The following page details the Yamataian military and offers starship captains and operators a selection of tactics to use in warfare.
The Yamatai Star Empire as a nation has an immensely strong fondness for all things military. Its cultured core is surrounded by a huge population of high-quality factory-made soldiers, and receives a focused education that glorifies military service and spirit. This emphasis on learning and war as a profession results in Yamatai continuously producing skilled leadership.
Yamataian military philosophy emphasizes the need for aggressiveness and speed. They believe that offense is paramount, and are apt to strike first whenever possible. This tendency has resulted in some diplomatic fiascos in the past as the Star Army has launched large, very destructive operations based on tiny bits of intelligence.
The Empire is very conscious of the psychological aspect of war and actively seeks to cause terror and panic in enemy ranks through shock attacks, propaganda, and ruthlessness (although it should be noted that Yamatai has a very civilized policy on treating its Prisoners of War well).
An important factor is that Yamatai maintains a professional, volunteer army. Soldiers should be there because they want to be there. It is paramount that the soldiers know the nation is something worth fighting for, and love their country because of its merit. Yamatai is a force for good.
Yamatai maintains also soldier morale via a combination of:
The core of the Star Army's forces are their high-end starships and on personal (power) armor. The starfighter and bomber are making a comeback as well. Recently, the Star Army has also placed an increased emphasis in planetary equipment such as ground vehicles and portable structures, for use in occupations and ground operations in areas with established aerospace superiority. Preparation and ingenuity have allowed Yamatai to fight and operate in almost any environment.
Soldiers are mostly well trained and disciplined, although sometimes their lower-ranking soldiers lack initiative, probably due to the Yamataian culture of conformity as well as the mass-production nature of their soldiers. Morale is generally good. Ship captains, however, have broad discretionary powers and freedom to make bold decisions. Large Yamataian numbers have often caused their forces to behave in a less inventive manner; the Star Army has reduced fleet sizes to compensate.
Ships are based on missions and threats. (Re)design your fleet's ships and formations based on these questions:
“If the enemy has supplies, then we have supplies.”
While Yamatai strongly prefers to use its own materiel, it is permitted to use captured supplies if necessary. In the past, Yamatai has used captured ships, rations, and uniform pieces. Any captured items in use by the Star Army must be clearly marked as Star Army equipment, to help prevent friendly fire incidents; with the exception of equipment used for wartime infiltration missions.
Yamatai's offensive strategy is deep and wide. While main battlegroups overwhelm and eliminate key targets, countless small squadrons penetrate enemy territory and raid any and all targets of value. Yamatai uses extensive intelligence networks to its advantage, typically scouting and studying territory before moving in.
Commanders in the Star Army of Yamatai know the value of aerospace superiority, and will typically secure a system before sending in ground troops, although armored troops of the aerospace type (Mindy) may be dispatched to disable planetary installations.
Yamatai wants to maximize its economy of force by freeing up as many assets as possible for offense. To do this, Yamataian holdings are heavily defended by space fortifications such as sensor networks, automated defense drone ships, and old warships converted into automated gun platforms. Defenses are deep. The philosophy is that defensive lines are flexible shock absorbers rather than a rigid, thin line that can be penetrated. Defensive assets are placed with overlapping fields of fire and coverage and communicate very well.
