Calaréann Army

The Calaréann Army is the primary land component of the Calaréann Defence Force. It is a force of 197,262 regular personnel, and 118,357 active reservists. Despite it's once small size, the army has defeated much larger enemies on a number of occasions. The Army is considered to be one of the the most technologically sophisticated and tactically skilful forces in the south-east Asia and Pacific regions.

The Calaréann Army is established under the royal prerogative, and the traditional head of the Army is HM The King. The professional head of the Calaréann Army is the Chief of the Army, currently Lieutenant General Jacob King. The Chief of the Army in turn reports to the Chief of the Defence Force Staff.

History
For more Military History of Calaré

Civil War
The origins of the Calaréann Army date back to the first days of the Civil War, with the formation of the United Calaréann Militia on 18th of February 1996. On that most eventful day, the leadership of the militia formed the first units that would go on to win the civil war and create Calaré as an independent nation. There are however, many individual units of the army which can trace their history back as far as the late 19th century.

Despite the grand announcements that created it, the beginnings of the militia were somewhat shaky. The insurgency campaign killed 60 people, and led to the militia being held in a very poor light by some in the general population. Furthermore, early militia units were generally unsuited to fighting against the modern professional outfit of the Australian Army. They were not well armed, having only what small arms they could get their hands on, and even so most were poorly trained in the use of a firearm. Indeed by December 1997, the militia had been reduced to just 45 members and was on the brink of collapse.

It was at this point of desperation, that the militia was able to capitalise on the foresight and planning of its leaders, in particular Michael Quinn. The future monarch had foreseen that a highly professional trained army would easily destroy a citizen militia it was pitted against it. To this end, Quinn secretly constructed a sophisticated network of tunnels and bunkers deep within the abandoned Mount Keira mining complex west of Wollongong. For the next year the militia was able to frustrate attempts to wipe it out. There were a few sporadic battles, but these were generally inconclusive as the rebels usually withdrew before government reinforcements could arrive.

The change in fortunes after the Battle of Woonona, and the subsequent ability of the militia to occupy urban centres led to matters quickly swinging in favour of the rebels. The number of militia troops began to grow slowly at first, but as more and more towns fell, these numbers began to pick up. By December 1999, the only centre of what is now Calaré to remain in the hands of the government was the city of Nowra. Despite the best efforts of the Australian army to regain the situation with the infamous Operation Taipan, by April 2000, even Nowra had fallen and the war was virtually over.

Raising of the Calaréann Army
The Civil War shaped the future Calaréann army in many different ways. The various infantry battalions and companies of the militia would in time be drawn together into a single regiment, which became the Royal Calaréann Regiment in October 2002. Likewise, many of the armoured regiments were direct descendants of the militia units raised during the war.

The only exception to this came when Calaréann government negotiated for the delinking of several Australian Army Reserve units so they could be raised into the Calaréann Army. After protracted negotiations, on 1 July 2002 these units were delinked with one remaining in the Australian Army, and the other forming the basis of the Calaréann Army Reserves.

There was also a conscious effort to raise Special Forces units capable of withstanding assault from Australian units such as the SAS and to also conduct operations of their own to weaken the ability of the enemy to launch an effective invasion of Calaré. Three Special Forces units were raised between 2002 in 2010 including Commando Forces Regiment, the Royal Border Regiment, and the Royal Parachute Regiment.

Organisation
See also, Structure of the Calaréann Army

The Army is divided into the Regular Army, the Army Reserves and National Servicemen. The regular army is a full professional outfit, whereas the reserves is a part time reserve outfit only called upon in emergencies. By law, conscripts can never be deployed onto active duty and act only in a support role after their initial training period.

Each divisional outfit is made up members that serve as infantry, artillery, cavalry, engineers and logistics. These outfits are divided into divisions, brigades, battalions/squadrons and companies and troops. Each of these units is commanded by a officer of lessening rank down to a troop, which is usually commanded by a lieutenant.

Establishments
See also, Establishments of the Calaréann Army

The Army maintains a number of barracks and training camps across Calaré. The headquarters of the army is located inside the Joint Defence Headquarters at Throsby House in Wollongong. The largest army establishments are the divisional headquarters located at Wollongong, Goulburn, Orange and Wagga Wagga. These barracks also serve as headquarters for most regiments. Each brigade is headquartered in a location reasonably close to the border with Australia, such as Bathurst, Braidwood, Bowral, Forbes, Gundagai, Narrandera, Narooma, Parkes and West Wylong. The army's three ceremonial regiments are located at Coniston Barracks in Wollongong.

The army reserve units tend to be located in the major urban centres, such as Braidwood, Bathurst, Bateman's Bay and Parkes. These units operate smaller establishments, either on their own, or with another reserve unit. Calaré's Special Forces units are located in various establishments across the country, with the Royal Border Regiment located at Wollongong, the Commando Forces Regiment at Cowra, and the Royal Parachute Regiment located at AFB Llangothlin near Goulburn. Where applicable or convenient the army often shares facilities with the other services of the Calaréann Defence Force. The best example of this is the Rankin Barracks, which sits adjacent to AFB Keira and HMND Cerberus.