Sierran Crown Armed Forces
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| Sierran Crown Armed Forces (en) | |
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Fuerzas Armadas de la Corona de Sierra (es) Forces armées de la courrone du Sierra (fr) 黄金王国武装部队 (tn) 黄金王国武装部队 (zh) Lực lượng Vũ trang Sierra (vn) 시에라의 국군 (kr) Sierrisch Krone Streitkräfte (de) シエラ軍 (ja) | |
 Emblem of the Sierran Crown Armed Forces, bearing 5 of the 6 uniformed branches' own emblems | |
.svg) Military flag of Sierra | |
| Founded | January 1, 1859 (165 years, 345 days) |
| Service branches |
 Sierran Royal Army Sierran Royal Navy Sierran Royal Air Force Sierran Royal Marines Sierran Royal Coast GuardSierran Royal Space Force Sierran Provincial Guard (reserve) |
| Headquarters | Pendleton Military Center, Laguna, K.S. |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-chief | Elizabeth II |
| Supreme Field Marshal | Cedric Harrison |
| Minister of Defense | |
| Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the Defense Staff | Gen. Sir Mike Bennett, SRA |
| Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the Defense Staff | Gen. Kevin Chu, SRN |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 17 - 45 |
| Conscription | No during peacetime, possible in times of war and national emergency; all males between 18–35 required to register with the Selective Service System |
| Active personnel | 603,237 |
| Reserve personnel | 538,359 |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $391.985 billion |
| Percent of GDP | 5.5% |
| Related articles | |
| History | |
The Sierran Crown Armed Forces (also known as Her Royal Majesty's Armed Forces, the Sierran Armed Forces, or SCAF) are the armed forces of the Kingdom of Sierra consisting of five professional service branches: the Royal Army, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Marines Corps, the Royal Space Force, and the Royal Coast Guard. In addition, it includes the reserve component of the Armed Forces, the Sierran Provincial Guard. Although the Royal Cyber Defense Force is a uniformed service branch involved with military matters, it is not officially considered a part of the Sierran Crown Armed Forces due to its noncombatant nature (in the traditional sense), although its importance and role has grown considerably since its foundation in 2008.
Sierra maintains the third largest military budget in the world with $391.985 billion (5.5% of the national GDP) spent by the government on the SCAF in 2017, and the second largest armed forces in size in the Conference of American States (CAS), with over 603,000 active personnel and 538,000 reserve personnel. Its budget has enabled it to maintain significant technological advancement and defensive capabilities, including the fourth largest nuclear arsenal and deterrent in the world. Although conscription has historically been enforced during times of war, mandatory service for able-bodied male citizens and K.S. residents between the age of 18 and 35 was discontinued in 1977. Since then, the SCAF has relied on enlistment entirely on paid volunteers, although male citizens are still required to register with Sierra's Selective Service lottery system, in the event conscripted enlistment is needed. Female citizens have never been conscripted or required to serve in the military, but are not barred from service. In 2017, women constituted 14% of the SCAF's total personnel (active and reserved), including combatant and non-combatant positions.
The Queen is the constitutional commander-in-chief to whom members of the SCAF swear allegiance to. Actual military powers associated with the Queen are held by the Prime Minister of Sierra, through their capacity as the Supreme Field Marshal of Sierra. Military administration, policy, and strategy is developed and controlled by the civilian Ministry of Defense, which is headed by the Minister of Defense. The Joint Chiefs of the Defense Staff consists of the SCAF's senior uniformed leaders who provide advisory counsel to the Queen and Prime Minister. Operational command is divided into the regional unified combatant commands, each led by a commander who reports directly to the civilian secretaries of the Ministry of Defense. Units throughout the country are assigned to one of these commands.
Although the primary purpose and function of the SCAF is to provide military defense and national security for Sierra domestically and internationally, it also engages in peacekeeping missions, disaster relief, economic construction, military research, and under certain circumstances, law enforcement. The SCAF also maintains a large civilian workforce through its internal bureaucracy and private contractors, playing an important role to the national economy. As of 2017, over 2.5 million Sierran civilians were involved in the defense industry, working under or with the SCAF.
Sierra is one of the seven recognized nuclear powers, is a permanent member on the League of Nations Security Council, is a founding member of the Trans-Pacific Allied Community, is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and a major contributor to the collective defense of the Conference of American States. Overseas bases and facilities are maintained at numerous international locations, including those in Burkina Faso, Colombia, Germany, Tondo, Japan, Kuwait, and Qatar.
History
| Kingdom of Sierra |
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The Crown
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The Sierran Crown Armed Forces' creation coincide with the promulgation of the Kingdom of Sierra through the Constitution of 1858. The need for a standing army was essential to ensure that the new nation stabilize and maintain authority across the largely lawless backwater territories Sierra owned. Under the previous government, the California Republic, there was no official permanent military force. The government relied solely on paramilitary organizations and civilian bands to provide for national defense, mostly from Indians and the possible threat of American or Mexican invaders. When the kingdom was formed, the government needed to prevent the outbreak of a potential civil war due to the possibility of the divided military factions vying for new political goals. It would took nearly five years before the Sierran Crown Armed Forces was finally deemed a singularly potent and cohesive entity after concessions were made to resistant groups who then swore allegiance to the Crown.
On January 6, 1859, Parliament established both the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines Corps simultaneously through Acts of Parliament. Most of the initial ships provided for the Navy were simply retrofitted steamboats and clippers that were brought over by civilians from the United States. The first domestic vessel manufactured and commissioned for use by the Navy was the ironclad HRHS Sequoia. The first naval engagements of Sierra were conducted over the conquest of Gilbert and Ellice Islands, a small group of Pacific islands and the Rapa Nui island in 1861 and 1862 respectively.
The Second Industrial Revolution paired with economic growth spurred the modernization of the Sierra Crown Armed Forces. Committed towards a policy of semi-isolationism, it was understood that the forces were kept solely to defend the kingdom in case the United States or another foreign power decided to invade it. Domestically, the Armed Forces saw belligerent action against various Indian tribes during the 1860s, mainly to force natives out of their lands to allow Sierran civilians to settle. The first major engagement the Armed Forces faced was the War of Contingency (1866-68) when Sierra and Brazoria came in defense of Missouri when the United Commonwealth invaded it, during a campaign to restore the recently fallen United States. Sierran forces initially only supplied war supplies, but by 1867, the SCAF had halted Commonwealth advances, and pushed back eastward, eventually defeating the Commonwealth at the Battle of Salinas. The war allowed SCAF to earn its right as a fully capable and competent force. A few years later, the SCAF was once again in combat in the Sierran Civil War (1874–77) when Isaiah Landon, a San Joaquinian senator led an insurrection against the Kingdom, and established the self-declared Second California Republic. The three-year war was the first to directly, truly test Sierra's long-term military and technological capabilities, and resulted in over 75,000 casualties, 26,000 of which were fatalities. The bloodiest war in Sierran history, the war marked an end to impromptu militias. The creation of the Provincial Guard did not emerge until the Sierran Cultural Revolution however, against the backdrop of the Continental Revolutionary War.
Near the turn of the 19th century, the SCAF gained new victories overseas, defeating the Spanish in the Spanish–American War over the Tondolese island of Mindanao, in 1898. Sierra fought against the Tondolese insurgents who objected to Sierran occupation of Mindanao and influence over the rest of the Tondolese archipelago in the Han–Sierran War, winning in 1902, creating the Sierran East Indies.
Structure and organization
At the head of the Armed Forces is the Monarch who serves as the commander-in-chief and the source of loyalty expressed by the forces' personnel. Immediately below the monarch is the prime minister who leads the Armed Forces at the behalf of the Monarch. Securing the title of Supreme Field Marshal, the Prime Minister is in effect, the highest-ranking military official in the Armed Forces.
In the federal framework of the government, the Ministry of Defense, headed by the Minister of Defense, has oversight, authority, and responsibility over national security and defense. As a result, the Armed Forces are subordinate to the Ministry and is one of the main bodies the Ministry presumes jurisdiction over. It is the Ministry in which day-to-day operations and administration of the Armed Forces is conducted by as opposed to the Prime Minister or Monarch. Aside from the Minister of Defense, the Royal Security Council serve as the top military advisers to the Prime Minister. Serving simultaneously as four-star generals, the chiefs of staff also have oversight over their respective branches. It is the five branches of the Armed Forces: the Sierran Royal Army, the Sierran Royal Navy, the Sierran Royal Air Force, the Sierran Royal Marines, and the Sierran Royal Coast Guard, that compose the Armed Forces.
Royal Army
The Royal Army is the largest of the branches and is responsible for land-based military operations. It is tasked with preserving the peace and security as well as the provision of defense for the Kingdom, the provinces, her territories, her allies, and any other lands under control by Sierra. In 2013, the Army had TBD active personnel and 92,848 reserves personnel.
The Army is divided into five divisions: the 1st Sierra Division, the 2nd Sierra Division, the 3rd Sierra Division, the 4th Sierra Division, and the 5th Sierra Division. All army personnel are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and receive extensive training prior to active duty. The Army has possession of about 2,900 tanks, 2,700 armored fighting vehicles (including amphibious ones), 6,100 artillery pieces, 50 guided missile systems, and 700 helicopters. The most generally used tank is the American M1 Abrams, to be replaced over time with the new Sierran Gremlin 2 tank.
The Royal Navy is responsible for conducting naval and amphibious landing operations. In 2013, the Navy had TBD active personnel and 32,338 reserves personnel. A blue-water navy, the Navy is capable of exerting power across the high seas globally. The Navy is in possession of five aircraft carriers, thirteen amphibious assault ships, eighteen cruisers, thirty-two destroyers, four frigates, six corvettes, nine auxiliary ships, twenty-three submarines, and one hundred fifty-six aircraft commissioned specifically for the Navy.
The Navy is organized into six components: the Fleet Forces Command, the Asian-Pacific Fleet, the Atlantic-Indian Fleet, the Naval Intelligence and Logistical Support Command, and the Special Warfare Command. As of 2014, the Navy has four active fleets: the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Fleets, the latter three being headed by a three-star admiral and the former headed by a rear admiral.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is responsible for conducting aerial warfare, providing logistical support for the other branches, and overseeing missile defense. The Air Force operates over 3,200 aircraft (including reconnaissance), 250 ICBMs (both conventional and the 135 active nuclear warheads), and 17 satellites.
The Air Force is organized into ten different commands: Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Command, European-African Air Command, Air Force Special Forces Command, Air Recruitment and Training Command, Air Logistic and Material Support Command, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Missile Command, Air Force Space Command, and the Air Force Reserve Command–all specializing in a specific field of aerial defense.
Royal Marines Corps
The Royal Marines Corps is responsible for providing power projection from the sea and exerting expeditionary warfare. Working closely with the Royal Navy, it is largely responsible and capable for amphibious operations, fighting with combined arms, and conducting forcible entries by land, sea, or air.
Royal Coast Guard
The Royal Coast Guard is responsible for protecting Sierra's coastal and littoral areas, maritime homeland security and law enforcement, conducting search and rescue missions, protecting the marine environment, and providing navigational aid. Currently, the Royal Coast Guard actively employs seventy cutters, thirty tugboats, 500 other boats, and 40 specially commissioned aircraft (all helicopters).
Space Force
Other bodies
Royal Cyber Defense Force
Created in 2001, the Royal Cyber Defense Force is responsible for providing military communications and facilitating inter-branch support for the rest of the Armed Forces. In addition, the Royal Cyber Defense Force is charged with the responsibility of conducting defensive and offensive cyberwarfare and cybersecurity, often cooperating with federal civilian intelligence/law enforcement agencies and bodies.
Provincial Guard
The Provincial Guard is the collective reserves component of all branches of the Sierran Crown Armed Forces and is composed of units corresponding to each province and territory in the Kingdom. As the militia force of Sierra, the Provincial Guard is responsible for providing the defense of the Sierran homeland at a moment's notice in case of an attack or invasion by a foreign or domestic intrusion. It is also responsible for coordinating operations with civilian law enforcement agencies or bodies in times of civil unrest. An estimated 268,600 Sierran civilians in 2013 were enlisted, trained, and prepared to fight for the Provincial Guard at any given time.
Personnel
As of July 1, 2020, 603,327 people were on active duty in the Armed Forces and an additional 538,000 served in the reserves component. Although the Armed Forces is an all-volunteer force, conscription for both men and women between the ages of 21 and 45 may be enacted by the Prime Minister or Parliament in times of war through the Royal Selective Service. All citizens between the ages of 21 and 45 are automatically registered with the Service in the case of a future draft.
Like most militaries, members of the Armed Forces hold a rank, of either officer, warrant, or enlisted, to determine seniority and eligibility for promotion. While ranks may vary from branch to branch, all correspond to a standardized pay grade. Non-citizens are allowed to serve in the Armed Forces but because of federal law, such persons are prohibited from obtaining commissioned or officer status.
Weapons of mass destruction
Sierra is one of the six recognized signatory states with nuclear weapons under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. As of 2015, Sierra has, at its disposal, 135 active nuclear warheads in its stockpile. The total amount of nuclear warheads remains unclear although various reports range from 250 to 1,000. Sierra has stopped producing and testing its own nuclear weapons since 1991 although it has continued conducting research surrounding its technology for non-military use.
The Royal Air Force maintains 75 land-based ICBMs with most of them located in the Sierra Nevada or the restricted military areas in Clark. 10 Perry-class ballistic missile submarines are equipped with up to 24 Trident II weapons and are stationed in San Diego, San Francisco City, and Honolulu.
Conscription and terms of service
Military intelligence
Military ranks
Major deployments, battles, and incidents
Budget
See also
- Government of the Kingdom of Sierra
- Foreign policy of the Kingdom of Sierra
- Ministry of Defense (Kingdom of Sierra)
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