Arshavati Armed Forces

The Arshavati Armed Forces, also called the Armed Forces of the Social Federation of Arshavat, are the unified of Arshavat. They are divided into the Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air & Space Forces and Interior Forces. Additionally, there are four independent corps: the Strategic Rocket Corps, Airborne Corps, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Corps.

The Armed Forces of Arshavat are the largest military forces in the world, with over 2.3 million active and 6.5 million reserve personnel. It is mandatory for all male citizens aged 18–30 to be drafted for 2 years of service in the Land and Interior Forces, or 3 years in the Navy and Aerospace Forces.

Arshavat maintains the largest stockpile of in the world. It possesses the second-largest fleet of, and is one of only three nations operating. Arshavat also possesses the second-most numerous airforce, the third-most numerous naval fleet, and the most numerous tank force in the world. The military budget of Arshavat was 418.12 billion in 2020-21, the highest in the world.

Structure and leadership
The President of Arshavat holds the power to proclaim, proclaim a state of war, and to issue mobilisation orders to the Armed Forces upon the decision of the Supreme Consultative Assembly and the Council of State. The Armed Forces are controlled by the Ministry of Military Affairs, led by the Minister of Military Affairs, who is a member of the Council of Ministers and is considered to be one of the most senior officials in the Arshavati governmental hierarchy. Both civilians and career military professionals may be appointed to the ministerial post, though since the 1980s it has been increasingly common for Military Affairs Ministers to be appointed from members of the Council of State rather than senior officers. The Arshavati General Staff serves as the main commanding and supervising body of the armed forces.

The Armed Forces as a whole are divided into four major branches, known as 'services' (: Khedmat). Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air & Space Forces and Interior Forces. These are the four main administrative and operational arms. Additionally, there are four 'Independent Corps' (Sepāh): the Strategic Rocket Corps, Airborne Corps, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Corps. The Corps are not fully fledged military branches, relying upon and often being integrated with the resources and command hierarchies of the services, but are administratively seperate due to unique requirements for training and their cross-branch capabilities.

Beneath the Minister of Military Affairs are twelve Secretaries of Military Affairs, making up the highest level of officers in the Armed Forces. These include: the Chief of the General Staff (responsible for operations and planning), the Secretary for General Affairs (responsible for administration), the Chiefs of the four (Land, Naval, Aerospace and Interior Forces), and the Chief of the Strategic Rocket Corps. The Secretaries are part of the Security Council of Arshavat, alongside the Chiefs of the Ministry of the Interior security forces, such as the Federal Police Agency and Federal Border Service.

Military Districts & Foreign Military Regions
WIP
 * Include Land, Air, Interior forces, but not naval forces
 * Military Districts are domestic + extend into some bordering states (E. Kuiju, historically Kyrossia and Dai Hoa)
 * Military districts manage conscription and mobilization, and are integral to organisation of the Interior Force. During the Intifadas a system developed where individual military districts under a state of emergency could be legally placed on a war footing, granting the forces in that military district the powers typically reserved for wartime - including imposition of martial war, trial of civilians in military courts, and military command of federal security services in the region.
 * Military Regions are overseas military districts, organised within the CODEX framework. There are five - South Escar (Sahil), West Escar (Liang), Amphia (Valourium), and Valeya (GA)

Naval Fleets

 * Jade Fleet
 * Crosswind Fleet
 * That-Inland-Sea-We-Haven't-Named-Yet Flotilla

Conscription
Conscription is used to fulfil the vast manpower needs of the Arshavati Armed Forces. The terms of service are 2 years for the Land and Interior Forces and 3 years for the Aerospace and Naval Forces. All male Arshavati citizens between 18 and 27 who are permanently resident in the country are required to report annually to a local military secretariat, subordinate to a regional military district. Based on quotas assigned by the General Staff's Main Organization and Mobilization Directorate, the secretariat either assigns recruits to one of the armed services or grants deferments.

Deferments are granted on the basis of ill-health, physical condition, family hardship and other factors, as well as military needs. Approximately 25% of a given year group may be granted deferments on this basis. They may also be granted for students entering higher education - with the understanding that those in certain technical specializations will enter the armed forces or complete reserve officer training upon graduation. Young men not conscripted into the armed forces at 18 remain liable to induction until age 27, though it is uncommon to be conscripted after recieving a deferment.

Though Arshavat does not legally allow for conscientious objection, members of registered Siddhist monastic orders and certain other religious and ethnic groupings are excluded from the draft, sometimes unofficially. Students pursuing higher education may be granted deferments providing their institution is on a list approved by the Ministry of Military Affairs. Students of certain technical specializations in Arshavat, such as in the medical and engineering sectors, are legally required to undergo reserve officer training.

Women are not subject to conscription in Arshavat, but since 1993 have been allowed to volunteer. As of 2019 women form approximately 4% of active Armed Forces personnel, and around 15% of volunteer personnel. The Federal Constitution provides for the conscription of women into the armed forces in event of war or a state of emergency, and female students may still be subject to mandatory reserve training.

Conscription is considered to occupy a crucial social role in Arshavat. All conscripts are required to recieve a crash course in the Taji language, and portions of military training are dedicated to political and patriotic education. Military service thus acts as a 'societal glue', alongside other institutions like the Party, State and the Hanaf faith, which helps to bind the varying cultures of the Arshavati Federation. Since the 1993 General Military Reform, the Armed Forces have invested heavily in cultivating a common military culture, cracking down on, improving troop living conditions and encouraging engagement with unit and formation traditions to improve. Foreign analysts have identified gradual improvements in Arshavati unit cohesion, morale and professionalism since the early 2000s, though many still note persistent issues such as a critical shortage of professional NCOs (the majority still being conscripts put through short courses) and poor barracks conditions in many frontier regions.

In 2019, Secretary of General Affairs Babak Abedi suggested the Armed Forces may soon introduce reforms to the conscription and recruitment infrastructure, by allowing for voluntary enlistment by 17 year olds and foreign permanent residents, and offering various state pensions and academic qualifications for extended enlistees.

Nuclear weapons
Arshavat is a nuclear-weapon state, with the world's largest stockpile of nuclear warheads. It is estimated that as of 2016, Arshavat maintains 10,900 deployed strategic warheads, and another 15,000 non-deployed strategic and deployed and non-deployed tactical warheads. The Arshavati Strategic Rocket Corps are responsible for the handling of land-based nuclear weapons, the Naval Forces control submarine and ship based missiles, and the Aerospace Forces the air-launched warheads.

Arshavat's strategic nuclear warheads are deployed on land (in immobile and mobile road-based ), on  (of which Arshavat maintains the world's second largest fleet), and also in the form of air-launched warheads operated by the Arshavati Aerospace Forces Long Range Strike Command.

Since the inception of the nuclear arsenal, Arshavati military doctrine has emphasised the potential usage of nuclear weapons in tactical roles. Alongside its strategic arsenal, the Arshavati Armed Forces maintain a range of tactical delivery systems such as, , , and other weapons. It is believed over four thousand warheads in Arshavati service are deployed on platforms intended for tactical use.

Arshavat is the only country in history to have used nuclear weapons in, when it used three atomic bombs against the Song Republic and the Three Powers Alliance during the Dai Hoa Unification War, with a fourth attack against Hai Fuong thwarted by the Songese airforce. These attacks, in particular the attempted Hai Fuong attack and the successful bombing of Yamethin, made Arshavat an international pariah for a time, contributing to the Hoa-Arshavati Split and beginning the global mass movement against that led to the establishment of the Ordic League. In the 21st century, Arshavati military theorists have revived the idea of limited strategic nuclear deployments - the targetted use of strategic weapons in a manner which does not provide pretext for escalation, but could decisively achieve foreign policy objectives.

Since the 1970s, Arshavat has been party to various arms-control treaties signed with other nuclear powers, resulting in the end of in 1985, and gradual shrinkage of the nuclear arsenal since 1989.

As the only CODEX-aligned nuclear power in Escar, Arshavat has negotiated agreements with non-nuclear allied nations such as East Kuiju, Sahil and Liang, which allow for the forward deployment of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons overseas. In general, these weapons remain under Arshavati command, but their usage must be authorised by the relevant authorities of the host nation.