Armed Forces of the Federated Suns

In the fictional BattleTech Universe, the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS) was the military branch of the Federated Suns, the Successor State ruled for most of its history by House Davion. After 3054 it was integrated into the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth (AFFC). This organization was short-lived, however, as the AFFC was largely folded back into the Federated Suns State Command after the Lyran secession in 3057. Ten years later, the AFFC was renamed the AFFS in conjunction with the renaming of the nation.

Organization
Most units within the AFFS, with the notable exception of the Ceti Hussars, are organized around a BattleMech regiment, which is roughly 108 'Mechs. To this regiment, conventional vehicles (tanks, V.T.O.L.s, etc.), artillery, infantry, and even aerospace fighters that complement the 'Mechs are traditionally attached. In some units, however, the AFFS took this a step further.

Many units within the AFFS are Regimental Combat Teams (RCTs). Front-line RCTs are composed of one 'Mech regiment, three of vehicles, a battalion of artillery, five regiments of infantry, and a fighter wing. Second-line, or militia, RCTs are usually composed of smaller numbers of these supporting forces. RCTs are usually commanded by a Marshal.

Command
The AFFS has several layers of command. The first is that of the national authority. Headquarted in the Fox's Den on New Avalon, the Prince and his or her military advisors can effectively control the entirety of the AFFS from the high-tech command bunker. The top layer often concerns itself with matters of overall strategy, planning, and force readiness.

Often, responsibility for localized deployment of military forces belongs to the regional commanders. The Federated Suns is broken into three Marches: the interior Crucis March and the border areas of the Capellan March and Draconis March, which are commanded by Field Marshals. These Marches are further subdivided into Operations Areas: three for the Crucis March and two each for the Capellan and Draconis Marches which are also commanded by Field Marshals. Within the Crucis March, these OAs are further subdivided into traditional Combat Theaters. On the border Marches, however, the OAs are broken down into Polymorphous Defense Zones (PDZs). Regardless of the name, these regions are commanded by Marshals.

Finally, the AFFS also has brigade commanders. Largely concerned with matters of supply, orders for troop movements that originate from New Avalon pass through brigade commanders. Brigade commanders often hold other roles within the AFFS, such as Field Marshal Andrew Terlecki, Jr. who, in addition to commanding the Deneb Light Cavalry, was named director of the Crucis March in 3067.

Prince
The head of AFFS is the First Prince of the Federated Suns who is also the Supreme Marshal of the AFFS. Since the Prince must serve five years in the AFFS in order to become Prince, the AFFS has a long tradition of able leadership and whole-hearted support from the sovereign of the realm. Note that, regardless of the sex of the leader, the title remains Prince. A notable exception to this rule would be Katherine Steiner-Davion, who was referred to as "Archon-Princess" during her usurpation of the throne.

Prince's Champion
Traditionally, the Prince names a Champion who is essentially his or her regent of the AFFS, though the Prince maintains sole authority. The Champion functions as a sort of vice-president, chairing Council meetings when the Prince is unavailable. The Champion is also the chief military advisor to the Prince.

Marshal of the Armies
Whereas the Prince is responsible for the broad strategic goals of the AFFS, the Marhal of the Armies is responsible for carrying out those goals. Since they are both responsible for the AFFS, the duties of the MotA and Prince's Champion tend to overlap. "First Princess" Katherine used this to confuse the command structure in order to ensure loyalty to her. With the ascension of Regent Yvonne, however, the two offices became united in the person of Jackson Davion. In the 3130s, however, Prince Harrison again divided the two offices, a situation Caleb has seen fit to perpetuate.

High Command
While technically an advisory body, the High Command is made up of the leaders of various departments within the AFFS. These include the chiefs of Strategy and Tactics, Military Education, Quartermaster, and Military Intelligence. As such, it would be foolish for the Prince to fail to heed the High Command's advice.

Units of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns
The AFFS is primarily broken down into brigades, though some free regiments do exist.

Davion Brigade of Guards
The Davion Brigade of Guards are the descendants of the personal bodyguard that Lucien Davion created to defend the President of the Federated Suns. Over time the Brigade emerged into a modern military unit and was eventually integrated into the AFFS. Today it serves as the elite of the Davion military. In the early 3060s, the brigade consisted of five regular RCTs and three specialized units, the Davion Light Guard (for rapid attacks), the Davion Heavy Guard(A fairly diverse unit, but one which served as the elite of the elite on the front), and the Davion Assault Guard (made up primarily of Assault Mechs).

The Avalon Hussars
The Avalon Hussars are the descendants of the Terran Marines that served on the world of New Avalon in the early age of human colonization of space. Today the Hussars are the heart of the AFFS, a group of units loyal to House Davion and to the ideals of the Federated Suns.

Syrtis Fusiliers
The Syrtis Fusiliers are the honor guard of the leader of the Capellan March. For that reason their fortunes have been tied to the Hasek family for years. The Hasek Family is an ambitious and often scheming group of leaders that have commanded the Capellan March since the time of Prince Alexander. The Syrtis Fusiliers are respected for their skill in combat but at times have been held in suspicion by an AFFS that questions their loyalty to the First Prince.

Crucis Lancers
After General Kerensky's exodus, some Star League soldiers remained in the Inner Sphere. Some of these drifted into the Federated Suns. During the First Succession War Prince John Davion organized them into the Crucis Lancers. The Lancers hold tight to the traditions of the Star League even as they have fully integrated themselves into the AFFS.

Ceti Hussars
The Ceti Hussars are a group of units that were created specifically for the short raids that became the mainstay of warfare in the Third Succession War. Each Hussar Regiment is divided into three small units each centered around a Battlemech Battalion.

Chisholm's Raiders
Marshal John Chisholm, who was well regarded as an excellent military commander, but constantly critical of the military establishment was forced into retirement in 2892. Going to his homeworld of Colorado, he quickly became bored with retirement and took control of the planetary militia, and began to train them. Soon, word of his activities made it to High Command, where they investigated his training. After defeating many units that were both more skilled and better equipped, the militia was made into a front line regiment. Eventually the unit was built into two full RCTs. Both were loyal to Katherine in the Civil War, which resulted in their destruction. There are no plans to reconstitute either regiment as of the end of the Civil War.

Deneb Light Cavalry
During the Star League, there was a group of units known as the Rapid Deployment Mixed Armed Forces regiments that were created to be deployed at a moment's notice. After the fall of the Star League, the Light Cavalry needed to seek employment with one of the Successor houses in order to support themselves and their families. They chose the Federated Suns because they felt that it was the closest to the ideals of the Star League. The Light Cavalry became an important part of the AFFS and quickly became an important part of their roster with their rapid style of combat.

Robinson Rangers
Starting their life as a brigade of volunteers in the defense of Robinson, the Draconis March capital world, these original volunteers were wiped out in the First Succession War. To honor these volunteers, Prince Peter Davion authorized the construction of two Battlemech regiments. The Rangers fought the Draconis Combine in five major conflicts. Two things define the Rangers. Hatred of the Combine, and more importantly, a loyalty to the Duke of Robinson. In the early 3060s, Archon Katherine created the Third Rangers. While publicly a move to reinforce the Draconis March, was more a political move, and the unit spent more time on New Avalon than anywhere else. The Third was destroyed during the final battle of New Avalon, with no plans to rebuild the destroyed unit.

Federated Commonwealth Corps/Federated Suns Lancers
Created initially from forces and equipment supplied as a wedding gift by the Lyran Commonwealth, the FedCom Corps rose to become one of premier Brigades of the Federated Commonwealth. Fielding twelve RCTs, the brigade became the second largest of the combined Lyran and Federated military. Eventually fracturing along nationalistic lines during the Marik/Liao offensive of 3057, the brigade was reduced to half its original size, with five units defecting to the newly formed Lyran Alliance the remained became further divided during the FedCom Civil War, with all but the first and fifth RCTs being disbanded/destroyed by the war's end. The first was subsequently redubbed the 1st Federated Suns Lancers RCT to reflect the final dissolution of the FedCom. The fifth, having committed a war-crime, fled known space as renegades.

Albion Military Academy
Located on the capital of New Avalon, Albion was one of three Star League Military Academies located outside of the Terran Hegemony. After the collapse of the Star League, the Federated Suns took over full administration of the institution. Albion is known for its highly-skilled graduates and boasts a well-known alumni that includes Prince Hanse Davion.

Armstrong Flight Academy
The AFA is located on Galax, home of Federated-Boeing Interstellar. Both F-BI and AFA benefit from the relationship that has started.

Filtvelt Military Academy
One of the newest additions to the Department of Military Education, Filtvelt is located near the Periphery. Given its location, many graduates serve with nearby units.

Kilbourne Academy
While the Kilbourne Academy trains MechWarriors, it is better known for its technicians. Since it is located near the Periphery, it is one of the few centers of learning in the area. Accordingly, non-cadets may attend non-military classes.

New Avalon Institute of Science (NAIS) College of Military Sciences (CMS)
Arguably the most prestigious military academy in the Inner Sphere, CMS turns out high-quality cadets in all military specialities. CMS used to be called NAMA, the New Avalon Military Academy. NAMA was founded during the Star League years after it took over Albion Military Academy. After NAIS was built around it and far eclipsed it in prestige, however, the institutions were reorganized and NAMA was placed under the jurisdiction of the NAIS. Home to some of the most advanced training equipment in the Inner Sphere, CMS benefits from its close relationship with the NAIS, which seems to rediscover lost technology on a daily basis.

Its large alumni base includes Prince Ian Davion and Duke Kai Allard-Liao.

Point Barrow Military Academy
Point Barrow is known for quality technicians and engineers.

Robinson Battle Academy
Located on Robinson, RBA is the principal training academy of the Draconis March. Its graduates are known for their loyalty to the Sandoval family and their hatred of the Draconis Combine and all things Japanese.

Most scions of the Sandoval family attend the Battle Academy, so it enjoys strong support from them.

Sakhara Academy
Sakhara is one of a handful of private military academies in the Federated Suns. The small school is known for good cadets who form lasting bonds, making it a sort of fraternity.

The War College of Goshen
Origninally founded by a pair of retired Generals from the Capellan Front, the WCG began its life as the Goshen BattleMech Academy. Within a decade, the College had expanded its curriculum to cover all areas of combat from infantery to aerospace and was renamed the War College of Goshen. Renowned both for is philosophical approach and its hands on method to teaching, the WCG produces well-balanced cadets who exhibit a keen understanding of their combat equipment and environment. This is partly due to the fact that all cadets save infantry routinely participate in live-fire training exercises.

Additionally, students are noted for their deep roots in academic studies of philosophies of war and peace. No cadet graduates without a comprehensive understanding of the history of warfare, the development of tactics though that history, and a complete education on the governance of the Federated Suns both in wartime and peacetime.

The Review of the War College of Goshen

The Warrior's Hall
Located on New Syrtis, The Warrior's Hall is the principal training academy of the Capellan March. Its graduates are known for their loyalty to the Hasek family and hatred of the Capellan Confederation.

Most scions of the Hasek family attend the Hall, so it enjoys strong support from them.

Officers

 * 1 The use of 'Leftenant' as the spelling and pronunciation of Lieutenant originally appears to have been an attempt by the Anglo-French colonist's of New Avalon to further differentiate their embryonic military from that of the Terran Marines during the Grain Rebellion in 2332. This follows on from its historical use by the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces


 * 2 Majors within the AFFS fill the role of Field Battalion commanders, with Leftenant Colonels filling RCT Staff appointments.


 * 3 The rank of Brigadier was abolished within the AFFS sometime in the 2300s. Following the Alexander reforms 'Leftenant General', originally not a rank in the AFFS structure, was introduced. This makes the AFFS unique in reversing the order of precedence on the ranks of Major General and Leftenant General.