ComStar military structure

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When ComStar created their own military force, the Com Guards, they diverged from the traditional 4-unit structuring of the Star League Defense Force and later Successor States' militaries by basing their forces on multiples of six. They were further differentiated by using Roman numerals to identify their hierarchical position, from the smallest Level I to the highest Level V. Given their heavy emphasis on combined-arms warfare, the units also use Greek lettering to identify their compositional mix, with those at the beginning of the alphabet containing higher numbers of BattleMechs while those towards the end with larger numbers of conventional forces.[1] [2] When the ComStar Schism resulted in the creation of the Word of Blake, the Blakists copied the same model for their own militia forces.[3]

Unit Organization[edit]

Level I[edit]

A Level I is the smallest military unit in the Com Guards/Militia. It consists of a single 'Mech, aerospace fighter, tank or artillery piece, 30 jump Troopers or a 36-man infantry platoon.[1][2][3][4] After their introduction, a Level I could also consist of four battle armored troopers;[3] this number was later increased to six.[4] Level Is are commanded by Adepts, with Acolytes filling in the roles of enlisted personnel and noncoms.[5][2]

Level II[edit]

A Level II, roughly analogous to a reinforced lance or demi-company, consists of six Level I formations.[1][2][3] Level IIs are generally the largest unit deployed on low-risk worlds.[6] While normally Level IIs consist of units of the same type, some also contain a mix of forces.[3] Level IIs are commanded by Adepts.[5][2]

Level II 'Mech/Weight Composition (3062)[7]
Light Medium Heavy Assault
6 Light 1 Light, 4 Medium, 1 Heavy 2 Medium, 4 Heavy 1 Medium, 3 Heavy, 2 Assault
4 Light, 2 Medium 1 Light, 3 Medium, 2 Heavy 1 Medium, 5 Heavy 4 Heavy, 2 Assault
3 Light, 3 Medium 4 Medium, 2 Heavy 5 Heavy, 1 Assault 3 Heavy, 3 Assault
2 Light, 3 Medium, 1 Heavy 3 Medium, 3 Heavy 4 Heavy, 2 Assault 2 Heavy, 4 Assault
Level II 'Mech/Weight Composition (3067)[8]
Light Medium Heavy Assault
6 Light 2 Light, 2 Medium, 2 Heavy 2 Medium, 4 Heavy 2 Medium, 1 Heavy, 3 Assault
4 Light, 2 Medium 6 Medium 6 Heavy 3 Heavy, 3 Assault
3 Light, 3 Medium 4 Medium, 2 Heavy 2 Medium, 2 Heavy, 2 Assault 2 Heavy, 4 Assault
3 Light, 1 Medium, 2 Heavy 3 Medium, 3 Heavy 4 Heavy, 2 Assault 6 Assault

Choir[edit]

While some Com Guard divisions such as the 394th took inspiration from the Clan Nova to integrate Battle Armor into its Level IIs,[9] the Word of Blake forces on Galatea develop these concepts into a more direct replication known as the Choir formation which combined two Level IIs—one BattleMech Level II and one Battle Armor Level II—into a single attack formation.[10][11] Despite its controversial origin, a number of ComStar units would employ facsimiles of the Blakist concept[12] where the reborn Dark Age era First Division's Unending Faith III would directly revive the Choir.[13][14]

Level III[edit]

A Level III, analogous to and commonly referred to as a battalion, consists of six Level IIs, or a total of thirty-six Level Is.[1][2][3] Level IIIs are almost always combined-arms formations, operating together on a regular basis, and the most common formation to be deployed into high-risk areas.[3][6] Level IIIs can be commanded by an Adept or a Demi-Precentor.[5][2]

Level IV[edit]

A Level IV consists of six Level IIIs, or 216 Level Is. Though referred to as a Division, it is closer in size to two SLDF-era regiments or a FedCom RCT.[1][2][3] Divisions are the largest permanent field unit and form the backbone of the administrative network, however they are rarely deployed intact, instead being scattered across a region to provide defense. The exact area covered by a Division's constituent parts can depend, from a single important world to several dozen.[3][2][6] Level IVs can be commanded by a Demi-Precentor or a Precentor.[5][2]

The below lists gives the approximate proportion of Level I units which can comprise a Division:

Level IV Composition[15][2]
Greek Letter BattleMech Armor Infantry Aerospace
Alpha 164 4 9 39
Beta 158 6 13 39
Gamma 151 9 17 39
Delta 144 11 22 39
Epsilon 138 13 26 39
Zeta 132 15 30 39
Eta 125 17 35 39
Theta 119 19 39 39
Iota 112 22 43 39
Kappa 105 24 48 39
Lambda 99 26 52 39
Mu 93 28 56 39
Nu 87 30 60 39
Xi 80 32 65 39
Omicron 73 35 69 39
Pi 67 37 73 39
Rho 60 39 78 39
Sigma 54 41 82 39
Tau 48 43 86 39
Upsilon 41 45 91 39
Phi 34 48 95 39
Chi 28 50 99 39
Psi 21 52 104 39
Omega 15 54 108 39

Level V[edit]

A Level V is the largest formation in the Com Guards/Militia, commonly referred to as an Army and commanded by a senior Precentor. At full strength an Army consists of six Level IVs, though for various reasons this has been as few as four, for a total of anywhere from 864 to 1,296 Level I units. Armies are primarily administrative units, although as seen in the Battle of Tukayyid they can also take to the field. Prior to the Schism there were twelve Armies, each one assigned to an area of the Inner Sphere Clock. The threat posed by the Clans and the breakaway of the Blakists have forced the Com Guards to scrap this original arrangement, instead deploying Armies where they are needed.[2][3][6] Being too small, the Blakist Militia did not possess any Level V-sized formations up through 3062.[16][17]

Level VI[edit]

Level VI is an infrequently used term representing the entire Com Guard, in general practice the later term is used.[2]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 ComStar (Sourcebook), p. 82
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 BattleTech: Battle of Tukayyid, pp. 34-25: "ComStar Organization"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 8
  4. 4.0 4.1 TechManual, p. 147
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 10
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 16
  7. Field Manual: ComStar, p. 130
  8. Total Warfare, pp. 265-266
  9. Spotlight On: Manyfold Paths, p. 3 "Unit History"
  10. Technical Readout: 3075 p. 24 "Se'irim Medium Battle Armor".
  11. Alpha Strike Companion, p. 154:"Non-Clan Nova Versions"
  12. Shrapnel #11, p. 39:"BTL-C-20 Battle Cobra"
  13. Spotlight On: Unending Faith, p. 4:"Unending Faith-Beta III"
  14. Spotlight On: Unending Faith, p. 6:"Personalities - Lachie Grozda"
  15. Field Manual: ComStar, p. 9
  16. ComStar (Sourcebook), p. 94
  17. Field Manual: ComStar, p. 46

Bibliography[edit]