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Common Inner Sphere Military Structure

Most militaries of the Great Houses organize their forces along the well-known Star League model described below. Irregular Inner Sphere forces, such as mercenaries and Periphery militaries, often organize by other methods that maximize their limited troop strengths, Militaries with limited resources tend to bolster their main forces with vehicles and/or infantry.

SQUAD
The squad is the smallest infantry organizational group. The standard squad consists of seven men under the command of a sergeant.

PLATOON (Plt.)
The standard platoon consists of four squads (28 men) under the command of a lieutenant. The standard jump platoon consists of three squads (twenty one men)

LANCE
The lance is the smallest organizational unit commonly used for BattleMechs and vehicles. The standard lance consists of four BattleMechs or vehicles under the commands of a lieutenant. The standard aerospace lance consists of two aerospace fighters and associated technical personnel.

COMPANY (Co.)
The standard Company consists of three lances (12 mechs or vehicles) under the command of a captain. Occasionally a fourth lance of aerospace fighters will be assigned to the Company to reinforce the primary BattleMech units. A Company comprised solely of aerospace fighters is often referred to as a squadron (6 fighters). A Standard Company comprised solely of infantry troops consists of three platoons (84 men).

BATTALION (Bn.)
A standard Battalion consists of three companies (36 BattleMechs or vehicles) under the command of a colonel or major. Frequently, Battalions include a command lance that provides a mobile command and logistical support. In some Battalions, attached aerospace lances are organized as separate companies or squadrons. A Battalion that consists solely of aerospace squadrons is often referred to as a wing (18 fighters). A standard Battalion comprised solely of infantry troops consists of three companies (252 men)

REGIMENT (Rgt.)
A standard Regiment consists of five Battalions (108 to 180 BattleMechs or vehicles) under the command of a general or colonel. DropShips or JumpShips are usually attached to specific Regiments, as are support Battalions such as infantry or tank Battalions. A standard Regiment comprised solely of infantry troops consists of three Battalions (756 men) while a regiment of aerospace fighters consists of two to three wings (36 to 54 fighters).

REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM (RCT)
The modern Regimental combat team (RCT) consists of one Regiment of BattleMechs, three Regiments of armored vehicles, five Regiments of infantry, one artillery Battalion and two aerospace fighter wings under the command of a General. RCTs were introduced to modern warfare during the Succession Wars by federated Suns military leaders. Though most of the early RCTs were ad hoc creations that often proved unwieldy in combat, RCTs are now widely incorporated into the armies of the Federated Commonwealth (Suns).

Common Clan Military Structure

Nicholas Kerensky, founding father if the Clans, completely reorganized the old Star League Defense Force doing away with what he called, “the tainted military organization of the past”. In its place, he organized his new military along the lines that emphasized small units, leaving each individual Clan to determine the exact composition of their larger formations.

SQUAD
A Clan squad consists of five standard infantry troopers. Such infantry are normally deployed in the field in Points.

POINT
A Point consists of one OmniMech (BattleMech), one vehicle, two aerospace fighters, five battle-armored Elementals or twenty-five standard infantry.

STAR
A Star consists of five Points (five OmniMechs or vehicles) under the command of a Star Commander. An aerospace Star consists of ten aerospace fighters. An infantry Star consists of either five Elemental points (25 Elementals) or five Infantry Points (125 men). Frequently, the Clans deploy a Star of OmniMechs and a Star of Elementals together as a single unit, known as a Nova.

BINARY/TRINARY
A Binary consists of two Stars (ten OmniMechs or vehicles); a Trinary consists of three Stars (15 OmniMechs or vehicles). Binaries and Trinaries fall under the command of a Star Captain. An aerospace Binary/Trinary consists of two or three Stars of aerospace fighters (20 or 30 aerospace fighters). An infantry Binary/Trinary consists of two or three Stars of Elementals or standard infantry. Two Novas deployed together are called a Supernova Binary. Three Novas deployed together are called a Supernova Trinary.

CLUSTER
A Cluster consists of three to five Binaries, Trinaries or Supernovas (30 to 75 Omnimechs) under the command of a Star Colonel. The standard Clan Cluster incorporates one to three Trinaries of Omnimechs, one Trinary of Elementals and one Trinary of aerospace fighters.

GALAXY
A Galaxy consists of three to five Clusters (90 to 375 OmniMechs) under the command of a Galaxy Commander. Though each Clan sets its own precedent for the size and composition of its Galaxies, few Galaxies are deployed with five Supernova Clusters.

Common ComGuard Military Structure

The COM GUARDS organize their forces along unique lines, based on multiple of six. In addition, Com Guard Level III formations and larger are always combined-arms formations. Insisting that flexibility is the key to victory in battle, the ComStar’s Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht does not have a set organization for the Guard’s Level II, IV and V formations. Instead, he continually fields formations that vary greatly in their composition of BattleMechs, vehicles, aerospace fighters, infantry and so on.

LEVEL I
A Level I unit consists of one BattleMech, vehicle or aerospace fighter, or one infantry platoon (28 men). The Com Guards do not deploy their standard infantry in any organizational group smaller than a platoon, which is commanded by a junior Adept. Though a Level I aerospace unit technically consists of a single fighter, the Com Guards follow standard military doctrine and always deploy fighters in pairs.

LEVEL II
A Level II unit consist of sic Level I (6 BattleMechs, vehicles, or aerospace fighters) and is commanded by an Adept. A standard Level II infantry unit consists of six Level I units (168 men)

III
A Level III formation consists of six Level II units and is commanded by a senior Adept or Demi-Precentor.

LEVEL IV (Division)
A division, or Level IV formation, consists of six Level III formations and is commanded by a senior Demi-Precentor or Precentor.

LEVEL V (Army)
An army, or Level V formation, consist of six Level IV formations and is commanded by a Precentor. Though ComStar fields twelve armies, none of them consists of the standard six divisions, as the Com Guards have yet to recover completely from their staggering losses on Tukayyid against the Clans.

Common Star League Military Structure
(from the biggest to the smallest)

ARMIES
There were 20 armies in the SLDF. All of the division, Regiments and warships in the Terran Military Region were organized into an army. There were also and army for each of the Territorial States. The three districts of each House military region each had an army. A typical army had three or four Corps under the overall command of a general or sometimes an admiral. These armies were born in the great expansion of the SLDF, taking over for the Corps in charge of each district during the time of the Reunification Wars.

CORPS
A corps was the group of divisions, Regiments and warships that fought and trained together. A corps had one to three BattleMechs divisions, two to seven infantry division and usually a number of independent Regiments. Each Corps also had a contingent of warships and transports. Most Corps were assigned to protect 30 inhabited worlds and the surrounding space, though some were responsible for more than 100 worlds.

DIVISIONS
The division was the heart of the Regular Army. Each division was responsible for a sphere of star systems one jump in radius. Occasionally, a division was responsible for protecting only one extremely important planet. A division in the Regular Army consisted of three Brigades and three Regiments each, plus reserves, a Ground Aero Wing with 54 fighters and support units. Some divisions had fewer than three Brigades and some had four or more.

One Brigade = Three Regiments
One Division = Three Brigades = Nine Regiments

BattleMech Division
The offensive punch of the Regular Army was the BattleMech division. Each division had two Brigades of BattleMech Regiments and a Brigade of Mechanized Infantry Regiments.

Mechanized Infantry Division
The Mechanized Infantry division provides most of the mass of the Regular Army each had two Brigades of Mechanized Infantry and one Brigade of mech Regiments. A BattleMech division was expected to create holes in enemy lines and Mechanized Infantry Division was expected to exploit them. They also bore the bunt off defensive stands.

Infantry Division
Slow, but not as dependable on vehicles, the Infantry Division was a throwback to the days of foot patrols and foxholes. Infantry divisions were used in terrain that barred vehicles such as heavy forests, mountains, and cities. Each Infantry division contained two Brigades of Grunt Infantry and one Brigade of light Mech Regiments.

Jump Infantry Division
Jump Infantry Divisions were used for missions that required surprise and swiftness. These divisions had two Brigades of Jump Troopers and one Brigade of Mechs. The divisions also had two Ground Aero Wings to carry and protect the Jump Troops.

REGIMENTS

The Regular Army had seven different types of BattleMech Regiments. Unlike today’s BattleMech units, companies and even Battalions consisted of a single Mech type. Though this might have made a unit vulnerable to an attack that took advantage of a weakness in that particular type of Mech, it vastly simplified maintenance and repairs. The SLDF occasionally violated this policy and made special "multi-Mech" or "Buddy" companies of MechWarriors who had been friends in the academy but qualified in different Mech designs. These units were assigned to the independent Regiments.

Line Regiments: These Regiments appeared in BattleMech Brigades. Their simple organization of lance-Company-Battalion- is similar to the way Mech Regiments are organized today except that most line Regiments did not have their own AeroSpace Fighters, instead getting air support from the divisions’ Ground Aero Wing or from Fleet Aero Wings from orbiting warships. Most line Regiments coats-of-arms incorporate a sword into their design.

Heavy Assault: The knock-out punch of most Mech Brigades, these Regiments had Mechs of heavy-to-assault weight and had a fourth Company of attached artillery.

Battle: The core of most Mech Brigades, these units contained medium to heavy BattleMechs.

Striker: These Regiments were used for reconnaissance and breakthrough attacks. They used light to medium BattleMechs and had at least one Recon Company made up of Land-Air BattleMechs. Striker Regiments often had pairs of AeroSpace Fighters attached to them.

Independent BattleMech Regiments These Regiments were designed to operate without support from a Division. They were used against enemies too small to justify the use of a Division but too large to leave to infantry Regiments. Independent Regiments often fought alongside Infantry Divisions. In keeping with their independent nature, these Mech Regiments had companies of non-Mech weapons systems, such as Jump Troops, hovercraft, tanks and fighters. To describe the three types of independent Mech Regiments, the SLDF used the names of ancient types of horse cavalry. In keeping with this sense of the cavalry, the independent Regiments often incorporated a horse into their coats-of-arms.

Dragoon: Against well-equipped enemies, the Regular army sent a Dragoon Regiment, normally composed pf heavy to assault battlemechs, tanks and hovercraft.

Hussar: Hussar Regiments were the most common independent Regiments in the SLDF. They used medium to heavy Mechs, tanks or hovercraft.

Light Horse: The Light Horse Regiments were extremely mobile, made up of light to medium vehicles. There was also a special emphasis on reconnaissance in Light Horse units. Each Light Horse Regiment had at least two recon Companies of information-gathering Mechs, like Ostscouts and information-gathering vehicles as well as regular Mechs. The Star League often dropped a Light Horse Regiment unit onto a world to discover the size of the enemy forces. Light Horse Regiments were also grouped together to act as quick-response units called Regimental Combat Teams.

Cavalry, Armored, AeroSpace and Naval Regiments
The CAAN Regiments were Marine Corps units designed for use on water-rich worlds. They consisted of BattleMechs, tanks, hovercraft, fighters and water warships.

AEROSPACE FIGHTERS

The SLDF grouped AeroSpace Fighters into four kinds of units: Ground Aero Wing, Fleet Aero Wing, Independent Aero Wing and fighters attached to other units. Each had a specific set of responsibilities and duties. Ground Aero Wings were assigned to divisions. They maintained air superiority above the division and provided fire support for ground forces. There were 54 AeroSpace Fighters in a GAW, arranged into nine squadrons. Each squadron had just one fighter type. Each GAW also had 54 combat aircraft and 54 transport aircraft, also in squadrons of six. Attached to the Aero Wing was a detachment of combat engineers to build runways and erect hangars and other buildings.

Fleet Aero Wings were formed when the Star league Navy organized warships into task force. AeroSpace Fighters assigned to DropShips and warships were combined under the command of the senior fighter pilot. The FAW was responsible for protecting the fleet’s lightly armed ships, such as transports and troop ships. In a planetary assault, the FAW accompanied the DropShips to clear the air above the landing zone until the GAW or fighters attached to that unit could take over.

Independent Aero Wings were unattached GAWs assigned whenever a division needed extra support. A Battalion of mechanized infantry was attached to each IAW. Besides those in Aero Wings, other AeroSpace Fighters were attached to Independent BattleMech or Armored Regiments. A pair of fighters was usually assigned to each Company of the Regiment, though the fighters shared an airfield.

OTHER UNITS

Though Armored and Infantry Regiments were not as important to the SLDF as BattleMech Regiments, administrative officers still paid careful attention to their composition. Armored units were organized in much the same way as line BattleMech Regiments. There were Assault, Heavy, Medium and Light tank Regiments and each had just one type of tank. There were also Hovercraft and Wheeled Armor Regiments. Most tank Regiments were assigned to divisions as anti-Mech Regiments or were given garrison duty.

There were four types of Infantry Regiments: Mechanized, Grunt, Jump and Marine. Each Regiment was organized as Infantry Regiments are today, with three Battalions of three companies each. Companies were broken up into three platoons. Artillery was usually organized into Artillery Regiments attached to Divisions. There was occasionally an artillery Battalion attached to an individualMech or Armored Regiment. There were also AirMobile Artillery Batteries with their own special air transportation.