
- Chaos March/St. Ives Compact: - Two-tone Green.
Precentor's Sword: Considered a medal of honor in the Com Guards, this dagger shaped pin is personally awarded by the Primus or Precentor Martial.
The Focht Star of Honor: A silver, twelve pointed star mounted on a red and white ribbon, the Star of Honor is awarded for acts of extreme valor. The award automatically grants the receiver a promotion to the next rank in ComStar, or five years seniority if the receiver is already a Precentor.
Sinclair Wings: An award specifically for AeroSpace pilots who have demonstrated bravery above and beyond the call of duty, the Sinclair Wings commemorates Adept Charles Sinclair valiant sacrifice in battle on Tukayyid.
Structure and Composition
Unlike Successor States' 4-unit and Clan 5-unit groupings, the ComGuards base their forces on multiples of six. The ComGuard's equivalent of a Lance or Star is a Level II, made up of six Level I units, and given the Guards use of combined arms tactics most frequently consists of mixed unit types. A Level III, made of up of six Level II units, is roughly parallel to the Regimental Combat Teams of the AFFC. ComGuards do not commonly use a formal organization above Level IV. Outside of such rare instances as the Battle of Tukayyid and Case White, Levels V and VI are purely administrative groupings.
Rank Unit Consists of
- Acolyte - Level I - 1 'Mech or armored vehicle or aerospace fighter, or single infantry unit (28 standard or 4 Battle Armor)[2].
- Adept - Level II - Six Level I units, often referred to as Demi-company.
- Adept/Demi-Precentor - Level III - Six Level II units, 36 elements, referred to as a Battalion.
- Precentor - Level IV - Six Level III units, 216 elements, alternately referred to as a Division.
- Precentor - Level V - Six Level IV units, between 846 1296 elements, alternately referred to as a Army.
- Precentor Martial - Level VI - Six Level V units, administrative grouping by region.
Each ComGuard unit is a combine-arms force, with Greek Letters used to designate the composition of the unit, be it an Army, Division or Battalion. Letters higher in the greek alphabet indicate a ‘Mech heavy formation, while lower letters indicate vehicle and infantry heavy units. Save for those assigned directly are spacecraft escorts, Aerospace Fighters are distributed evenly. The list below specifically indicates the proportions at a Division level in number of Level I units, giving a rough indication of the portions at Battalion and Army levels:
Units of the ComGuard
The basic ComStar military unit is the Division or Level IV, roughly parallel to two SLDF-era regiments or a single Regimental Combat Team (RCT). Normally each Division is assigned to an Army or Level V. Upon their formation the Com Guards were arranged in thirteen armies, twelve assigned throughout the Successor States and with the thirteenth serving as the Terran Defense Force. Prior to the ComStar Schism each Army was assigned an "hour" on the Inner Sphere Clock, but the ejection of ComStar from the Free Worlds League and Guards changed focus on the Clans led to larger volumes being assigned "north" of Terra. Continuing losses after the FedCom Civil War, Case White and the early years in the Jihad led Guards to reorganize and reduce the twelve armies down to six, one of each of the five Great Houses and sixth for the Periphery and minor states. Upon the Guard's public unveiling each Army consisted of six Divisions, the heavy losses of Tukayyid and the Schism led to this number has been reduced to four, expanding back to six after the reduction in the total number of armies.
While the Division is the most commonly encountered field unit, unlike a Successor State regiment due to the Com Guards role in defending the numerous ComStar HPG compounds throughout the Inner Sphere, they are commonly split into Level III, II, or I groups depending on the importance or level of risk attack of the worlds within their assigned Theater.
1st Army – Level V-Kappa
Originally assigned the Dieron Theater, from 1 to 2 on the Inner Sphere Clock, the 1st Army primarily faced Clan Ghost Bear on Tukayyid, adopting the name of The Bear Maulers.
2nd Army – Level V-Mu
Originally assigned to the Fomalhaut Theater, from 2 to 3 on the Inner Sphere Clock, elements of the 2nd Army faced all the Clans on Tukkayid save the Ghost Bears, adopting the name of The Iron Warriors.
3rd Army – Level V-Lambda
Originally assigned to the Caph Theater, from 3 to 4 on the Inner Sphere Clock, before becoming the Army posted to the Draconis Combine, the 3rd Army performance against Clan Jade Falcon on Tukkayid, only enchanced by its participation in Operations Bulldog and Serpent, led it to adopt the name The Emerald Falconeers.
4th Army – Level V-Iota
Originally assigned to the Bryant Theater, from 4 to 5 on the Inner Sphere Clock, before nominally becoming the Army posted to the Capellan Confederation, the 4th Army served as a reserve force on Tukkayid facing multiple Clans, and as the primary SLDF peacekeeping force in St. Ives Compact, being known as The Defenders of Honor.
5th Army – Level V-Omicron
Originally Assigned to the New Home Theater, from 5 to 6 on the Inner Sphere Clock, the 5th Army faced multiple Clans on Tukayyid and extensive action in the Chaos March before becoming the nominal Army assigned to the Free Worlds League, known by the nickname of The Mountaineers.
6th Army – Level V-Kappa
Nominally assigned to the Procyon Theater, 6 to 7 on Inner Sphere Clock, after the collapse of the Sarna March the 6th Army were assigned to the Draconis Combine theaters prior to becoming the Jihad era Guards Periphery focused Army, calling themselves Grim Defiance.
7th Army – Level V-Iota
Nominally assigned to the Talitha Theater, from 7 to 8 on the Inner Sphere Clock, the 7th Army inflicted heavy losses against Clan Nova Cat on Tukayyid, being now known as The Dark Wave prior to being disbanded in the Jihad.
8th Army – Level V-Pi
Assigned to the Castor Theater, 7 to 8 on the Inner Sphere Clock, prior to being disbanded in the Jihad, the 8th Army was located border of Lyran and Marik space, making it a prime target for Blakist terrorist attacks, being known as Stern Defense.
9th Army – Level V-Lambda
Prior to being disbanded in the Jihad era restructure, the 9th Army was Assigned to the New Earth Theater, from 9 to 10 on the Inner Sphere Clock, and were known by the name of The Rag Tags for having faced multiple Clans on Tukayyid.
10th Army – Level V-Nu
Assigned to the Rigil Kentarus Theater, 10 to 11 on the Inner Sphere Clock, prior to being disbanded in the Jihad, the 10th Army took a battering against Clan Wolf on Tukayyid before serving along side Clan Wolf-in-Exile in the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon, calling themselves The Red Legion.
11th Army – Level V-Eta
Prior to being disbanded in the Jihad, the 11th Army was assigned to the Yorii Theater, from 11 to 12 on the Inner Sphere Clock, adopting title of The Honorable after facing Clans Jade Falcon and Wolf on Tukayyid.
12th Army – Level V-Beta
Assigned to the Tukayyid Theater, the renamed pre-Clan Invasion Asta theater or 12 to 1 on the Inner Sphere Clock, after the Battle of Tukayyid, the elite 12th Army was stationed in the remains of the Free Rasalhague Republic and suffered heavy losses during the Blakist assault on Tukayyid that led to 12th disbandment.
Terran Defense Force – Level V-Beta
Assigned to the defense of Terra, the so-called Defenders of the Faithful were an uncommitted reserve force Clan Wolf on Tukayyid, before facing annihilation during Blakist’s capture of Terra. The mercenary unit Brion's Legion made up half of the Terran Defense Force.[3] Their contract ran from the end of the Fourth Succession War to the beginning of Operation Guerrero. Their departure, and the subsequent hiring of the 21st Centauri Lancers, would eventually cause ComStar to lose Terra.
ComStar WarShip Fleet
Due to their retention of Star League era technology and relative lack of military adventurism in the Succession Wars, prior to the Jihad ComStar boasted the largest active WarShip fleet in Inner Sphere. Consisting of a mixture of both SLDF ships left behind by the Exodus Fleet and limited construction of new designs during the ComGuard's foundation, these ships are primarily divided into the two fleets, the Com Guard 1st and 2nd Fleets are stationed in the uninhabited Luyten 68-28 and Ross 248 systems. The bulk of Comstar's WarShip fleet was destroyed during the disastrous Case White assault on Blakist Terra.
Military Academies
When Terra fell to ComStar, so did control of the SLDF's so-called "War Triad" of Sandhurst, the War Academy of Mars and the Military Academy of Aphros. All save the prestigious Sandhurst were mothballed, until the Word of Blake's capture of the Sol system, which also forced the Com Guards to expand their training grounds on Tukayyid to become the Focht War College.
Sandhurst Royal Military College
Located in Berkshire, England on Terra, Sandhurst is one of the longest continually active military academies in human history. After Michael Cameron graduated from the college, Sandhurst became to be considered the best and most prestigous military academy in the Terran Hegemony and later the Star League. After ComStar took control of Terra in 2788, the academy was converted to serve as a training facility for ROM, until the formation of the Com Guards which saw its revitalization and expansion back to a full military academy in 2933. Sandhurst served as the primary training facility and headquarters for ComStar's military forces, with the bulk of the both the secular Com Guard and Word of Blake Milita receiving their training here.
Focht War College
Even before the loss of Terra, the Com Guards long sought to expand and formalize the ad-hoc training fields on Tukayyid created after the climatic battle into a true military academy, but even being denied access to Terran facilities it took the new SLDF to co-finance the facility and the Eridani Light Horse's training personnel to make it a reality. Opened in October 3060, the first class graduating in 3062.