Work in progress...
VRC military branches
The VRC has a rather sizeable military. However, because their possessions
are spread out over a large territory, it is very unlikely that more
than a small portion of it will be used for other then defense and patrol
purposes.
The VRC military is strong enough to assemble forces for a quick and
powerfull operation. However, it will not be able to pursue a long war because
of its lack of a large population base.
The VRC fleet
Each of the three main systems has its own defence fleet. There are also
several patrol fleets which regularly visit the surrounding mining operations.
On dangerous routes transports are often escorted by escort vessels. When
necessary convoys are put together like in WWII. There are also rumors of
a special strike fleet to enact the 'get even' policy.
The VRC fleet follows RDC doctrine closely as most of its original cadre was
drawn from the RDC military establishment. There are some differences though
as the requirements of the VRC are not quite the same as those of the RDC.
Most of the ships in the VRC fleet are heavily modified versions of older
RDC ships.
These operate mainly in the VRC space adjoining
RDC space. The shipyard at Nieuw Paradijs that is currently being constructed
will function as a base of operations for completely new and highly
classified ship designs.
Patrol branch
The patrol branch uses fast, hard hitting, lightly armoured ships. It operates
in small groups that patrol outlying undefended installations. Its main
purpose is to intervene quickly when there is trouble. However, it is not
designed to participate in pitched battles. No disposable weaponry like
SMLs is used as this prevents long tours of operation. It operates the
Aruba and Bonaire cruisers in offensive roles and several versions of the
Saba frigate in support roles.
Escort branch
The support branch uses slower, hard hitting, medium armoured ships. Its main
purpose is to accompany slow moving convoys, so it has to have a bit more
staying power to allow the convoy to reach the next ftl jump. It operates
Curacau cruisers and Saba frigates.
Local defence branch
The local defense branch operates non-ftl ships in systems with installations
that require some permanent protection. Its main purpose is to protect against
pirates. For bigger problems the patrol branch will have to be called.
It mainly operates non-ftl versions of the Saba frigate. As it operates in
systems with bigger installations resupply is not a problem, so ships with
disposable weaponry can be used without penalties.
Get even branch
The get even branch is top secret. Its main purpose is to get even
when the VRC has been successfully attacked by somebody. No ships have
been spotted yet. However, it is rumoured that the people who worked on
the designs for this fleet have rather strange ideas about ship sizes.
One rumour has it that the current size designations are: FF(30), CL(90),
CH(120) and BB(240). This might all be propaganda though...
Ground forces
Ground forces consist of well trained soldiers doing one or two tours and
exceptionally trained professionals. All grounds forces get their combat
experience through their work in mercenary companies. There are always
enough well paying opportunities. Our troops get better by it, and we even
get paid:-)
Planet PB 11655.1b is used as a place where the professional soldiers do their
survival training(what can't kill them makes them better).
Mercenary companies
As the VRC grew, so did its military assets. To keep all its military personel
in practice without making its military clout too visible a limit was set to
the size a mercenary company could grow. This in turn led to the creation of
more and more mercenary companies as time went by. Currently the following
mercenary companies are operated by the VRC:
All mercenary contracts, unless otherwise stipulated, contain a clause that
when an operation is successfull, the mercenary company has first priority
in confiscating equipment used by the opposing forces. And we do mean any
equipment.