Calderan Armed Forces
| Calderan Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 6 June 1934 |
| Country |  Austro-Caldera |
| Type | Army | Airforce | Navy |
| Role | Land, sea, and air protection and assault |
| Size | 349,590 active duty personnel
4,432 Naval personnel 2,694 Airforce personnel |
| Headquarters | Neu Maessen, Austro-Caldera |
| Motto(s) | "We are the strong" |
| Colors | Gray and black |
| Equipment | List |
| Commanders | |
| Prime Leader |  Charles LeMieux |
| General of the Army |  Issac Pope |
The Calderan Armed Forces is the formal military of Caldera. Acting as a single entity, the Calderan Armed Forces performs the tasks that would be typical of an Army, Navy, and Airforce. It was founded in 1934 during the Second Great War after facing a massive Daxian invasion. During SGW, the military was hardly able to repel the Daxian soldiers, and most of Caldera was under Daxian rule while a small part was able to revolt against the invasion thanks to the expanded military.
Controversies
The Calderan Armed Forces was once host to a variety of controversies over various aspects, from the uniform, to the mascot, to the types of weapons used. Here are brief summaries of the most common.
Native Conscription
The Calderan military's greatest controversy was its use of native conscription. This is the belief that Volin people should be the ones responsible for protecting Caldera and the Volkspartei, since the Volins were the first inhabitants of Caldera and they had previously defended the country from other Iroquoian tribes in the 1600s. All citizens of Caldera that descend from the native inhabitants are required to be in the Calderan Armed Forces for 5 years, whereas citizens that descended from Gothic tribes and likely came to Caldera during the Yonderian Immigration are not subject to any conscription or compulsory service. This form of Native Conscription was ended in 2034 by Prime Leader LeMieux.
Fear Tactics
Caldera's military is based around fear tactics, using dark colors and uniforms to blend in to the night and attack enemies when they don't expect it. This has been described as "dictatorial", as it makes citizens feel uncomfortable around soldiers that are meant to protect them. Furthermore, the uniforms to come out of this have been proven to be less efficient than the camouflaged uniforms of other nations. The Calderan Armed Forces still refused to switch, out of principle and preference by the Volkspartei. Despite the Volkspartei losing control of government, new political parties still have not funded the replacement of CAF uniforms due to a peaceful disposition.
Outdated Equipment
The last large increase in funding of the Calderan Armed Forces was during the Second Great War, when the Armed Forces were created and outfitted with the newest international equipment. Because of this, the Armed Forces suffers from incredibly outdated weapons and equipment, whereas all of the weapons of this period were updated in the 1960s to 1980s, Austro-Caldera continues to service them alongside newer weapons, usually produced by Austro-Caldera itself.
Under the suggestion of the Volkspartei, older weapons were given to Volin soldiers en masse for combating nations overseas, while the newer weapons are reserved for military bases and defending Austro-Caldera. Under Prime Leader LeMieux, race is no longer considered a factor, with older weapons being given to guards and newer weapons reserved for elite units.