Peacekeeper Alliance

The Peacekeeper Alliance, also referred to as the Alliance or the Peacekeepers, is an intergovernmental military coalition of alien nations. Originally founded by the Rach to establish a coordinated resistance with their neighbouring states against the expansion of the Margan Empire into the Local Sector, the Peacekeeper Alliance has since grown significantly to account for the escalation in interstellar conflict.

The Peacekeeper Alliance constitutes an arrangement of collective defence whereby its component member nations work to protect each other against external threats and combine their military apparatus to combat common enemies, such as the Warlord Pact and the Biomatter Swarms. There are two foremost designations for member states of the Alliance: Combatant States and Protectorate States, with the two roles conferring different privileges and responsibilities. Warlord incursion into neutral space has accelerated the accession of new members into the Alliance, with more and more alien states committing to the coalition in acts of self-preservation.

Although it ostensibly began as a loose coalition of militaries, the Alliance’s adventitious emergence as the Local Sector’s preeminent superpower is no secret to the galactic community. The establishment of a diplomatic assembly and various systems of commercial, media and migratory exchange between member states has made them increasingly interdependent far more than the groups who compose the Warlord faction. Whether it was the Rach leadership’s intention or not, the political, military, economic and cultural influence of the Alliance over much of local space has only become more and more pervasive as the war has continued. For all the Alliance’s hegemony increases in its own territory however, the scale of the Warlord threat has only grown, and the expansion of the Peacekeepers numbers’ and territory has been mirrored by their foe.

Since the Warlord Pact’s official declaration of war against the Peacekeeper Alliance, both factions have been engaged in perpetual conflict. Dubbed the Great War, this armed struggle is the largest war in the history of the known galaxy and continues to intensify.

History
Main page: Great War

Years 1-3: Founding & Outbreak of Hostilities
See Also: Raid on Zartar, Rach Theatre, Zaretian Theatre, Sauran Theatre, Newverian Theatre, Dragoneteran-Tegotian War

Years 4-6: Operations Stormbreaker & Downfall
Main Articles: Operation Stormbreaker, Diab Theatre, Operation Downfall, Karahotdoum Theatre

Years 7-9: Renewed Peacekeeper Offensives
Main Articles: Keros Offensive, Operation Burning Lance, Operation Iron Gauntlet

Years 10-12: Peacekeeper Advances & Asanian Intervention
Main Articles: Dissolution of the Saracin Empire, Necraal Schism, Second Battle of Baltreos, Asanian Intervention

Years 13-15: Battle of Nu-Zartar to Second Battle of Norsus
Main Articles: Battle of Nu-Zartar, Second Battle of Norsus, Neutrality Crisis

Years 16-Present: Renewed Warlord Offensives & Rift Incident
Main Articles: Rift Incident, Operation Dawnhammer

Organization
The Peacekeeper Alliance has no de jure leader. Instead, the various alien states which make up its membership delegate representatives to influence its operations, with the United Empires Assembly acting as the principal legislating body.

The Peacekeeper Alliance also comprises various decentralised agencies established to accomplish specialised tasks without the need for extraneous or inefficient management by the member states' governments. Some of these agencies exist to further scientific, economic or diplomatic goals. Others were made to bring together different interest groups to facilitate dialogue between representatives from the different member states. A small number of agencies were established for bespoke military purposes, usually answering to the United Empires Military Command and conducting their activities in secret, sometimes even to the governments of the member states. An example of such an agency is the Anti-Biomatter Task Force.

Membership
Nations accede to the Alliance by becoming party to its treaties, thereby becoming official members of the United Empires Assembly and subjecting themselves to the obligations and privileges this confers. This necessarily entails relinquishing a degree of sovereignty to the Alliance in exchange for representation within its institutions and protection by its military forces.

States that join the Peacekeeper Alliance officially occupy one of two designations: Combatant State or Protectorate State. Combatant States take on a larger responsibility in protection of their fellow members but enjoy much greater influence over the Alliance’s political proceedings. Protectorate States are not bound by treaty to dedicate military strength to defend their fellow members but are expected to contribute to the war effort by other means.

Membership of the Peacekeeper Alliance is voluntary. While it could be argued that some alien nations are compelled to join by the otherwise inexorable threat of invasion by the Warlord Pact or third parties, the Peacekeepers avoid use of coercion to bolster their numbers. The Alliance exercises a degree of soft power to appeal to potential new members by maintaining diplomatic missions with alien territories on the frontier. The most significant factor in predicting a new member state’s recruitment is perhaps not their relationship with the Alliance but with the Pact: many alien nations lack the physiology, technology or resources to defend themselves against Warlord invasion and cannot reasonably expect admittance into the Warlord faction.

See here for a list of noteworthy member states of the Peacekeeper Alliance.

Criteria for Accession
In order to become a member state of the Peacekeeper Alliance, a candidate must first be found to meet certain political, economic, technological and military criteria. The requirements for becoming a Combatant State are understandably more demanding and more stringent than for becoming a Protectorate State.

Combatant States
Combatant States are sovereign nations which have formally pledged their allegiance to the Peacekeeper Alliance. Although they have no official power over the independent governments of the Alliance’s other member states, the Combatant States typically wield significant political influence over the United Empires Assembly. While they have more sway over the direction of the Alliance as an institution, no one Combatant State holds executive power and all have a vested interest in cooperation with one another.

Combatant States differ from Protectorate States in that they are bound by treaty to support other members militarily. Ratification of a new Combatant State necessitates an agreement to the Combatant State Charter. Conditions of this charter include, but are not limited to:


 * An agreement to follow the Collective Security Doctrine.
 * Prohibition of going to war with other member states.
 * Prohibition of claiming other member states' territory or resources without just cause (i.e. assisting the war effort).
 * Prohibition on use of chemical weapons against civilian populaces.
 * Prohibition on use of slavery in warfare or in military organisations.
 * Prohibition on the acquisition, stockpiling or transport of Biomatter.

The label ‘Peacekeepers’ is often used colloquially to refer to the Combatant States specifically.

Protectorate States
Protectorate States are nations which are officially aligned with the Peacekeeper Alliance but do not directly contribute military support to the coalition. Potential reasons for why a nation might identify as a Protectorate State might be their lack of military strength, small population, physiology unsuited for warfare or refusal to abide by the terms of the Combatant State Charter. Although Protectorate States exercise significantly less influence over the workings of the Peacekeeper Alliance relative to their Combatant State counterparts, their membership acts as a form of insurance against invasion by alien forces. In the event that a Protectorate State is attacked, Combatant States are obligated to use their superior firepower to protect them. This can act as an effective deterrent to potential threats for smaller or weaker nations, especially those on the Local Sector's frontier who have few allies.

Despite being spared the requirement of donating military assets to the Alliance, the position of Protectorate State still assumes extensive responsibility. In return for security under the protection of the Peacekeepers' militaries, Protectore States must pay a taxes to the Alliance and defer to the United Empires Assembly in many foreign policy matters. Additonally, Protectorate States are expected to provide economic aid in times of disaster and forfeit new territory for potential colonisation. Some critics have likened the Peacekeeper Alliance to an extortion racket on account of the fact that smaller alien powers are sometimes left no choice but to register as a Protectorate States and pay into the coalition lest they left to the mercy of the Warlord Pact or other aggressive third parties. Defenders of the Peacekeeper Alliance argue that the membership is a two-way relationship and the coalition cannot be sustained without cooperation.

Collective Security Doctrine
The Collective Security Doctrine is the Peacekeeper Alliance’s official policy for the identification and resolution of unilateral threats to the Alliance’s member states. Its principal purpose is to establish a strategy by which the United Empires Military Command, the Combatant State militaries and colonial militias can coordinate collective defence of member states’ territories. The doctrine entails both military and civilian responsibilities for member states with regards to preventing infighting, strengthening territorial security and structural integration with organisations of other member states.

The doctrine outlines the rules of engagement for fighting Warlord Pact forces and recognises the prerogative of Peacekeeper militaries to exercise various rights in order to abet the containment or subversion of Warlord forces, with the overarching goal of destroying the Warlord Pact itself. Under the Collective Security Doctrine, the Peacekeeper Alliance authorises the militaries of Combatant States to perform the following actions:


 * Deployment of navies or ground forces in the territory of other member states.
 * Appropriation or distribution of financial aid to support the war effort.
 * Requisition of assets to support the war effort (state-owned, corporate-owned or civilian-owned).
 * Use of technologies for moving through the Void, such as warp drives, in combat zones.
 * Use of clandestine operations.

The Collective Security Doctrine defines the procedure for minimising territorial concessions to the Warlord Pact and advocates for the liberation of Protectorate States who have been subjugated – a priority emphasised in Peacekeeper propaganda to the public. The doctrine rejects any strategy of appeasement of the Warlords but does make concessions for sacrificing territories or states with low military value to the Alliance – something which is not mentioned in propaganda to the public.

Military Forces
All military forces in the Peacekeeper Alliance abide by the Collective Security Doctrine. While not all report directly to the United Empires Military Command, the UEMC is responsible for coordinating operations that involve multiple Peacekeeper forces. The military forces of the Peacekeeper Alliance can be divided into three main categories:
 * Combatant State Militaries – The respective military forces of the Peacekeeper Alliance’s various Combatant States which are bound by the Combatant State Charter. These forces do not act at the discretion of the United Empires Military Command directly, but they may be called upon to follow UEMC directions and to cooperate with the militaries of other Combatant States.
 * Protectorate State Militaries – The respective military forces of Protectorate States. These organisations usually consist of minimal colonial defence teams or militia. They rarely operate outside of wherever they are already stationed.
 * United Empires Combined Forces – The military forces which report to the UEMC directly and cannot be deployed under the mandate of any single member state. One such an example is the United Empires Crisis Response Corps.

The United Empires Crisis Response Corps
The United Empires Crisis Response Corps is a standing force composed of personnel from the Peacekeeper Alliance member states. Unlike the Combatant State militaries, it does not report to any single member state government and is instead directed by the United Empires Military Command directly. Although the corps is significantly smaller than any of the Combatant State militaries, it was conceived to be a quickly-deployable military force for crisis response scenarios, especially Warlord Pact incursions on the frontier. This would allow for Peacekeeper forces to respond to assaults in a selective and timely manner without redirecting the significantly larger and more logistically-demanding imperial militaries. Oftentimes, it is the corps’ responsibility to act as the spearhead for the larger military forces to get some headway. The Crisis Response Corps is primarily designed for defensive operations and responding to attacks instigated by the enemy. Typical roles for the corps include:
 * Extracting important personnel or assets.
 * Evacuating non-combatants.
 * Providing emergency humanitarian support.
 * Disabling ground-to-air and anti-orbital weaponry to assist the deployment of other Peacekeeper forces.
 * Securing supply lines.

As a joint force, the Crisis Response Corps comprises ground troops, a navy and logistics and support divisions. The corps’ ranks consist of specially-selected soldiers from member state militaries and exploits the extensive diversity of its operatives’ backgrounds with a deliberate focus on interoperability of the various member states’ equipment, training, military doctrine and alien physiology. To some, the Crisis Response Corps represents the success of the Peacekeeper project and proof of what is possible through interspecies cooperation. To others, it is a stark warning of pervasive influence a military superpower can build by combining forces.

Rach Empire
Main Page: Rach


 * Years Active: Year 1 – Year 5, Year 15 - Ongoing

As a result of their evolution and history as a race obsessed with the clandestine, the Rach military operates on unconventional rules of engagement which capitalise on reconnaissance, sabotage and guerrilla warfare. While such strategies have their advantages, the weak conventional defences of Rach colonies left them open to attack from stronger foes. Recognising their vulnerability, the Rach founded the Peacekeeper Alliance to cultivate an array of powerful allies to help combat Warlord threats – particularly their sworn enemy, the Margan.

After their crushing defeat on their homeworld of Norsus and retreat into the Void, the Rach military has undergone radical reinvention to meet the ever-increasing demands of the Great War. At the core of this is their bleeding edge technology that exploits travel through the Void for infantry, effectively weaponizing localised teleportation.

Nuverian Union
Main page: [TBW]

Sauran Solidarity
Main page: Sauran Solidarity

Since the moment the Solidarity joined the Alliance they have been fervent advocates for more cooperation between the various races and have proposed numerous projects and groups to do so. Sauran assistance with planetary and ecological repairs have been invaluable to the wellbeing of not only the aliens living within the Alliance but also the Alliance itself. The Observers meanwhile have made it their task to analyse the data of hundreds of battles and different technologies to keep any advantage against the Warlords while working to close the gap in the areas the Alliance lags behind.

Empire of Diablos
Main page: Empire of Diablos

The Empire of Diablos has emerged as the champion of the Alliance’s creed and an indispensable element of the Peacekeepers’ arm on the frontier. Their loyalty to the Alliance is impeccable, perhaps owing to their culture’s honour code that makes their allegiance to the cause of protecting the weak against the strong almost sacrosanct. The Empire’s warfare is characterized by its overwhelming aggression – a trait that has defined the actions of its Outer Fleet in pressing into Warlord territory.
 * Years Active: Year 4 - Ongoing

Kastalian Survivors
Main Page: Kastalian Survivors