Star League Defense Force

A SLDF security in front of Invader class JumpShips

The Star League Defense Force (SLDF) was the principal military force defending the Star League, a conglomeration of star systems within roughly 500 light years of Terra. The Star League Defense Force left the Inner Sphere after Stefan Amaris overthrew the ruling First Lord of the Star League, Richard Cameron. After fighting a long series of bloody battles throughout the Star League, General Aleksandr Kerensky led nearly seventy-five percent of the Star League Defense Force out beyond the Inner Sphere, hoping to end the internecine violence endemic to the Inner Sphere after the death of Stefan Amaris. The SLDF returned 300 years later as the Clans, a technologically superior military that invaded the Inner Sphere in 3049.

Organization and Combat Doctrines

At the birth of the Star League, the SLDF was comprised of ~270 regiments of ground forces (conventional armor, infantry and BattleMechs), as well as a fleet of greater than 500 capital vessels. At the outset of the Reunification War the SLDF was divided into 10 Corps. By the Amaris Civil War the SLDF had over 15,000 regiments and just as many WarShips and JumpShips divided into 10 Armies. Each Army/Corp was named based on its theater of operations and recruitment:

• First Terran Corps/Army
• Second Rigilian Corps/Army
• Third Altairian Corps/Army
• Fourth Fomalhaut Corps/Army
• Fifth Sirian Corps/Army
• Sixth Astan Corps/Army
• Seventh Procyon Corps/Army
• First Reserve Corps/Army
• Second Reserve Corps/Army
• Star Guard Corps/Army

Though the composition of each of the Corps/Armies differed, a "triangular" organization was maintained though all levels:

• 1 Army consists of 3 Corps
• 1 Corps consists of 3 Divisions
• 1 Division consists of 3 Brigades
• 1 Brigade consists of 3 Regiments
• 1 Regiment consists of 3 Battalions/Wings
• 1 Battalion/Wings consists of 3 Companies/Squadrons
• 1 Company/Squadrons consists of 3 Lances/Flights

Combat Role

Ground units of the SLDF were classified and equipped depending upon role.

• Heavy Assault regiments consisted of mainly heavy BattleMechs and vehicles. The main assault force of the SLDF, most corps possessed at least a single Heavy Assault regiment.
• Regular regiments consisted of an equal mix of medium BattleMechs, vehicles, and infantry. Regular regiments were employed for a variety of mission types because they were both mobile and flexible. The majority of SLDF regiments fell into this classification.
• Royal regiments were nearly identical to Regular regiments, with two exceptions. Royal regiments consisted entirely of soldiers of Terran Hegemony birth. Further, Royal regiments are the initial beneficiaries of BattleTechnology innovations - all Royal regiments were equipped with the ultimate in weapons development.
• Horse regiments consisted of light BattleMechs, jump or mechanized infantry, and mobile artillery. Horse regiments remained highly mobile, and excelled at flanking, pinning, harassing fleeing adversaries, and reconnaissance.
• Light Horse regiments consisted of a 7:1 ratio of infantry:BattleMechs. However, infantry within the Light Horse regiments were engineers, anti-BattleMech trained, or commandos. Light Horse regiments were employed for raiding, clearing (or placing) minefields, infiltration, and security.
• Striker regiments consisted entirely of fast BattleMechs, infantry and artillery. All striker units were jump capable (if possible) and armed with energy weapons. Striker regiments were supplied with experienced troops, and were able to conduct missions behind enemy lines for long periods of time.

At the core of all SLDF groups were the Royal Divisions, with troops drawn exclusively from the Terran Hegemony.

A list of SLDF commands is available.

Military Regions

General Shandra Noruff-Cameron, the SLDF's first Commanding General, divided the member states into six Military Regions for organizational purposes. The SLDF stationed an Army Group in the Capellan Confederation Military Region, Draconis Combine Military Region, Federated Suns Military Region, Free Worlds League Military Region, Lyran Commonwealth Military Region and Terran Military Region. The Periphery Military Region oversaw the Periphery nations as a whole, but each Periphery nation was assigned its own SLDF Army.

Second Star League Defense Force

In late 3058, the leaders of the Inner Sphere decided to resurrect the Star League in order to defeat the Clans. Victor Steiner-Davion became the first Commanding General of the SLDF since General Aleksandr Kerensky, though the SLDF was composed of only a handful of units. In 3063, Victor resigned as Commanding General in order to avoid a conflict of interest while he led forces loyal to him against his sister, Katherine. Hohiro Kurita succeeded Victor and presided over the disbandment of the SLDF following a vote of no confidence in the Star League in December of 3067.

Units of the Second Star League Defense Force

Though the ultimate goal of the Second Star League was to create a wholly independent SLDF, due to the small number of so called "core" units, the organization relied heavily upon preexisting units from each member-state. Such units were donated for fixed periods of service and operated per the SLDF Chain of Command.

Eridani Light Horse

As a surviving remnant of first SLDF renowned for maintaining the traditions and history of the original, one of their first acts of the Second Star League was to offer the Eridani Light Horse mercenary unit a place in the new SLDF. The ELH accepted, and made its headquarters in Fort Dieron. In addition, the commanding officer of the ELH was promoted from Brevet General to Lieutenant General.

• Command and Transport Division
• 71st Light Horse
• 151st Light Horse
• 21st Striker Regiment
• 19th Cavalry Regiment

Royal Black Watch Regiment

Born of a centuries old secret society within the Northwind Highlanders devoted to maintaining the traditions of the original Black Watch Regiment destroyed in the Amaris Coup, the new Royal Black Watch again serves as the personal bodyguard of the First Lord.

1st Royal BattleMech Regiment

The first entirely new unit commissioned by the Second SLDF, the 1st Royal BattleMech Regiment was formed by Andrew Redburn from the survivors of many of the commands that were destroyed as a part of Task Force Serpent's assault on Huntress. Most of these troops came from the 1st Kathil Uhlans.

Clan Nova Cat

Pledging their allegiance to the reborn Star League, the Abjured Clan Nova Cat was still a force to be reckoned with, contributing both elite troops and the bulk of their WarShip fleet to the defense of the League. While theoretically the entire Nova Cat touman fell under the control of the SLDF, per their agreement with the Draconis Combine a full third had to be retained within the Combine's borders for the defense of the Cat's Irece Prefecture.

Awards

• 

  red cross

• 

  order of the sword

• 

  order of the star ‎

• 

  medal of valor

• 

  order of the palm

• 

  medal of honor

• 

  medal of the dove

• 

  mckenna wheel

Uniforms

• Cameronuniformnavaltechnican.png

  technican

• Cameronuniformsecurity.png

  security

• Cameronuniformmechwarrior.png

  mechwarrior

• Cameronuniformnaval.png

  naval

• Cameronuniformnaval3.png

  naval

• Cameronuniformnaval2.png

  naval

• Cameronuniformarmy.png

  army

• Cameronuniforminfantry.png

  infantry

• Cameronuniformarmor.png

  armor

• Cameronuniformaero.png

  aerospace

Commanding Generals

Name	Reign	Rank
Commanding Generals of the SLDF 2571-2801
Shandra Noruff	2571 - 2575	General
Carlos Dangmar-Lee	2575 - 2597	General
Nicholas Kinnol	2597 - 2646	General
Killian Squarn-Turk	2646 - 2680	General
David Peterson	2680 - 2707	Admiral
Ikolar Fredasa	2707 - 2729	General
Rebecca Fetladral	2729 - 2738	General
Aleksandr Kerensky	2738 - 2801	General

Bibliography

• The Star League
• The Periphery (sourcebook)
• Field Manual: Update
• Field Manual: Capellan Confederation
• Field Manual: ComStar
• The Capellan Solution novels