Tajaran Military Structures

This page outlines the factional military structures of the Tajara on planet Adhomai.

= Ground Forces on Adhomai = Ever since the second revolution began, as well as historically, most of the fighting and military might on Adhomai has been land based due to most of the planets water being frozen over or littered with icebergs. Each of the factions rely heavily on infantry for their ability to traverse the rugged terrain of the planet's surface. Beasts of burden and pull carts still see widespread use across the planet in logistical roles to haul the masses of supplies required to keep the various armies operational since reliable automobiles are highly expensive and common ones require frequent maintenance. Most of the soldiers use weapons which would be considered highly outdated by their counterparts of other species because of their simplicity, reliability, and ease of maintenance. This also makes Tajaran surplus manufactured weapons popular for export to a wide variety of frontier nations for private ownership and cost effective reliability in military service.

Commander in Chief
The Commander in Chief of the Republican Army is an office held by the President of the People's Republic of Adhomai (Currently President Njadrasanukii Hadii). The Commander in Chief is responsible for the grand strategy of the military. He appoints all ministers in the Ministry of Defense to carry out his policies.

Ministry of Defense
The Ministry of Defense houses the Ministers in charge of each branch of military service as well as their adjutants. They define the military districts under order from the Commander in Chief, as well as appoint staff to manage them. It is the duty of the ministers to translate the policies of the Commander in Chief into functional war plans and operational strategy.

Military Districts
Military Districts are administrative districts based on geography. Each military district is named after each continent on Adhomai, a relic of the interwar period when the People's Republic owned the entire planet uncontested. Appointees to the districts administrate the recruitment, supply, and organization of all troops within their theater of war, as well as designate the fronts of conflicts. Each military district also houses a theater commander who manages all of the fronts under them.

Fronts
Fronts are areas of operations designated by military districts where field armies are deployed. They exist along large geographical sections of each continent, and are each lead by a frontal commander. The system of combining a shifting geographical area with a command leads to a high degree of inflexibility in the Republican high command, which struggles to redraw the changing jurisdictions frequently. More often than not, the frontal commanders find themselves "in command" of areas behind enemy lines following opposition offensives. This leads to situations such as sending messengers with various notices and garrison units to villages they do not own, only to have them inevitably intercepted and engaged by opposing front-line units. Many army group commanders have begun to falsely report carrying out certain orders in order to prevent needless damage to their units.

Field Armies
There are currently 133 field armies (or armies for short) in the Republican Army. Most field armies are combined arms armies, which utilize artillery, tank, and mechanized vehicle divisions to provide support to infantry divisions. However, there are a handful of concentrated tank armies which are used for spearheading massive offensives. Unlike other contemporary armies in 2458, the Republican Army lacks the ability to have corps level formations. The mass defection in the Adhomai Liberation Army's attempted coup d'etat of the Republic lead to a gutting of the Army's officers. Instead, clusters of divisional formations are grouped together into armies and sent to battle in these inflexible clumps. These circumstances have lead many to view the Republican Army as an inexorable horde which fights all its battles by numbers and attrition, however officials of the People's Republic are quick to right this off as humans projecting their history onto Tajaran politics. They insist that the People's Republic is filled with capable officers and professional soldiers.

Divisions and Brigades
Each field army in the Republican Army is comprised of three divisions, which in turn are each comprised of three brigades. A plurality of divisions are motostrelki, motor rifles, which are motorized infantry units modeled and named after human analogues. This reliance on motor vehicles to transport troops around the battlefield leaves the Republican Army at a stark disadvantage in mountainous and polar regions, where their vehicles break down or are impeded. As a result, many divisions rely heavily on the actions of the Republic's special forces to screen for ambushes and sabotage defenses. The Republic is also renown for its heavy artillery divisions, which begin every operation by softening targets with massive barrages. While these barrages were highly effective in the early days of the civil war, most opposition positions are now arranged in spread out formations with moderate entrenchment to minimize the effects of the artillery. Now, they primarily serve to alert their enemies of an impending attack. Of all of the factions, the Republican Army also has the largest aviation units. However, due to the blizzards and below freezing climate, these airborne divisions are primarily used in equatorial regions for rapid deployment against enemy attacks.

Supreme Commander
The Adhomai Liberation Army, from the decentralized confederacy of juntas, to the loose collection of regular army units, to the widespread guerrilla units and deep cover infiltration, all look up to Supreme Commander Halkiikijr Nated'Hakhan for direction and leadership. All though the Liberation Army has an underlying anti-foreign influence ideology, it still very much remains a cult of personality focused on fulfilling Nated's claim to the rule of the planet. Many pundits have been quick to point out his legendary status among his supporters, and the fervent fanatical dedication many of his soldiers demonstrate. He is the rock which the military structure relies upon for direction, but he primarily reserves his command to his formal army units, intervening only when he feels it is necessary to the many headed hydra of the Liberation Army's command structure.

Juntas
Juntas is a human term applied to the many military-owned city states across Adhomai which are under the overarching Adhomai Liberation Army. Each time a city is conquered, the commanding officer of the forces at the time of the conquest takes ownership of the city and settles it as a military governor. Many of them also assign their staff officers to administrative roles to form a cabinet, and take on the title of Rrhaza-Akhran, war-ruler. All of them swear allegiance to Supreme Commander Nated'Hakhan, and perform work similar to Republican military districts to supply, organize, and conscript troops to send to the frontlines. Occasionally, Rrhaza-Akhran will skirmish with each other over territory along the borders of their city states. Observers and propaganda organs of the People's Republic and New Kingdom speculate that the Liberation Army will degenerate to bickering warlords should anything happen to Supreme Commander Nated. Many war-rulers will appoint their most loyal generals to lead the Mrrazhakulii besieging cities, with the understanding that they will become the war-rulers of the newly captured cities.

Mrrazhakulii (Liberators)
A Mrrazhakul (Liberator) is formation of many Kazarrhaldiya Tajara under a general who leads on behalf of a Rrhaza-Akhran. Their name derives from the idea that they are the patron liberator of a city from the tyranny of its old government, and serves as a claim to become the ruler of the coming Junta which will govern it. Due to the highly decentralized nature of Adhomai Liberation Army command, a benefit they enjoy due to the highly capable officer corps which defected in the early days of the war, these formations are typically very loose and serve primarily as a line of communication between the battlefield commanders to coordinate through. The general in command of these formations often simply command a handful of Kazarrhaldiye Tajara, leaving their subordinates with the flexibility which the Adhomai Liberation Army is famous for.

Kazarrhaldiye Tajara (Swords of the Tajara)
The Kazarrhaldiye Tajara (Swords of the Tajara or Swords for short) are largely autonomous collections of soldiers under a single leader. Many of them are infantry units supported by artillery, similar to the Republican Army, but there is also a wide variety of mechanized, armored, and even niche aviation units which are primarily used in the equatorial regions. The loose command structure on the formation level often leads to friendly fire incidents between sword units, as well as a lack of coordination in offenses or defenses. Each commander must maintain a high level of situation awareness, or else they may fail to contribute properly to a battle. Before conscripted or recruited soldiers can serve in the swords, they first are placed in a rigorous four month training regimen where they learn from experienced veterans and are hardened under live fire exercises. As a result, reinforcements from the Liberation Army's basic training camps perform better on average than Republican conscripts or Imperial levies.

Cells and Guerrilla Units
All though the formal army units of the Adhomai Liberation Army are some of the best trained units on Adhomai, they make up a minority of their military forces compared to the "terror cells" and guerrilla units which remain spread out across the planet's surface. Though they are far rarer in New Kingdom lands, many villages across the People's Republic joined Supreme Commander Nated's rebellion by uprising on their own. These rebel groups were largely able to settle themselves in the mountains surrounding the periphery of the flatter lands of Republican territory, occasionally descending to raid caravans and villages in much the same way the rebels of the first revolution did. Their sabotage behind enemy lines undermines opposition infrastructure, defenses, communication, and logistics. All public officials in lower offices of the People's Republic and the New Kingdom travel with contingents of body guards in response to a massive wave of assassinations from rebel attacks. The reasons for Tajara becoming rebels are numerous, but all of them are infused with heavy indoctrination to breed fanatical loyalty to the legendary Supreme Commander, despite majority of these units never coming into contact with Halkiikijr Nated'Hakhan or Liberation Army command. This recruiting process extends also to children, whom these rebel cells have no qualms about placing in combat or using to carry out acts of terror in enemy population centers. There is speculation however that these units are the diplomatic downfall of the Adhomai Liberation Army, as their dogmatic anti-xeno extremism and widespread recruitment among refugee populations in foreign nations draws the ire and contempt of greater powers.

Field-Marshal
The current Field-Marshal of the New Kingdom of Adhomai is Field-Marshal Rrhazhal Zarkradar'Akhan, who was appointed by King Azunja of the New Kingdom of Adhomai. The position is held by appointment from the King, who is also able to take the position for himself if he so chooses. The Field-Marshal has supreme authority over the Imperial Adhomian Army, managing all theaters of operation and giving orders to the Mrraka'te'almalik (Will of King) nobles and their retinues. Unlike the Adhomai Liberation Army or the Republican Army, the Imperial Army is highly centralized and relies heavily on the orders of the Field-Marshal to coordinate with other units.

Mrraka'te'almalik (The Will of the King)
The Imperial Army has three Mrraka'te'almalika (Wills of the King or Wills for short) lording over its forces. Each will serves a role similar to a theater commander, controlling all the Jabrut Almumalik which they raised as levies from their lands within the New Kingdom and giving orders to all nobles who owe fealty to them. The positions are always formally held by grand dukes, however they often appoint commanders to rule in their stead if they are unable to fill the role with all orders signed as "By the Will of the King."

Jabrut Almumalik (The Kingdom's Might)
The Jabrut Almumalikii (The Kingdom's Mights or Mights for short) are command positions of groups of Alyad'almalikii. The posts are held by princes, dukes, and sometimes notably powerful counts under the three grand dukes who muster and fund all the forces in their domains. These commanders serve to manage the formations of Alyad'almalikii, as well as to relay the orders of their Mrraka'te'almalik and to manage their supply lines. Their careful and meticulous planning is integral to maintaining the army's organization, and their sub-commanders rely on the orders passed down to them to continue operation. As with the previous higher positions, the more prominent nobles often appoint specialists to carry out their duties if they believe themselves incapable, however lower nobles are often part of a service gentry and are therefore unable to delegate away their positions.

Alyad'almalik (Hand of the King)
Alyad'almalikii (Hands of the King or Hands for short) are all of the minor nobles and service gentry who command formations of Alam'ardii which are typically similar to field armies. Unlike most armies, these are primarily infantry-based units as the New Kingdom lacks the production capacity to have widespread motorized and mechanized units. A handful of Alyad'almalikii are armored units with outdated and prototypical interwar tanks which are usually held in reserve behind the front lines and used as cavalry to attack enemy flanks or respond to opposing armored assaults.

Alam'ard (Blood of the People)
The Alam'ardii (Bloods of the People, or Bloods for short) are large units of soldiers levied, equipped, and paid by their nobility landlords. In the early days of the New Kingdom's secession, the Alam'ardii were professional soldiers only. Large groups of old M'sai who had served the nobles in the first revolution and their sons, tired of the extremist ideologies and longing for the old ways, flocked to the cause of King Azunja. As Njarir in hiding began resettling into the New Kingdom, many were assigned lands and given commands of these old Alam'ardii based on the capabilities they demonstrated, creating the foundation for the entire structure of the Imperial Army and landed nobility. As manpower issues began to strain the New Kingdom with the continuing war, King Azunja and parliament were forced to instate conscription, obligating every household to contribute an adult Tajara to the war effort. In compromise to the poor strata and to address the issue of an insufficient officer corps, the government formalized and cemented the service gentry "so that all of the kingdom is together in this struggle." The Bloods are almost all infantry, utilizing primarily defensive tactics with dug in positions, fortifications, and trenches. Due to the primarily polar climate of the majority of the New Kingdom's land holdings, the Imperial Army has found utility in keeping cavalry Alam'ardii which can gallop through snow and either position dragoons or charge into enemy flanks. There are few artillery Alam'ardii, and all are positioned along defensive lines where incoming armored attacks are suspected. Most of the Imperial Army's artillery are outdated direct fire canons which are re-appropriated for anti-armor uses.

= Naval Forces on Adhomai = Although the military focus of the various factions is ground based, there is still a heavy reliance on naval power for trade between regions, the transportation of military supplies, and the movement of troops between continents. Similar to human sailors, the various seamen are highly superstitious and obsessive about centuries old naval traditions. While naval might is evidently not the determining factor in winning the on-going war, it remains an important aid to many military endeavors.

Planetary
The Republican Navy is the penultimate aquatic naval force on Adhomai's surface, surpassed only by the Royal Navy. The Republican Navy primarily serves to transfer divisions of soldiers between the three continents, as well as protect civilian trade ships and conduct anti-piracy operations against the Adhomai Liberation Army's pirate flotillas. The aquatic arm of the Republican Navy also boasts a superb sub-nautical division with hunting packs of submarines prowling the waters in search of undefended ships. Although they have the benefit of being able to travel beneath the ice sheets, they are of no use in those regions unless they catch a surface ship traversing thin ice. Their only comparable naval opponent, the Royal Navy, frequently denies them the satisfaction of naval victory with their superior ASW capabilities, as well as submarine hunting packs of their own.

Adhomai Liberation Army
The Adhomai Liberation Army is the weakest naval power among the three factions, consisting only of ramshackle pirate flotillas which assail unguarded coastal settlements and attack unprotected convoys. In the early days of the war they were marginally more formidable, with a handful of destroyers and cruisers defecting in the initial waves. Since then, most of their ships have either fallen into disrepair, been destroyed, or defected to the Royal Navy. Their tactics are primarily effective against the Republican Navy on a tactical level, as many of their craft are too small for the Republic's sonar to detect and are able to approach and attack convoys. On the strategic level, they are of limited use and fail to bring any significant impact for the Liberation Army's war efforts.

The Royal Navy (New Kingdom of Adhomai)
The New Kingdom of Adhomai's Royal Navy is the strongest aquatic navy on the surface of Adhomai. In 2449 when the New Kingdom of Adhomai seceded from the People's Republic of Adhomai, many of the Republic's naval officers defected along with their ships and crew citing the gutting and suppression of venerable naval traditions by the Republican command as detrimental to their espirit de corps. In reality, however, sailors on Adhomai have a long history of loyalty to their old noble rulers, and most of the naval officers were pardoned loyalists from the first revolution out of the People's Republic's desperate need for naval personnel in the aftermath of the war. Despite the powerful navy and accompanying merchant marine, these traits often fail to bring the Kingdom military successes on land as they can only provide fire support in regions where water is not frozen over, or only slightly frozen over. The immense experience, training, and capability of their naval officers allow them to operate in waters which are impassable to the other navies due to their abilities to chart the thickness of the ice sheets and navigate around icebergs and obstacles. The Royal Navy is primarily comprised of surface ships, however they also boast having superior anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities in counter to the People's Republic. Adhomai Liberation Army pirate flotillas avoid convoys under the protection of the Royal Navy, understanding that it can only spell their doom. Their domination of the waters enable them to deploy and supply expeditionary forces on continents outside of their primary lands.

= Special Forces = Warfare on the surface of Adhomai is highly mobile with constantly shifting front lines and grinding engagements between exhausted armies. The special forces of each claimant to the planet's government are the oil which keeps the war machines turning. Their varying approaches and exotic tactics are essential for the war plans of their commanders, and the saving grace of their regular army unit counterparts.

Ha'narr Corps (Mountain Ghost Corps)
Originally formed in 2421 during the first revolution, the Ha'narr Corps served as a reconnaissance, scouting and special operations unit for the rebellion. As the predecessor of the Republican Army began to coalesce into organized units, the Ha'narr Corps was officially given its name and designated its own branch of the military outside of the regular army command structure. Although it was disbanded at the end of the first revolution, it was reformed at the dawn of the second revolution as the inflexibility of the Republican Army proved to be a vital weakness which these units corrected for. The training regime for Ha'narrii is typically anywhere in between one to three months, with recruits trained in basic survival and reconnaissance skills emphasizing on self dependence within the frozen wilderness of Ahdomai. They are typically deployed for around one-year rotations before being returned home, however extenuating circumstances often change this. Small detachments of Ha'narri are typically attached to large infantry units - typically 6-22 for each field army - and report to their own command structure. Ha'narri typically operate separately of infantry, and spend the bulk of their time outside of base camps and fortifications. As a scouting unit, Ha'narri travel lightly on equipment, carrying primarily the essentials for survival and only a token amount of ammunition. Specially designed lever-action rifles are considered standard-issue, with modifications in place designed to prevent freezing or jamming within the more sensitive components. More experienced Ha'narrii make use of small, balanced bladed weapons and silenced sidearms, however, their equipment is considered highly situational based on the assignment. They are well-known for their iconic thick light-colored cloaks which they wear while traversing the vast countrysides for warmth, as well as camouflage. Due to being a dedicated scouting unit with occasional sabotage work, most Ha'narri soldiers are average shots, and primarily use their weapons to skirmish enemies they encounter only long enough for them to flee and regroup before resuming operations.

The Republican Guard
Following the end of the first revolution, many veterans especially of the Ha'narr Corps had become hardened warriors with exceptional abilities. Seeking to mate the heavily refined combat effectiveness of shock troop units which formed among front-line infantry with the survival skills and mobility of the Ha'narrii, the Republican Guard was formed by absorbing all of these units as a hard-hitting highly mobile airborne special forces unit in 2435. They primarily draw recruits from promising and outstanding members of the Ha'narr Corps, as well as shock infantry divisions, not at all unlike their original founding members. Their iconic light blue berets inspire awe and admiration on the battlefield among their teammates, and fear among their enemies. The Republican Guard primarily deploys by airdropping from high altitude aircraft in special thick cold resistant pressurized soft suits, and unlike the Ha'narr, carry a considerable amount of equipment for combat operations. Unlike most troops on Adhomai, they prefer assault rifles which they primarily import from human space to ensure reliability and quality. There is still widespread rejection of laser based weaponry for the unreliability, the high visibility it grants to their enemies when beams travel through snow, and the difficulties of carrying and insulating spare power cells into the field. Most special operations begin with a detachment of mountain ghosts performing reconnaissance of a target and sabotage of anti-air radar capabilities, which then leads to a full Republican Guard airdrop to eliminate targets behind enemy lines before ex-filtrating via routes scouted and provided to them by the Corps. These units also see the deployment of the first prototypical Tajaran mechatronics, using in some cases experimental military rig suits and in others fully mechanized air-deployed walkers. However, these aspects of the Republican Guard's arsenal frequently fail them in the field due to their prototypical nature and the harsh environments they often deploy into.

Imperial Dragoons
The Imperial Dragoons of the New Kingdom of Adhomai are a type of Alam'ard which most Alyad'almalik contain at least one of. The units claim to have roots which stretch back centuries to when military tacticians began recognizing the value of light infantry units which could ride around enemy flanks to deploy. Beginning with muzzle-loaded carbines and riding atop Zhsramii, these dragoons changed the face of warfare on Adhomai as they first began to roll out. The original Tajaran word for these units was lost with the passage of time along with most pre-war knowledge, and so, reluctantly, with the reformation of these units following the secession of the New Kingdom, a human cognate was used to describe them. Modern Dragoons still ride Zhsramii into battle, but now utilize semi-automatic carbine rifles. During battles, they are used to reinforce weak points along their allied line, as well as to take advantage of gaps in the enemy lines. Their Zhsramii saddles come with carbine holsters where the Dragoons can keep their rifles while they gallop around the battlefield. This also enables them to draw their sabers and perform cavalry charges on routing enemies as well as ambush unsuspecting patrols. Their uniforms are iconic for their bright white colors with golden buttons with varying colors of sashes depending on their specific unit. Tall black Nav'twir fur hats are synonymous with the Dragoons, and are sought after souvenirs by foreigners for their comfort as well as style. Racially, they are almost entirely M'sai so that they can endure the bitter winds and travel more quickly.

Royal Grenadiers
The Royal Grenadiers of the New Kingdom of Adhomai are another form of Alam'ard which are famous for being composed of primarily large muscular Zhan-Kazan Tajara. They claim to have ties to history as being infantry men at the front strong enough to throw cumbersome early Tajaran grenades into enemy lines. In the modern context they are typically used as shock troops along the front line to strike fear into the hearts of the opposition. They are renown for their savage melee combat, and their bayonet charges often rout their enemies. However, their bayonets are not what distinguish them from the armaments of their regular line infantry counterparts, but rather their plated metal armor, metal claw attachments, and firebomb grenades. These items make them formidable fighters in urban combat situations where they excel in close quarters combat. In field warfare, on the other hand, their slow movements leave them highly vulnerable to skirmishers and light infantry. Their grenade satchels are usually highly decorative thick leather bags, typically with their Alam'ard's insignia on the clasp. Many take their satchels home with them when they leave the service.

Credit goes to Alexander Zavaliy for the paintings of human cats. Credit goes to Milos Stanojevic for the Royal Grenadier art.