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 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 often the determining factor in battle, 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, the ruling body of both the military and the empire as a whole.

In broad terms, modern Repzork offensive doctrine revolves around relentless aggression. The enemy is to be constantly bombarded from afar and harassed along their flanks as the front line uses concentrated attacks to pierce weakened sections of an enemy's defenses, allowing for the piecemeal encirclement and subsequent destruction of remaining enemy defenders as the vanguard continues their push deeper into enemy territory. If the enemy cannot be broken, the military switches to siege warfare, encircling and continually bombarding the enemy as saboteurs seek to dismantle the enemy's defenses from within. 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. The specifics to these strategies vary from armada to armada and from battle to battle as commanders adapt for specific scenarios and opponents.

Though the High Chamber has the final say in all decisions, military command is partly decentralized. The High Chamber often dictates grand strategy, establishing objectives that are then passed down to the sector marshals, who are often allowed to pursue their objectives as they see fit so long as they do not place citizens of the empire in jeopardy or violate the Oltavaran Code. This autonomy extends all the way down to the lowest ranking officers and NCOs, allowing them to experiment with new tactics and adapt to sudden changes in battlefield conditions. Officers are even allowed to go as far as to disobey direct orders if they believe it to be beneficial to the cause, but the punishment for failure, which can include execution in the most serious cases, dissuade most from attempting outside of desperate circumstances or obvious opportunities.

To the Repzork, victory is paramount above all else. The empire will readily use any and all available options to subdue an enemy regardless of collateral damage if it contributes to victory. They seldom go out of their way to attack civilians, but have little remorse for those caught in the crossfire, with most soldiers and officers regarding them as unarmed combatants, a view which has been reinforced by mandatory conscription in Repzork society. If an enemy does surrender, the Repzork will spare them and take them as captives as it is considered dishonorable to engage a foe who is unwilling to fight. Officers do make an attempt to prevent casualties among their own ranks as often as possible. While casualties are expected for any operation, officials guilty of wasting the lives of their personnel can be be stripped of their command and have their reputation permanently tarnished, as 'throwing away' the lives of those under one's command is seen as an affront to the dead, their ancestors, and the gods themselves.

Technology & 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, with new weapons and tools being developed regularly. The empire places great emphasis on maintaining a technological edge over any potential rivals, and thus is constantly experimenting with new concepts and reverse-engineering foreign technology in order to later replicate and modify it to fit their needs. Some of the empire's ongoing research programs include the Selshezak supersoldier program, Void studies, antimatter weaponization, teleportation, and utilizing Marganite. Many of these projects have already bore fruit, but a few, such as teleportation, remain in the early stages of development.

Because of the AFRE's size, it often takes a few years for newly approved weapons to be issued to troops on a large scale; this is especially true in the case of the Army, which frequently employs last-gen tech in some capacity for months or years while new equipment is being deployed. The Star Marines, being substantially smaller and thus easier to equip than the Army, is often given immediate access to new weapons so that they can test its effective. If trials prove successful, the equipment is then given to the Army to begin distribution.

Vehicle & Aircraft Weapons

 * Primary Weapons -


 * Secondary Weapons -


 * Tertiary Weapons -

Electronic Warfare
All vessels are equipped with both offensive and defensive electronic warfare implements including scramblers and targeting jammers. EMP MIRVs are also employed and detonated within enemy formations to temporarily disrupt shielding and wireless transmissions. Gravity well generators are also considered EW weapons as they can disrupt a vessel's ability to produce accurate coordinates for FTL travel.

Vehicle & Starship Armor
Vessels possess one or more layers of directional energy shielding, with the number of layers increasing as the vessel becomes larger. This allows the outermost layers of shielding a chance to recharge before the innermost layers can be depleted. Likewise, vessels possess multiple layers of armoring, with certain layers being designed to counter either energy or ballistic weapons. If the hull is breached, the affected compartments are sealed to prevent decompression as drones are deployed to contain the damage.

Advances in shielding technology during the interim era led to the development of wireless shield boosters which allows a vessel to strengthen the shields of nearby vessels, though to do so takes a large portion of the vessel's available power. Shield boosters can currently be equipped on capitol ships and destroyers.

As well as the personnel required to maintain a warship, each vessel contains a dedicated Marine detachment to protect the vessel during hostile boarding attempts. Depending on the ship, the detachment may also engage in boarding operations. Robots also staff the ship and act as both extra security and maintenance workers.

Pre-Invasion Operations
See also: Repzork Central Intelligence

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

The Star Navy has historically been a technological and strategic trailblazer within the AFRE. This was borne of necessity, as following the Second Exodus, the Navy, which had been almost entirely wiped out, had to be rebuilt from the ground up. Grand Marshal Tagara Vukarn, recognizing the Navy as the fledgling empire's best means of defending itself, gave priority to rebuilding and modernizing the Navy. Since then, the navy has made every effort to maintain parity with any and all potential rivals. As a result, the Star Navy has become the crown jewel of the AFRE and a symbol of the empire's might across the region.

Modern Naval doctrine eschews prolonged and potentially costly battles of attrition in favor of quick, decisive engagements. As such, surprise, speed, aggression, and control over the electronic battlefield are all considered crucial to success. Electronic warfare (EW) is considered particularly vital, as it affects faster-than-light travel, communication, targeting, sensors, and more, and thus holds significant influence on both a tactical and strategic level. The Navy will always attempt to secure electronic dominance either prior to or early on during an engagement.

Ship Design
Naval design philosophy emphasizes quality over quantity to supplement its doctrine of rapid engagements with minimal casualties. This sometimes leads to Repzork fleets being smaller than some of their contemporaries; to make up for this, ships are designed to engage and/or survive a multitude of threats.

Repzork vessels are notable for their complete lack of an external bridge or windows. The bridge is instead located inside of the ship itself, within the vessel's most armored component, and is fed information through a sensor relay and numerous artificial intelligence constructs that assist the captain in maintaining the ship. These same sensors and constructs, combined with the range of modern weaponry, effectively rendered windows, which many already viewed as a structural weakness, obsolete. Repzork ships also lack any light fixtures due to the Repzork's nocturnal nature.

Starship Weapons
Almost all ships possess at least one spinal cannon in the form of either a Railcannon, plasma beam cannon, or reverse-engineered Diab Pyre cannons. Gun batteries utilize railcannons, plasma ballistic, and particle cannons. Multiple independent reentry vehicle (MIRVs) missiles are employed en masse and can load various warheads, including marganite, antimatter, and nuclear. Point-defense weapons consists of lasers, which are used as a deterrent against missiles and strikecraft; autocannons and flak guns as further deterrents against strikecraft and lightly-armored ships; and scramblers to disrupt oncoming homing projectiles.


 * Spinal Guns -


 * Cannons -


 * Turret Batteries -


 * Launchers -


 * Point-Defense Guns -

Faster-Than-Light [FTL] Engine
Combat vessels are equipped with energy-efficient subspace FTL drives capable of making numerous jumps in short succession, though too many jumps can strain the engines to the point of breaking if they are not given time to properly cool and recharge. Ships designed explicitly for moving materiel through supply lines instead use faster but less maneuverable jump drives. Efforts are currently underway to produce a working void drive, but have yet to progress past the prototype stages.

Ship Classifications
All warships are divided into five categories depending on their role. Each role can be broken down into more specialized sub-categories:


 * Assault: Assault vessels are general-purpose vessels designed to combat a variety of threats.


 * Barrage: Barrage vessels wield missile launchers as their primary armament and generally provide long-range support, though they can also be employed in shock tactics. They are not capable of independent operations due to their oftentimes limited ammunition reserves.


 * Escort: Escort vessels emphasize batteries and point-defense guns to protect larger warships. Though their number has declined in recent years, a few dedicated escorts remain in service. They are not capable of independent operations.


 * Hunter: Hunters are stealth ships that predominantly operate behind enemy lines to harass their logistics.


 * Shock: Shock vessels are designed explicitly to perform shock strikes. They possess state-of-the-art subspace engines, enhanced frontal armoring, and powerful spinal cannons.

The navy currently uses eight types of warships:


 * Corvettes: Corvettes are not considered true warships, but instead operate as superheavy strikecraft. Operating either with strikecraft or in independent squadrons, corvettes are primarily tasked with eliminating strikcraft, frigates, and destroyers. Fielded corvettes include:
 * X-35 Olderos - Assault
 * X-13 Ralgera - Barrage
 * X-11 Hinva  - Hunter


 * Frigate: Frigates are the smallest true naval vessels. Most modern frigates are designed to support larger warships, though a few have been developed for independent operations. Fielded frigates include:
 * HLF-Nolrius - Assault
 * HLF-Yinavi - Shock
 * HLF-Vatani - Hunter
 * HLF-Nisuvia - Escort
 * HLF-Glisuv  - Barrage
 * HLF-Xinde  - Shock


 * Destroyer: Destroyers comprise the bulk of the navy's front line warships. Fielded destroyers include:
 * HLD-Rigalda  - Assault
 * HLD-Eranok  - Escort
 * HLD-Dravius  - Shock


 * Cruiser: Cruisers are the mainstay capitol ship. They often lead squadrons of destroyers in battle and are equipped with hangar bays. Fielded cruisers include:
 * HLC-Orani  - Assault
 * HLD-Livunyr - Hunter
 * HLC-Hizari  - Shock


 * Carrier: Carriers are divided into three categories depending on their cargo: troop carriers, strikecraft carriers, and all-round carriers, which carry both ground and air units, albeit not as many as their specialized variants. Fielded carriers include:
 * HLCA-Zalahang  - All-round carrier
 * HLCA-Golgnir  - Troop transport
 * HLCA-Jhtahk  - Strikecraft carrier
 * HLCA-Riga  - Experimental supercarrier currently under construction deep in the mainland. Details remain scarce.


 * Battleship: Battleships are heavily armed and armored capitol ships that often serve as flagships and as linebreakers. Like cruisers, they can be armed with hangar bays, though some vessels eschew hangars as they can be a structural vulnerability. Fielded battleships include:
 * HLBS-Faera - Assault
 * HLBS-Zitarsis  - Assault
 * HLBS-Sikarthia - Shock


 * Dreadnought: Dreadnoughts represent the zenith of Repzork naval power, boasting unrivaled durability and firepower among their contemporaries. Dreadnoughts are few and far between due to the resources required to build and maintain them, and thus are only assigned to prominent fleets. Fielded dreadnoughts include:
 * HLDR-Olvau - Shock
 * HLDR-Helgvha  - Assault
 * HLDR-Helia  - Shock/Planetary decimation


 * Star Base: Star bases are mobile space stations built to perform a variety of roles, such as providing fire support to ground troops, supplying and maintaining its adjacent fleet, and ferrying equipment. They seldom operate as capitol ships. Fielded star bases include:
 * HLSB-Ikatan  - Terrestrial fire support
 * HLSB-Viritiv  - Logistics & Maintenance
 * HLSB-Gothak  - Production & electronic warfare

Standard Formations
Fleets are comprised of battlegroups, squadrons of varying size made up of vessels assigned to a specific role within the fleet. Below are the six broad battlegroup categories, though it must be noted that numerous variations of each category exists:


 * Command Battlegroup - Contains the fleet's command ship and it's personal escort.


 * Attack Battlegroup - Vanguard of the fleet, generally the first to directly engage enemy forces. Chiefly consists of assault, barrage, and escort ships. May also contain a small number of shock vessels for fire support.


 * Reserve Battlegroup - Defends key elements of the fleet and reinforces attack battlegroups when necessary. Similar in composition to attack battlegroups.


 * Artillery/Shock Battlegroup - Provides long-range firepower and shock strike capabilities. Comprised exclusively of shock and barrage vessels.


 * Carrier Battlegroup - Contains one or more carriers and their escorts.


 * Star Base Battlegroup - Contains a star base and its escorts.

Attack battlegroups are situated at the front and flanks of a fleet; behind them are the reserve battlegroups, which spread their forces to reinforce the flanks and cover the fleet's rear. The reserves are followed by the artillery/shock battlegroups, which form a smaller screen around the carrier, star base, and/or command battlegroups, which reside either in the core or around the rear of the fleet. Battlegroups are not limited to fleet actions and can be sent on independent operations, in which case they are comprised of whatever vessels are considered fit for their mission.

Tactics
Battles in which the Navy has not attained total electronic superiority begin with the attack battlegroups making first contact with the enemy, with corvettes, frigates, and destroyers forming a screen around their cruiser and battleship counterparts. The artillery battlegroups will remain far from the front lines and use their weapons to pick off key targets and crippled vessels. The fleet will keep its distance from hostile vessels and engage predominantly with spinal guns, missiles, and railbatteries until an opportunity presents itself. Once an enemy force has been sufficiently weakened, the attack battlegroups will either push into the weakened portions of an enemy's formations so as to scatter them or will encircle them, preventing them from escaping as the rest of the fleet closes in for the final blow.

Shock Strikes
Shock strikes, in which a vessel uses its subspace drives to maneuver itself near a warship and unload all of its frontal weapons into the target, have become an increasingly important aspect of modern doctrine. When performed successfully, shock strikes can cripple or outright destroy a target before it is capable of responding, which can subsequently shatter an enemy's formation, contributing to a rapid victory. Shock strike vessels seldom operate alone, with two or more ships engaging a target so as to ensure a successful kill. Shock strikes are most often employed against capitol ships, carriers, and orbital facilities, especially defense platforms. However, shock strikes require accurate subspace coordinates to perform successfully, and thus necessitate dominance in the electronic battlefield. Additionally, the potential for hostile shock strikes prevents the Navy from deploying its heavy assets on the front lines until the threat of a shock strike has been eliminated.

If the Navy can assure electronic superiority before the battle begins, fleets will generally open a battle with shock strikes, often sending their cruisers, battleships, and dreadnoughts. This 'battering ram' tactic aims to cripple and disorient an enemy, leaving them vulnerable as the rest of the fleet moves in to engage.

Carriers & Strikecraft
For more information on strikecraft, please read the strikecraft classification section in the 'Air Warfare'.

Carriers and strikecraft play a predominantly supportive role in most naval engagements, as strikecraft are at risks of being downed by point-defense and stray weapons fire, hostile strikecraft, and debris from other vessels. Interceptors and fighters are employed defensively to pick off off fighters, bombers, transports, and guided munitions. Bombers, alongside fighter escorts, are sent on sorties against ships which drift too close to the fleet and target turrets, engines, and other vital elements of the vessel. Corvettes will sometimes lead these sorties, using their more powerful munitions to soften a target for the bombers.

Hunters
Hunter-class vessels occupy a unique position in the Navy's current lineup as they do not normally partake in fleet actions. Equipped with state-of-the-art concealment technology and the most sophisticated electronic warfare suites available, Hunters infiltrate deep behind enemy lines to disrupt supply lines, eliminate isolated vessels, and to acquire information. These vessels operate in small packs of frigates and cruisers, with cruisers often acting as the 'pack leader'. They remain on mission for months at a time, returning to the mainland only to resupply or for repairs. They engage in open battle only to support an advancing fleet, in which case they will attempt to flank enemy formations and pick off targets in hit-and-run attacks before vanishing once again. Central Intelligence possesses a number of hunter-class vessels for their operations.

Boarding Operations
Traditional boarding operations have become increasingly uncommon in modern engagements as the navy's reliance on shock strikes and overwhelming firepower leads to most hostile ships being obliterated, rendering boarding impossible. Additionally, boarding is primarily utilized when the navy is aiming to capture specific personnel, such as officers, or to acquire information from a vessel's computers; thus, only high-value vessels such as flagships would be marked for boarding. Boarding can also be used as a means of destroying a ship from the inside, though demolition is only conducted as a last-resort.

Before a ship can be boarded, it must first be crippled. The Navy will attempt to destroy a vessel's engines, turrets, and any other vital systems, rendering the ship immobile and defenseless. Once this is achieved, boarding craft loaded with Marine squads, Central Intelligence agents, and combat robots will be deployed and will enter the ship either through by blowing a hole into the hull, entering through the hangar bay, or through an airlock. Once inside, they will sweep the vessel, tap into its computers, and kill or capture any personnel they come across. If the ship is marked for destruction, they will plant timed explosives around the vessel's reactors. Once they have completed their objectives, the boarding crews will abandon the vessel, which will then be destroyed or towed back into the mainland for study.

During the interim era of the Great War, the Navy began experimenting with 'boarding shells', heavily reinforced boarding pods which could be fired from a ballistic battery's cannons. The boarding shells enter the vessel and then deploy swarms of robots directly into the vessel. Boarding shells have been met with mixed results, as some shells are destroyed on impact or are unable to properly deploy their payload, but successful attacks have shown promise as a new means of damaging or securing a ship.

Planetary Decimation
The continued development of increasingly large and powerful spinal cannons led to the creation of a new form of planetary bombardment known as planetary decimation, in which the planet is bombarded to the point that it is rendered uninhabitable due to a combination of the planet physically cracking apart and total ecological collapse. Though also possible through nuclear bombardment, planetary decimation refers specifically to the use of spinal cannons, the projectiles of which are significantly harder to intercept than ballistic missiles. Currently, the only vessel capable of performing planetary decimation is the Helia-class dreadnought, which is armed with the pattern-5 antimatter railcannon. Also known as the 'planet cracker', the antimatter railcannon is 25 kilometers (16 miles) in length and uses a two-stage projectile packed with an antimatter explosive. The barrel is lined with magnetic boosters to accelerate the projectile's velocity to as close to the speed of light as physically possible. The planet cracker is capable of physically destroying entire continents, causing severe tectonic disruptions and sending chunks of debris raining across the planet's surface.

Planetary decimation as a concept has been met with mixed responses from the admiralty. Most have shown themselves unwilling to utilize it outside of desperate circumstances as it permanently damages the target and renders colonization impossible. Others view it as a means of forcing an enemy to surrender without having to fight. A few, such as Star Marshal Xatka Yuvaki of the 77th armada, view decimation with abhorrence, believing it to be a waste of resources and morally abominable. As of right now, planetary decimation requires approval from an armada's sector marshal.

Land Warfare
See also: Repzork Army

Equipment

 * Standard Weapons -


 * Battlesuit Weapons -