Repzork Battle Doctrine

The following is an overview summarizing how the Repzork conduct war.

Overview
See also: Armed Forces of the Repzork Empire & Armada (Repzork Empire)

The AFRE is divided into four service branches: the Star Navy, which conducts aerospace warfare; the Army, which conducts land, oceanic, and subterranean warfare; the Repzork Star Marines, which supports both the navy and the army; and Central Intelligence, the AFRE's combined special operations branch. These branches operate in tandem with one another in order to assure strategic and tactical cohesiveness. Likewise, the modern battlespace is divided into five blocks: space, air, ground, oceanic, and subterranean. Of these blocks, space and air are considered the most crucial as superiority in both is the determining factor in most conflicts, but all blocks are considered vital to achieving total victory.

The preeminent unit formation of the AFRE is the Armada, which all contain at least one flotilla, grand army, marine division, and task force. At least one armada is present in each sufficiently developed sector of Repzork space, with the core worlds being capable of producing multiple due to their large population and industrial capacity. Armadas are responsible for either defending their assigned sector from incursions, waging war against foreign powers, or in the case of small armadas, supporting the former two. Armadas fall under the authority of sector marshals, who answer directly to the High Chamber.

In broad terms, modern Repzork offensive strategy revolves around relentless aggression. When possible, units are to utilize concentrated attacks to pierce enemy lines and disrupt their positions/formations, allowing for the enemy's piecemeal envelopment and destruction as vanguard units push deeper to disrupt the enemy's rear positions. If this is not possible, the military switches to siege warfare, surrounding an enemy and bombarding with long-range firepower while simultaneously sabotaging their defenses with infiltrators, and in the case of land warfare, subterranean units. Defensively, the AFRE relies predominantly on a layered defensive network designed to gradually wear an enemy down until they can be repelled by a counterattack.

Battle doctrines are never set in stone and are constantly evolving due in part to military command being partly decentralized. Though the High Chamber has the final say in all decisions, sector marshals possess a great deal of autonomy in how they achieve their goals, allowing for them to experiment with new ideas adapted to specific circumstances. This autonomy extends down to the lowest ranking officers and NCOs. At the same time, troops are expected to follow direct orders; though officers can disobey orders if they believe it to be beneficial, the punishment for failure, which in the most extreme circumstances is execution, often dissuades most from tying outside of desperate circumstances or obvious opportunities.

To the Repzork, victory is paramount above all else. Not bound by any notions of morality or ethics in regards to warfare, the Repzork will use any and all available options if they contribute to victory. The deaths of any civilians caught in the crossfire is often of little consequence as the Repzork consider them to be unarmed combatants, a view reinforced by conscription being mandatory in Repzork society. If an enemy does surrender, the Repzork will spare them and instead take them as captives. They do make an attempt to prevent casualties among their own ranks as often as possible. While casualties are expected for any operation, officers accused of wasting the lives of their personnel can be stripped of their command and have their reputation permanently tarnished for having defied the Oltavaran Code, in which wastefulness is considered a personal affront to the gods.

Equipment
See also: Arsenal of the Armed Forces of the Repzork Empire

The AFRE maintains a vast and diverse arsenal allowing them to operate in any potential environment. The Star Navy and Army both have separate design philosophies suited to their specific needs.

The Star Navy places great emphasis on the quality of individual starships and aircraft. Its forces boast durable armor, substantial firepower, and top-of-the-line technology. Thus, while the Star Navy is not as large as some of its contemporaries, it is more than capable of maintaining parity with the empire's rivals. All modern combat starships utilize subspace FTL drives, whereas vessels designed strictly for transporting supplies utilize faster but less maneuverable jump-drives. Efforts are currently being made to develop a working Void drive.

The Army, having to maintain and supply billions of troops across hundreds of planets, typically sacrifices the quality of its individual units for rapid production. In exchange, Army equipment is designed to be both rugged and easy to maintain. There are some notable exceptions to this rule, such as the Vaildag Mobile Facility, STV-47 Oltavar Siege Tank, and the ODV Vasekar series of combat walkers. The Star Marines, being substantially smaller than the Army and maintaining close ties with the Navy, often receives the newest terrestrial equipment partly as a means of determining its effectiveness. If it proves its merit, this equipment is then supplied to the Army to gradually disperse among its troops.

All combat personnel are equipped with exoskeletal power armor or battlesuits which enhance the user's strength. These armors, as well as most vehicles, are painted to match the environment troops are expected to be fighting in. The majority of infantry weapons are built with these armors in mind as designers can then increase their firepower with little to no significant increase in recoil for armored users. Infantry also have access to grenades and mines. Armors are modular to allow for various upgrades and attachments.

The AFRE utilizes both projectile weapons and energy weapons alongside a number of specialized chemical and biological weapons. They also employ melee weapons, though most are not standard-issue. The Great War has seen the empire introduce a variety of new tools to the arsenal, including antimatter, which is used in high-powered explosives; and Marganite, which, despite the controversy surrounding it, is employed in various forms for offensive operations. The AFRE also has a small arsenal of ancient weapons, most notably hard light firearms, which despite being extremely costly to produce, make up for it in firepower.

Drones and artificial intelligence constructs have also taken a prominent role within the AFRE and come in a variety of formats. Proxies emphasize function over form and are thus constructed in whatever form is best suited for their intended role. The most simple proxies are controlled by constructs incapable of any thought and are deployed en masse as cannon fodder to overwhelm a foe through sheer force of numbers. More advanced proxies behave like trained soldiers and are generally deployed alongside Marines. The most advanced machines are powered by sapient Telkevon 'Iron Soul' A.I constructs, but such constructs are both rare and remain a guarded secret.

Pre-Invasion Operations
See also: Repzork Central Intelligence

Space Warfare
See also: Repzork Star Navy & Repzork Star Marines

Land Warfare
See also: Repzork Army