Imperial Armed Services (a long read, you are warned...)

[Just_Me]

Given the recent promulgation of threads alluding to the various branches of Imperial service in relative terms it is clear everyone has very different ideas about how they function. I feel that it might be useful to lay out and discuss the relative roles and capabilities of the Imperium’s armed services. Not in a “one vs. the other” sense, but rather in an attempt to form a consensus about how each service functions in combat, both tactically and strategically. What follows are brief summaries of each major military branch:

Imperial Guard: The primary military service of the Imperium. Tactically they rely on a combined arms approach to warfare, mutually supporting elements creating a synergistic whole. Strategically they are suited to holding actions as they have the manpower to garrison captured territory. The various different tactical elements at their disposal mean that they are the most flexible military organization in the Imperium, they can conduct any and all actions that a modern real world ground force can, which means nearly any and every military action that we can imagine. They are ponderous, but only in comparison to some of the other armed forces at the Imperium’s disposal, there is every reason to believe that they can by quite mobile when the situation calls for mobility.

PDF: Defensive military which operates only on a single planet. Roughly analogous in nearly every way to the Imperial Guard, though generally with slightly inferior equipment. Capable of most of the same actions as the Guard on the scale of a single planet. Because they are never intended to leave their world from a strategic standpoint they are almost completely defensive in nature, as their engagement with the enemy pre-supposes said enemy has come to them.

Imperial Navy (in atmosphere): Broadly analogous to modern air-forces in nearly all respects including all associated strengths and weaknesses. Very high mobility and powerful long ranged direct and indirect offensive capacity, non-existent territory holding abilities, and very limited defensive capacity. When working in concert with the Imperial Guard they round out the latter’s abilities to include any available to a modern nation’s armed forces, such as “amphibious” actions and aerial insertions.

Astartes: Highly autonomous self contained elite military forces. Tactically they are extremely flexible with most units excelling in a single capacity while at the same time being capable of multiple combat roles. Strategically ill-suited to any actions requiring them to occupy extensive amounts of captured territory as any diminishment of forces for occupation rapidly erodes their combat effectiveness. Extremely high mobility (both on the ground and intra-system) coupled with nearly complete autonomy and rapidly diminishing combat effectiveness after few losses makes them well suited to first response and hit-and-fade actions. Very high individual durability means that they can brave enormous amounts of enemy firepower for brief periods. Very effective when employed as shock-troops and super-commandos, less effective when employed as line troops, however due to generally very high marks for training, moral, discipline, equipment, and martial skill they are able to act effectively in nearly any role for a limited time.

Adepta Sororitas: Highly motivated elite religious armed forces. Tactically they are very well equipped for primarily short ranged engagements. Strategically unique in that they are deployed primarily on the orders of the Ecclesiarchy (or the Inquisition) and so their strategic goals they have may actually be non-military, quite capable of small scale territory holding action. Somewhat less mobile than Astartes but at least as mobile as the Imperial Guard. Most suited for both limited defensive and offensive actions, particularly in urban environments, and for deployment as guard details for senior Ecclesiarchy official or holy sites. High individual durability coupled with less risk of diminishing combat capacity than Astartes makes them more suited to a frontline deployment as hyper-elite traditional forces than the afore mentioned Astartes. Distinct limitations in their equipment make them most effective when fighting alongside other military forces.

Fratris Militia: Part-time all volunteer paramilitary force under the Ecclesiarchy. Tactically they are poorly equipped, poorly trained, and undisciplined, though often highly motivated. Strategically they are very limited, they lack dedicated mechanized support and heavy weapons. As with the Adepta Sororitas their strategic goals will be set by the Ministorum (exclusively so, unlike the Sororitas) and may not be strictly militarily motivated. They act as guards for Ecclesiarchy holdings and uphold Ministorum law and interests on shrine-worlds. In actual military engagements they would function as secondary troops and/or as rudimentarily trained and equipped foot-soldiers, their greatest asset being their eagerness to martyr themselves in holy service to the emperor. They are unreliable as soldiers, and cannot and would not persecute military action effectively without other forces.

Titan Legions: Massive self contained land fighting vehicles with ultra-high damage capacity. Tactically geared entirely towards large-scale conflict, they are able to bring truly overwhelming amounts of direct firepower down on a relatively small area. Strategically incapable of holding territory with no capacity to garrison captured territory, and not at all suited for limited warfare. Because they are the military arm of the Mechanicus their strategic operation may often be predicated on the Mechanicum’s goals. Deployable only in situations where collateral damage is deemed totally acceptable, the aftereffects of their very operation ensure the devastation of whatever area they operate in, and they cannot function effectively in extremely rough or broken terrain. Perfectly suited for siege operations and effective in extremely large scale military operations over open ground. Due to their operational limitations they must carefully choose the time and place of their deployment or they will become impotent and a waste of resources.

Skitarii: Essentially the same as the Guard in terms of capabilities, though generally with better equipment through the Mechanicus. Generally employed as Guard analogue in support of Titan actions to hold ground and guard their flank, and as bodyguard for senior tech-magi.

Adeptus Arbitus: Unilateral legal enforcers, empowered to both administer and enforce judicial actions. Tactically equipped for non-lethal action and riot control, limited military capability, particularly in urban environments. Strategically limited, very small numbers and limited military orientation means that they cannot function in anything but small scale actions. Their primary concern is with keeping the peace, a role for which they are well equipped and trained. Because they are highly disciplined and already onsite they function as the first line of defense in military actions, particularly in cases of widespread insurrection.

Inquisition: Supra-legal completely autonomous operatives. There is no way to generalize the Inquisition’s military capabilities. Military capacity would vary from Inquisitor to Inquisitor, with some commanding virtual private armies and others nothing more than a handful of field agents. In addition in the event that they have to act in a military capacity they would generally choose to induct forces from the other military arms of the Imperium, so their military capabilities can be judged in terms of the other military branches capabilities.

Observations? Opinions? Insights?

EDIT: Realized I had neglected to mention the PDF, this has been remedied.

[Melissia]

Imperial Guard: The military of the Imperium. Simply put, if fighting is going on somewhere in the Imperium, the Guard is probably involved somehow. Their tactics are as widely varied as the cultures of the worlds which call themselves Imperial, but overall, they tend to favor massed and accurately placed firepower (whether that firepower is static, mobile, artillery, heavy weapons, special weapons, or simply lots of lasguns).

PDF: A lesser version of the Imperial Guard in a sense-- although not always actually lesser in capabilities. Generally focuses on defense as opposed to the Guard's typically more offensive role. May have both air force and (waterbound) navy as well-- quite frequently uses combined arms rather than the strong separation and specialization of the Guard.

Imperial Navy (in atmosphere): Essentially the air force. Maintains air superiority, strikes at targets of opportunity, transports the various forces around, and so on. When necessary, orbital bombardment is used to devastating effect, though it's often preferable not to use it because it destroys the resources that the Imperium is fighting over in the first place.

Adepta Sororitas: Analogous to the crusaders of the medieval periods of our history. Religious-based force, which is the elite of the elite for purely human military forces. Primarily short-ranged role, causing their best functions to be rapid offensive strikes or urban warfare (either offense or defense in this case, due to the short ranged nature of these firefights). Due to their religious nature, Imperial forces are occasionally forced to work around them, rather than with them-- they always serve the Emperor, but their fervor can get in the way of tactical sense.

Astartes: Inhuman elite force, extremely autonomous. Best used as a fast attack strike force, dropping down (either with pods or with thunderhawks) and destroying a valuable target, then moving on before the enemy can react. Occasionally proves quite unreliable though, and many Imperial forces are forced to work around the Astartes rather than with them-- they often have their own goals, all other military forces be damned.

Frateris Militia: Essentially, a religious militia quickly raised and just as quickly disbanded in times of need. Easy access to guns in the 40K world lets the Ecclesiarchy equip them with civilian model guns and blades, and send them en masse against a foe armed with little more than rifles and faith. Due to their religious nature, Imperial forces are occasionally forced to work around them, rather than with them-- they always serve the Emperor, but their fervor can get in the way of tactical sense.

Titan Legions: Massive siege engines, essentially. Run by the Adeptus Mechanicus and so often goes after their goals.

Skitarii: The military of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Deployed similarly to the Guard, but with different objectives as suits the AM... sometimes to the detriment of other Imperial forces.

Adeptus Arbitus: Essentially, they are like the FBI and the police rolled into one. Mostly concerned with crimes committed by the powerful, such as nobility and governors-- the local enforcers/police/what have you enforce laws on the lower classes.

Inquisition: Not a military force. The Inquisition is a political force which has some control over all other military forces, even the Astartes to some extent (though most are loathe to call upon the Astartes unless absolutely necessary, and even then only with chapters they have traded favors with and trust). Inquisitorial stormtroopers are drawn from the top two percent of the Schola Progenium's stormtroopers. The Grey Knights assist the Daemonhunters as their semi-autonomous army, with the Knights themselves being far more loyal to the Inquisition than most Astartes chapters. The Deathwatch is formed from various members of various chapters, and serves the Alien Hunters. The Adepta Sororitas have an agreement to assist the Witch Hunters when called upon, although their primary duties have always been towards the Emperor and the Ecclesiarchy (in that order).

[Nabterayl]

I feel it's worth pointing out that the Guard is oftentimes combined-arms only in very small or multi-regiment actions. To ease the logistical burden of equipping regiments, the Munitorum does not make any effort to equip each regiment with an optimal mix of materiel. While some regiments (typically those from high-tech worlds with significant local manufacturing capabilities) may have a nice even blend of infantry, armor, and artillery, many more are composed primarily or even exclusively of only one arm. Thus, an infantry regiment may have over 10,000 men, but only have enough tanks to provide proper armor support to a single company. An armored regiment may have hundreds of tanks but only enough infantry to properly screen a single company. An artillery regiment may have hundreds of guns but essentially no ability to capitalize on its bombardments.

Thus, individual Guard regiments are often NOT combined-arms formations, even though the Guard as a whole is. The difficulties of getting multiple regiments of the right type to the same campaign (and the difficulties of getting different regiments to work together with the desired level of coordination) means that the Guard often falls short of its potential.

[Melissia]

But still wins, more often than not despite all of that.

[Just_Me]

Yes and no. While the regiment seems to be the basic “unit” of the Imperial Guard, there is every indication in the fluff (e.g. the Ghosts novels, Gunheads, the Ciphas Cain novels, Imperial Armour V-VII etc.) that in practice the guard operates in army groups rather than as individual regiments. Such groups would have ample experience and training alongside each other and could effectively cooperate. Naturally this is not true in every case, and would not apply to very recently formed army groups, but in large warzones individual regiments thrown together on the spot seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

[Ole]

I seem to recall that actually Guard Regiments are equipped with only one kind of equipment (Artillery, Tanks, Infantry), as this reduces their chance of successful rebellion. An infantry regiment won't stand a chance against a artillery regiment, which won't stand a chance against a tank regiment, which won't stand a chance against an infantry regiment. Therefore each individual regiment might be limited in its capabilities, but since this also reduces their ability to cause trouble - and since the Guard usually wouldn't deploy a single regiment anway - well, that's the way it has to be.

One question that bothers me though, is the question of the Sororitas: How fast could they deploy? I mean, as far as I know they don't operate their own starships and are still dependent on the Navy. If so, would they still be able to deploy faster than the Guard? I guess the answer is 'Yes', as the Sororitas orders are much more independent than the Guard and therefore could make their decision to deploy much faster than the Guard could be ordered around by the Munitorum. Also I guess, the Navy is also much more able to make fast decisions than the Guard, right?

[Just_Me]

One question that bothers me though, is the question of the Sororitas: How fast could they deploy? I mean, as far as I know they don't operate their own starships and are still dependent on the Navy. If so, would they still be able to deploy faster than the Guard? I guess the answer is 'Yes', as the Sororitas orders are much more independent than the Guard and therefore could make their decision to deploy much faster than the Guard could be ordered around by the Munitorum. Also I guess, the Navy is also much more able to make fast decisions than the Guard, right?

Well as to this, no one seems to know. I can only add that there was a dedicated article on the old BFG site about converting a Sororitas battleship, supposedly based on one that appeared in the Daemonifuge comic series. Not having read aforementioned series I can only attest to the BFG article.

[DarkLink]

Ordos Malleus: The order of the Inquisition concerned with the destruction of the Daemonic. Inquisitors of the Ordos Malleus hunt down Chaos Cults and worshipers. When a military threat arises from such a source, the Ordos Malleus will call upon all available forces of the Imperium to counter it. Due to the blasphemous and corrupting influence of Chaos and the Daemonic, though, the Ordos Malleus often mind-wipes or even kills these requisitioned forces after the direct threat is contained, to ensure that the taint of Chaos does not spread.

Attached to the Ordos Malleus is the elite Grey Knights chapter of Space Marines. Said to be founded on the Emperor's orders just after the end of the Horus Heresy, and even rumored to draw their gene-seed from the Emperor himself. The Grey Knights are even more selective and highly trained than normal Space Marines, specially trained to combat Chaos. Each Grey Knight is an exceptionally potent psyker and must go through intensive selection and training that makes normal Space Marine training pale in comparison. Amongst all the Chapters of the Space Marines, only the Grey Knights have the greatest honor; not a single Knight has ever faltered in battle, nor turned to the powers of Chaos. The Chapter is equipped with the finest equipment in all the Imperium, and is then spread across the galaxy in small strike forces, which stand ready to combat the Daemonic where ever it is found. Whenever the threat of Chaos is too great to be contained by the available forces, the Ordos Malleus turns to the Grey Knights.

[Nabterayl]

Yes and no. While the regiment seems to be the basic “unit” of the Imperial Guard, there is every indication in the fluff (e.g. the Ghosts novels, Gunheads, the Ciphas Cain novels, Imperial Armour V-VII etc.) that in practice the guard operates in army groups rather than as individual regiments. Such groups would have ample experience and training alongside each other and could effectively cooperate. Naturally this is not true in every case, and would not apply to very recently formed army groups, but in large warzones individual regiments thrown together on the spot seem to be the exception rather than the rule.
No argument here. I guess what I was trying to say was that the Guard almost has to operate on a large scale, because an individual regiment is so unlikely to have the materiel necessary for combined-arms warfare.


One question that bothers me though, is the question of the Sororitas: How fast could they deploy? I mean, as far as I know they don't operate their own starships and are still dependent on the Navy. If so, would they still be able to deploy faster than the Guard?
I think this would depend on the individual sector. Two problems come to mind: centralization of a Sororitas command and availability of transport. Some preceptories are spread out over several convents, for instance, so it would take time (and transports) to assemble them. Other preceptories, I imagine, are centralized - some sites are surely important enough to warrant a garrison of 1,000 sisters. And some cardinals, I suspect, are important enough to have naval detachments more or less at their beck and call. So I imagine that, in the optimal circumstances, at least, the Sororitas can deploy faster than the Guard.


Also I guess, the Navy is also much more able to make fast decisions than the Guard, right?
Well ... maybe a little. I mean, if it's a strictly naval action being contemplated, then the Navy has the advantage of not needing another branch of the service. On the other hand, even so, naval warfare seems to be pretty slow. The Gothic War took several decades to wind up, didn't it, and there were what - six or so major engagements during that time?

[Just_Me]

No argument here. I guess what I was trying to say was that the Guard almost has to operate on a large scale, because an individual regiment is so unlikely to have the materiel necessary for combined-arms warfare.?

Absolutely and without question.