by Max Barry

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Zitravgradian Armed Forces | Military Overview



Zitravgradian Army -- an army that has a state, and influences the state in a way that its interests become intertwined.

Armed Forces of Zitravgrad
Вооруженные силы Зитравграда
Збройні сили Зітравграда




Population: 107,343,375
Labour Force: 61,185,724

Standing Troops
Total Personnel: 1,395,464
Male Personnel: 907,052
Female Personnel: 317,468
Reserve: 8,158,097

Branches
Army: 572,140
Navy: 320,957
Air Force: 425,616
Independent Branches: 76,751


Introduction

The Armed Forces of Zitravgrad is the military service of the United Socialist States of Zitravgrad, established after the end of the Collaborators' Civil War which ended the factions within the former Imperial Zitravian Armed Forces. On 30 December 2008, Kazimir Ivanovich Miroslavsky, the first Premier of Zitravgrad signed a decree establishing the Zitravgradian Ministry of Defense and placing all Imperial Armed Forces troops on the territory of the Kozavian Imperial Dominion of Zitravia under Zitravgradian control. The position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is held by the Premier of Zitravgrad. The Armed Forces are known for their uses of both new, superior technologies but also old, enduring equipment. The Zitravgradians prioritize shock tactics, endurance and quality over number (even if it admits to utilizing number superiority). The troops are by default experts of open fields, low hills, tundra, and sub-arctic climate.


Structure and Personnel

The Defense Ministry of Zitravgrad serves as the administrative body of the Armed Forces. Since Imperial Rule, the General Staff has acted as the main commanding and supervising body of the Zitravian/Zitravgradian armed forces. However, currently the General Staff's role is being reduced to that of the Ministry's department of strategic planning, the Minister themselves may now be gaining further executive authority over the troops. Other departments include the personnel directorate as well as the Logistical Support, Railway Troops, Signal Troops, and Construction Troops.

The Zitravgradian military is divided into three services: the Army, the Navy, and the Aerospace Force. In addition, the Strategic Missile Troops is an independent branch of service, albeit a minor one. In Zitravgrad, there are at least 5 military settlements, a legacy of the Kozaviam Empire, although the model and structure of such settlements had to be reformed many times. Essentially, a military settlement today is a settlement in which its population consists of officers and their families, whose occupations often involve the maintenance of the settlement itself (agriculture, medicine, education, etc.). However, after the dissolution of serfdom in 1884, the families of the officers have not been legally obliged to remain in the settlement forever and the children are not expected to join the military education, although some families still send their children to military school on their own accord. 3 out of 5 military settlements are either overlapping or close to Cossack settlements, which are operated in similar manners. There are also 6 Cossack settlements in Zitravgrad which provide military service under the Zitravgradian Army and the Border Service.

"Military families" in Kozavia are often middle-class to upper-class families who have a long-preserved tradition of sending their sons (or even daughters) to the military. They are not an official thing, but certainly has a unique place in the Kozavian and Zitravian culture. Each family sometimes has its "patriarch" who is in charge of the estate and the wellbeing of his family members. This tradition seems to decline in the new Zitravgrad, largely because of the conscription already sending everyone to a couple years of service.

Conscription is used in Zitravgrad to replace the military caste revolving around the aristocracy and the middle-class military families. The term of service is 24 months; and eligible age is between 18 and 27 years old, for all genders. Postponements are provided to undergraduate and graduate students, citizens solely supporting disabled relatives, parents of at least two children and — upon the proclamation — to civilian employees of military-related enterprises. Citizens holding a Ph.D., as well as children and siblings of servicemen killed or disabled during their military service, are exempted from conscription.

Twenty-five percent of Zitravgradian Armed Forces' personnel are contract servicemen at the end of 2017. For the foreseeable future, the Armed Forces will be a mixed contract/conscript force. The Armed Forces need to maintain a mobilization reserve to have manning resources capable of reinforcing the permanent readiness forces if the permanent readiness forces cannot deter or suppress an armed conflict on their own.


The Army

The Army was reestablished after the Collaborators' Civil War and has undergone several reforms to restructure its ranks and system to fit into modern standards and to centralize the authority, enabling the Kremlin to have a tighter control over it as well as reducing the breakage caused by factionalism overleft from the Civil War. The branches of service include motorized rifles, tanks, artillery and rocket forces, troop air defense, special corps (reconnaissance, signals, radioelectronic warfare, engineering, nuclear, biological and chemical protection, logistical support, automobile, and the protection of the rear), military units, and logistical establishments.

Formerly, the Imperial Zitravian had a rather top-heavy ratio of officer-to-soldier. This was fixed by the sudden downsizing in the year 2000 which took at least 30,000 officers and soldiers out of the Army (30,000 more from the Navy and 20,000 from the Armed Forces). So in comparison, the Army had estimatedly 620,000 personnel before being downsized to 590,000 in 2000 and to 480,000 personnel during the span of the Revolution, the War of Independence and the Civil War in 2008. As of 2019, the Army has 572,140 personnel in the Army with over 200,000 of them being conscripted.


Depictions of Zitravgradian Army Soldiers Original Source Linkhere, Linkhere and Linkhere respectively.

Despite the attempts to reform the administration system, the Army is still more or less run by seniority, as the very top of the Army are still men from the days of the Imperialists' War. The number of professional non-commissioned officers are also small as most NCOs are conscripts sent on short courses to prepare them for section commanders' and platoon sergeants' positions. These conscript NCOs are supplemented by praporshchik warrant officers, to support the increased variety of skills required for modern weapons.

The roles of women in the Army still have visible limits, despite there having been several notable female commanders and officers throughout history, starting from the early 19th century. To prevent problems stemming from a mixed environment, the Kozavian Empire used to separate male and female officers and soldiers with clear separate lines, but the decision-making of the Army had always been male-dominant. This has been fixed in the latter half of the 20th century, during which female participation rose dramatically. The Zitravgradian Army is known today for being one of the most progressive armies in terms of gender equality.


The Navy

Likewise, the Navy had seen its fair share of factionalism during the Zitravgradian Revolution in 2008, especially with half of it being under the leadership of the fascist Vice-Admiral Nikolai Stepanovich Yermirov. Many personnel of the Navy had to be dismissed, "rehabilated" or compromised in one way or another, especially the upper brass. Much like the Army, the Navy used to be run by men from the military families and its top-ranked officers were more likely than not appointed based on seniority and/or social classes. The post-revolution reforms toned this down, but the general complaint is that the Navy is now at risk of bias based on the participation of the Revolution.

In the year 2000, the Navy had approximatedly 380,000 personnel and 138 ships, which was the result of 2000 Downsizing. However, it saw some losses during the Revolution and dropped to 300,000 personnel with 121 ships. Nowadays, it has 320,957 personnel and 114 ships. More often than not, the Navy's another general complaint is ship maintenance. Therefore, it has to decommission old ships and salvage them if the Navy needs to buid new ships or upgrade existing ships.


Depictions of Zitravgradian Navy -- its Commanders, Sailors and Battleship Deredoma Original Source Linkhere, Linkhere and Linkhere respectively.

The female participation within the Navy is very low, and most of female members of the Navy are in supportive roles. This also stemmed from the conservative approach to segregate male and female sailors and officers, which made it difficult to manage. With this rule still in place and not dealt with like in the Army and the Aerospace Force, at least three of Navy's ships are now run by all-female crew, although they are smaller patrol ships. Unfortunately, this means that the chance for a female naval officer to advance in her career might be limited, especially in peacetime.

The Navy operates in nearly all water surfaces they can access in Zitravgrad, which means that they are not limited to the sea, but also patrol major rivers within the country. The necessity to patrol the rivers arose with the growing threats of dangerous mutations. The fleets are Anartica Sea Fleet (North), Balreatika Sea Fleet (West), Emeralza Sea Fleet (South) and R-Zone River Patrol. The 114 ships are categorized as followed:

Warship Type

Numbers

Aircraft carrier

1

Battlecruisers

2

Cruisers

3

Destroyers

6

Frigates

5

Corvettes

16

Landing ship tanks (LST)

7

Landing craft

11

Special-purpose ships

6

Patrol ship

1

Patrol boats

14

Mine countermeasures vessels

15

Ballistic missile submarines (SSBN)

6

Cruise missile submarines (SSGN)

8

Attack submarines (SSN)

6

Attack submarines (SSK)

7


The Aerospace Force

Unlike the Army and the Navy, the Aerospace Force was not as heavily involved in the factionalism during the Collaborators' Civil War, and its activities in the War of Independence against the Kozavian Empire were limited and more coerced than willing. Its perceived former loyalty and neutrality to the Empire puts the Aerospace Force under suspicion, hence the attempts to "de-politicize" the Aerospace Force. The Aerospace Force is divided into the Air Force and the Space Force, with the former being much larger than the latter (obviously). Formerly separated, the merging of the two Forces into a single Aerospace Force helped to facilitate the logistics.

In the year 2000, the Aerospace Force had the estimated personnel of 460,000 before being reduced to 440,000. In comparison to other branches of the Armed Forces, the losses within the Aerospace Force was minimal. Currently in 2019, the Zitravgradian Aerospace Force has the total personnel of 425,616, with 422,639 personnel belonging to the Air Force and 2,977 belonging to the Space Force. Even then, the Space Force is perceived as larger than needed, due to the reduced space-related activities once Zitravgrad no longer has the backing of the Kozavian Empire, whose presence in space exploration is considered one of the largest among the League of Nations.


Depictions of Zitravgradian Aerospace Force -- Satellite Orlov II, Jet Fighters Myr M-46 and Transport Aircraft CB-14 Original Source Linkhere, Linkhere and Linkhere respectively.

Being a relatively new branch of military (introduced in 1850s in the form of Airship Force), the Air Force has higher female per male personnel ratio than the Army and the Navy and had been (slightly) less occupied by the power play between the Kozavian-Zitravian aristocracy and military families. Moreover, its female personnel have as much chance to progress in their career as much as their male counterpart. The Space Force. however, operates slightly differently -- with higher concentration of civilian staffs, namely scientists and programmers -- hence leading to a technocratic system of administration within the organization.


Independent Branches

The Armed Forces also has another three independent branches, namely the Logistical Support, the Strategic Missile Troops and the Airborne Troops. Zitravgrad has always been an productive and paranoid state, as a buffer between the Kozavian Empire and the rest of Auropia. The Military doctrine of Zitravgrad sees imperialism by several neighboring empires as one of the threats for the United Federation and reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to conventional aggression that can endanger the existence of the state. However, the country's nuclear forces received inadequate funding throughout the 2010s due to the priorities of the state being within the personnel of the Armed Forces. The number of intercontinental ballistic missiles and warheads on active duty has declined over the years, in part in keeping with arms limitation agreements with the League of Nations. and in part due to insufficient funds for maintenance.

Logistical Support heavily emphasizes on the fast mobilization of resources, personnel and vehicles from its settlements to the point of conflicts, due to the large land area of the country. Otherwise, its another urgent concern is in the maintenance of the Armed Forces -- an extremely pressing issue given the limited budget of the young nation.

Strategic Missile Troops oversees and controls all warheads owned by the Zitravgradian military. Within the nine years of independence (combined with seven years prior in which underground movements were rampant, even if very divisive), the semi-rapid progress in all fields have created an arsenal of approximately 765 deployed strategic warheads, and another 700 non-deployed strategic and tactical warheads, both deployed and non-deployed, plus an additional 510 warheads awaiting dismantlement. However, the number of antimatter bombs, which are rather new to the international eyes, has never been revealed enough to be reliable. Zitravgradian Strategic Rocket Forces control its land-based nuclear warheads, while the Navy controls the submarine-based missiles and the Air Force the air-launched warheads.

Airborne Troops are well known for their mobility. They are also fully mechanized and have a lot of firepower compared to other airborne forces around the world. Deployed for surprise operations, the Airborne Troops are well-trained and well-equipped, even more so than most troops in the Navy. However, they only operate in short operations due to the limited supplies.


Depictions of the Logistical Support, the Strategic Missile Troops and the Airborne Troops respectively Original Source Linkhere, Linkhere and Linkhere respectively.


Arsenal

Zitravgradian Technologies
(OOC: Yes, we bought Soviet arsenal wholesale from Red Alert, what you gunna do? :troll:

Name

Image

Description

Arctic Commando

The ladies and gentlemen who won independence for Zitravgrad. They are equipped with wide range of weapons, from antimatter pistols to radiation concentrators. Arctic commandos are small units consisting of no more than 10 people and work with discreet tactics. They often wear white uniforms in order to blend into the snow but can use any camouflage. Their strategy relies highly on ambush and hit-and-run.

'Wasteland Scavenger'

Despite what the name implies, their operations don't have to be in the wasteland zones all the time. However, they make a name for themselves as the patrol guards of the most radiated borders and in the borderlands. They are known as diehards, cold-blooded, yet organized forces which can be deployed in the most difficult of terrains and usually feed off the lands or loot to maintain their efficiency. In comparison to the Artic Commando, they are more adept in urban warfare.

Nightingale Medical Squad

(Originally) all-female unit which serves as field medic for the soldiers. They are partially armed, as in one squad 50% of the staffs are armed with standard infantry weapons. While often portrayed in propaganda as passive staffs, they are capable of attacking and the ambulances are usually equipped with firearms and ammunition to both support the troop and defend themselves. The Koniginsgerald Convention could be damned -- they cannot stop our medics from holding guns.

Combat Wolfdog

Usually employed in law enforcement, urban warfare, and border patrol, these dogs are massive monsters -- a mix of wolves and huskies standing at six feet on hind legs, filled with nothing but hatred and bloodlust. They are trained and handled only by the best of trainers and handlers.

Tesla Tank

This light tank's chassis is fully tracked and two small yet advanced Tesla coils were mounted in a turrer, and equipped with the same electromagnetic disruptor device fielded which disable enemy vehicles and even some machineries.

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Radiator

A curious use of what most Zitravgradians call menace -- radiation. These heavily-cladded infantrymen wield two works of evil genius: the radiation concentrator and the radiation cannon. Radiation concentrator is a rifle but with the aim of delivering the fatal amount of radiation or more than 25,000 Millisievert, which is enough to kill a person instantly. Radiation cannon serves to create the ground of attrition. One blast can send 500 square meters of land into radiation-ravaged land as high as 10,000 Millisievert. The production of such weapons is, however, high in cost and they are only reserved for last-minute crisis.

Apocalypse Tank

The tank possessing a pair of powerful cannons effective against both vehicles and structures, as well as thick, high-endurance armor. However, this comes with lower speed and agility. Thanks to Zitravgrad's rich mineral and metal resources, this model of tank can be produced adequately despite its expensive production cost. In addition to its cannons, the Apocalypse also featured a pair of anti-air missile launchers and on-board self-repair system to repair itself when damaged.

Behemoth

First created to use on railroad only, but now can mobilize on terrains. Its use is much avoided due to fuel consumption and it is considered a sort of a mobile fortress to be deployed in sensitive areas during unpredictable conflicts.

Main Battle Tank

The standard model of Zitravgradian battle tank, fast, agile with the strongest firepower it can afford to have without sacrificing its agilty. However, it classifies as a light tank.

Rocket Launcher

They are essentially heavy cargo trucks with modifications that allowed them to fire missiles at distant targets. They were created to be a cheap and easily deployed missile platform. Very suitable for sieges or minor nuclear attacks.

Terror drone

Smaller than originally planned, this robot is only large enough to bring down a person instead of vehicle. It attacks with its sharp front legs filled with poison. Small, quick and equipped with spying equipment such as a front camera and a voice recorder. It is comparable to Eisenhurst's scorpion drones, but this one is designed more for attack than espionage. Larger (original) version of the blueprint will be realized soon.

Odimska Class Battleship

Considered a work of superscience, equipped with antimatter-based guns, cutting-edge radar and sonar technologies, and runs on nuclear power.

Karamasya Class Submarine

One of the most powerful nuclear submarines in the region, but only produced in small amount.

Project Kraken

Sometimes when battleships are too mundane, giant squids pose a possibility. They were ordinary squids on several hormones and chemicals which enlarged them to a ridiculous size. Especially trained to follow orders and attack enemy ships. Zitravgradian ships use unique sound frequency as well as specialized collars to control them.

T-50 Fighter Plane and Tu-160 Bomber Planer

The Air Force's favorites -- already to some degree a flying robot, where the aviator fulfills the function not only of pilot, but is actually one of the constituent parts of the flying apparatus. That is, the reaction of the aviator is a part of the control loop.

MiG 29

The MiG fighter was in every way a revolutionary design. Its main weapon system was able to accurately track and destroy enemy aircraft even when confronted with the most advanced in electronic aerial countermeasures.

Tesla Cannon

It is a promising weapon, being multipurpose. As a cannon, it can deliver a fatal blow not only to infantry but also large tanks and machines. It can also serve as a reserve battery when situation calls for electric power. Moreover, Tesla technology has become a new source of energy for Zitravgrad.

Plasma Technology

Plasma has always been the driving force of Zitravgradian industries, especially metal mining and crafting. It has been utilized as weapon very recently.

Iron Curtain

The Iron Curtain itself is a mysterious device which, when fully charged, generates a strange kinetic barrier. If this barrier is "dropped" on vehicles and/or structures, they become completely invulnerable as the barrier protects againt bullets, explosives, and even energy weapons. However, due to energy constraints, the barrier dissipates after a period of time, and require some time to another use afterward. A lesser version of the Iron Curtain's energy is also capable of granting a defensive barrier for infantry unit. It is much like a force shield in many sense and the name is probably in for aesthetics.

Mobile Strategic Industrial Base

The industries of the nation are also dominated by gigantic machines, which can accelerate construction of railroad, aqueduct, gas pipeline and underground tunnels with less time and manpower. It use in military affairs is largely to lay out new logistic paths if needed. To put this in its architect's words, it is 'nothing much, just a gigantic machine used to make construction easier'.

Auestriker naukograd Technologies

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