Author's Note: This is a suggested draft of Vanguard military canon, and cannot be considered true canon until this message is deleted by an admin. It remains subject to change.
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The Vanguard
The Vanguard is the military arm of the Solar Consortium. They are sworn to protect the Solar Consortium, and are answerable to the Solar Council though the majority of their work comes at the behest of the member states. Most member states maintain some form of paramilitary to military aspects within their police force. The Vanguard is made up of four major branches: the Armed Forces, the Marines, the Navy, and the Skyguard.
See also:
The Armed Forces
The Vanguard Armed Forces is by far the largest branch of the Vanguard. The Armed Forces is purely terrestrial in nature, which means that it does not leave Earth's orbit. It fulfills the roles of both a traditional army as well as an air force. Front-line combat units are all either mechanized infantry or air cavalry. Air support is largely provided by drones. Suborbital capabilities means that the Vanguard Armed Forces has several units ready to respond anywhere in the world in less than an hour.
Terrestrial Strike Troopers
Terrestrial Strike Troopers (or Vanguard TeSTs) are the elite of the armed forces. Trained to attack by land, sea, air, or space, they are often deployed as platoons to hot zones. They are the high tech equivalent of Navy SEALs, Delta Force, SAS, or Spetnatz, or reminiscent of Halo's ODST. The Vanguard attempts to keep 100 platoons of TeST active at any one time, although this number can vary wildly based on current threats. At least 3 TeST platoons are in suborbital dropships at any time, and provide the Vanguard's first reaction force on Earth. TeST is always the terrestrial spearpoint, a role they are proud of.
Peacekeepers
Ostensibly the military police of the Vanguard, Peacekeepers play a more nuanced role. Centuries of experience have shown that the skills necessary for front-line combat don't necessarily overlap with those necessary for maintaining the peace once the serious fighting is over. Peacekeepers are trained to fight, but also are adept in crossing cultural lines, speaking multiple languages, and aiding the transition to peacetime.
The Vanguard navy is considered somewhat anachronistic and is constantly fighting to evade budget cuts more than any other branch. It fulfills the roles of both a traditional navy and coast guard. It still provides the important role of patrolling the seas as well as keeping various independent states boxed in. In addition to small patrol vessels for coastal work, its numbers include submarines, missile destroyers, and drone carriers.
While trained in combat, Navy Pararescue soldiers are especially trained for search and rescue operations in the most hostile conditions imaginable. They have a reputation for more than just bravery in the face of impossible situations, but also succeeding when failure looks guaranteed.
The Oculus
Jokingly called the All-Seeing Eye, members of the Oculus are stationed on specialized missile destroyers that offer complete coverage of the globe. Their one and only role is the prevention of the successful use of weapons of mass destruction, be they from orbit or ICBMs. Their standing orders also insinuate that weapons used by the Vanguard that would meet such a definition should also be stopped.
The Skyguard
The Vanguard's Skyguard is the space navy of the Vanguard. At this point, they have very few ships that would be considered combat capable because there are little or no threats in space. That being said, all of their vessels can easily be convertible to warships should a threat arise. Their role at present is largely enforcing trade regulations, moving the marines about (a role they grumble about), and providing emergency services to the outer colonies.
The Widowmakers
The Widowmakers are the Skyguard's test pilots, the name arising from the fact that their job is expected to have a high casualty rate. Though hyperbole than fact, the Widowmakers have had their share of catatrophes in a largely exemplary history of success. They are expected to be at the forefront of any Vanguard effort to create a FTL drive.
Skyguard SAR
The Skyguard Search and Rescue functions much like Navy Pararescue, except in space. No matter what the disaster is, if it's off Earth the Skyguard SAR is expected to handle the situation and save lives. While the first few deployments were rocky, they did earn the Skyguard SAR a reputation of putting their lives on the line when it mattered. They are highly respected, and unlike most other groups have few if any rivalries.
The Marines
Humanity entering space saw an end to the need for large numbers of armed soldiers as part of the wet navy. However, it saw a need for armed soldiers in space. Whereas the Vanguard Armed Forces operates on solely on Earth, the Marines operate everywhere else. They are recruited from the Armed Forces, requiring a battery of psychological tests in addition to a more strenuous physical. They are given cutting edge equipment. They are also largely few in number.
Marine Raiders
While the Armed Forces have their TeSTs, the Marines have Raiders. There are less than a thousand at any time of these soldiers, and they are the elite of the elite.
Marine Peacekeepers
Essentially the same as the Armed Forces Peacekeepers, except deployed on Luna and Mars in the case of civil unrest.