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Front Line Units


From the survivors of the Com Guard 201st Division, decimated when the Word of Blake took control Terra, the seeds of the Britannic Coalition Armed Forces (BCAF) were sown. Although they brought only a fraction of their equipment with them, their knowledge and military expertise - arguably their most valuable asset - survived with them. Also of vital importance was the expertise of the tech crews who fled with them. Between them and the arms manufacturers, who made their way with the rest of the civilians, the newly-founded state has always had a standing military, of sorts, to call on in times of need. Beginning with barely a Level III of functioning mechs, along with a handful of vehicles and aircraft, the BCAF has grown into a force to be reckoned with over the last decade.


In a process that would normally take generations, the military has rapidly become the single largest employer in the Coalition, with a current standing army of 11 front-line Divisions, comprising battlemechs, armoured vehicles and aircraft. The harsh realities of life in the Periphery, with continual pirate raids and the recent large scale attacks on Wellington and Britannia itself, has seen a sharp increase in the number of people signing up the the various military branches. Having fled one kind of tyranny, it seems the citizens are not prepared to be victims anymore.


Given its roots, it is perhaps not surprising that the BCAF is modelled heavily on the Com Guards. While civilians form the bulk of the Coalition government, Comstar's influence in the military is all-pervasive. Unit structures are based on those of the Com Guards, as is the ranking system. Even the uniforms are similar, with the main difference being the coloured trim to denote different service branches. The BCAF also adheres to the combined-arms policy dictated by Anastasius Focht. It is also worth noting that, rather than disband the 201st Division, BCAF Command made it its first order of business to re-equip and restore the shattered unit, as a reminder of why the Coalition exists in the first place.


Due to the Coalition's limited resources, the largest standard unit is the Level IV or Division, comprising 6 Level III units (a Level III being roughly equivalent to a Battalion in the conventional military structures adopted by most Inner Sphere and Periphery states). Force compositions do vary, but typically a Division will comprise 3 Level III battlemech units, 2 Level III armour units and 1 Level III of VTOLs providing air support. The equipment fielded by the BCAF is a mixture of standard Comstar and Inner Sphere designs, together with a number of modified and completely new designs, unique to the Coalition.


The (BCAF) is still very much in its formative stages. A few worlds in the Caledonian, Ulster and Mercia ADRs have front line units stationed on them, but the bulk of the Coalition's military strength is concentrated in the Albion region. Due to the lack of sufficient units to cover every world, most of the BCAF's 11 front line Divisions are divided between adjacent worlds. Many worlds, in an attempt to bolster their defences, are beginning to form militia units, collectively known as the Territorial Army, but these units are mostly infantry only, though some possess a few vehicles and mechs.


The Defence Ministry's short term goal is to have a full combined-arms division stationed on each world. As can be seen from the sparse-looking unit lists below, there is a long way to go before these targets are met.



The Territorial Army (TA)


The TA is the Coalition equivalent of the local militia forces found in other Inner Sphere nations. As mentioned, it owes its existence to the fact the BCAF still does not have sufficient numbers to station front-line units on all worlds. The first unit was formed on Newcastle by retired former Com Guard officer John "Hannibal" Smith, who realised the need for citizens to be able to protect themselves and their families, in the absence of any regular military forces.


He began by simply using the local media to recruit anyone interested in learning basic military skills in their spare time and applying them to the defence of their homes. Its fair to say he was taken aback by the response he received. A full company's worth of volunteers attended the first training session and in the months that followed it quickly expanded to become a fully-fledged battalion. They began buying equipment by pooling their resources, acquiring second-hand uniforms, weapons and equipment. the uniforms had to be altered significantly to distinguish them from regular BCAF units and Smith adopted a more conventional ranking system, again to differentiate the TA from the BCAF. In a relatively short space of time, John (or Colonel Smith as he was now addressed) realised he had a proficient fighting force on his hands. The only thing they lacked was any kind of heavy equipment - larger calibre guns, armoured vehicles etc. that would be able to repel a determined pirate raid.


Using his contacts in the BCAF, he tried to request a modest amount of funding for his militia, but was initially knocked back. Repeated pestering finally resulted in a visit from officers of the Britannia Guards, who witnessed an exercise by the TA unit. They left sufficiently impressed that they recommended Smith be given the funding he had requested. In the end a compromise was reached, whereby surplus equipment would be diverted to the TA, as well as sufficient funding to cover training costs. Unsurprisingly, once word of the Newcastle militia's success spread, it wasn't long before TA units began forming on other worlds, lacking the shield of the BCAF.



Albion ADR


Unit Experience Loyalty Headquarters
201st Division (Winged Warriors)
CO: Precentor I Margo Koivu 		Veteran Fanatical St Helens
110th Division (Britannia Guards)
CO: Precentor III Philip Bainbridge 		Regular Fanatical Britannia
101st Division (Regent's Own Household Cavalry)
CO: Precentor II James "Biggles" Taplin 		Elite Reliable Britannia
Coyote Cavaliers Mercenary Unit
CO: Colonel Alexei Nuyriev 		Elite Reliable Britannia
88th Division (Halifax Hussars)
CO: Precentor II Alexandra Parkinson		 Green Reliable Halifax
92nd Division (Wellington Lancers)
CO: Precentor IV Julian Etherington 		Green Reliable Wellington
16th TA Battalion
CO: Colonel John Smith		 Regular Fanatical Newcastle
48th TA Battalion
CO: Colonel Bridget Penrose		 Green Reliable Arundel
509th Division (The Foxhounds) - Training Unit
CO: Precentor I Christopher Fraser-Smith 		Green Fanatical Torpoint
60th TA Battalion
CO: Colonel Thomas Poldark		 Green Questionable Torpoint



Caledonia ADR


Unit Experience Loyalty Headquarters
303rd Division (The Stirling Highlanders)
CO: Precentor VI Ian MacPherson 		Regular Fanatical Nevis
111th Division (The Lothian Grenadiers)
CO: Precentor II Tasmin Calderwood 		Green Reliable Perth
24th TA Battalion
CO: Colonel Jim MacPherson 		Green Reliable Falkirk
32nd TA Battalion
CO: Colonel Shelagh Currie 		Green Reliable Livingston
72nd TA Battaltion
CO: Colonel George Kilbride 		Green Questionable Galloway



Ulster ADR


Unit Experience Loyalty Headquarters
302nd Division (The Emerald Blades)
CO: Precentor III Caitlin Donohue		 Green Reliable Belfast
333rd Division (The Dundalk Dragoons)
CO: Precentor IV Ailsa Kavanagh		 Green Questionable Tyrone
88th TA Battalion
CO: Colonel Cormac Murphy		 Green Reliable Antrim
104th TA Battalion
CO: Colonel Niall Doherty		 Green Questionable Coleraine
152nd TA Battalion
CO: Colonel Cara Hanratty		 Green Reliable Portadown



Mercia ADR


Unit Experience Loyalty Headquarters
203rd Division (The Carmarthen Guards)
CO: Precentor IV Dafydd Rhys-Jones		 Green Reliable Port Talbot
210th Division (The Dragonriders)
CO: Precentor II Dana Edwards		 Green Questionable Caernarfon
120th TA Battalion
CO: Colonel Llewellyn Owens		 Green Questionable Beaumaris
136th TA Battalion
CO: Colonel Samantha Davies		 Green Reliable Anglesey