Central War Gaming - Ardean Republic

For unit cohesion and consistency we have each of the two sides at CWG events pretend to be part of a real army. For a number of reasons, neither of them emulate any actual real world army, and we do not require significant doctrinal or tactical standards. To assist with getting into the role and feeling like a unit, insignia are available to be worn, and we have created some background, such as these pages describing the armies as though they actually exist.

Ardean Republican Army

The Adrean Republican Army is a fairly small branch of the armed services of Ardea, and one that fairly few people encounter on a regular basis. Even along the border to the Highlands, Frontier Guards man the checkpoints. When local police cannot handle serious crimes, or investigate a small branch of international terror, the Federal Police handle it. The Army is only used as an expeditionary force, and aside from a few quite rare small wars with their neighbors; forays into the Highlands are all the Army really does.

The natural resources of the country are sparse, but its economy is mostly supported through extensive farming and ranching. Ardea is self-sufficient in food production. Agriculture earns 50% of the country's foreign exchange, which is subject to weather, embargo, and falling grain prices on the world market. The country itself is mildly prosperous, but the cost of maintaining large standing armies means that in peacetime Ardea generally maintains only the small professional core of troops, expanding this as required in time of war.

In addition to the draft, there is a certain segment of the literate urban middle class for whom Army service is a patriotic duty. A small number of soldiers and most officers and NCOs are drawn from this circle. Around half of officers follow the Western tradition of a university education. A quarter are promoted from an NCO rank, and educated by the Army, and about a quarter are granted warrants by the national government or their state governor, based on petitions or as rewards for service as a soldier or NCO. Warrant officers hold conventional rank, and in practice the warrant is permanent so they are educated and then treated as any other officer. Most officers attend at least one year at a foreign university or war college, generally in the US or UK.

History

The early Army was not a professional organization, with key officer positions filled by landowners and other prominent citizens granted commissions. A tiny core of professional NCOs trained locals raised by the officers when wars or other needs cropped up.

In the early 1830s, the Army was reorganized, and a number of Prussian advisors were hired. They instituted the core of a modern army that still exists but the militia and provincial units remained the primary security force in the region throughout the colonial era.

During the inter-war period, British and French soldiers and consultants were an integral part of the operations of the army. In practice the Ardean military was trained and operated by the colonial powers as a defensive proprietorship, protecting British or French interests depending on the region, timeframe, or government seated at the time. While this often times lead to confusing and contradictory enforcement actions, it also lead to constant contact with the western powers.

This had a long term positive impact on training practices and the overall culture of the Ardean military as a whole, and the army in particular. So much so, that the ARA allows Officers to transfer from other armies at their same rank. This is less common now, but around 5% of officer positions are held by experienced Officers of American, British, French, German, or occasionally other nationalities.

The Army is relatively traditional in their organization, respect for rank and hierarchies, and belief in process and structure. While sometimes perceived as being old-fashioned in equipment, it is generally well-maintained. The Army does replace systems that do not work, but generally does not follow trends, and sticks with proven systems for longer than typical.

Reforms during the post-war period created a small expeditionary force for regional defense, reorganized volunteers into a new Territorial Force which trained with the regular army twice a year, and changed the old militia into a special reserve to reinforce the expeditionary force. All told, today the army can only field 25,000 troops, at any one time without instituting a draft. Of these, a mere 5000 are full time soldiers. By all the normal military equations, the ongoing war with Kitoy should have been decided several years ago.

They are desperately short of helicopters, many of their aircraft are old and out-dated, and much of their equipment could be considered "vintage" in this day and age. Lacking mobility assets, the rugged frontier is patrolled almost entirely by troops on foot, and the war has become very much a matter of individual military skill, fought at close range under the leadership of platoon and section commanders.

Lack of gadgetry has forced the Ardeans to concentrate on basic infantry expertise, and to rely heavily on improvisation and initiative. An unusual feature of the Ardeans' methods is the emphasis on long-range patrolling, and the comparatively few troops employed in static guard duties. One of the virtues forced on them by lack of material has been this reliance on the initiative of the individual soldier. On the whole this has worked to their advantage.

At the turn of the 19th century indigenous clay miners discovered valuable salt deposits in the Highlands and within a decade there were dozens of salt operations across the region. Additional minerals were discovered and foreign companies (especially British and French ones) invested in mineral exploitation and transport. These operations often disregarded the poorly defined National boundaries. Starting in 1830 the then Kingdom of Ardea was the first to use soldiers to gather taxes, repossess mines and forcibly eject foreigners from their territory. With money at stake use of troops by both sides escalated and legal actions followed, some of which are still ongoing.

The conflict died down during and after the First World War and the inter-war period saw little attention paid to the region as the value of the traditional commodities (lumber, clay, salt, turpentine, and so on) became too low to make it worth the effort.

After the Second World War American oil and gas companies using new technologies and new understanding of geology to survey the area discovered modest oil reserves in the area. Often times these companies would purchase mineral rights in the disputed territory from both governments simply to protect their interests. Estimates of the reserves vary widely, but it is now valuable again, and with the long-standing disputes there is little hope of any resolution soon. A handful of offshore wells are operating and the two Navies and Coast Guards spend much of their time facing off over the disputed border in coastal areas.

Military operations have ebbed and flowed but since the 1960s they have been quite regular and are largely concerned with obtaining generalized control over the area. Most frequently these operations are in support of legal maneuvering within the courts. While several foreign companies hold mineral rights in the area, no drilling or mining company will commit to operations with this unrest. Complicating matters both Ardea and Kitoy have banned permanent settlements since the 1970s. There are numerous abandoned villages, and the roads and bridges built between 1930 and 1955 are generally in poor condition.