ComStar military structure

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. When the ComStar Schism resulted in the creation of the Word of Blake, the Blakists copied the same model for their own militia forces.

Unit Organization

Level I

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. After their introduction, a Level I could also consist of four battle armored troopers; this number was later increased to six. Level Is are commanded by Adepts, with Acolytes filling in the roles of enlisted personnel and noncoms.

Level II

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

Level II 'Mech/Weight Composition (3062)

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)

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

While some Com Guard divisions such as the 394th took inspiration from the Clan Nova to integrate Battle Armor into its Level IIs, 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. Despite its controversial origin, a number of ComStar units would employ facsimiles of the Blakist concept where the reborn Dark Age era First Division's Unending Faith III would directly revive the Choir.

Level III

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. 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. Level IIIs can be commanded by an Adept or a Demi-Precentor.

Level IV

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. 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. Level IVs can be commanded by a Demi-Precentor or a Precentor.

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

Level IV Composition

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

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. Being too small, the Blakist Militia did not possess any Level V-sized formations up through 3062.

Level VI

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

Bibliography

• Alpha Strike Companion
• BattleTech: Battle of Tukayyid
• ComStar (sourcebook)
• Field Manual: ComStar
• Shrapnel #11
• Spotlight On: Manyfold Paths
• Spotlight On: Unending Faith
• Strategic Operations
• Technical Manual
• Technical Readout: 3075