Volkian Defense Forces
| Volkian Defense Forces Волкские силы обороны | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of the Volkian Defense Forces. | |
 Volkian naval jack | |
| Founded | August 6, 1888 |
| Service branches |  Volkian Army  Volkian Air Force  Volkian Navy |
| Headquarters | National Defense Headquarters, Volkgoroda, Volkia |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Yuliya Surkova |
| Minister of National Defense | Ludmila Kravchuk |
| Chief of the General Staff | General Ivan Alyev |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Conscription | Volunteer |
| Active personnel | 323,018 |
| Reserve personnel | 247,199 |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $71.8 billion (FY 2021) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.65% (FY 2021) |
The Volkian Defense Forces (VDF; Volkian: Волкские силы обороны) are the military forces of the Volkian Federative Republic, established after the Constitution of Volkia went into effect on August 6, 1888. The VDF are the direct successor to the Royal Volkian Armed Forces. Although the VDF were formed in 1888, it traces its roots back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Volkgoroda.
History
Structure
All branches of the VDF answer to a single General Staff. The General Staff is headed by the Chief of the General Staff, who is the highest ranking military officer of the VDF by law. The Chief of the General Staff is the principle military adviser to the President of Volkia and Minister of National Defense. Though the Chief of the General Staff outranks all other commissioned officers, they are prohibited by law from having operational command authority over the Defense Forces. Chiefs of the General Staff are nominated by the President and are approved by the Federal Council, serving for up to two consecutive four year terms. The current Chief of the General Staff is Ivan Alyev.
General Staff
The current General Staff makeup is as follows:
- Chief of the General Staff: General Ivan Alyev
- Vice Chief of the General Staff: General Lukyan Zhzhyonov
- Chief of the Army: General Konstantin Khlebov
- Chief of the Air Force: General Samara Yumatova
- Chief of the Navy: Admiral Pavel Sharapov
Military branches
The VDF are divided into three different branches of operation, headed by the General Staff. The General Staff answers to the Ministry of National Defense.
Volkian Army
The Volkian Army is Volkia's military land force. It is principally a mechanized infantry force, allowing the Army to quickly deploy troops in the Volkian frontier and keep up with armor units during an advance.
The Volkian Army is made up of three components: the active component, the Regular Army; and two reserve components, the Army Home Guard and the Army Reserve. Both reserve components are primarily composed of part-time soldiers who train once a month, known as battle assemblies or unit training assemblies, and conduct two to three weeks of annual training each year. The Volkian Army's main combat forces are grouped in brigades which are further grouped into divisions. Each division falls under a geographically based unified defensive commands. The Army's main tactical formations are combined arms task forces made up of elements drawn from different units.
The Volkian Navy is the naval branch of the VDF. The Volkian Navy operates just over 150 commissioned warships. Primary assets include 2 nuclear aircraft carriers, 3 amphibious assault ships, 10 air-defense destroyers, 8 anti-submarine destroyers, 10 nuclear attack submarines, 7 ballistic missile submarines, and 19 general purpose frigates. The Navy also maintains a number of non-commissioned vessels. In addition, the Navy maintains a force of combat, logistics, and training helicopters.
There are two parts to the Navy's structure. One is an operational command, Fleet Command, and the other is a support command, Navy Strategic Command. The Navy's assets are administered by four 'forces' which report to the Admiral of the Navy. These are the Fleet Air Arm, the Mine Warfare, Clearance Diving, Hydrographic, Meteorological and Patrol Force, Submarine Force and Surface Force. All naval bases across Volkia also report to the Admiral of the Navy.
Volkian Air Force
The Volkian Air Force (VAF) is the air force branch of the VDF. The VAF has modern combat and transport aircraft and a network of bases in strategic locations across Volkia.
The VAF has a single operational command, Air Command. Air Command is the operational arm of the VAF and consists of Air Combat Group, Air Mobility Group, Surveillance and Response Group, Combat Support Group, Aerospace Operational Support Group and Air Force Training Group. Each group consists of several wings.
The VAF has 50 flying squadrons; 18 combat squadrons, five maritime patrol squadrons, 18 transport squadrons, six training squadrons, as well as two Airborne Early Warning & Control squadrons and a Joint Terminal Attack Controller squadron. The Air Force also includes two independent flights of reconnaissance and armed unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Air Force also maintains Volkia's nuclear weapon stockpiles, air defense systems, and anti-ICBM capability.
Military units
- Eight armies
- Four maritime districts
- Five air defense districts
Personnel
The VDF has been an all-volunteer force since the abolition of conscription in 1972. Both men and women can enlist in the VDF, and there are no restrictions on the positions that women may fill. Because of this, women can also serve in combat roles. Generally only Volkian citizens can enlist in the VDF though permanent residents are accepted in "exceptional circumstances." The minimum age for recruits is 18. The retirement age is 60 for active personnel and 65 for reservists. Discipline of defense personnel is guided by the Defense Forces Discipline Act (1990).
Personnel numbers
The VDF had an average strength of 323,018 active and 247,199 reserve personnel in 2020. The Army is the largest service, followed by the Navy and Air Force. The average distribution between the services and categories of service in 2020 was as follows:
| Service | Active | Reserve | Total | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army | 162,802 | 132,910 | 295,712 | 195,815 | 99,897 |
| Navy | 78,855 | 52,162 | 143,488 | 96,997 | 46,491 |
| Air Force | 81,361 | 62,127 | 131,017 | 84,725 | 46,292 |
| Total | 323,018 | 247,199 | 570,217 | 377,537 | 192,680 |
Reserves
Each of the branches of the VDF has a reserve component. These forces are the Volkian Naval Reserve, Volkian Army Reserve and Volkian Air Force Reserve. The main role of the reserves is to supplement the active elements of the VDF during deployments and crises, including natural disasters. This can include attaching individual reservists to regular units or deploying units composed entirely of reserve personnel. As reservists serve on a part-time basis, they are less costly to the government than active members of the VDF, but the nature of their service can mean that reservists have a lower level of readiness than regular personnel and require further training before they can be deployed. It has historically proven difficult to set a level of training requirements which allows reservists to be rapidly deployable yet does not act as a disincentive to recruitment and continued participation.
Training
Individual training of Volkian servicemen and women is generally provided by the services in their own training institutions. Each service has its own training organization to manage this individual training. Where possible, however, individual training is increasingly being provided through tri-service schools.
The Volkian Army has three basic training locations: Fort Meretskov, Zhukovsky Oblast; Fort Chicagov, Orlik Oblast; and Fort Brin, Makushin Oblast. Volkian Air Force basic training takes place at Navashin Air Force Base in Yekartovsk Oblast, while Volkian Navy basic training takes place at the Shimmering Bay Naval Base in Shimanovsk Oblast.
Military academies include the Volkian Naval Academy in Volsk, Volkgoroda Military College in Zarinsk, and the Volkian Air Force Academy in Zuyevka.
Women in the VDF
Women first served in the Volkian Defense Forces during as nurses that worked in field hospitals, though women were involved in similar roles in the Imperial military as early as 1847. The first female branches of the military were established for each service in 1900, with the female branches being integrated with their male counterparts in 1965. The VDF initially struggled to fully integrate women due to the male dominance of the military, though changing social values and legislation helped push for integration.
At first, servicewomen were barred from combat positions and other "dangerous" jobs. In 1984 these restrictions began to be lifted, and by late 1985 all positions in the VDF were available to women. Despite this open policy, women still only make up 34% of active, reserve, and home guard positions. In comparison, women make up nearly 52% of the Volkian population as a whole. Even though this number is not totally representative, the VDF today currently has more female members than any point in its history.
There are still concerns over incidents of gender-based discrimination and sexual abuse in the VDF. In 2013 the Defense Abuse Response Task Force estimated that around 2,200 currently-serving personnel had abused other members of the military, and recommended that a presidential commission be conducted to investigate long-running allegations of sexual abuse and assault of servicewomen at the Volkgoroda Military College. In 2014, Army Chief of Staff General Erik Balashov warned against sexual abuse and gender discrimination, stating that he would dismiss any member of the Army that engaged in such activity. Both sexual abuse and gender discrimination are grounds for being dishonorably discharged from the VDF, and the former often results in criminal prosecution.
Sexuality
Volkia allows gay men and lesbians to serve openly. Openly gay and lesbian personnel were banned from the VDF until July 1987 when the Volkian government decided to remove this prohibition following the legalization of same-sex civil unions. The heads of the services and most military personnel opposed this change at the time, and it caused considerable public debate. Opponents of lifting the ban on gay and lesbian personnel argued that doing so would greatly harm the VDF's cohesiveness and cause large numbers of resignations. This did not eventuate, and the reform caused relatively few problems. A 1997 study found that lifting the ban on gay service did not have any negative effects on the VDF's morale, effectiveness or recruitment and retention, and may have led to increased productivity and improved working environments.
Since then, same-sex couples have had the same access to military retirement pensions and superannuation as opposite-sex couples. Transgender personnel are also permitted to serve in the VDF, and are provided with support when necessary.
Equipment
Main article: List of equipment of the Volkian Defense Forces
| Equipment | Numbers |
|---|---|
| Main Battle Tanks | |
| Armored Fighting Vehicles Armored vehicle-launched bridges Heavy Mine Breaching Vehicles |
38 25 |
| Mobile surface-to-air missile launchers MANPADS Anti-aircraft artillery |
870 1,003 |
| Anti-tank guided missile launchers Recoilless rifles |
50,000+ |
| Artillery Self-propelled artillery Mortars |
279 842 |
| Assault rifles | |
| Fighter aircraft Attack aircraft Trainer aircraft Attack helicopters Transport helicopters UAVs Transport aircraft |
416 148 114 276 32 475 |
| Nuclear weapons Chemical weapons Biological weapons |
Classified, known agents include GV, VX, tabun, and sarin. Classified, known agents include ricin, botulinum, smallpox, and anthrax. |
Uniforms and ranks
Uniforms
-
Naval Infantry
(Enlisted, Officer) -
Airborne Troops
(Enlisted, Officer)
-
Federal Security Service
(Enlisted, Officer) -
Border Guard Service
(Enlisted, Officer) -
Coast Guard
(Enlisted, Officer)
Ranks
See also: Ranks and insignia of the Volkian Defense Forces
The newly founded Volkian Federative Republic inherited the ranks of the Kingdom of Volkia, although the insignia and uniforms were altered a little. The following is a table of ranks of the VDF.
The VDF have two styles of ranks: deck ranks (navy style ranks) and troop ranks (army and other forces style ranks). The following table of Ranks is based on those of the Volkian Federative Republic.
Troop ranks are used by:
Deck ranks are used by:
- Ministry of National Defense
- Ministry of Internal Affairs
The highest 'troop' rank is General of the Army/General of the Air Force, dependent upon the branch of the military. The highest Navy 'deck' rank is Admiral of the Navy.
Ranks can have additional descriptors according to assignment or status. For example, the rank of a serviceman of a "Guards" unit, formation or ship may be followed by the word "Guards" ("Sergeant of Guards"); the rank of a serviceman of the legal, medical or veterinary professions is followed by "of Justice", "of the Medical service", or "of the Veterinary service" ("Captain of the Medical Service"); and the rank of a reserve or retired serviceman is followed by the words “Reserve” or “Retired,” respectively ("Major of Reserve").
| Category | Troop Ranks | Deck Ranks |
|---|---|---|
| Rank Name | Rank Name | |
| Supreme Officers, General Officers |
General of the Army/General of the Air Force (Only one person holds this rank.) |
Admiral of the Navy (Only one person holds this rank.) |
| General | Admiral | |
| Lieutenant General | Vice Admiral | |
| Major General | Junior Admiral | |
| Brigadier General | Rear Admiral | |
| Senior Officers, Field Grade Officers |
Colonel | Captain |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Commander | |
| Major | Lieutenant Commander | |
| Junior Officers, Company Grade Officers |
Captain | Senior Lieutenant |
| First Lieutenant | Lieutenant | |
| Second Lieutenant | Junior Lieutenant | |
| Under-Officers, Master Non-Commissioned Officers |
Senior Warrant Officer | Senior Midshipman |
| Warrant Officer | Midshipman | |
| Sergeants, Petty Officers |
Sergeant Major | Chief Petty Officer |
| Master Sergeant | Senior Petty Officer | |
| First Sergeant | Petty Officer, 1st Class | |
| Staff Sergeant | Petty Officer, 2nd Class | |
| Sergeant | Petty Officer, 3rd Class | |
| Soldiers, Seamen, Airmen |
Corporal | Senior Seaman |
| Private First Class | Seaman First Class | |
| Private | Seaman |
Doctrine
Volkia's current military doctrine currently defines itself as defensive. This means that all sectors of the government and economy are involved in the defense planning. In principle, each ministry has the responsibility for planning its operations during a crisis. The Ministry of Emergency Situations assists in emergency planning of all sorts for the ministries, including war, terrorist attacks, and disasters. Each authority regularly trains for crises and has been allocated a combination of normal and emergency powers it needs to keep functioning in any conceivable situation. In a war, all resources of society may be diverted to ensure the survival of the nation.
The main objective of the doctrine is to establish and maintain a military force capable of deterring any potential aggressor from using Volkian territory or applying military pressure against Volkia. To accomplish this, the defense is organised on the doctrine of territorial defense. The stated main principles of this doctrine are:
- territorial defense,
- dispersed mobilization, and
- flexible readiness in responding to military threats of various degree.
The defense planning is organized to counteract three threat situations:
- A regional crisis that may have effects on Volkia. (For example, the 2014 Dverian War in which the VDF intervened in.)
- Political, economic and military pressure, which may include a threat of using military force and its restricted use.
- Use of military force in the form of a strategic strike or an attack beginning with a strategic strike aimed at seizing territory.
In all cases, the national objective is to keep the vital areas, especially the capital area in Volkian possession. In other areas, the size of the country is used to delay and wear down the invader, until the enemy may be defeated in an area of Volkian choosing. The Army carries most of the responsibility for this task.
The role of the Navy is to repel all attacks carried out against the long Volkian coasts or island possessions, and to safeguard the territorial integrity during peacetime and the "gray" phase of the conflict. The maritime defense relies on combined use of coastal artillery, missile systems, and naval mines to wear down the attacker. The Air Force is used to deny the invader the air superiority and to protect most important troops and objects of national importance in conjunction with the ground-based air defense.
Weapons of mass destruction
Volkia currently maintains a classified amount of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons to be used for homeland defense. The current doctrine has stated that Volkia will not use these weapons first against an enemy, unless the country's survival is at stake. Defense officials have declined to define when this would occur, though scholars generally believe this refers to the military being overwhelmed and vital areas fall.
|
Volkian Federative Republic |
|
|---|---|---|
| Main article: Volkia | ||
| Important Topics: Culture ♦ Lupine ♦ Volkian language ♦ Lunarism ♦ Volkian korona ♦ Defense Forces | ||
| Government: Federal Government ♦ President ♦ Cabinet ♦ National Assembly ♦ Federal Supreme Court ♦ Political Parties | ||
| History: Grand Principality of Volkia ♦ Duchy of Volkia ♦ Kingdom of Volkia ♦ Volkian Civil War ♦ Northern Revolt ♦ Volkian Revolution | ||
| Important Figures (Past and Present): Kirill Kovalenko ♦ Yuliya Surkova ♦ Aleksey Pushkarev ♦ Stefan Gurkovsky ♦ Ivan Ogarkov ♦ Vasily Tolmachyov | ||