Elan has had a long history of peace and conflict as it has grown through many kingdoms and systems of government. The military as it is today has been described as robust and the industrialization of the country adds to its power through the availability of arms, the innovation of tactics, and the rapid growth of technology. With the ongoing Second Northern War, the armed forces are increasingly prioritized by the government. Many citizens find work either supporting the war effort or going to war themselves. While not all Elanites have lives touched by the conflict, those who do are often affected greatly.
Elan has two service branches: the army and the navy. Though both had precursors in the time of the Twelve Kingdoms, both were formally unified and organized under the Kingdom of Elan in the 15th century. Since then they have expanded, restructured, and modernized into the form that they take today. It is not surprising that there seems to be endless money set aside for them currently given the war with Dorage, but it has caused some alarm in more than a few to see funds so freely given (and so freely taken from social support for those who need it most).
Recruitment for military service can take many forms in Elan and any person, regardless of gender, can be recruited. In cities or major towns, it takes place in a military office, where citizens may come off the street in order to enlist. In more rural communities, a military recruiter may come through villages urging people to sign up for service. When there are no jobs to be had in a community, it can seem like a gift to be invited to join. Sometimes events are held in community halls or theaters to raise money for the war effort that include both entertainment and calls to action. With a grand night out and a healthy amount of alcohol, many can be convinced to take action.
There may be different promises made to persons who are hesitant: a large stipend, a period of life without taxes, an escape from poverty, an education, or even greater job prospects upon leaving the service. Some can be swayed just with the prospect of becoming heroes as war has long seemed like the quickest route to glory.
Another recruiting tool are the illustrious academies of the army (Halifax, located outside of Hide Hill in Peverin) and the navy (Yttenberg, located beside Sackville in Abernathy). In exchange for a four or six year service contract, the recruit receives a free and rigorous college education and an immediate commission as an officer upon graduation.
A topic that has come up more often is conscription. Formally, conscription was halted after the Gold Heights Conflict. It was only reintroduced in 1873 when the first half of the Second Northern War began. The way Elanite conscription now works is not as straightforward as before. The provinces are each given a quota of their citizens that must join the military, to be fulfilled quarterly. Should recruiting not work to meet these numbers, then conscription is required. Conscription therefore varies from province to province, much to the displeasure of the heads of the military and the national government alike. There could be lotteries, debtors service requirements, or even impressment. The military has been pushing more and more for a national draft, which the provinces and their legislators have been just as heavily pushing against.
Upon enlisting (or being forced to enlist), each person is evaluated for their health and any applicable skills. While poor health or disability does not fully exempt someone from service, it may limit their options in what units they can belong to. Additionally, as some people are ultimately unable to fit the demands of active frontline service, they may instead be contracted by the military to work for a company supporting the war effort for the entirety of their service. This has given rise to the saying in Elan that, “It’s not about what you can do for Elan, it’s about what the military will make you do for it.”
Once skills, health, education, and capacity are known, then the enlisted is placed. This can be in a number of service areas. The army of course has the cavalry, artillery, and infantry, but also specialties such as medical, engineering, and ordinance. The navy likewise has specialties including pursers, maintenance, and navigation. A specialty both can take advantage of a skill that the enlisted has or evaluate the enlisted as being capable of the training needed for that skill. Ideally, at least. There have been some times that newly enlisted members have been forced into one position or another simply to increase the numbers or, more likely, replace those who can no longer fill it.
After the decision of placement (also known as assignment), the enlisted person is sent to their unit. The head of that unit and their subordinates are responsible for the enlisted’s training, kitting, and discipline. There have been talks about converting to a system called “basic training,” where all newly enlisted members of the military are put through the same education and physical duties, but there has not yet been approval from the national government for this change.
Those coming out of the academies most often have the luxury of already choosing a position in the military. Since they have already proven their skills and pursued specialized classes, they often have more freedom of choice for their assignments. Additionally, they usually receive more skillful education and endure more rigorous training than others, making them more fit to lead others.
Service contracts can generally range from four to eight years and are decided upon recruitment. Of course, those who sign for longer contracts are given greater benefits upon their signature. Those who are conscripted have contracts that can vary between two to four years, depending on how vital their skills are to the military. All those who go through the academies are required to serve at least six years. At the end of these terms, all may decide whether to renew their contracts for additional periods of time in increments of two years. As an incentive, some commanding officers may withhold promotions from their subordinates unless they renew, though this is officially frowned upon.
Some military members, including those who are conscripted, those who are displeased with their service, or those who refuse to serve out their full contract, may fail to report for duty. This is referred to as desertion. In 1884, the military heads created a distinction between two kinds of desertion: absence without leave (AWOL) and ultimate desertion.
Absence without leave is considered to be any absence without permission from one’s military service or the duties thereof for a period of time between 24 hours and 31 days. When that person reports back or is found, they are brought before a military court and receive a punishment befitting the period and severity of their crime. Ultimate desertion begins immediately after the 31 day mark and is considered treason, punishable by death.
Since the Second Northern War cannot afford the military the luxury of easily replacing deserters, few are being executed. Instead, the sentence can be waived if the member returns to service - often stripped of their rank, with severely limited freedom, and a greatly increased workload - for an additional year on top of their unfulfilled contract.
The rate of desertion is increasing as the war goes on. Because of this, the military has formed special assignments of their ranks to seek out and discover missing members. Even though it is a sacrifice to shift resources to finding deserters, it ultimately benefits the military to do so. More deserters being found and severely punished mean fewer people considering desertion.
There are four ways to leave military service: completing a service contract and not renewing, being wounded beyond the ability to continue serving, being dishonorably discharged from a service contract, or a posthumous discharge. If a person is dishonorably discharged, they are not allowed to call themselves a veteran or receive any veteran stipends, including those for injuries sustained in service. To the Elanite Military, a dishonorable discharge is treated as if it removed all prior service done for the country.
Elan considers the return to civilian life greatly important for veterans. It is believed that upon leaving the service, no ties to the military should remain. All uniforms, awards, medals, and insignias are wholly removed. No part of the military kit or outfitting can be kept. The only exception to this rule is that if a member of the army bonded with a military-issued horse, they are allowed to purchase it at the time of their leaving.
While the military removes all of these things from veterans, they still will keep all records. In the case of a veteran having earned a military award, their picture and their medals will be housed in a museum hall in the branch’s respective academy.
When a veteran is released to civilian life, they may receive additional money beyond their contractual earnings if they achieved a certain rank or received awards. Nationally, some veterans are granted a lifetime stipend if they served for more than 10 years or were wounded in battle. While there are some charities that provide food, health care, and shelter for veterans, there is as of yet no governmental assistance.
Most people entering military service begin as enlisted unless they graduate from the respective academy of their branch. To those who wanted to enter as or become commissioned but did not or could not attend an academy, there are two options.
One is to purchase a commission through payment to the army, usually starting at a price of $1,000 Elanite Dollars for the position of Officer Cadet. To purchase the commission of a higher officer rank, the price would only increase. For the army, only the ranks of Officer Cadet, Dragoon, or Lieutenant are possible to purchase. For the navy, the rank of Ensign is the only commission possible to purchase and even then the person must prove that they have spent at least two years as a crewmember on a vessel. Those who purchase commissions are usually met with suspicion from their fellow officers and insubordination from those with lower ranks. Since they “bought their way” into their rank, it is often assumed that they are soft, wealthy people who will prove to be ineffective, incompetent, or untrustworthy in their post. Yet still, it does allow for more freedom, more comfort, and more protection than entering at the lowest rank.
The other option is to be awarded a commission through examples of merit, honor, and bravery. This can happen either through three commissioned officers (one must be a direct superior) electing a person for promotion, a certain level of earned then sustained seniority with a clean record of behavior, or by the earning of certain military awards.
Any officer can lose their commission through cowardice, endangerment of others, or severely poor performance. Additionally, any absence without leave or desertion will automatically remove a commission. If the commission was purchased, the money will not be returned.
Relinquish Nothing in Battle, Sacrifice Everything for Peace
Fort Destrum outside of Sootsnap, Gauld
Fort Hammer outside of Supperville, Killock
Fort Kingsby outside of Orton, Wyllis
Halifax Academy outside of Hide Hill, Peverin
Platoon < Troop < Company < Division < Brigade < Corps < Army < Command
Recruit - member of army in training
Private - member of army who has passed training
Corporal - second-in-command of a section
Sergeant - commands a section
Chief Sergeant - second-in-command to a troop or platoon
Quartermaster Sergeant - non-commissioned officer rank with specific duties such as supply within a sub-unit
Officer Cadet in Training - member of the army academy in their last year
Officer Cadet - lowest officer rank, most often straight out of military training academy
Dragoon - commands a platoon or troop or second-in-command to a Lieutenant
Lieutenant - commands a platoon or troop
Captain - commands a company or second-in-command to a Major
Major - commands a company, squadron or battery
Lieutenant Colonel - commands a battalion
Colonel - staff officer of a division or officer of part of a brigade
Brigadier - commands a brigade or division
Lieutenant General - commands an army corps
General - commands an army
Marshal - This rank can only be held by two individuals at a time. In order to reach this rank the person must be highly decorated, highly educated, and have a significant amount of political backing.
Command Marshal - This rank can only be held by one individual at a time. In order to reach this rank you must be chosen by the current sitting president of Elan. The individual at this rank is in charge of the entire Elanite Army, deciding how forces should be deployed and seeking continued government funds for new weapons, and technology.
Forged on the Seas to Remain Unvanquished
Bricken Station in Crumpry Bay, between Wyllis and Huxley
Base Xero on Bullyholly Island, Huxley
Wheeler Station in Colbane Bay, Abernathy
Yttenberg Academy beside Sackville, Abernathy
Section < Division < Department < Ship < Fleet < Armada < Navy
Listed Sailor - member of the Navy in training
Able Rate Sailor- member of the Navy who has passed training and received a Rate (job)
Leading Sailor - trained Navy member with seniority
Petty Officer - second in command of a section, may have contemporaries
Leading Petty Officer - leader of a section
Chief Petty Officer - leader of a division
Chief Warrant Officer - leader of a department
Midship’m or Midshipem - member of the naval academy in their last year
Ensign - newly trained officer
Lieutenant - supports a Captain
Captain - second-in-command of a ship
Commodore - commands a ship
Rear Admiral - commands a support fleet, second-in-command to a Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral - commands an entire fleet
Admiral - commands an armada. Currently three armadas exist in the Elanite navy, with one admiral each. In order to reach this rank the person must be highly decorated, highly educated, and have a significant amount of political backing.
Grand Admiral - commands the Navy. This rank can only be held by one individual at a time. In order to reach this rank you must be chosen by the current sitting president of Elan. The individual at this rank is in charge of the entire Elanite Navy, deciding how forces should be deployed and seeking continued government funds for new weapons, and technology.
Since all awards are returned to the command after retirement, separation, or discharge, veterans should never claim these to still be applicable after their service. Additionally, since the military is to be kept separated from civilian life, Elan does not distribute any military awards to veterans or civilians.
Medal of Renown - awarded to those whose actions saved the lives of other military personnel.
Medal of Sacrifice - awarded to those who are wounded in battle but remain in the service and are not discharged due to their injuries.
Excellent Service for Wartime - awarded to a platoon (army) or section (navy) during wartime for dutiful following of orders and who have a record of two years without any infractions.
Excellent Service for Peacetime - awarded to a platoon (army) or section (navy) during peacetime for dutiful following of orders and who have a record of two years without any infractions.
Commendation for Bravery - awarded for courageous action beyond their line of duty specifically in battle.
Commendation for Gallantry - awarded for courageous action beyond their line of duty to save civilian lives.
Commendation for Distinguished Leadership - awarded for orchestrating and executing essential, daring, and valorous actions with others; earning this award immediately grants a non-commissioned member of the military a commission.
Recognition of Branch Service - awarded to those who have been in the military for longer than 10 years.
Meritorious National Defense - awarded for strategic or unique acts of defense in hazardous conditions or great peril, typically granted to all members of a specific division (army) or ship (aavy).