Armada (Telkevan Union)

Armadas are the largest unit formations in the Telkevan armed forces. They are comprised of one or more grand armies, flotillas, legions, and task units, and can vary significantly in size and purpose. They are organized at the sector level and are directed by their respective sector marshals, who are responsible for directing, organizing and supplying the armadas under their command. Armadas serve as the AFRE's mainstay, being responsible for both defending the mainland and carrying out offensive operations in foreign territory.

History
The first armadas date back to before the Kovas Wars of Unification. Amid growing tension with the Nolsarian Empire, the Marshal's Council set out to make the empire's colonies capable of defending themselves by organizing each colony's respective military units into unified formations, with their home colony acting as their headquarters. Each colony would provide troops and equipment for their armada, but can and often did receive further support from the heavily industrialized settlements. Though they played a role in frustrating the Nolsarian's invasion, they proved incapable of repelling the invaders; nevertheless, Grand Marshal Tagara Vukarn, when reforming the military's doctrine following the formation of the modern Telkevan Empire, retained and expanded upon the armadas. As the empire expanded and sectors grew in both scale and number, armadas shifted away from individual colonies and were instead formed at the sector level, exponentially increasing their potential size in the process.

Armadas have played a pivotal role throughout the empire's involvement in the Great War. Numerous armadas have been deployed against the Peacekeepers, particularly the Empire of Diablos. As the conflict continues to escalate, the High Chamber has striven to reinforce their existing armadas while creating new ones whenever possible, going as far as to seek out auxiliaries to conscript as is the case of Operation Dawnhammer.

Command Structure
Each armada is commanded by a sector marshal, officials appointed by the High Chamber to oversee all military activities within their given sector and to direct the empire's campaigns. Sector Marshals seldom participate in battle, instead conducting grand strategy from the armada's headquarters. The sector marshal's orders are passed down to the four branch marshals, members of the general staff who each oversee one of the four primary components of the armada:


 * Lord Admiral: Oversees the flotilla, the fleet's naval units.


 * Lord General: Oversees the grand army, the fleet's army units.


 * Lord Imperator: Oversees the legion, the armada's legionnaires.


 * Lord Commander: Oversees the task force, the armada's special operations units.

The branch commanders lead the armada from its command fleet and participate in major battles. Below them are the admirals, generals, vice admirals, and lieutenant commanders, who command individual fleet groups, army groups, corps, and divisions respectively.

Structure
Armadas are organized at the sector level and draw their manpower and equipment from the colonies within the sector in which they were formed, though they can request additional supplies and troops from outside sources, which is common among new armadas operating near the border regions. Every sector of sufficient population and industrial capacity is required to create and maintain at least one armada. If the sector is unable to produce an armada, one will be sent to protect them until they are capable of raising one.

Every armada can be placed into one of two categories depending on their intended role:


 * Assault: Assault armadas are responsible for conducting offensive operations against foreign empires and responding to invasions.


 * Defense: Defensive armadas are tasked with defending the empire's colonies from invasion and suppressing insurrectionists. They can also act as an occupation force once the assault armada has subdued an enemy. Defense armadas are generally headquartered at the sector's capitol.

Armadas vary substantially in size depending on the number and size of their component units, which in turn is influenced partly by the sector in which they were created. As a result, while armadas produced in the middle sphere are smaller than those from the core sectors, they are both considered an armada.

The fleets of an armada are divided into four divisions, each with their own purpose:


 * Command Fleet: Command fleets contain the armada's general staff and are typically the largest fleet in the formation. Most command fleets contain ground forces to conduct planetary operations, though exceptions do exist.


 * Lancer Fleet: Lancer fleets act as the armada's vanguard and are focused on naval warfare, typically carrying no ground forces. They can, however, deploy legionnaires and provide orbital artillery.


 * Hammer Fleet: Hammer fleets are charged with terrestrial operations and thus contain the bulk of the armada's ground forces, though they are still capable of engaging in naval battles.


 * Shield Fleet: Shield fleets protect the armada's rear elements and contain the armada's reserves.

Combined Armada
Combined armadas are formations comprised of two or more armadas working in unison. Such formations are established directly by the High Chamber and are led by an appointed sector marshal, the marshals of the individual armadas becoming a part of the sector marshal's staff. Combined armadas are formed to conduct operations that cannot be handled by a single armada. Unlike the armadas themselves, combined armadas are temporary and will be dissolved once their objectives have been completed. The Great War has seen several combined armadas organized to fight the members of the Peacekeeper Alliance.

Notable armadas

 * 70th Combined Armada
 * 96th Exultant Blade
 * 28th Testament of Zeal
 * 323rd Kaiser's Seer


 * 57th Combined Armada
 * 277th Sword of Oltavar
 * 14th Helia's Thunder
 * 537th Fate's Reckoning
 * 980th Seeker of Wisdom


 * 108th Combined Armada
 * 77th Saertu's Gaze
 * 843rd Vindication of Blood
 * 355th Purity's Test


 * 97th Combined Armada
 * 977th Children of Riigr
 * 150th Fire Hammers


 * 88th Combined Armada
 * 109th Radiant Hierophant
 * 252nd Hand of Golgolag
 * 489th Ghost Eaters


 * 500th Purity of Flames