ComGuard

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The ComGuard, formerly referred to as the ComStar Guards and Militia, is the military arm of ComStar. Kept hidden by the supposedly politically neutral organization until after the Fourth Succession War, the Guards are a force on par with the militaries of the Successor States. Originally serving as garrison troops for ComStar's HPG compounds, they have shifted towards a role as defenders of the Inner Sphere, most famously their victory against the Clans in the Battle of Tukayyid.

Origins and History

The ComGuard were founded in the wake of the collapse of the Star League by Jerome Blake, who created them as a source of order for the Inner Sphere should the Successor States attempt to attack Terra or any HPG stations across the Sphere. The ComGuards were kept hidden by Blake and his successors far from the prying eyes of the Successor State militaries, and, due to this, escaped much of the technological downgrades that said militaries suffered over the course of four Succession Wars.

The presence of the ComGuards was revealed to the Inner Sphere during the Clan Invasion, when the then-Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht struck a deal with the Clans to fight his ComGuards on the planet of Tukayyid for control of the Inner Sphere. The ComGuards won, and bound the Clans to a 15-year truce. In the aftermath of the battle of Tukayyid, the ComGuards were deployed extensively throughout the remnants of the Free Rasalhague Republic as a safeguard should the Clans break their truce.

Under the leadership of Precentor Martial Victor Steiner-Davion, the ComGuards began to take a much more active role across the Inner Sphere. ComGuard units were deployed on trouble worlds and throughout the St. Ives Compact during the latter's war with the Capellan Confederation, alongside other Star League peacekeepers, including the Eridani Light Horse. At least one ComGuard unit served in Prince Victor's armies during the FedCom Civil War, while others fought against him.

Technology

The ComGuards, having officially been non-existent for three centuries, have many vintage Star League-era 'Mechs not normally found in the armies of the Successor States. The ComGuards also were the only Inner Sphere entity to maintain a fleet of WarShips up until the recovery of the Helm Memory Core, as the respective Successor State navies had destroyed theirs in the Second Succession War.

Because the ComGuards use mainly Star League-era 'Mechs, they have access to much lostech that the rest of the Inner Sphere had forgotten about. This served the Guards well during the Tukayyid battles, as their more advanced weapons proved to work better against the Clanners.

Ranks and Structure

The ComGuards utilize the same ranking system as the civilian branch of ComStar, with Acolytes equivalent to enlisted ranks, Adepts equivalent to junior officers, Precentors and Demi-Precentors the senior officers, with the sole exception being the rank of Precentor Martial. Created by Primus Waterly with the reorganization and public unveiling of the ComGuards, the Precentor Martial is the overall commander of ComStar military forces.

Unlike Successor States' 4-unit and Clan 5-unit groupings, the ComGuards base their forces on multiples of six. The ComGuard's equivalent of a Lance or Star is a Level II, made up of 6 Level I units, and given the Guards use of combined arms tactics most frequently consists of mixed unit types. A Level III, made of up of 6 Level II units, is roughly parallel to the Regimental Combat Teams of the AFFC. ComGuards do not commonly use a formal organization above Level IV. Outside of such rare instances as the Battle of Tukayyid and Case White, Levels V and VI are purely administrative groupings.

Rank	Unit	Consists of
Acolyte	Level I	1 'Mech or armored vehicle or aerospace fighter, or single standard infantry unit.
Adept	Level II	Six Level I units, often referred to as demi-company.
Adept/Demi-Precentor	Level III	Six Level II units, referred to as a battalion.
Precentor	Level IV	Six Level III units, alternately referred to as a division.
Precentor Martial	Level V	Six Level IV units, alternately referred to as a army.
	Level VI	Six Level V units, administrative grouping by region.