USDF
| The following information strictly refers to Strygon's First Contact War Universe and is therefore not canon to the FreeSpace Universe, nor is it related. Also, it may contain spoilers regarding First Contact War campaigns. |
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The USDF (standing for United Solarian Defense Federation) is a supernational treaty organisation dedicated to the defense of its member nations and any potential allies, with a secondary goal of scouting unknown areas to monitor and take action against any possible threats that may lurk beyond the borders of nations.
The military forces were initially only a pooled collective of vessels and personnel from the member nations, but over time the USDF began its own fleet construction and recruitment efforts, to formidable success; the USDF significantly more popular in media than any national military.
The Branches
The USDF is split into 5 main military branches, each specializing in a different operational aspect.
Solarian Naval Arm
The most well funded branch of the USDF, the Naval Arm, or just "Navy", handles all naval operations in space. The famous images of majestic warships cruising past colonies and stations all originate from here, as do the popular war movies about ace pilots saving the world from alien invaders. The Navy operates two sub-branches, the Navy Warship Operators and the Navy Aviators. The latter is an incredibly prestigious and popularised position, as aviators get to fly the latest in cutting edge space fighter technology
The Navy Aviators Training Program (NATP) is a four-year training course that can be taken after the six-week Navy Bootcamp. The NATP starts recruits off with a year of basic flight training and G-Force training. Year 2 involves a lot of theory on combat flight maneuvers, coordinating with warships and other pilots. Year 3 is about training to survive the stresses of combat flight, along with survival in Zero G in case of ejection. And Year 4 concerns advanced combat training, ending with a ceremonial "final exam" where Year 4 students conduct a simulated combat exercise against Year 3 students, before being officially enlisted to the Navy. The program is quite difficult and rigorous, so the pass rate is rather low, but a very high recruitment rate makes up for this.
Navy personnel live on fairly comfortable accommodations on their vessels, but they will also be away from home for months, if not years at a time. Minimum age of recruitment is 18, with the maximum being 36, but exceptions can be made on both ends.
Greater Solarian Army
The Solarian Army, while not as well funded and popular as the Navy, is also a respectable branch of the USDF, forming the backbone of every strategy involving any kind of boots on the ground action, ranging from boarding actions to large-scale planetary invasions.
The Army is split into various subunits. The AECU (All-Environment Combat Unit), Star Marines, Special Forces and the Mobile Armor Unit.
The AECU is the main infantry subunit, trained to fight in every possible environment, no matter the hostility. Their bootcamp is infamous for its incredibly harsh training program, but those that make it through become recognised as some of the finest soldiers of the USDF.
The Star Marines specialize in boarding actions, receiving special Zero G combat training along with learning how to fight behind enemy lines as effectively as possible.
The Special Forces are an elite unit that usually get deployed in dangerous combat situations to assist a failing operation. Their training program spans a lengthy sixteen weeks and requires the toughest spirits to make it through.
The Mobile Armor Unit make use of "Mobile Armor", a form of bipedal armored vehicle. The pilots for these are hard to come across, and are often reportedly "eccentric", but their custom-built vehicles can often dominate a battlefield.
Solar Aviation
Considerably less known than the prior two branches, the Aviation Branch is often referred to as the "support guys", handling atmospheric flight where usually other branches are fighting as well. Their tasks range from Close Air Support to Supply Drops. Due to their nature as a pure "aircraft-only" unit, they are rarely encountered alone in the field.
Special Operations Command - Wartime Investigation Bureau
The SOC-WIB is the smallest unit of the USDF, moreso due to their nature as an elite task force rather than due to recruitment or funding. They conduct many highly classified operations, usually in dangerous areas and behind enemy lines. Every member is sworn to an oath of absolute secrecy, which leads to very little information being revealed about the group. The less secret operations the branch undertakes are usually the testing and application of highly experimental prototype equipment, usually ships and weapons.
Joining the SOC-WIB does not occur through standard recruitment like with other branches. Most operatives were members of other branches that showed strong potential and a skillset the Bureau may be interested in.
Planetary Guard
The Planetary Guard is the least funded branch of the USDF, dedicated solely to the defense of colonies and planets. Having to handle its own army, air force and sometimes, navy, leads to critical lack of equipment and severe understaffing in various garrisons. Since no attacks on USDF-guarded colonies have been made yet, the Planetary Guard has also often been called a useless branch by many people, both in and outside the USDF.
The upside is that it has the most relaxed training program of the USDF, with most defense bases having a very colloquial and informal atmosphere as opposed to the highly disciplined bases and personnel of other branches.
Command Structure
The USDF is headed by the Command Council, a 12-person Senate usually elected by the commanders of each branch. The Command Council evaluates and passes judgement on policies and decisions passed by the Security Council, which is a 24-person council that is often thought of as the "brain" of the USDF, though in reality it is both councils acting as that.
Beneath that, there are the Departmental Heads, specifically Head of Economics, Head of Public Relations, Head of Internal Affairs and Head of Communications. The military branches themselves are ruled semi-independently by their own respective High Commander.
In Popular Culture
Thanks to a strong PR Campaign and some advertisements hidden as action movies, the USDF is very popular amongst the greater civilian populace in the member nations. Replicas of military uniforms from various branches sell very well for the cosplay business, toy companies produce model kits of various pieces of USDF equipment, video games are made about fictional wars taking place with the USDF usually defeating the enemy, and some high profile animations shows have collaborated with the USDF to create some of the most grossing military shows of the year.
