Briefing: Unified Coalition Space Operations Defense FOrce Army

The Unified Coalition Space Operations Defense Force Army was the first branch formed from the Grand Army of the Alliance and subsequently the Epsilon Eridani Defense Force after their victory in the First Interstellar War in 2180. After the reorganization of the Sol System Alliance into the United Governments Coalition, the UCSO Army was quickly established from the ranks of the GAA in order to maintain peace and order following the precarious state of the galaxy at the conclusion of the First Interstellar War. Once the Epsilon Eridani Republic was dissolved and its former worlds joined the newly formed Coalition, its military forces would also become part of the UCSO Army. In the years following the end of the war, the newly formed army would continue to suppress several hostile holdouts that remained and ensured that civil war would not come to the galaxy. After some time, the army along with the other branches established what would become the primary force that would drive the UGC’s vast exploration and expansion that occurred for several centuries.
The UCSO Army has maintained a high standard for its troops as both large and small scale battle simulations are a part of each recruit’s training. Standard Combat Training is designed to bring a recruit to their breaking point, an individual is destroyed and are rebuilt as an army trooper. They are taught to forsake the life they had before and remain resolute in their duty to serve the UGC and to follow and uphold the four principles of the Coalition to their greatest extent possible. While it is the largest standing army in history, the vast amount of territory it is tasked with defending often results in troops being spread thin in certain sectors. This is a long understood trade off that the armed forces of the Coalition favors, due to grueling standards in army training there are less soldiers but each of them are very highly skilled. In order to supplement regular army forces, Reserve Guard Forces and Planetary Defense Forces are created in order to defend their respective systems and planets.
The RGF act as a reserve force to regular UCSO Army troops, they are primarily tasked with the defense of the star system in which they belong belong to but it is not unusual for them to travel to neighboring systems if necessary. Together with neighboring RGF units, they are capable of protecting an entire sector. The RGFs of many systems saw extensive deployment during the Sivorsky uprisings in 2425, during which many UCSO regular army forces were deployed to the Sivorsky System in order to quell the rebel takeover of several colonies. During this time, many RGFs were deployed to guard their systems while regular army forces usually stationed in those systems were deployed abroad.
Planetary Defense Forces, sometimes called planetary militias, are organized militias equipped and trained by UCSO regular army for the purpose of defending a specific planet. They are not to be confused with the armed forces of individual planetary governments, as PDFs are considered part and under the command of the UCSO. Not all planets have a PDF but those that do consists of both part time and full time soldiers that aid planetary governments in providing security. PDFs are a large part of the relationship the UGC has with its member worlds as planetary senators and leaders can directly request the activation of a their local PDF unit if they feel the situation requires it. Whether or not a planet has a local military or PDF, the UCSO Army always maintains a garrison of troops on each of its member planets.
Elite army troopers are organized into ranger units, the army rangers are specialized light infantry units trained to efficiently traverse and fight in hostile terrain through unconventional means. Ranger units are typically deployed in platoons to assist regular army troops in performing flanking and sabotage missions that can effectively turn the tide and cause disarray among hostile forces. Because of their specialized tasks they must be trained and equipped to travel through terrain most would think is impassable. Rangers are recruited from all areas of the army including other specialized units, these quick and stalwart units are credited with turning the tide of many battles simply by approaching the enemy from unexpected directions.
Because of the different planetary environments the army must operate in, many troopers are recruited and assigned to units that specialize in warfare in said environments. This is most notable in cases such as when a recruit from a jungle planet is assigned to jungle infantry units while those that come from planets with cold and wintry climates might be assigned to arctic combat units. Though this is not always the case, it is likely as the UCSO Army is constantly seeking to fill its vacant ranks within these specialized units. Other examples of environmental specific army units include mountain infantry, desert combat units, urban combat units, and swamp combat units.
The Army specializes in land based combat but can perform a wide array of tasks since they function as the largest and most versatile branch in the UCSO, armored divisions, air assault units, and airborne units are just a few examples of what the army has at its disposal. However, the army can only get so far without assistance from other branches. The army relies on the support of the other branches for both transportation between worlds and support on the battlefield during combined arms operations. It is through these means the UCSO Army earns its reputation as the most dominant military machine in history and the loyalty of its soldiers reflect the army’s motto: “The land of our worlds, we guard evermore.”