Imperial Legion (Caphiria): Difference between revisions

Serving as the epicenter of Caphiria's [[Military-industrial complex (Caphiria)|military-industrial complex]], the Legion commands the most substantial portion of the IAF's budget, at $1.3 trillion. It is also the world's largest military by personnel count, with 5,000,000 active-duty individuals and an additional 10,000,000 in reserves. Beyond this, the Legion contains the [[National Guard (Caphiria)|National Guard]], which comprises approximately 3,000,000 national guardsmen. The combined-component strength of the Imperial Legion is 17,000,000 soldiers. While the [[Imperator of Caphiria]] stands at the pinnacle of the command hierarchy—referred to as the ''pyramidis imperia''—they wield ultimate authority over the military without holding a specific rank and remaining a civilian. Operational leadership of the Imperial Legion is vested in the Master General, or ''Dux Domini'', who steers the force in line with the strategic visions set forth by the General Commander of the IAF and the Imperator.

The Imperial Legion, as the primary land-based force of the Imperial Armed Forces, plays a pivotal role in the maintenance and projection of Caphirian power. As outlined by the Constitution of Caphiria, the Legion's mandates are as follows:

# Deterrence and Response: Acting as a formidable deterrent against any potential threats, and when required, decisively addressing and neutralizing entities or nations that engage in actions detrimental to the peace and well-being of the Imperium.

{{main|Structure of the Imperial Legion}}The Imperial Legion is administered through the Department of the Legion within the [[Ministry of Defense (Caphiria)|Ministry of Defense]]. As an arm of the executive government, the Legion is entirely at the behest of the Imperator, who can declare war against a foreign power without parliamentary permission, plan the Legion's military strategy - in both general and specific maneuvers, issue direct orders to a soldier in any branch of the armed forces or an officer of any rank, force the launch of military satellites and the construction of forts, walls, and other defensive structures, and appoint or dismiss any military commander at-will. A consequence of this much power is the personal responsibility for the successes and failures of Caphiria's military.

Six centuries are grouped to form a ''cohort''. ''Cohorts'' used to be arranged within a legion by a hierarchy from first to last cohort but this was phased out before the civil war. A cohort's ''principales'' (CO) is the Standard-Bearer (''Signiferius''). Once carrier of his cohort's symbol, ''signiferius'' came to denote a high military rank in the 18th century. Formal duties of a ''signiferius'' for his cohort are choosing its coat of arms, creating a motto and generally distinguishing it among the empire's many legions. While rarely in the line of fire, a ''signiferius'' still risks losing communications with inferior officers through a radio blackout or technical error. In such an event, he is temporarily replaced by the senior centurion, the ''Primus Pilus'' (First Spear), until higher leaders are contacted. Though the ''primus pilus''' century does not receive special treatment, a first spear has the highest pay grade of all the infantrymen.

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Besides basic infantry and their commanding officers, the Legion employs thousands of soldiers in a logistic or supportive military role. These form the specialized components of the Legion.

Artillery (''ballista'') is operated by the vital ''Ballistarii'' (artillerymen). They are grouped into regiments (''Manipuli''), individually commanded by an artillery officer (''Duplicarius''). The number of regiments assigned to a legion - and the composition of those regiments - is an area of flexibility for the Caphiran army. Regular legionaries are universally trained in the operation of mortars. Every ''contubernium'' has one of its own for field use, but this does little compared to the effectiveness of dedicated artillerymen and heavy artillery.

{{main|List of equipment of the Imperial Legion}}

[[category:Caphiria]]

[[category:Military of Caphiria]]