Astral Vanguard Military Policy

Astral Vanguard military is defined by rigid operational standards defined into 'sections' which are considered to be a set of standards established for increasingly hostiles conditions. Combined with military law, it creates a strict code of conduct all Astral Vanguard soldiers must abide in order to ensure the good functioning of the military and an avoidance of military casualties and collateral damage to civilians.

Patrol Service is the main operational mode for most Astral Vanguard forces active at any given moment. During patrol service, minimal force is required and the goal is projection of force in order to maintain law and order in sectors outside of civilian law enforcement jurisdiction (.i.e: space, hostile regions such as the wastes of Mazerin and Nuocr Expanse of Maekardan). Under Section 1, the Astral Vanguard functions akin to a space-based law enforcement or coast guard service.

Operational Conditions

• Peacetime in a region of relatively high stability.
• No presence of insurgents.

Operational Standards

• Minimal usage of VANDR or VAHIN forces. Reconnaissance purposes only.
• No usage of heavy ordnance such as MACD.
• Activities at a significant distance from any civilian centers.

Peacekeeping is defined as a passive military action in regions of lesser stability, with forces posted near or inside of unstable regions as a means of preventing civil conflict. Peacekeeping is one of the less glamorous duties given to a Vanguard, as it often places him or her in a situation of extreme unease surrounded by potentially armed insurgents for the purposes of preventing bloodshed but not actively removing the causes.

Operational Conditions

• Peacetime in a region of relatively low stability.
• Low/moderate civil unrest.
• Potential presence of insurgents.

Operational Standards

• Minimal usage of VANDR, moderate usage of VAHIN forces.
• No usage of heavy ordnance such as MACD.
• Minimal action against armed civilians. Attacks limited to retaliation in kind.
• Activities near or around civilian centers.

Diplomatic Intervention is the active censure of a region through the posting of more proactive military units and the deployment of diplomatic agents to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. The goal is to avoid bloodshed and use the military strictly as an insurance policy if the situation rapidly descends into a Section 4.

Operational Conditions

• Tenuous peace in a region of relatively low stability.
• Moderate civil unrest.
• Known presence of insurgents.

Operational Standards

• Minimal usage of VANDR, heavy usage of VAHIN forces.
• Minimal usage of heavy ordnance such as MACD.
• Minimal action against armed civilians. Attacks limited to retaliation in kind.
• Activities near or around civilian centers.

Armed Interventions are 'the act of making peace'. This is contrasted with the more strictly defined Section 2, in which forces are to maintain the peace but are asked to take minimal action. In actuality, any military campaign during peacetime is considered a Section 4, although many veterans of the previous three major conflicts in recent history have grudgingly referred to their assignments as “Section 4.5” due to the more war-like conditions they encountered.

During a Section 4, the goal is to produce peace with minimal application of force. Regimes are rarely changed, and there is no active attempt at disarming the belligerents or opposition in such a conflict as the policy surrounding a Section 4 Armed Intervention does not mandate it.

Operational Conditions

• Tenuous peace in a region of relatively low stability.
• High civil unrest.
• Active presence of insurgents.

Operational Standards

• Moderate usage of VANDR, moderate usage of VAHIN forces.
• Minimal usage of heavy ordnance such as MACD.
• Direct action against armed civilians.
• Limited engagement of hostile forces. The goal is to create peace, not annihilation or the continuation of hostilities.
• Activities near or around civilian centers.

Armed Disarmament is lowest rated wartime deployment for Astral Vanguard forces. Here, the goal is the actively remove the ability of a weaker or technologically backwards rogue nation to wage war effectively. Precision warfare and high volumes of firepower are key, as the Astral Vanguard will always prioritize military installations and anti-orbital defenses, as well as any weapons caches, but leave industry and civilian centers untouched.

Although they have had limited action in this purpose, most of the wartime options have been heavily discussed and planned by the top brass.

Operational Conditions

• Wartime against a less numerous, technologically backwards or weaker nation.
• Confirmation of the nation's possession of unconventional warfare devices and NBC weapons.
• A political landscape more inclined to annexation or vassalization.

Operational Standards

• Moderate usage of VANDR, moderate usage of VAHIN forces.
• Moderate usage of heavy ordnance such as MACD.
• Minimal action against armed civilians.
• Direct engagement of hostile forces and strategic strikes on enemy installations.
• Avoidance of activities near or around civilian centers.

When negotiations fail and a war is inevitable, the Vanguard resorts to single or series of extreme shows of force on high-value military installations belonging to the enemy nation. The goal is to break the characteristic strengths of the enemy and press them into a corner to resume diplomatic talks. Section 6 can be considered an extension of Section 5 as the goal is always to resolve the conflict before it has gained too much momentum and create a peace.

Operational Conditions

• Wartime against a more or less equal nation with roughly equivalent total strength.
• A political landscape more inclined to armistice.

Operational Standards

• Heavy usage of VANDR, moderate usage of VAHIN forces.
• Heavy usage of heavy ordnance such as MACD.
• Minimal action against armed civilians.
• Usage of propaganda against civilians of other nations to sway opinions.
• Direct engagement of hostile forces. Focus on strategic strikes on enemy installations.
• Avoidance of activities near or around civilian centers.

If a campaign takes a turn for the worse and the situations escalates into a Section 7, the Astral Vanguard shifts goals to more desperate defense of the homeland, pulling back forces to settled systems and doing as much as possible to hold the line. By this point, the Commonwealth will often sue for peace or attempt to gain support from other nations.

There has been no Section 7 deployment in known Iromakuanhe history.

Operational Conditions

• Wartime against a clearly superior enemy.
• A campaign that has resulted in long-term strategic losses.

Operational Standards

• Calling of all military assets to active use.
• Extreme usage of heavy ordnance, potential usage of large-scale repulsion weapons and tailor-made biological agents.
• Minimal action against armed civilians. Collateral damage possible, but avoided.
• Direct engagement of hostile forces. Numerous desperation attacks and strategic strikes on enemy installations.
• Active defense of civilian centers. Potential repulsion bombardment/biological attacks on enemy centers of administration.