The Unified Ionian Military, also known as the UIM, is the umbrella organisation within which exists the Unified Ionian Navy, the Unified Ionian Army and Ionian Special Forces and their subsequent branches. As the military force of the Ionian League, the UIM is charged with the defense of its territory and the protection of its interests. The main task of Unified Ionian Military is to train, organize and deploy military forces within the Ionian League and abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the entire Ionian League in the case of conflict. Administered by the Ministry of Defence, the Unified Ionian Military is one of the largest government organisations within the Ionian League.
Formally established in 3340, the Unified Ionian Military is the Ionian League's first successful attempt at establishing a unified centralized military. As of 3400 the Unified Ionian Military takes up a quarter of the Ionian Leagues annual budget.
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History
Predecessor
From its establishment in 3031, the Ionian League existed without a formal military, instead relying on the cooperation of its member states in times of crisis to come together and form a collective military in the form of the Ionian Military Coalition. Formed at the behest of the Ionian Parliament, and administered and commanded by the Committee of the Military Coalition, the Ionian Military Coalition saw limited use throughout the three hundred years prior to the Great Ionian War.
Predominantly utilizing the national Common Military's of its member states, the Ionian Military Coalition was formed at least three times in recorded Ionian history. The first during the Great Android Revolt, the second during the Tyrrhenian - Ionian War and the third during the Great Ionian War, the latter of which saw its dissolution and reformation into the centralized body today known as the Unified Ionian Military. During the Expansionist Period, the term Ionian Military Coalition came to be used for any Ionian warship of fleet operating beyond the bounds of the Ionian Caldera on the behest of the Ionian Parliament or nation state.
Great Ionian War
The ferocity and extent of the Great Ionian War called for a much needed shift in the Ionian Parliaments outlook at national defense, especially after the Siege of Foslara in 3340. The idea of a centralized Ionian military had been floated around the Ionian parliament for nearly a hundred years prior to the Great Ionian War, but it was not until the Ionians faced a direct threat to their political heart that the shift became necessary, silencing stout federalists.
For the remainder of the war, the Ionian Common Militaries were shifted and reorganized under the Emergency Military Council, laying the foundations for the future Unified Ionian Military both in theory and application. It was during this time that figure heads that would come to shape the Unified Ionian Military in the post-war period came to the fore, such as General Anaxos Desyk and Admiral Diokles Maheras.
Peace of Arsithos
The Unified Ionian Military was formally established with the Military Creation Act of 3346, legalizing the absorption of the pre-existing military bodies within the Ionian League into a central, unified whole.
Structure
The titles of Commander-in-Cheif and the Head of the Armed Forces are held by the Chancellor of the Ionian League and the Minister of Defense respectively. The Chancellor however (acting with the support of the Cabinet) makes the key decisions on the use of the Unified Ionian Military.
The Ministry of Defence is the Ionian Government department and highest level of military headquarters charged with formulating and executing defence policy for the United Ionian Military; it currently employs 95,000,000 civilian staff as of 11 July 3417. The department is controlled by the Minister of Defense. Responsibility for the management of the forces is delegated to a number of committees: the Defence Council, the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Defence Management Board and two single-service boards. The Defence Council, composed of senior representatives of the services and the Ministry of Defence, provides the "formal legal basis for the conduct of defence". The two constituent single-service committees (Ionian Naval Assembly and the Ionian Army Council) are chaired by the Minister of Defence.
The Unified Ionian Military is split into different groups based on their region of operation. The Unified Ionian Army is divided administratively into five tactical commands, each under the control of different Field Marshal. Likewise the Unified Ionian Navy operates five Commands, each Command is headed by a Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Fleet Admiral.
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the armed forces and is an appointment that can be held by a Grand Admiral or a Grand Marshal. The Chief of the Defence Staff are the principal advisers to the departmental minister. The two services have their own respective professional chiefs: the Chief of the Naval Assembly and the Chief of the General Staff.
Recruitment
Both service branches of the Unified Ionian Military recruit primarily from within the Ionian League, although citizens from the affiliated nations are equally eligible to join. The minimum recruitment age is 16 years (although personnel may not serve on armed operations below 18 years, and if under 18 must also have parental consent to join); the maximum recruitment age depends whether the application is for a regular or reserve role; there are further variations in age limit for different corps/regiments. The normal term of engagement is 22 years; however, the minimum service required before resignation is 4 years, plus, in the case of the Army, any service person below the age of 18.
Participants
Unified Ionian Navy
The Unified Ionian Navy is the maritime branch of the Ionian Military. The Ionian Navy is the first line of defense against aggressors both foreign or domestic, operating under the jurisdiction of the Admiralty Department, and is maintained financially by the Annual Defense Budget. The Ionian Navy’s primary peacetime duties place it in a role to defend the Ionian citizenry and property against piracy, smuggling, and other activities of an illegal nature.
The modern Ionian Navy didn't come to fruition until the Ionian War, before then the Ionian League relied upon the system fleets of its member states for defence and the idea of a unified navy was simply an idea held by apparent militarists in the Ionian Parliament. After the Rape of Milenion in 3336, the Ionian League was forced into conflict with the Dominion of Pagathar, and thus a unified navy and army was created following the Military Creation Act of 3336. The Unified Ionian Navy would go on to grow larger and more powerful under the guiding hand of Grand Admiral Diokles Maheras so that by the turn of the 34th century the Unified Ionian Navy was among the most powerful navies in the Eastward Rim.
Unified Ionian Army
The Unified Ionian Army is the terrestrial branch of the Ionian Military, and is the second line of defense against aggressors both domestic and foreign. The Unified Ionian Army is the second largest branch of the Unified Ionian Military. Though it may be small, the Ionian Army makes up for it in its professionalism and lock-step discipline. Since the National Service Act 3345 much of the Unified Ionian Army is made up of individuals between the ages of 17 to 21, serving a mandatory three year period of service. The Unified Ionian Army operates under the jurisdiction of the Army Council. During peacetime, the Unified Ionian Army are responsible for operating and maintaining planet-based instillation, often working alongside local law enforcement to combat smuggling and piracy.
Ionian Special Forces
Officially, Ionian special forces operate under the Ionian Military's Special Operations Division. which comprises the Advanced Tactical Commando's. However on more than one occasion the Bureau of National Security have requisitioned units of both the ATC's and Myrmidons for covert special operations missions both within and without the Ionian League. Though its headquarters is based on Idithos, Foslara, the Special Operations Division operates a number of covert sites across the Ionian League.
Military Industrial Complex
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Objectives
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Operations
Extra-Solar Military Instillations
The Unified Ionian Military possess a multitude of extra-solar military instillation, both planetside and within the void, ranging from Ordnance/Regional Depots, to ground based planetary defenses, training camps, armouries, supply depots and more. Most of these instillation can range in size and scope, but the most vital are the five large-scale Ordnance/Regional Depots that protect the key Termini gates that bind the Ionian League together, coupled with the planetary defenses of their "gate-world".
Expeditionary Forces
The Unified Ionian Military place significant importance in the ability to conduct expeditionary warfare. While the UIM are expeditionary in nature, it maintains a core of "high readiness" forces trained and equipped to deploy at very short notice, these include; the Naval Expeditionary Force (Maritime) (Unified Ionian Navy) and the Ionian Auxiliary Command (Unified Ionian Army). Oftentimes, these will act in conjunction with a larger tri-service effort, such as the Ionian Joint Rapid Reaction Force. Similarly, under the auspices of the Peripherian Union, such expeditionary forces are designed to meet Ionia's obligations to the Peripherian Rapid Reaction Corps and other Peripherian operations.
Foreign Deployments
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Funding
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, the Ionian League has the sixth- or seventh-largest defence budget in the the Known Galaxy. The Strategic Defence and Security Review 3415 committed to spending 2% of GDP on defence and announced a 178 billion ICS investment over ten years in new equipment and capabilities under the New Military Modernization Programs.
Criticisms
Imperialism
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Misallocated Spending
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