Vithinjan Armed Forces

The Aciriani Armed Forces (Aciriano: Forze Armate Aciriano), formally known as the Imperial Armed Forces of Aciria, are the armed forces of Aciria.

The Imperial Armed Forces of Aciria trace its roots back to the establishment of the Free Republic of Aciria when it was called the Free Republican Army, founded with the purpose of fending off potential attempts at reintegrating Aciria to its former overlord, but was mainly used to pacify revolts in the region. Formally founded in 1785 following the establishment of the Grand Empire of Aciria after Giovanni I seized power and crowned himself Emperor. The Imperial Armed Forces are responsible for stability of the nation alongside fending off any threats against the sovereignty of the Grand Empire, both domestic and foreign. The Imperial Armed Forces are also able to provide relief support and humanitarian aid, but are seldom used for it.

History


The origin of the Imperial Armed Forces can be found in the Free Republican Army, established immediately after the declaration of the Free Republic of Aciria by Silvano de Albairate. The FRA was in no position to deter foreign invasions would one have presented itself due to the widespread corruption, lack of morale, insubordination and incompetence, proven by the fact it barely managed to pacify revolts in various regions of the country. Despite this, the FRA remained as the sole barrier between the sovereignty of Aciria and the invasion of a foreign power.

The FRA remained in such a state until 1783 when Giovanni I took the throne of Aciria and declared the Grand Empire of Aciria. As the Free Republic no longer existed, the FRA seized existing too. For two years, the internal stability was maintained by the respect and fear people had for the new Emperor, and local militias lead by former FRA officers loyal to Jean I. In 1785, Jean I declared the Grand Army of the Empire, reforming the defunct FRA into the earliest branch of the Imperial Armed Forces. Through relentless drills, expanded trade and disciplinary action, the Grand Army of the Empire quickly was transformed to a modern army which was a force to be reckoned with.

A decade after the formation of the Imperial Armed Forces, the Conscription Act was put into effect by Jean I, but eventually was scrapped in 1805 due to the amount of men conscripted meant the quality of the units suffered. This sparked worry that the Grand Army was headed for the direction of the FRA, a chance Giovanni I wasn't willing to take.

In modern times, the Imperial Armed Forces have made strides towards a self-sufficiency, meaning the army attempts to acquire most of their equipment from domestic suppliers. Due to lack of resources and/or industry, Aciria has looked to Caphiria for supplying them the equipment they cannot produce themselves.

Service branches
The Aciriani Armed Forces consists of the Imperial Army, Imperial Navy and Imperial Air Force. Additionally, the Imperial Administrative Police functions as a part of the Imperial  Army.

Imperial Army
The Imperial Army of Aciria is by far the largest service branch of the Aciriani Armed Forces, boasting 432,000 personnel as of 2020. It is warranted by the mainly flat geography of Aciria to ensure numbers capable of both defending and reinforcing strategic points in Aciria as well as mount an eventual offensive assault. The Imperial Army is split into the defensive Citadel Army (Aciriano: Esercito della Cittadella), and the offensive Vanguard Army (Aciriano: Esercito d'Avanguardia), but the offensive army can adapt to defensive positions and vice versa. Since 2016, the Imperial Army has experienced rapid expansion of their tech-intensive elements, including but not limited to army aviation and various electronic warfare units. Outdated communications technology is in the process of being phased out for more recent, integrated information network.

Imperial Navy
The responsibilities which fall upon the Imperial Navy are naval and amphibious operations. With 70,000 men, including the 30,000 Imperial Marines, it is the second largest branch of the Imperial Armed Forces. The Imperial Navy consists of 200 commissioned ships, with the naval aviation force consisting of about 100 rotary-wing aircrafts.

The Imperial Navy includes the Imperial Fleet, Imperial Marines, and its headquarters located in Il Bastione alongside with the two other branches of the military. The highest ranking officer of the Imperial Navy is the Grand Admiral, whose responsibilities include the organization, recruitment, training, equipping, supply and the mobilization of the Imperial Navy.