The Imperial Army IMCTU is a vital element of the forces that maintain internal order and secure the borders of the Third Imperium. The IA provides "boots on the ground" for defense and peacekeeping throughout the Imperium, participating in actions ranging from pitched battles to emergency relief. Seldom earning the recognition or respect of their brethren in the Imperial Navy or Marines, the men and women of the Imperial Army nonetheless perform essential functions such as garrison duty and counter-insurgency operations that neither of the spacefaring services can deliver effectively.
The Imperial Army is composed of two distinct branches, the Regular Army and the Colonial Army. The Regulars are standing units of the Imperial Army, recruited and maintained directly by the Imperium. Most Regular Army units are considered elite, equipped to TL 14 and 15 like their naval and marine counterparts - in fact, battle dress-equipped Imperial Guard or Shock soldiers are virtually indistinguishable to the casual observer from their Imperial marine counterparts, until the extensive armor and artillery forces of the army units appears on the battlefield alongside the "tincan troopers."
Regular Army recruits come from across the Imperium. They are trained and garrisoned in armories most often located on subsector or sector capitals, usually with an associated naval base to provide sufficient lift capability for deployment as needed. Many Regular units have noble sponsors (e.g., the Duchess Maryan's Own) while a few retain long-standing affiliation with famous Vilani/Sylean or Solomani units (e.g., Rough Riders).
Colonial Army units are drawn from the planetary defense forces of the member systems of the Imperium. Most systems have some sort of self-defense capability - on low population worlds this may take the form of a coporate security force, or a constabulary or gendarmerie-type paramilitary service, or perhaps a mercenary brigade. (These planets may also have a militia or home guard formation as well.) Systems with higher populations usually have more formal military forces, consistng of infantry, armor, and artillery as well as COACC and nautical forces where appropriate - system defense forces may even extend into space in the form of a planetary navy and marine corps if the monetary means and the technology are available to do so.
As a condition for membership in the Imperium, many systems are required to provide trained and equipped soldiers for the Colonial Army. To insure readiness and equipment compatability, Colonial Army units are classified according to tech level:
* First-line units consist of TL 13 infantry (gauss rifle, combat armor), TL 12 armor (grav gunship), and TL 13 artillery (fusion gun, drone missle, nuclear damper)
* Second-line units are composed of TL 10 infantry (advanced combat rifle, combat environment suit), TL 11 armor (grav tank), and TL 10 artillery (mass driver, tactical missle)
* Third-line units consist of TL 7 infantry (assault rifle, flak vest), TL 9 armor (tracked main battle tank), and TL 8 artillery (field gun)
Close-airspace and nautical command units (i.e., flyers and sailors) may also be included in Colonial Army formations as well, typically as second- and third-line units. Private noble armies (huscarles in Imperial parlance) may also be integrated with the Colonial Army at the discretion of their founders and patrons.
A system’s contribution to the Colonial Army is a reflection generally of its economic power rather than its technological development: for example, a poor system of TL A may only be able to equip and maintain a TL 7 (third-line) infantry brigade while a rich TL 8 world may provide TL 10 (second-line) infantry to the Colonial Army. The Colonial Office insures that the member systems receive training appropriate to the classification of its units and oversees the standardization of equipment among the member systems contributing forces.
Both the Regular and planetary/Colonial Armies utilize reserves - on member systems conscription or mandatory planetary service is common practice, and those who serve in the armed forces are subject to recall after discharge. Generally reservists are never equipped as more than third-line troops, although there are exceptions.
Like their naval counterparts, the Imperial Army is administered at the level of the sector. Colonial Army units are mobilized for periods of 18-36 months during peacetime, combined into larger formations for purposes of training, exercises, or operations as needed. This period allows the Colonial units the opportunity to serve alongside both Regular Army units and other Colonial units off-world, to season troops that might otherwise spend most of their time performing garrison duty in familiar environments. The mobilization of a portion of the Colonial Army at all times extends the resources available to the Imperium for rapid reaction in support of member systems should a crisis develop suddenly. This mobilization also tends to benefit the unit's homeworld by providing their soldiers with training and experience that would be hard to come by otherwise.
Some have questioned the need for both marines and soldiers - while at first glance their roles appear similar, each serves a distinct function in the protection of peace and order. Marines are trained to operate in space - planetary operations in non-vaccum environments are more properly the province of the army. Marines involved in ground combat are usually utilized in a rapid-strike role, while the army "sets up shop dirtside," to take and hold ground for extended periods of time. As such army units tend to include more extensive armor, artillery, and train units than the first-in, first-out marines - "We're here until the circus comes to town," is a common refrain among marines awaiting relief from their army brethren. The Imperial Army performs operations such as counter-insurgency or police actions that would be difficult or impossible for the navy to perform and would require too long a commitment of marines to be tactically and stategically wise.
GM note: For players interested in an army career for their characters, I alllow them to use either Book 1 or Book 4 rules - characters generated under Book 1 are planetary defense force soldiers while those generated under Book 4 served in either Regular or Colonial Army units.
