Levantine Union Defense Council

The Levantine Union Defense Council is the military alliance and mutual defense component of the Levantine Union as well as a joint command organization for its members.

Levantine Union Defense Council

Abbreviation	LUDC
Formation	1 January 2018
Type	Military alliance
Headquarters	Corcra
Membership	Members of the Levantine Union

Structure

Table of organization and equipment of the LUDC.

The Levantine Union Defense Council is comprised of a delegation from each of the member nations, with a single person, dually appointed as the Military Attaché-in-Chief, who serves as the spokesperson on their nation's behalf. The council elects one of these Military Attachés-in-Chief as the Joint Allied Commander (JAC) and another as the Council Executive. The JAC is the commander of the armed forces assigned to the LUDC and holds the rank of General of the Levantine Union, and oversees the Vandarch Sea Guard and the Mobile Land Forces Element (MLFE). The JAC is supported by a headquarters brigade called the Coordinated Command Headquarters (CCHQ). CCHQ consists of a:

• Headquarters battalion: for command and control of all supporting units and functions;
• Central Intelligence Analysis battalion: for combining intelligence from members states, allied states, and field commands, and analyzing it for CCHQ leadership; and
• Central Civil Support battalion: to ensure that the administrative and higheslt level logistical functions are addressed.

Mobile Land Forces Element Structure

The Mobile Land Forces Element (MLFE) is a combined arms division commanded by a Divisional General of the Levantine Union. The MLFE is led by a headquarters battalion, a medical support regiment, an independent logistics battalion, and a battalion each of military police and military intelligence.

The LUDC Combined Arms Land Mobile Forces Division is made up of:

Unit type	Unit strength	Role	Equipment, if applicable	Notes
Divisional headquarters battalion	Battalion	Command and Control	N/A	N/A
Field Sustainment battalion	Battalion	Military supply-chain management	N/A	N/A
Combat Engineer battalion	Battalion	Combat engineering	Armored engineering and recovery vehicles: M1132 Engineer Squad Vehicle and AM 50.	N/A
Tank squadron (heavy)	Squadron	Armored-to-armored warfare, Direct fire support	Main battle tanks
Armored Car squadron	Squadron	Reconnaissance vehicle, Expeditionary warfare, Skirmishing, Artillery observation, Direct fire support	Armored cars: AMX-10 RCR, and EBRC Jaguar
Armored Infantry regiment (x2)	Regiment	Armored	Infantry fighting vehicles: VBMR Griffon
Artillery squadron	Squadron	Indirect fire support	Self-propelled artillery: CAESAR self-propelled howitzer, TRF-1, and GIAT LG1

Vandarch Sea Guard

The Vandarch Sea Guard (VSG) is a task force level surface warfare unit commanded by Rear Admiral of the Levantine Union. It consistes of a flag ship (always a crusier), 5 additional crusiers, 16-18 destroyers, and 36 frigates/coast guard cutters. Patrol vessels are attached in particular circumstances, if they are mission critical. The VSG consists of a pair of cruiser squadrons, each consisting of 3 crusiers, 8-9 destroyers, and 18 frigates/coast guard cutters. These are further divided into 6 cruiser divisions with 1 cruiser, 4/5 destroyers, and 9 frigates/coast guard cutters.

The cruiser squadrons are commanded by a commadore, the cruiser divisions are commanded by a captain. At the coast guard cutter level, an cluster of 4 cutters is additionally overseen by a pod captain.

Task Group Gemini

Task Group Gemini (Burg: Groupe Travaille Gemini (GT Gemini)) is a LUDC standing mine countermeasures immediate reaction force. Its role is to provide LUDC with an immediate operational response capability for active mine sweeping in the southestern Odoneru Ocean, the Sea of Canete, and the northwestern quadrant of the Sea of Istroya. It since 1988, Task Group Gemini as been assigned exclusively to LoNSC Standing Mine Countermeasures Task Group 1 and serves as its backbone.

GT Gemini was formed in 1988 of various naval units who were members of LUDC that were serving in LoNSC Standing Mine Countermeasures Task Group 1. It was decided to second these units to a singular LUDC designated commander to streamline administrate and logistical requirements on behalf of the navies of origin for the participating ships.

GT Gemini currently consists of the following ships:

Ship	Picture	Navy of Origin	Role/Type	Notes
VNB Searcher		Navy of Burgundie	Minehunter	N/A
VNB Finder		Navy of Burgundie	Minehunter	N/A
VNB Capetaine Lluc-Ache Marrion Bell		Navy of Burgundie	Mine countermeasures vessel	N/A
VNB Salarive		Navy of Burgundie	Replenishment oiler	N/A

Coordinating Office of Dericanian Forces

The Coordinative Office of Dericanian Forces was responsible for organizing the various military forces of the Deric States within the LUDC. It was dissolved in 2030.

Initiatives and branches

Unified Operations-Logistics Initiative

The Unified Operations-Logistics Initiative (UOLI) is an effort by the Levantine Union Defense Council to streamline both operational and logistical efforts of the militaries of the Council's member states. This includes a dual-faceted approach: the first of which includes creation of shared armament and munition standards between the members, while the second of which focuses on consulting with member states and creating recommended organizational restructuring, particularly for the Deric States and Anglei. The munitions standardization effort was started numerous times throughout the existence of the Levantia and Odoneru Treaty Association, the Defense Council's predecessor, but was never fully implemented; consequently, many weapons in use by LUDC members often include compatibility or modularity to use several different calibers of bullet or shell. While the LUDC officially introduced the 6.8x43mm cartridge as a common type for Defence Council members, its complete adoption has tended to be slow.

The Burgoignesc effort in support of the Unified Operations-Logistics Initiative is called 21st Century Burgoignesc Power Projection Stratagem (Burg: Prepaus Reestructuride Estrategic Globale della segle XXI (PREG-XXI). Specifically Operation Cavum Fundamentum, through which the Navy of Burgundie is restructuring its organization to task forces, quick strike packages, mostly logistics, with less combat units. Through its Automate 2028 Initiative the Burgoignesc Civil Defense and Security Ministry are partnering with private sector companies across the Levantine Union to deliver an autnomous supply chain with a high level of resiliency and with a frithening level of efficency.

Foreign Basing Initiative

The Levantine Union Defense Council's Foreign Basing Initiative (FBI) was created as part of the initial organization of the body in 2018. The program allows for streamlined basing of military personnel in territories of Levantine Union member states which are not members of the Union, with specific intention being to allow Levantine Union members to station forces in the overseas possessions of Urcea and Burgundie.

The Burgoignesc effort in support of the FBI is called PREG-XXI. Specifically Operation Cavum Fundamentum, through which the Navy of Burgundie has invited a contingent from Yonderre to cohabitate one of its salt water installations on Wintergen.

Vandarch Sea Guard

The Vandarch Sea Guard is the integrated multinational military unit of the Levantine Union responsible for naval defense, maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement within Levantine Union territorial waters of the Vandarch. It is comprised of the naval and maritime security forces of Anglei, Hollona and Diorisia, and Yonderre, as well as a portion of Fiannria's Navy of the Commonwealth.

Mobile Land Forces Element

The Mobile Land Forces Element is a division-sized combined arms unit that is in a state of operational readiness at all times to defend the Levantine Union and its interests. It is also the primary body of soldiers that troops are drawn from to support any commitments to the League of Nations (LoN) for peace-keeping and peace enforcing missions, on behalf of member states of the Levantine Union. In this way member states of the Levantine Union can commit forces, in principle, to a LoN resolution without having to draw down their own forces or reserves. In this eventuality, members of the Army of Burgundie's Reserves usually volunteer.

Foreign Services Element

The Foreign Services Element is an initiative within the Levantine Union Defense Council that allows officers to transfer to serve in the Royal and Confederate Army of New Harren while on active service. The Foreign Services Element is an extremely competitive program, and service in New Harren is considered prestigious and career enhancing.

Restitution Amendment

The Restitution Amendment was an amendment made to the LOTA charter in 1989 which resolves to continue to exempt Burgundie from having a standing army in Levantia, but in lieu of that, requires it to increase its financial and troop commitments to the LOTA (This agreement was transferred to the structure of the LUDC following the dissolution of LOTA). This was the agreement arrived at in lieu of Burgundie having to pay reparations to Urcea directly for the latter's involvement in the Second Great War and Operation Kipling "to an extraordinary degree even for allies as close as Burgundie and Urcea, on behalf of the interests of Burgundie and not always in line with the national goals of Urcea." which was a hot topic political platform for some conservative and nationalist parties in the 1980s in Urcea.

Bar-barrier

The collection of missile defense systems across the LUDC nations colloquially called the Barbarian barrier, or the Bar-barrier. It is a central hub of surveillance and targetting data used by Burgundie's Hypaspistai Projectile Defense Network, Fiannria, Urcea, and Yonderre. These four countries collectively cover most of the Deric States who pay additional dues for the maintenance of the system to defend them. The system does not own or operate any missile defense aparatus but is a clearing house for data used by the individual countries. All of the Deric States share information with the Bar-barrier system despite their lack of capability to act on the information in their own right.

The Bar-barrier was proposed by Crown Princess of Burgundie, Princess Amelia as part of her 21st Century Burgoignesc Power Projection Stratagem and adopted in 2028.

Network Interface Initiative

The Network Interface Initiative is a series of limited permissions and interoperability between network-centric warfare systems used by LUDC members. It was started by was proposed by Crown Princess of Burgundie, Princess Amelia as part of her 21st Century Burgoignesc Power Projection Stratagem and adopted in 2031. Currently, the military with this capability are Burgundie (HERMES Collaborative Combat Network), but the protocols of the Network Interface Initiative will allow for other LUDC militaries to securely liaise with the system when they have a similar capability.