Armed Forces of the Eastern Union

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Armed Forces of the Eastern Union
Founded2006
Current form2008
Service branchesArmy
Navy
Air Force
Leadership
Commander-in-ChiefThorvald of Lym
Chief of the General StaffMaxim Brusilov
Manpower
Active personnel1 882 240 (2010)
Reserve personnel~5 120 000 (2010 est.)

The Armed Forces of the Eastern Union are the collective military of the federation's 18 member states. During peace time, the military numbers approximately 1,882,240 active personnel and over twice as many reserves; full mobilization is estimated to levy over seven million combat personnel[1], making it one of the largest armed forces in the world.

The Armed Forces are constitutionally subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Defence. The Commander-in-Chief is Thorvald of Lym, and the Chief of the General Staff is Marshal Maxim Brusilov.

Organization

The Armed Forces are headed by the Union Chief of the General Staff who is the principal military adviser to the Federal Ministry of Defence. The Chief of the General Staff also presides over the Group of 18 (formerly the Group of 17), a consular body consisting of general officers representing each of the Union's member states. While formal administration of the armed forces rests with this committee, practical command remains with each nation's respective Ministry of Defence. As a result, duplicate national and federal jurisdictions constantly overlap, leading to complaints of bureaucratic inefficiency, an issue that became particularly contentious after the Second Napoleonic War. Post-war analyses alleged the Union's early losses were due to confusion amongst commanding officers fomented by the labyrinthine chain of command, although many military experts blame strategic failure on the part of Thorvald's doppelgängers. Faulty or not, the command structure was reorganized on a massive scale in April of 2008, the first major revision since its establishment in 2006.

File:Nils Olav on parade.jpg
Norwegian King's Guard displays typical professionalism during inspection by Sir Nils Olav

National terminology and specifics of composition vary, but the Armed Forces can be roughly divided by the three main theatres: Land, Sea, and Air. Contrasting the image of a fractured command is a standardized training policy that integrates the best practices of the member states. Soldiers are trained to a high calibre and as individual units operate with commendable effectiveness. Particular attention is paid to the instillation of "battlefield ethics", principles allegedly inspired by the British army.

Army

Unquestionably the largest single division of personnel, the Army comprises the land forces of all 18 countries. Nothing like the under-equipped hordes of Soviet conscripts, the Army is a skilled and resourceful unit utilizing a wide range of equipment, funded by the federal government but maintained by the nations individually.

Navy

Union naval assets are most heavily concentrated in Europe, with the Russian Pacific Fleet presiding over coastal territory in the Far East. Unlike the Army and Air Force, the Navy is not directly funded by the federal government. The exact composition and size of the Navy is unknown, owing to expansion plans dating from 2006.

Air Force

The Air Force seems to have changed little since the Union's inception, further development remaining a closely-guarded secret owing to allegations of industrial espionage in the mid-2000s. Union air power has always relied heavily on the Russian Air Force, especially when the air forces of countries such as Sweden had been in decline.

Other major divisions

Other military units such as special forces, military police and the home guard are classified on a case-by-case basis as they are treated differently between countries, and so are not codified as part of the official chain of command.

Notes

  1. Calculated from Wikipedia