Imperial Army

The Imperial Army serves as the planetary fighting forces for the Imperium.

Its soldiers deal with actions, battles, and campaigns on or near a planet's surface.
Collective term for the Unified Armies of the Imperium.

Description (Specifications)

The Unified Armies of the Imperium is built upon the regimental system, in which each sufficiently populous Imperial world within a subsector raises a regiment (typically of three to five battalions) from its own planetary defense force to be equipped and trained to Imperial standards. The battalions of these regiments are then deployed to the various brigades of the Imperial Army as needed, which are in turn organized into Imperial Army divisions. Imperial Army organization typically extends to the subsector level, and is under the ultimate authority of the local Subsector Duke, who generally appoints a Subsector Marshal to oversee its operations within his demesne. Large scale operations (as are typical during wartime) are overseen by the Sector Grand Marshal who is generally appointed by the presiding Sector Duke.

Imperial Army Senior Rank Grades

Senior Army Officer Ranks
O12b » Lord Marshal of the Unified Armies (Sector Marshal of Core Sector)
O12a » Grand Marshal (Sector Marshal)
O11b » Vice-Marshal (Subsector Marshal)
Field Army Officer Ranks
O0-O11 » [See Specific Force-Command Ranks Tables] Close Orbit and Airspace Control Command Ground Force Command Nautical Force Command Colonial Forces (Planetary Defense Forces)

Mission (Goals)

No information yet available.

Doctrine & Strategy (Operations)

No information yet available.

Symbology

Since the proclamation of Empress Porfiria in 244, the Imperial Army has used a Black Imperial Sunburst as its principal symbol. The Imperial Army banner, representing all major branches of its operations and for formal situations, utilizes a Black Sunburst on a field of Red.

Uniforms & Insignia

The Imperial Army High Command is independent of the Regimental System and does not authorize the use of Regimental Dress for senior members (regardless of their origin or original branch of service), utilizing the standard Imperial Army Dress Black and Grey uniform protocols only at the various levels of Marshal Rank and for their subordinate staff. The Army Dress Jacket is a black high-collar jacket with epaulettes and a pocket on each breast and a black imperial sunburst on red backing on the left or right shoulder, with slate-grey trousers, the uniform trimmed in gold for the High Command and Senior Staff. The Main Dress uniform includes all medals and skill badges, and officers wear their swords.

Rank & Grade (Hierarchy)

The upper level organizational ranks and grades used by this force are included in the table to the right.

As the Imperial Army is subdivided into three distinct force-commands, each of which with its own unique set of service-ranks, only the senior-most ranks overseeing all of the branch services are included here. An Army Vice-Marshal oversees all Imperial Army operations (of all branches) within his/her/its associated subsector, reporting to both the local Subsector Duke and the Sector Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal oversees all Army Operations within his/her/its associated sector, reporting directly to the Sector Duke.

History & Background (Dossier)

As the early Imperial Army grew in size due to the ongoing Imperial acquisition of new worlds and territories, it became apparent early on that the Army would soon be dealing with very large unit numbers and an immense organizational structure unless something were done to reorganize the system. In the year 123, the High Command of the Imperial Army instituted a new organizational structure known as the regimental system. Under this new system, the Imperial Army became decentralized, with the local army of each world raising a number of battalions or specific regiments for service with the Imperial Army at the subsector level to be used for off-world deployment.

TO&E (Organization)

The Imperial Army is divided into three major force commands:

Ground Force Command (GFC - the Army's surface Land Forces).
Close Orbit and Airspace Control Command (COACC - the Army's atmospheric and near-orbit forces, or "Aerospace Forces").
Nautical Force Command (NFC - the Army's waterborne Sea Forces, colloquially called the "Wet Navy" to distinguish it from the Space Forces of the Imperial Navy).

Additionally, individual member worlds maintain their own local defense forces, from which certain regiments are raised and trained to Imperial standards and deployed in order to form the Unified Armies of the Imperium:

Colonial Forces (Planetary Defense Forces)

Also part of the Imperial Army is the elite military force designated as the Emperor's personal bodyguard, The Imperial Guard.

Force Composition

Grand Marshal of the Unified Armies of the Imperium: Also known as the Lord Marshal of the Unified Armies, it is the highest appointment in the Imperial Army. The Imperial Grand Marshal's job is entirely political and involves representing the Unified Armies at Court and advising both the Moot and the Emperor. The Grand Marshal of the Unified Armies of the Imperium normally holds a minimum noble title of Viscount.

The office of Grand Marshal (or "Sector Marshal") is a senior appointment at the Sector Level held by the seniormost Imperial Army Officer within a Sector. The Grand Marshal generally resides in the Sector Capital and is politically subject to the local Subsector Duke acting as Sector Duke and is ultimately responsible for the administrative oversight of all Imperial Army Forces within a given Sector. The remaining subsectors within a sector likewise have Vice-Marshals acting in a similar role within their local subsectors, with additional direct responsibility over local operational deployments.

Selected Vehicle Classes

Some vehicle classes widely used within the systems and worlds of this force include:

The Trepida & Astrin Grav Vehicle Family

The Imperial class Grav APC family of Imperial vehicles developed with basic hull and drive component compatibility between the Imperial Army and Imperial Marines. The family includes:

Worlds & Sectors (Astrography)

This force primarily operates in the following areas:

Imperial Space

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

Marc Miller. Signal GK (Game Designers Workshop, 1984), 8.
Marc Miller. "The Armies of the Imperium." Rebellion Sourcebook (1988): TBD.
Lester Smith. Milieu 0 (Imperium Games, 1996), TBD.
Douglas E. Berry. Ground Forces (Steve Jackson Games, 2000), TBD.
Loren Wiseman. Nobles (Steve Jackson Games, 2004), TBD.
Martin Dougherty, Neil Frier. Star Mercs (Steve Jackson Games, 1999), TBD.
Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
Author, Artist & Contributor Bleddyn Wilson
Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Marc Miller. Signal GK (Game Designers Workshop, 1984), 6.

[CTAdv13-6-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Marc Miller. Signal GK (Game Designers Workshop, 1984), 6.

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Imperial Army

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