Armed Forces of Meriad

The Armed Forces of Meriad or the Meriadni Military is the that formes the  of Meriad, and is tasked with the defense of the country as established in the Civil Defense Act of 1765. It also traditionally promotes Meriadni interests on a global scale, provides, and supports multilateral operations.

It encompasses four subservient branches: the Meriadni Army, the Meriadni Royal Navy, the Meriadni Royal Marines, and Her Majesty's Aerial Forces. All four service branches are headed by the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, currently General Ebba Isaksson, while each maintains its individual identity. command of the armed forces in customarily ascribed to the reigning monarch, currently Queen Crica.

The armed forces have traditionally been an all-volunteer organization, and although an act authorizing the use of a has been passed by the Hall of Jarls, it only saw usage during the First Endwar.

First Endwar
While Meriad maintained a policy of strict neutrality for the duration of the First Endwar, the armed forces were nonetheless extremely active in ensuring the security of the country's expansive borders. The first army units were equipped with skis and given specialty winter warfare training during the first months of the war, which were then deployed to monitor the country's long borders. The army also used aircraft for the first time during this period, most notably in an operation in Sydilströp in which a gun-equipped in conjunction with ground forces successfully stopped a covert shipment of firearms from crossing the border between Allidron and Meriad.

The development of the Urverk Doctrine was started by this conflict, especially after covert intelligence revealed the number of troops that foreign powers had been prepared to deploy in a potential invasion of Meriad, which far surpassed the military's ability to defend the country. While the doctrine was not refined into its current form until the beginning of the Ordic Cold War, the first designs were created for a series of strategic defense operations several months before the conclusion of the war.

Doctrine
Under the Civil Defense Act of 1765 and subsequent defense acts, the Meriadni Armed Forces have five main tasks:


 * 1) To defend Meriadni territorial integrity
 * 2) To defend the country from hostile foreign actors, whether state or non-state
 * 3) To operate in support of civil services in the event of natural catastrophe
 * 4) To operate in support of international peacekeeping efforts
 * 5) To seek to maintain peaceful relations between Meriad and other countries through mutual training and understanding

Dating back to the country's establishment, the Meriad has always exercised extensive multilateral diplomacy so as to preserve the option of in the event of armed conflict. This doctrine of preservation of neutrality was successful during the First Endwar, when Meriad remained a neutral party. However, in accordance with the fifth task of the Armed Forces, the country also collaborates and cooperates widely with foreign military agencies.

Urverk Doctrine
Tactically, the armed forces operate almost entirely around the idea of defensive warfare, which is referred to in Meriad as the Urverk Doctrine (Meriadni: Clockwork). Units are organized and deployed so as to be easily and rapily dispersed to remote operating locations throughout the country in the event of a conflict, from which they would continue to operate in support of unified defensive warfare. The borders, while defended against small-scale attacks, are designed so as to delay attacking forces enough to allow Meriadni ground and air forces to disperse throughout the country.

The name of the warfare doctrine originates from the strict timetable of operations that was adopted for much of the early cold war between Kolintha, Khornera, and various communist powers. Meriad's relatively central location in relation to such powers as Kolintha, Greater Allidron, and Mingdai, combined with its small military, makes the country an ideal target for a ground offensive in the event of open warfare. As such, a strategic doctrine was developed that would allow units to make their ways to designated deployment areas without the need for radio traffic in under 48 hours. Several variations of the plan were developed, and two full-scale rehearsals were undertaken, one in 1977 and one in 1981. While the 1977 exercise was fraught with logistical difficulties and breaches in radio silence, the 1981 exercise was almost entirely successful, illustrating the ability of the small army to nonetheless undertake extremely complicated operations with relative ease.

The navy's doctrine follows a similar model of warfare, whereby individual surface vessels or battle groups would retreat to small-scale port facilities deep in Meriadni fjords, from which they could operate if required. The submarine force would continue to operate out of the Royal Navy's subterranean submarine pen system near Høstenpunkt, Eyjanfjalla, until forced to vacate the facilities.

The Urverk Doctrine has never been officially redacted, and military experts state that is has been updated numerous times in order to reflect changing technology and force capabilities. There are widespread concerns about the ability of the doctrine ability to be effective when confronted by a foreign invasion, but many still view the presence of such a plan as a reflection on the military's preparedness. Small-scale Urverk exercises are undertaken in numerous regions around the country several times a year.

Organization
The de facto head of the military is the appointed Chief of Staff, traditionally a four-star general or equivalent, although historically individuals with ranks as low as Brigadier General have been appointed to this position. It is the highest possible position for an active duty member of the armed forces. The Chief of Staff reports directly to the Royal Cabinet, which in turn answers to the Hall of Jarls.

Military Branches (in order of seniority):


 * Army of Meriad
 * Royal Navy of Meriad
 * Aerial Forces of Meriad
 * Royal Marines of Meriad

Joint

 * Joint Service Command - Gröstavik

Meriadni Army

 * 1st Mountain Division - based in Sköntafell, Hjerteskog
 * 18th Armored Cavalry Regiment
 * 19th Armored Cavalry Regiment
 * 4th Air Cavalry Regiment
 * 71st Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 72nd Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 73rd Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 123rd Mounted Grenadiers


 * 2nd Mountain Division - based in Sköntafell, Hjerteskog
 * 29th Armored Cavalry Regiment
 * 35th Armored Cavalry Regiment
 * 5th Air Cavalry Regiment
 * 94th Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 95th Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 96th Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 113th Mounted Grenadiers


 * 6th Air Defense Regiment - based in Sköntafell, Hjerteskog
 * 127th Mounted Grenadiers
 * 131st Mounted Grenadiers


 * Army Urban Warfare Center - based in Gröstavik, Olstadt
 * 30th Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 9th Air Cavalry Regiment
 * 16th Armored Cavalry Regiment


 * 11th Coastal Division - based in Berknafjördur, Kaldavinde
 * 33rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
 * 37th Armored Cavalry Regiment
 * 8th Air Cavalry Regiment
 * 6th Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 9th Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 12th Mounted Rifle Regiment
 * 134th Mounted Grenadiers


 * Army Research Command - based in Trovstek, Fjallsmi
 * Royal Medical Center - Fort Bakken, Fjölik, Sterkvegg
 * Army Biological Weapons Center - Trovstek, Fjallsmi
 * Army Procurement Commission - Gröstavik, Olstadt


 * Army Logistics Command
 * 15th Ground Mobility Regiment
 * 38th Ground Mobility Regiment
 * 111th Air Mobility Wing

Meriadni Royal Navy

 * Central Fleet Command - based in Gröstavik, Olstadt
 * 3 Valter Sjafnarsson class
 * 3 Argonaut class
 * 2 Skjoldbærer class


 * Nordeaic Fleet Command - based in Sürvern, Sydilströp
 * 1 Argonaut class


 * Polar Fleet Command - based in Høstenpunkt, Eyjanfjalla
 * 2 Argonaut class
 * Meriadni Maritime Directorate
 * 2 Stifinner class


 * Undersjøiske Krefter - based in Høstenpunkt, Eyjanfjalla
 * 5 Strülka class


 * 4th Coastal Squadron (Special Forces) - based in Fyrtárn, Kaldavinde

His Majesty's Aerial Forces

 * 1st Fighter Wing - based in Sköntafell, Hjerteskog
 * 2nd Fighter Wing - based in Høstenpunkt, Eyjanfjalla and Stormhaven, Saint Claire Island
 * 17th Air Assault Wing - based in Skiftesvikt, Stälaronen
 * 8th Airlift Wing - based in Sköntafell, Hjerteskog
 * 16th Airlift Wing - based in Vatsvik, Steinhjem