SoW2 Dev Diary: The Royal Dominion Armed Forces

SoW2 Dev Diary: The Royal Dominion Armed Forces

Like much in the Dominion, surface impressions rarely reveal the true reality.  This is much the case when it comes to the Dominion’s military forces.  

Unlike virtually any other First World nation, the Dominion is unique in that it has never fought a war.  When it volunteered to field a small expeditionary force late WW2, the Allies declined, as the war was practical wrapped up by the time the offer was made (and the view that the troops offered would be more of a drain than a benefit.)  Aside from UN peace keeping operations, Dominion military personnel have little practical experience to draw on.  The Dominion has no local arms industry and must import all weapons, parts and equipment, which it does through contracts with American and European defence contractors.  As such, the Dominion armed forces are more often viewed as more of a jobs program and social justice laboratory than a fighting force.  

The recent liberalisation policies of Prime Minister Lucia Therese had resulted in the appointment of the Dominion’s first Minister of Defence—Ingrid Hanne.  Minister Hanne in turn ordered an expedited recruitment drive for qualified female recruits, with those applicants being placed at the top of the recruitment queue for the small number of officer and specialist openings.  As such, the Royal Dominion Army now has a number of women in support roles (though not combat roles).  Queen Karla 1st is the patron of what is hoped to become an elite unit for female personnel—the Queen’s Women’s Guard Battalion.

The Dominion’s military is primarily army-based.  The Dominion has no navy per se, other than a squadron of coastal patrol cutters that are lightly armed (1 allocated per province and used primarily for nautical rescue missions and counter smuggling operations).  The Dominion’s Royal Air Force was established after the arrival of 4 F5 fighters during the height of the Cold War.  These proved expensive to maintain and as they were soon outdated, the small DRAF was disbanded in the late 80s, with any troop transport requirements handled under contract with Dominion Airlines, the national carrier.

The Royal Dominion Army consists of approximately 50,000 troops, organise in varying degrees of training, armaments and morale.  

1st Paratroops- The Paratroops regiment is viewed as the most elite unit in the RDA.  It was established at royal request to represent “the finest and fiercest in the Dominion Spirit”.  Though nominally trained for light air assault, they are more properly considered a special operations group, equipped with the best equipment, including the handful of helicopters and light armoured vehicles in the Dominion Armory.

Infantry- Dominion infantry regiments are the backbone of the RDA. Reasonably armed and equipped, the infantry is officered by a small cadre of career soldiers and rotating university graduates, while enlisted troops are usually completing a 2 year stint in exchange for university tuition or technical training benefits.  Infantry units usually have an attached artillery battery, though there are only a few heavy artillery pieces in the RDA (which more typically relies on lighter pieces and mortars).

Police- The Dominion Police force is militarised and national in nature, with a sizeable portion trained in Special Weapons and Tactics and equipped accordingly.  The recent uptick in revolutionary activity has resulted in a police force almost as effective as line military units, with police often possessing more experience than regular units.

Militia- Home Guard units were spontaneously raised in the outer rural areas by local farmers and tradesmen and only later recognised and integrated by the RDA.  These part time units are loosely organised and led by their own elected officers.  Local armouries are maintained to provide some standardisation of weapons and equipment but units vary widely in effectiveness.  They are typically used to ward off raiders, not provide along term defence of a given position.

Cadets- The Dominion has a long tradition of elite families sending their sons to military boarding schools associated with the RDA, such as the Royal Academy for Military Arts.  These cadets are assigned to prestigious, if mostly ceremonial, assignments guarding Royal residences.  Cadets have some nominal training with small arms and provided basic training.    

In addition, the Dominion has a number of military installations and police commands throughout the nation that storehouse weapons, ammunition and equipment that can be quickly activated as operating bases if needed.