Armored Tears

by Mark Kalina

  Technically, conscription into the Arcadian Defense Force is not mandatory, and any individual can "opt-out." However, doing so carries severe social and political penalties and most Arcadians, upon turning 18 Earth years old, join the Defense Force for a standard two Earth year term.

  Once a conscript-recruit is "inducted" into the Defense Force, he or she will be assigned to one of the Arcadian Defense Force's "Corps." The current Arcadian Defense Force consists of six "Corps" that each have their own role and area of responsibility within the Defense Force. There is some rivalry between the various Corps, but, for the most part, they remain part of an integrated single organization.

  The Corps of the Arcadian Defense Force are:

  —Aerospace Corps; in charge of aircraft, ranging from helicopters and tilt-rotor utility transports to advanced variable-geometry laser-armed stealth reconnaissance / air superiority "ghosts."

  In addition, the Aerospace Corps is in charge of Arcadia's military and government satellites and orbital launch systems. The Aerospace Corps operates several dozen communications, reconnaissance and weather satellites, and the launch systems to send these into orbit. It has the capability to put a manned vehicle into orbit, but aside from a few orbital manned research missions, the Aerospace Corps space program is largely unmanned.

  Aerospace Corps air operations are focused on a small force of "ghosts." As of 2077, (the year of the UEN's orbital gate invasion) a dozen active reconnaissance / air superiority aircraft make up the Aerospace Corps' active air power. The newest of these are four Mitsubishi RD-7 aircraft, codenamed "Crane" in Arcadian service, operated in more or less original configuration. Most of the force (the remaining 8 active aircraft) however, consists of (captured) ex-UEN Peace Force, Korea Aerospace Industries RA-9 aircraft, heavily modified by the Arcadians and codenamed "Condor" in Arcadian service. The original airframe and laser array is retained but most of the original avionics have been replaced with more modern Japanese systems and the engines are locally overhauled and modified. In addition, Another seven older, surplus Saab SJ-50 aircraft are maintained in "mothballs" as a long term reserve; for the most part these aircraft, despite their "outdated" airframes and engines, have had their laser weapons and avionics updated to the same standard as the active service RA-9 "Condors."

  In addition to the small, elite force of "ghosts," about two hundred multi-role utility helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft of various manufacture are in service. Many of these are captured UEN aircraft, some are dedicated military transport aircraft and many are converted civilian models adapted for military operation. Additionally, several dozen locally manufactured light aircraft are used.

  Overall, the Aerospace Corps is considered the most prestigious of the Defense Force Corps, and has the most stringent entry requirements.

  —Armored Corps; in charge of heavy armor (tanks) and the support troops and installations for those tanks. In terms of prestige, it runs second to the Aerospace Corps. The Armored Corps is focused exclusively on the operation of units of main battle tanks and a limited number of support units for the tanks, such as armored recovery vehicles —though modern tanks can often undertake this role themselves— as well as training, repair and refitting facilities. As of 2077, the main tank in the Armored Corp service is the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type-51, designated "War-Hammer" in Arcadian service. All of these tanks have been constantly upgraded (as of 2077, to the Mk.IIIb standard) with improved sensors, countermeasures, crew systems and fire control in an attempt to keep them more or less current as compared to more modern armor.

  As a result of this narrow range of deployed vehicle types, the Armored Corps is possibly the most focused element in the Defense Force. Although the Armored Corps has proved decisive in almost every major engagement fought by the Defense Force, its limited utility in "peace-time" operations make it somewhat controversial; it is expensive and not very versatile outside of major battle. To address this concern, the Armored Corps is sometimes assigned to duties where its tanks represent almost comical degrees of "overkill" in terms of protection and firepower, such missions to escort charitable relief convoys to the refugee camps.

  —Infantry Corps; in charge of "frame infantry" and their support vehicles, installation and support troops for the frame infantry. Frame infantry are soldiers who wear servo-mechanical exo-skeletal "frames" which allow them to carry very heavy weapons and personal armor loads without feeling the encumbrance and weight of those loads.

  The Defense Force produces its own Infantry Frames, based on the 2060's era UEN Peace Force fielded design (the Boston Dynamics M440.) However the Defense Force frame (designated the "A-4" in Arcadian service) is substantially different from and more advanced than the M440, and is considered to be on par with modern infantry frames used by most Earth militaries. The standard issue anti-frame rifle remains a locally produced copy of the Colt M39 rifle.

  The Infantry Corps also operates armored, tracked "frame carriers" to deliver and support framer operations. The model used by the Arcadian Defense Force is a heavily modified variant of the 2040's vintage Indian AHVF (Avadi Heavy Vehicles Factory) Ratha-2 frame carrier. The Arcadian modifications consist of a more advanced Arcadian-produced fuel-cell power system, an Arcadian standard-issue auto-smartgun mounted in the small, one man turret, and Arcadian modified, Japanese-produced electronics, including sensors, drone-operation system and control systems for the crew. In Arcadian service, the vehicle is designated the "Armadillo," (but in common use it is simply referred to as a "carrier" by the Infantry Corps.) The "Armadillo" is a "light frame carrier" (which means it has limited firepower and defenses of its own) mounting a simple "anti-missile panel" based missile defense system and a single heavy auto-smartgun. A suite of reconnaissance drones is also carried.

  It should be noted that, despite its name, the Infantry Corps does not operate any units of light (non-frame) infantry, except on an ad-hoc basis where frame infantry are tasked with "out-of-frame" missions. (All Infantry Corps framer-troopers do receive training for light —non-frame— infantry operations, but this is seen as a very secondary role for them.)

  There is substantial, though mostly friendly, rivalry between the Infantry Corps and the Armored Corps.

  —Technical Corps; in charge of major Defense Force installations, (including Defense Force medical facilities) air defense, Defense Force communication infrastructure (excluding satellite communications, which are run by the Aerospace Corps) and Defense Force information and computer infrastructure (including the Defense Force's computer-hacking "info-warfare" capabilities.)

  In addition to these roles, the Technical Corps acts as the main military intelligence branch of the Arcadian Defense Force (a role which sees it cooperate extensively with the Arcadian government's Diplomatic Branch, which also has an intelligence role.)

  —Supply Corps; in charge of the delivery, storage and organization of supplies to the other Defense Force Corps. While military medical facilities are operated by the Technical Corps, most field aid-stations are staffed by Supply Corps personnel, sometimes operating in parallel with and sometimes specifically attached to other units. Likewise, the Supply Corps is also tasked with the delivering emergency supplies to civilians in cases of disaster. Perhaps somewhat oddly, the Supply Corps is also in charge of the Defense Force's small coastal patrol "navy," (on the theory that the main use of Defense Force water-borne surface vessels is to deliver supplies to coastal areas.) None the less, the Supply Corps also operates armed coastal patrol boats.

  —Auxiliary Corps; in charge of a variety of missions, ranging from light (unarmored, non-frame) infantry operations to the delivery of supplies away from major Supply Corps installations, to road construction and civil engineering (which are among its most common tasks,) to general support operations (including basic medical support operations, a role which has substantial overlap with the medical mission of the Supply Corps.)

  The Auxiliary Corps sees itself as a "jack of all trades"
and is often accused of being a "master of none." It is simultaneously the least prestigious and the most often deployed of the Defense Force Crops. The Auxiliary Corps often operates in close cooperation with the Supply Corps and there has been some debate —so far inconclusive— about combining these two Corps into one.

  A Defense Force soldier generally remains in one Corps for their entire career, though it is possible to apply for a transfer. Such transfers are granted (often somewhat informally) only if the soldier is shown "to be of more use to" or "more suitable for" the Corps he or she is being transferred into. Transfers are somewhat rare but not unheard of.

  Once a recruit is assigned to one of the Corps, he or she will serve for two years. All Defense Force personnel begin their service as privates. Promotion occurs, in theory, only due to proven ability, though time in service and experience is counted as part of such "proven ability."

  The Defense Force uses a simple and stripped-down rank structure. All officers begin as enlisted personnel. Those personnel who choose to remain in the Defense Force for more than the minimal two year term of service are evaluated for suitability for promotion to NCO rank. Proven NCOs may then be invited to take courses at Officers Schools for their particular Corps. Graduates of these schools become officers.

  The Arcadian Defense Force Table of Ranks:

  —Recruit; a newly inducted conscript who has not yet completed basic training and has not been permanently assigned to one of the Corps.

  —Private; a soldier who has completed basic training and been assigned to one of the Corps. Many conscript soldiers spend their two year terms as privates.

  —Corporal; a soldier who has shown notable aptitude at their job in their assigned Corps. Some conscripts are promoted to Corporal, in some cases, quite quickly. Other corporals are selected from among soldiers who choose to stay in the Defense Force for longer than the minimal term.

  —Sergeant; an NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) selected from the most capable corporals who have shown leadership potential. All sergeants are long-term volunteers who have chosen to stay in the Defense Force for longer than the minimum term. A sergeant will generally be given a leadership role, in command of equipment and people on the order of a single vehicle, or a single squad of soldiers.

  —Chief-Sergeant; a senior NCO. This is not a common rank. It is assigned to sergeants who have shown notable and unusual ability and leadership potential. Chief-Sergeants are assigned to positions of leadership where they may assist officers in supervising other sergeants, or have to act as leaders of other, sergeant-led, small units. Chief-Sergeants often act as executive officers to a lieutenant commanding a platoon, in addition to their own leadership role of their squad.

  —Lieutenant; the most junior rank of officer in the Defense Force. Talented sergeants (and chief-sergeants) who are seen as having "officer potential" may be invited to attend Officers School; if they graduate, they become lieutenants. Lieutenants are placed in positions of authority over a platoon of soldiers or of some other, roughly equivalent, degree of responsibility.

  —Captain; captains are promoted from those lieutenants who have shown particular ability, leadership and aptitude in their roles. Captains are put in command of companies or other units that are roughly equivalent to a company in terms of degree of responsibility.

  —Major; again, these are promoted from captains who have shown particular aptitude. Majors in the Defense Force can be seen as a sort of "chief-captain" or "senior captain." Majors are usually assigned as executive officers to colonels, while at the same time acting as leaders of their own company-scaled force. Alternately, a major may be assigned to command of a particularly crucial company-sized unit.

  —Lieutenant-Colonel; in command of battalions or of other units that are roughly equivalent to a battalion in terms of degree of responsibility.

  —Colonel; act as a more senior version of a lieutenant-colonel, serving as executive officers to general-grade officers while also commanding their own battalion-scale units. Alternately, a colonel may be assigned to command of a particularly crucial battalion-sized unit.

  —Brigadier-General; in charge of largely ad-hoc units of multiple battalion strength. Alternately, part of the command staff of their Corps.

  —General; the highest rank in the Arcadian Defense Force. Generals make up the command staff of each Corp, as well as being selected to lead the unified command staff of all active duty or all reserve Defense Force elements. Seniority among generals is based on their assignment and their time in rank. In most cases, a given assignment clearly establishes seniority; where it does not, the general with more time in grade is counted as being senior. This means that actual degrees of authority vary considerably within this rank.

  Appendix 2:

  Anti-Air Laser Weaponry and the Evolution of Air Combat Aircraft.

  One of the most fundamental changes to the battlefield of the mid to late 21st century came about due to the introduction of directed energy weapons —in the form of high power lasers— and the radical revolution in air combat technology that this caused.

  Combat lasers had been tested starting in the late 20th century, but by the 2030s, viable combat lasers became a wide-spread presence on the battlefields of Earth (and shortly after, with the discovery of gate technology, on battlefields of other worlds.)

  Currently fielded combat lasers are large, bulky weapons. The need for a power source and —just as crucial— the need for a powerful cooling system, means that there are limits to how small a viable combat laser weapon can be. Weapons that are scaled down too far are simply not able to deliver enough energy to be effective.

  In general, the largest and most powerful lasers are those emplaced at fixed defensive locations or mounted on large seagoing warships or on large orbital security vehicles (OSVs, which are, in effect, space warships.)

  Smaller "portable" lasers are mounted on large ground vehicles to provide mobile anti-air and anti-artillery capability, as well as being mounted as the main weapon of air-superiority aircraft.

  Most combat lasers are solid-state adaptive-optics capable weapons with outputs in the 500 kilowatt to 1 megawatt range. At those outputs, a dwell time of only one or two seconds is enough to burn through the skin or armor of lightly armored targets such as combat aircraft. Missiles or artillery shells require even less dwell time. Combat lasers of this sort can attain enormous precision at ranges of up to several hundred kilometers and are capable of rapidly shooting down any aircraft within this range, limited only by line of sight. Allowing for cooling, target acquisition, tracking, and engagement time, even the early generations of combat lasers could destroy as many as five airborne targets per minute. Modern, front-line combat laser weapons have increased this to anywhere from ten to twenty airborne targets per minute.

  Combat lasers are extremely effective at shooting down airborne targets (aircraft, missiles and artillery shells.) However lasers are much less effective at engaging ground or sea surface targets. Part of this is due to the limited armor protection that can be carried by any aircraft or missile (too much armor and even large aircraft suffer critical reductions in payload and performance, and missiles and shells are even more vulnerable.) The other reason for the effectiveness of lasers against airborne targets is that even relatively moderate damage can bring such a target down; (for instance, a ground vehicle that loses a wheel may be stopped, but an aircraft that loses a wing will likely crash.) Against missiles and shells, of course, the destructiveness of a laser is enhanced by the fact that the target is usually full of explosive of one sort or another.

  In contrast, against ground targets, lasers have two main problems. The first is visibility; ground targets can often take cover or interpose counter-measures (such as anti-laser aerosol or smoke) in the interval of a combat laser's required "dwell time." Aircraft, even with radical maneuvers, cannot manage this, as they cannot "take cover" and would almost instantly outrun any defensive smoke or aerosol they could launch. T
he second problem for combat lasers is that ground vehicles can be armored enough to make them almost impossible for a laser to burn through in a reasonable time, and moreover, are unlikely to be knocked out by a single burn-through; where the failure of the structure of a wing or control surface will often bring down an aircraft, equal damage to a ground vehicle might be quite minor in its effect.

  Even against infantry, lasers have limited tactical utility. It is relatively hard to track a single soldier's signature to target a laser, and while unarmored infantry can be burned badly with a laser, armored frame infantry can often evade take cover even in the short time (often less than a second) that a laser would take to burn through their armor.

  For this reason, laser weapons are usually tasked to engage airborne targets only (though of course, improvised use of lasers against targets of opportunity cannot be ruled out.)

  Despite the various limitations of combat laser weapons, their introduction (beginning in the 2030s) rapidly had an enormous impact on the use, deployment and design of combat aircraft. Conventional combat aircraft —either fighter-bombers or (attack helicopter-style) "vertol" aircraft— were rapidly proved to be non-viable in the face of combat laser weapons. Even assuming that such aircraft stayed low enough to use terrain masking, they could still be shot down as soon as they unmasked and attacked. Given the very high cost of combat aircraft, no military could afford the extremely high attrition rate that combat lasers imposed.