Basic Training: "Soviet"

Equipment:   Albanian Armed Forces equipment list. 

After breaking from communism after a semi-violent uprising in the late 1990s, Albania's armed forces have shrunk radically.  The Albanian Land Forces are of roughly brigade strength in peacetime.  They have participated in many peacekeeping missions, and small groups have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

• Albanian Military Ranks

Army 

The Army has mechanized and leg infantry, artillery and support careers, as well as a Commando battalion which rolls on the Raider tables. 

The national Military Police are a separate branch.  

Air Force

Albania's "air force" includes rotary wing and support units. 

Aircraft in use:

• Bolkow 105 helicopters.   

Navy

Primarily a coastal defense force.  Consists of two coastal patrol craft. 

Roll characters on the Coast Guard tables. 

Prior conflicts

• As far as military actions, there was some internal strife in the eighties. 

• Albanian forces have been on several peacekeeping missions. 

Basic Training: American

• Argentine Military Ranks

 ARMY

 Equipment: Argentine Army equipment list. 

 Army Special Forces:  The Argentine Army special forces includes:

• Two companies of "Commandos" (Raider table)

• One Special Forces company (Special Operations Forces table)

• A psychological warfare company (Special Forces support, use PsyOps skills). 

 Navy:

The Argentine navy includes

• Surface -  a fleet of surface combatants

• Submarine - A small fleet of submarines (diesel-electric).   

• Naval Aviation - fixed wing naval patrol and helicopters.   The last aircraft carrier was retired long go. 

Infanteria de Marina - Marines

 Marine Amphibious Commandos - (Better known as "Buzos Tacticos") - Use the Naval version of the Raider Units table.  

 Air Force:

 Aircraft Used:  List

 Gendarmerie:

This is a national military police force and border patrol.  Use National Military police tables. 

 Aircraft Used:  List

Prior Conflicts

• The Navy sent ships to participate in the 1992 Gulf War, as well as Haitian peacekeeping issions.  

• International missions

The Australian military must cover an enormous area. Units, especially special forces, tend to be very self-reliant, capable of much independant action.

Australian units use the same Regimental system common to all Commonwealth nations.  Click here for details.

Updates courtesy Jim Lawrie and Charles Doty.

 Basic Training: Commonwealth

• Australian military ranks

 Army

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces

Australia's special forces, as this is written, remain part of the Australian Army, rather than a joint forces Special Operations command.  

• Australian Special Air Service - Special Operations Forces table. 

• Tactical Assault Group (TAG) - Hostage Rescue Units Table.  This is Australia’s counterterrorism unit, and is actually two specially trained small companies drawn from the Australian SAS and the 1st Commando Regiment.

• 2nd Commando Regiment  - Use the Naval version of the Raider Units table (This is a small unit based in and around Sydney)

• 1st Commando Regiment - Also Raiders, but drawn from the Reserve.   Members of this regiment serve as National Guard-style reservists, getting Raider skills in their first term and subsequent terms.   Veterans of the Australian SAS and 2nd Commando Rgt may also serve as reservists in this unit. 

• Special Operations Engineer Regiment - Provides combat engineering support for special operations.  Characters roll on the Special Operations Support table - mostly as Engineers. 

Navy

• Surface -  The fleet has a total of 11 destroyers and frigates

• Submarine - The cutting edge of the fleet is the RAN's six Collins class submarines.   (UPDATE 2024:  Or maybe not.  In late 2023 the US announced a plan to help Australia build a local variant of the USN's Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines).  

• Naval Aviation - fixed wing naval patrol and helicopters. 

• Amphibious Warfare - The fleet includes two new-ish Landing Craft Docks capable of supporting some air operations (although not RAAF's F35 fleet, as this is written. They also support amphibious operations - and the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment is currently researching ambphbious tactics.

• Ships Used:  List

 Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is buying F35 Lightnings to replace its eighties-vintage fleet of F18s.  It also has a sizeable transport fleet capable of supporting Australian ground forces around the world. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Prior Conflicts

• Malaysia (early '60s)

• Vietnam (small force)

• Gulf War (Naval force)

• Peacekeeping actions in Rwanda, Cambodia and Somalia (1990’s)

• East Timor Peacekeeping Force (1999)

• Australian forces, especially special forces, have been heavily involved in the Global War on Terror.  

Landlocked Austria has been traditionally neutral, although during the Cold War they cast their lot with the West. 

Conscription

Austria still has conscription, which during the Cold War involved nine months service plus 20 years in the reserves .  

• < 2006 - Medium-Service 

• >2006 - Short service.  

Note that Austrian reserve NCOs are selected during basic training (roll for promotion if desired in first term).  Otherwise they remain privates for their entire career. 

Austrian Ranks.  

Army

The Army includes brigade-sized mech, light and mountain infantry units, as well as a nine territory-based reserve commands that are essentially brigades.  

• Equipment:  List

Navy

The small river patrol has been transferred to the Federal Police since 2006. 

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    

Jagdcommando 

The Jagdkommando (literally "Hunting Command", more proximately "Ranger Command") is the Austrian Special Forces command.  Characters roll as Special Operations Forces.  Characters get an additional level of mountaineering in the first term. 

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

Notes:Belgium has a very small professional military.   It has abolished conscription - the military is entirely volunteer. 

 Basic Training: American

• Belgian military ranks

 Land Component

The Land Component (Army) has phased out all tracked vehicles; tanks in general are a thing of the past in the Belgian military.  

The Land Component consists of a mechanized brigade (with mech infantry, signals, artillery and lots of engineers) and a "Special Operations Regiment"

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:   

• Special Operations Regiment - includes:

  • Two battalions of Parachutists (Airborne Infantry)

  • A Special Forces Group (roll as Special Operations Forces).   This unit is descended from the World War II-era Belgian component of the British Special Air Service (SAS). 

Maritime Component

The Belgian Maritime Component is a small force.  

• Surface -  With two (Dutch-surplus) frigates and five minesweepers, it is largely focused on collaboration with NATO and coastal mine warfare.

• Ships Used:  Lien.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Navy#Current_fleet_listst

Air Component

WIth forty-odd eighties-era F16s and a small transport fleet, the Belgian Air Component is mostly responsible for collaborating with NATO and defending Belgian airspace. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Medical Component

Belgium's military medical services are centralized into their own component, partly to aid in the humanitarian assistance mission, as well as providing healthcare services to Belgium's military personel and dependents in peacetime.  

Characters roll on the Military medical tables.  Enlisted Medic and Officers whose STR+INT+CON=15+ can be part of the company that supports the Special Operations Regiment (above), and add Parachute: 2 to their first term skills. 

 Prior Conflicts:

• Congo (now Zaire) 1963

• Rescues of westerners in various African countries1970s, 1990s

• Gulf War (1991) (small naval detachment)

National Intelligence

The "Belgian  General Information and Security Service" is Belgium's military intelligence service, focusing mostly on counterintelligence.  Characters roll under Military Intelligence.  

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

Brazil is in perpetual turmoil. It's population is exploding, its debt is astronomical, and it's social problems are becoming staggering. All in all, it's a great place for a Merc: 2000 campaign...

Conscription

Brazil has in theory has conscription, with 9-12 months' mandatory service -but 95% of those eligible receive deferments.  3/4 of the Army (and nearly all of the Navy and Air Force) are regulars.  Conscripts serve as Medium-service draftees. 

• Brazilian Military Ranks

 Army

Brazil's army is quite large.  It includes Airborne troops, as well as brigades specializing in urban and especially jungle warfare.   

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:  The Army's Special Operations Command includes:

• 1st Special Force Battalion - Roll as Unconventional Warfare troops. 

• 1st Commando Action Battalion  - roll as Raiders. 

• 1st Battalion of Psychological Operations - Roll on Special Ops Support, choose PsyOps skills. 

Navy:

• Surface -  There are nine frigates - al of British origin - and two domestically-built corvettes, and 22 offshore patrol craft. 

• Submarine - The Navy has seven diesel submarines - six of German origin, one French. 

• Naval Aviation - 

• Littoral forces - Brazil has six mine warfare vessels a very sizeable river patrol fleet.  

• Amphibious Warfare - There are four large amphibious ships supporting the Brazilian Marines. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

 Marines

The Marines are a branch of the Navy.  There is one combined-armed Marine "Division" (basically a reinforced brigade) as well as battalion-sized force-protection groups assigned to Naval Districts.  Roll as Marines. 

• The Toneleros are a Marine Special Operations unit.  Roll as Naval Raiders. 

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

Basic Training: Commonwealth

 While Canada at least nominally separated their previously united forces into separate services again, they still share a lot of functions, including basic training.  

Update courtesy Charles Doty,  “Northern Dissident”, Brad Moore and Gary Kusec.

• Canadian Armed Forces ranks

 Army

Canada has a well-regarded Army.  Its reserves are from the Territorial tables.  

Canadian soldiers belong to regiments with long, involved histories, as in the British Army.  

• Equipment:  Weapons and Other Equipment

 Army Special Forces:   

 The Canadian Rangers operate in Canada's far north.  These units are composed entirely of Inuit, Metis and other First Nations.  They provide a limited military presence in Canada's thinly-populated arctic regions, as well as scouting for and providing Wilderness survival expertise for Canada's regular and reserve military.  

Entry:   STR+CON+INT 16+, plus a native Inuit, Metis or other Canadian First Nations tribe member living in Northwest Territories, Yukon, or the far north.   These troops will have a solid chance (Referee's discretion) of speaking an indigenous language.  

First Term:

• Observation: 1

• Snow Skiing: 1

• Small Watercraft: 1

• Stealth: 2

Subsequent Term skills as "Special Reconaissance Units".   

Note:   Standard rifle for Rangers is the Enfield Mark IV - a World War 2 vintage bolt-action rifle.  Modern assault rifles aren't rugged enough for the environment. 

Navy:

• Surface -  The Canadian Navy has a dozen frigates, and 12 offshore patrol craft.  It has recently decommissioned its three old destroyers and its logistic support ships - so the surface fleet has limited capability of operating at any great distance from Canada, and is suitable mostly for assisting NATO fleets at convoy escort as well as patrolling Canadian home waters. 

• Submarine - The Canadian Navy has four diesel-electric submarines - the early '80s vintage British "Upholder" class boats. 

• Canadian Naval Aviation is provided by the RCAF. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces :   Naval Tactical Operations Group.   This unit, comprising mostly reservists, conducts boarding operations.    Open to characters with STR+CON+INT 14+.   Enlisted members roll as "Master at Arms" on the Surface Warfare table for first term skills, with additional Small Boat 1 and Climbing 1 skills added.   They they serve as reservists, receiving Navy Surface skills for secondary skills for each term. 

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Canadian Special Forces Command

While not a separate branch, the Canadians put their special forces under one central command, as has become the fashion lately.  

Units include:

• JTF2 - Rolls under the "Special Operations Forces" table. 

• Canadian Special Operations Regiment  - rolls on the Raider table. This unit is open to troops from all three branches of the Canadian forces. 

• 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron - Rolls under the "Special Forces Aviation " table

• Joint Incident Response Unit - Rolls under the "Special Operations Support " table, specializing in Engineering and EOD - characters will take "Warhead" and "Combat Engineering" as primary skills. 

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

• Korea

• Gulf War (1991) (Participation was minimal)

• Peacekeeping in Yugaslavia and Somalia (early and mid ‘90s)

The People's Liberation Army (which is the parent organization for all branches of service) has changed immensely since the Cold War.  While it's still quite large, it - like Russia - has opted to improve the force's quality and pare back some of the immense quantity of the Cold War years.

While the Peoples' Republic in theory has conscription, in practice all positions are filled with volunteers, and have been for most of the PRC's history. 

 Update courtesy Charles Doty.

• Chinese PLA Ground Force, Navy, Air Force and Armed Police ranks

 Peoples' Liberation Army Ground Force

The PLA Ground Force is is just shy of one million strong as of 2020.  It includes an aviation arm, separate from the PLA Air Force, with a sizeable helicopter fleet. 

Since the end of the Cold War, the PRC has been upgrading the quality of its equipment from the 1950s vintage weapons that armed it until the '80s. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:  Not much is known about PLA Special Operations Forces.   Public statements indicate that the PLA has between 7-14,000 troops.   It seems reasonable to assume that it includes troops trained for Special Reconaissance,  Raiding, and Special Operations Forces roles.  This will of necessity be left to referees and players research for the time being. 

The counterterrorism effort, and the units that prosecute it,  are subordinate to the police.   It's a reasonable assumption some sort of Hostage Rescue unit/s exist.   These would be open to qualifying Chinese characters with at least a term in national or local police.  

Peoples Liberation Army Navy

The PLA Navy includes:

• Surface Warfare units include numerous modern and obsolete destroyers, frigates and a large number of patrol craft.  

• Submarines (diesel and nuclear) including 7 SSBN, 12 SSN, 60 diesel subs of widely varying ages and capabilities. 

• Coastal/Littoral forces - mostly anti-ship coast defense missiles.  Roll under Artillery. 

• A Marine Corps - two brigades of mixed armor/mech infantry, artillery and leg marines.  Their overall quality is unknown, and their character tables will be at referee's discretion. 

• A Fleet Air Arm, mostly shore-based, although with the introduction of the aircraft carrier Liaoning, the PLA Navy may have a blue-water capability for the first time (the second unit, Shandong, is fitting out as this is written.  PLA Navy Fleet Air Arm pilots roll on the Air Force tables.  

• The Navy has about three dozen amphibious warfare ships. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   There is a PLA Marine Corps

 Peoples' Liberation Army Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    The PLA Air Force includes the Airborne Forces - three divisions of Airborne infantry. 

Peoples' Liberation Army Rocket Force

This is the strategic missile force of the PLA.  

I don't believe I've ever devised "Missile Crew" characters... :-/

Peoples' Liberation Army Strategic Support Force

This is the Satellite Recon and Cyberwarfare branch. 

• Satellite Recon - roll under the Intelligence Analyst table, taking the "Satellite Intel" skills. 

• Cyberwarfare - roll on the Cyberwarfare Specialist table. 

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

• Korea

• Various skirmishes with the Russians

• India (1960’s)

• Vietnam (1979)

• Tibet (Since 1960's)

The Taiwanese military's mission until the 1970s was to retake the mainland.  The current mission is to defend the island nation from a possible military invasion from the Peoples' Republic of China.  

Conscription

Taiwan maintains conscription, but is aiming toward a volunteer force.  Currently, all male Taiwanese are subject to four months of basic training and service.  Roll as short-service conscripts. 

• Taiwanese Army, Navy and Air Force ranks

Army

Taiwan has a large army with 300,000 in service with reports of 3.8 million reservists.  Much of its equipment, especially its tank fleet, is 1960s-vintage US equipment (M60s), although a purchase of M1A2 Abrams tanks is being debated.  The Mech Infantry is adopting an indigenous wheeled personnel carrier.  

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• The exact mission and function of Taiwan's five special forces battalions (subordinated to Army Aviation command) is unclear, but it's reasonable to assume they include Special Reconaissance and Raider, including Naval Raider, units. Additional info is sought. 

Navy:

The ROC fleet includes:

• Surface -  upgraded US (and license-built version of US) and French ships

• Submarine - a pair of 1970s vintage Dutch boats, and two WW2 era US subs used for training. 

• There are a significant number of patrol and missile boats, as well as minesweepers, to contest control of Taiwan's various satelite islands

• The Marine Corps is a separate arm of service - see below.  The fleet maintains a small amphibious sealift capability. 

• Naval Aviation - fixed wing naval patrol and helicopters. 

• Ships Used:  List

Marine Corps

The ROC Marine Corps is heavily influenced by the US Marines, down to having a stylized "Globe and Anchor" emblem.  The corps includes a division  plus support assets.  

• Ships Used:  List

• Marine Special Forces:   The "Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit (ARP) - includes Reconnaissance (roll as Special Reconnaissance, Naval), Special Service (roll as Naval Raiders) and an Underwater Demolition company (roll as Special Operations Support on the Engineer tables, substituting Scuba for Parachute. 

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Military Police

The ROC Military Police, in addition to the usual law enforcement duties , is responsible for guarding the ROC's leadership and strategic faciliites, and is also the main counterintelligence force.  

Military Police Special Forces:  

Joint Logistics Command:

Handles administration, transport, health and logistics for the ROC armed forces.  Characters roll under Support and Medical careers.

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

 After the breakup of Yugoslavia, Croatia inherited much of the former nation's arms industry.  For a relatively small nation, it is in fact relatively self-sufficient in terms of weapons and vehicles, and is an exporter of arms (including many via back channels that've found their way to several factions in the Syrian Civil War. 

Croatia abolished conscription in 2008.  

Army

The Croatian Army has two mechanized brigades. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

Navy:

Croatia's navy is a small coast defense force.   

• Littoral forces - Three Yugoslav-era and two Finnish-built missile patrol boats, and a "coast guard" with five small patrol boats.  

• Ships Used:  List

 Air Force:

The Croatian Air Force remains one of the last users of the MIG-21 - albeit upgraded to NATO communication standards.  As their fleet has shrunk by half in recent years as the planes wear out, Croatia is seeking a new fighter.  

The Croatian Air Force includes a dozen airborne firefighting/water bomber aircraft, which as far as I can tell is unique among world air forces. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Special Forces Command

Croatian Special Forces Command is a battalion sized unit with two companies that roll as Raiders, and one rolling as Naval Raiders.  

 Prior Conflicts:

The Czech Republic, like much of Eastern Europe, is an enthusiastic NATO member. 

Update courtesy Charles Doty.

 Basic Training: American

 Army

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• 102nd Recon Battalion - roll characters under the Special Recon tables. 

 Air Force

The Czech "Air Force" is administratively part of the Army.   The Air Force does, however, field modern jet fighters (Swedish-built Saab "Gripen" multirole planes), and is capable of a high level of proficiency. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

• "Prague Spring" (1968)

• Gulf War (1991) (Chemical Defense Unit)

The Danish military still maintains some conscription, although the numbers actually drafted are very small.  

Conscription

The Danish military still maintains some conscription, although the numbers actually drafted are very small - depending on the year and the regular military's shortfall in volunteers, in the hundreds to low thousands per year.   Roll as Medium-service conscripts. 

Basic Training: As in US

• Danish Army, Navy and Air Force ranks. 

 Army

The Danish army was well-regarded during its service in Kosovo and the former Yugoslavia.  

• Equipment:  List

Navy

• Surface -  The Danish frigate fleet has actually increased since the Cold War, with three Dutch-surplus missile frigates and a pair of multi-role support ships, as well as several patrol ships.  

• Littoral forces - Denmark maintains several mine warfare vessels. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces - "Slædepatruljen Sirius" (Sled Patrol Sirius).   A small (12 patrolmen, two radio operators) force, it patrols Greenland via dog sled.   Roll under Special Recon table, removing Parachuting and Small Boat from the first term skills, and adding Canine Handling 1, Snow Skiing 1 and Survival 1 to the first term (and as options for subsequent terms).  Only vehicle allowed will be a dogsled and a bunch of dogs.  The Patrol is armed with M1917 Enfield rifles - a World War 1-vintage rifle in 30-06 caliber, mainly carried to defend against angry polar bears.  I'm not making that up. 

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Special Operations Command

Danish Special Operations command formed in the 2010s, and comprises most Danish quick-intervention forces. 

• Jægerkorpset - a very highly-regarded special operations force contributed by the Danish Army.  Characters roll on the Special Operations Force table. 

• Fromandkorpset (Frogman's Corps) - a Danish Navy unit that specializes in water-borne reconnaissance and littoral warfare.  Roll on the Special Recon (Naval) table.  

Home Guard

The Danish Home Guard traces its lineage to the Danish Resistance of World War 2.   Characters roll as Home Guards.  

There are five branches to the Home Guard:

• Army - with volunteer units based around Denmark

• Naval and Air Force - volunteers whose jobs in a crisis involve securing naval and air installations in Denmark

• Police  - regional volunteers acting as a police reserve

• Infrastructure Home Guard - devoted to securing key infrastructure - Transportation, Communications, Power and Water supplies, and key heathcare facilities each have dedicated sub-branches. 

The Danish Home Guard includes both sexes.

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction

 “Danish forces have been involved in several peace-keeping operations. The first one was around the Suez crisis in the 40s. Since it has  been Cyprus and latest Yugoslavia (where a Danish tank-platoon from the  Danish International Brigade was attacked by Serbian troops and then  destroyed them).”

“A Corvette also participated in the Gulf war '91.”

   -- Nis Mathiesen

warAs the USSR started to unravel in 1991, tiny Estonia was the first to take off the gloves.  There was a brief, borderline-violent standoff with occupying Soviet troops before the fall of the rest of the USSR gave Estonia the independence it had sought since 1940. 

The nation of 2.5 million has a very ingrained philosophy of resisting future Russian occupation; preparing for guerrilla war against Russia is something of a national pastime.  

Conscription

The Estonian military only conscripts for the Army.  The numbers drafted - 4,000 per year - are limited mainly by the facilities available to house them.  11 months ' training and active service is followed by 15 years in the reserves.   Roll as Medium-service conscripts. 

Basic Training:  American

• Estonian military ranks

 Army

Estonia's army is growing rapidly in response to what it sees as a growing Russian threat. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• Estonian Special Operations Force - roll as Unconventional Warfare troops.   Add Stealth to first term skills.  Note: ESOF troops will likely have contacts in the Defense League (below) as well as the NATO special operations community. 

Navy

• Littoral Warfare ships -  The Estonian Navy includes three small minesweepers, a minelayer and a small support ship. 

• Ships Used:  List

 Air Force

The Estonians are still rebuilding infrastructure damage the Soviets inflicted before withdrawing nearly 30 years ago.

Estonia's Air Force consists, as this is written, of two light jet trainers and two small transport planes.  The Air Force also manages a couple of radar installations.  

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Defense League:

The Defense League is a cross between a national reserve and a paramilitary guerrilla movement in training.  Descended from the "Forest Brothers", the Defense League includes Estonians of all ages and sexes, and spends a fair amount of time preparing to wage guerrilla war against a Russian invasion.  

• Characters will roll as Home Guards, with Stealth as an additional Basic and Subsequent Term skill. 

 Prior Conflicts

• During the Soviet occupation of Estonia (1939-41 and 1944-1991), at least some "Forest Brothers" held out in the forests. 

• Mali

• Afghanistan

Finland's small army is nevertheless quite competent - they have a long tradition of clobbering larger foes on the battlefield.   

Conscription

Most Finnish male characters serve as "Medium-service" type conscripts, including in the Border Guards, if they are not regular military.   

Also - reserve officers and NCOs are chosen during this service period.   

• Characters rolling Difficult: Intelligence are promoted to Sergeant during their first term, receive Leadership 1, and remain as sergeants.   

• Characters rolling Formidable: Intelligence are commissioned as reserve Lieutenants, and receive Leadership 2.  

All special forces units also include reservists.

 Update thanks to Ville Laurila and Atte Tikkanen.

Basic Training: American.   

• Finnish military ranks

 Army

Add "Snow Skiing 1" to basic training skills. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• Special Jaeger Company.    Roll as Special Reconaissance troops.

• Utti Jaeger Regiment.   Serves mostly as a special forces training unit.  Roll as Unconventional Warfare troops.   

Navy:

• Littoral Forces -  Eight fast missile attack craft, 16 mine warfare craft.   The Naval Special Forces are also dedicated to defending Finland's mass of islands.  

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   Note that members of Finland's naval special forces - which can include conscripts - are drawn largely from Finland's Swedish-speaking minority, although all troops also speak Finnish.  At referee's discretion, troops in this force may be bilingual in Finnish and Swedish. 

  • Nyland Brigade - This is a battalion sized "Marine" unit that also trains "Coastal Jaegers" (see below). 

  • Coastal Jaegers - Roll as Naval Raiders.  These troops, much like Norway's Coastal Jegers, focus on small boat reconaissance and raiding in Finland's island-rich littoral.  

 Air Force

The Finnish Air Force will be working on replacing its ageing FA18 fleet over the next 10 years or so. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Border Guards

Border Guards can serve a term in the unit, and then as National Guard type reservists (with Border Guard subsequent skills).  Add Snow Skiing 1 and Tracking 1 to basic training skiills.  Both are also available as subsequent term skills. 

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

The French military is one of the most experienced in the world, especially in brushfire wars. French special units - commandos, parachutistes, and the Foreign Legion - are excellent, well-respected troops.

 Basic Training:American

• French Army, Navy, Air Force and Gendermerie Ranks

 Army

French Army is the largest ground force on the European continent.  

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:  French Army Special Forces command includes the following units:

• 1st Marine Infantry Paratroopers Regiment - Characters roll as Special Operations Forces.  

• 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment - roll as Special Reconnaissance troops. 

• 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment - roll as Special Forces Aviation (all rotary wing). 

• 
  

Navy:

• Surface - The fleet includes 11 destroyers and 11 frigates, 17 offshore and coastal patrol vessels. 

• Submarine - Four ballistic missile submarines, five nuclear attack subs. The entire French submarine fleet is nuclear. 

• Naval Aviation - One nuclear aircraft carrier plus a significant land-based Maritime Patrol force. 

• Littoral forces - 17 mine warfare vessels, 6 various patrol vessels.  

• Amphibious Warfare - The large Landing Ship Docks to transport the various Marine units. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   

  • Fusiliers Marins (Marine Rifles) - roll on the Marine tables. 

  • Commandos Marine (Marine Commandos) - This unit consists of seven company-sized units with different missions:   two are Special Reconaissance (Naval), two are Raiders (Naval), one is a Special Operations Force (Naval), and two are Special Operations Support. 

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    Fusiliers Commandos De L'Air - roll under Air Force Security Police. 

Gendarmerie

The national police force is a paramilitary unit that provides municipal and national police services, as well as  providing rear-area security should French territory be threatened.  Roll on the National Police table. 

 GIGN - Special Operations Forces table.  This is one of the world’s busiest counterterrorism units.  Formed in 1974, they are a unit of the national Gendarmerie, or police.  Applicants must have served a term as French State/Local Law Enforcement before joining. 

Prior Conflicts:

• Algerian Civil War ('50s'60s)

• Vietnam (until 1956)

• Gulf War (1991): Light Armored Division served alongside the US VII Corps.

• Chad (vs. Libya - mid '80s)

• The 2 REP was dropped into Zaire by the USAF in 1978 to protect Europeans during a rebellion there. 

• The 2 REP was sent to Rwanda to help quell the trobles there in the early

• 90's.

• One Foreign Legion regiment (either the 2nd or 3rd) was among the

• peace-keepers in the former Yugoslavia.

• The GIGN has been very, very busy.

National Guard

Basically a police reserve.  Characters roll as National Military Police, serve as "Territorial"-style reservists.  

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

 Army (Heer)

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:  Germany special forces are concentrated in the Division Schnelle Kräfte (Rapid Force Division).  The division includes an Airborne brigade, an airmobile brigade, and the Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK), Germany's special forces unit. Airborne rolls as Airborne Infantry, KSK as Special Operations Forces. 

Navy (Marine)

• Surface -  11 frigates and five corvettes.  

• Submarine - Six diesel submarines. 

• Naval Aviation - The German Navy Marineflieger comprise eight turbojet marine patrol planes and about forty naval helicopters. 

• Littoral forces - 12 mine warfare craft. 

• Ships Used:  List

 Air Force (Luftwaffe)

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :   German Air Force Regiment - not really "specal forces", but this brigade-sized unit specializes in defending air bases and helping consolidate control of seized airbases.   Analogous to the British RAF Regiment.   Roll as either Infantry (Leg) or Combat Engineers. 

Joint Support Service (Streitkräftsbasis, or SKB)

The Bundeswehr's joint support arm controls not only logistics and support forces (roll under Support) but also Germany's Military Police and the small army reserve force (roll as Home Guards)

Joint Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitätsdienst)

Germany has centralized its military medical services.   Roll as Medical Corps characters.  

Cyber and Information Domain Service

Germany's dedicated cyberwarfare department centralizes both "cyberwarfare" and more traditional IT functions.

• Cyberwarfare characters roll under Military Intelligence (Choose "Cyberwarfare Specialist" for enlisted men)

• Characters from "IT Command" roll under Army Signal Corps (remove Ground Vehicle, add another level of Computer to first term skills).  

Federal Intelligence Service

The German intelligence service is the Bundesnachrichtendienst.

German Federal Police

The Federal Police are similar to both the US FBI and Border Patrol (with the ATF and INS thrown in for good measure.  Characters can roll under either Federal Law Enforcement or Border Patrol. 

They also have their own special force:

 GSG9 - Hostage Rescue table.  This is a civilian police unit. Members must first serve a term in State/Local police before joining. (Delete Heavy Weapons skills from subsequent term list)

 Prior Conflicts

 The Bundeswehr saw its first action outside of Germany in the mid-nineties, on peacekeeping duty in the Balkans.

Under construction.

Due in part to its NATO commitments and in further part to its historic emnity with Turkey, Greece has a relatively massive military;   with a population similar to that of Sweden, the Royal Hellenic military is larger than those of many nortwestern-European militaries combined.  

While Greece's economic is currently in a very perilous state, military procuredment in most areas seems not to have been delayed much.  

Conscription

Greece has compulsory military service - all Greek males serve nine months (12 for Navy and Air Force), unless they join the regular military.  Roll most Greek male characters as medium-service reservists. 

  Women in the Greek military are all volunteers. 

Basic Training: American.

• Greek military ranks

 Army

Add "Mountaineering" to subsequent term skills for Greek infantry.

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• 13th Special Operations Command - roll as Raiders (Naval) 

Navy:

• Surface -  The Royal Hellenic Navy has 13 frigates. 

• Submarine - 11 diesel-electric subs of fairly advanced design. 

• Naval Aviation - Four fixed-wing maritime patrol planes and  a small fleet of rotary-wing aircraft serve the Greek Navy. 

• Littoral forces - Ten gunboats and 19 patrol missile craft as well as a number of dedicated special operations craft. 

• Amphibious Warfare - A fleet of ten Landing Ship Tanks and a number of heavy lift hovercraft. 

• Ships Used:  List 

• Naval Special Forces:   Underwater Demolition Command - Different sections of this unit specialize in raiding and reconaissance.  Characters will roll as either Naval Raiders or Naval Special Reconnaissance - but not both. 

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

 Action on Cyprus against the Turks in the 1970s.

 Ground Force

The post-1991 Hungarian military is a member of NATO (since 1999).  With two infantry brigades - one light and one  mechanized, with a battaion of German Leopard 2 tanks - it is slowly modernizing. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• KMZ (Különleges Műveleti Zászlóalj) - roll as Raiders. 

 Air Force:

The Hungarian Air Force has a small force of Swedish "Gripen" fighters, an few transports, and a small transport and (Cold-War-era Soviet) attack helicopter fleet. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

 Icelandic Crisis Response Unit

The ICRU is a peacekeeping force subordinated to Iceland's Foreign Affairs ministry.    It is composed of people from the Police, Coast Guard, Emergency Services and the Healthcare system.  

As such - Icelandic citizens with INT+CON 12+ may join the ICRU after serving a term as State/Local Police, Coast Guard, EMS or as a nurse or EMT.    They receive infantry first term skills, and serve as Territorial-style active reservists.  

• Equipment:  List, much of it borrowed from the Norwegian Army. 

Coast Guard

Characters roll on the Coast Guard table (including Aviation). 

• Surface -  Four fisheries protection cutters. 

• Naval Aviation - The helicopters and a fixed wing patrol plane. 

Iceland Air Defense System

Actually part of the Coast Guard.  The IADS runs four radar stations, and has no kinetic capability.  Characters roll as "Coast Guard" - but take up to 3 levels in electronic and computer skills in the first term, along with basic training. 

Icelandic Special Forces

A unit of the National Police, specializing in counter-terror and hostrage rescue.  Open to characters who've served a term in the Icelandic National Police, qualified via the Hostage Rescue qualifications.   However - first term skills will be:

• Stealth: 2

• Observation: 1

• Small Arms: 2

• Choice of 2 from either Warhead, Small Watercraft, Scuba, Small Arms, Observation or Parachute. 

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

 India's armed forces reflect centuries of different influences on its society and military - from the regimental system inherited from the British Commonweath, through decades of "non-aligned" status during the Cold War (leading to decades worth of Soviet equipment) to today's emphasis on home-grown, Indian products and ideas. 

• Indian Army, Navy and Air Force ranks 

 Army

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces: Para (Special Forces) - known as Para SF.  Para SF includes fifteen regular and two Territorial battalions with characters able to roll on Special Recon, Raiding and Hostage Rescue tables. 

Characters can serve in the Territorials as well as regular service. 

Navy

The Indian Navy has submarines and a naval aviation arm, including an aircraft carrier.   

• Surface -  10 destroyers (four of Soviet design, the remainder buit in India), 13 frigates. 

• Submarine - Two nuclear ballistic missile submarines, one nuclear attack sub, 14 diesel attack subs (two of French, four German and the remainder Soviet-era designs). 

• Naval Aviation - One Soviet-era STOBAR (Short Takeoff/arrested recovery) carrier with 36 Mig 29 fighters.  There are also 48 maritime patrol aircraft and ~80 land and ship-based helicopters. 

• Littoral forces - 23 corvettes, 10 offshore patrol craft, over 100 various coastal patro

• Amphibious Warfare - One landing ship. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   Marine Commando Force (MCF) (aka "MARCOS")   The Indian Navy's reconaissance and counterterror force.  Roll as Raiders (Naval). 

 Air Force

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    Garud Commando Force - with a brief that includes target designation, hostage rescue and force protection, characters roll on either the Raider or Special Operations Support (Combat Air Control) tables.

Coast Guard

With numerous patrol vessels and fixed and rotary wing aircraft, the Indian Coast Guard is one of the word's largest. Characters roll on Coast Guard tables.

Assam Rifles

A paramilitary force that is a combination gendermerie and civil affairs force, the Assam Rifles comprise 46 battalions of troops based in rural Northeast India.  Characters roll as national military police. 

Special Frontier Force

A national special forces unit that conducts unconventional warfare in the border regions, and potentially into Pakistan and China.  Roll under Unconventional Warfare units. 

 Prior Conflicts

Under construction.

Since its independence from the Netherlands, Indonesia has batted far above its weight in terms of political intrigue.   With its social makeup, political history and geopolitical positioning, Indonesia is a fertile ground for Twilight/Merc scenarios. 

Basic Training:  American

• Indonesian military ranks

Army

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:  Indonesian Army special forces (Kopassus) include several different groups:

• Parakomando - Roll as Raiders

• Sandhi Yudha - roll as Special Reconnaissance. 

• SAT 81 - Roll as Special Operations Forces.

Navy:

• Surface -  7 frigates (of Dutch provenance), 24 corvettes. 

• Submarine - Five diesel subs with three building in South Korea. 

• Naval Aviation - About 60 patrol and transport aircraft, 26 helicopters. 

• Littoral forces - 31 missile boats, 10 mine warfare craft, 127 inshore patrol craft. 

• Amphibious Warfare - Indonesia has a sizeable heavy-lift amphibious force. 

• Ships Used:  List

Naval Special Forces:   In addition to the Marine Corps (see below), Indonesian Naval Special Forces include:

• KOPASKA:  Roll as Naval Raiders. 

Marine Corps

The Indonesian Marine corps has four brigades of troops (roll as Marines, with additional artillery, support and armored cavalry units also possible), 

• Taifib - roll as Special Reconnaissance (Naval) - add Parachute to first term skills.   

• Denjaka:   Roll as Special Operations Forces (Naval).    While this counterterrorism unit is part of the Marines, which are a branch of the Navy, Denjaka  reports to the commander of the National Armed Forces. 

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

 Army

The Iranian Army is responsible for defending Iran's territory.  

• Equipment:  List

Navy:

• Surface - Eight small frigates. 

• Submarine - Three Soviet-era diesel subs, 16 coastal and midget subs. 

• Naval Aviation - Iranian naval aviation includes about 10 fixed wing transport p lanes and about 30 helicopters likely still serviceable.

• Littoral forces - Eight corvettes, 60+ coastal patrol and attack boats. 

• Amphibious Warfare - About 14 various amphibious ships. 

• Ships Used:  List

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    

Air Defense Force

These troops man Iran's largely Russian-built air defense system.  Roll as Air Defense. 

• Equipment.

Revolutionary Guards

While the Army defends Iran's territory, the Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran) defend the Islamic Republic of Iran's political system.  

The Pasdaran has five branches:

• Basiji - this is a large paramilitary organiation  These are (mostly) part time characters, rolled on the "Government Militia" tables.  They serve as internal security, as well as political/theocratic "enforcers".   They were the thugs that did most of the dirty work in beating down the 2012 protests. 

• Quds Force - This is an elite special operations unit handling intelligence and terrorist activities abroad, and are one of the most experienced special operations forces in the world. Characters roll the Unconventional Warfare tables. 

• Aerospace Force

• Navy - Armed with speedboats, machine guns and RPGs, the Revolutionary Guard navy is more of a naval guerrilla force.  Roll under Government Militia, but substitute "Small Boat 1" and "Grenade Launcher 1" for "Melee Combat 2".  

• Revolutionary Guard Ground Forces - basically a political shadow army duplicating the regular Army's efforts.  

  • Special Force - Saberin.   These are elite light infantry shock troops attached to Revolutionary Guard Ground Forces units and administrative commands.  These troops are reportedly highly experienced.  Roll on the Raider tables. 

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

The Irish Defense Forces serve mainly to protect Ireland's jealously guarded neutrality, mainly against terrorists from Northern Ireland. They have contributed battalions to UN Peacekeeping forces for decades.

 Most Irish units are very understrength, in part because the British military, which has gladly accepted Irish recruits for centuries, offers better pay.

 Basic Training: American

• Irish Army, Navy and Air Corps ranks

 Army

The Irish Army has two regular and two reserve brigades, both considered light motorized infantry.  

Army reservists roll as Territorial reservists. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• Army Ranger Wing - Ireland's special operations and counter-terror force, numbering roughly 150 operators.  Roll under Special Operations Forces. 

Naval Service

Irish naval characters roll on the Coast Guard tables. 

There are a small number of naval reservists - they roll on the Territorial table. 

• Fisheries Patrol - nine offshore patrol vessels.  These ships may also help out with peacekeeping missions as available.

• Naval Aviation is provided by the Air Corps. 

• Ships Used:  List

 Air Corps

The Irish Air Corps has a small force of fixed wing transport and maritime patrol planes, and about ten helicopters.  One light plane also operates in support of the Garda (see below). 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Garda Síochána (National Police)

Ireland's national police force fills conventional police roles, as well as investigations (roll as Detectives) and executive  protection.  

Note - most officers are unarmed; replace Small Arms with additional Melee (Unarmed) skills. Detectives may carry handguns.  Some officers are part of armed response units - they are not uniformed, and they will get Small Arms (pistol or rifle). The Gardai can call on the Army Ranger Wing when they need serious help. 

• Equipment.

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

• Several contingents with UN Peacekeeping forces.

• Occasional runins with I.R.A. guerillas.

Israel's challenges have changed since the Cold War universe - from conventional existential threats to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.  

• Israeli military ranks

.

Israeli National Service

All Israeli characters, male or female (with certain ethnic and religious exceptions) not serving as members of the regular military must serve a term in the Military, then serve until age 55 as reservists.

Roll as long-service reservists. 

Israeli reservists keep their duty firearms and a small supply of ammunition at home.  

Basic Training: Commonwealth

Characters may also serve in a variety of non-combat roles listed below.  

  Israeli Ground Forces

Israel has a small regular military, fleshed out in peacetime by a large number of conscripts in their national service periods.  In wartime, much of the population is subject to military or supporting service. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:  The Israeli military has a dizzying variety of special forces.  Classic "special forces" are listed under their own section, below.  In addition, the following special purpose forces exist in the Army at large:

• The five regular infantry brigades each have a reconnaissance battalion (Palser), composed of the most promising troops who qualify.  In addition, each reserve infantry brigade has a similar company.   These characters roll as Special Reconnaissance characters.  

• Each Armored brigade includes a similar reconaissance unit.  Roll as armored cavalry.  

• The Combat Engineering Corps includes a special EOD / Bomb Disposal unit.  Roll under Engineer / EOD.

• The Combat Intelligence Collection Corps includes a Special Reconnaissance unit (substitute Observation for Parachute). 

Navy

Israel has a small but highly effective navy, including

• Surface ships - patrol and patrol missile craft

• Submarines - the Navy has six German-built diesel electric subs. 

• The Air Force maintains one squadron of helicopters to support naval operations, including those based on the three corvettes. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:  Yaltam 707 and Snapir - harbor security and demolitions "frogmen".  

 Air Force

All Israeli pilots - from jet fighters to transport helicopter pilots - are selected while still in high school.  Therefore, Pilots' first term, starting at age 17, is always spent in fight training.  

IAF pilots require Intelligence + Agility 14 to qualify.  They start term 2 with Pilot (rotary or fixed wing) 6.  

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    Unit 669 is a Combat Search and Rescue unit.   Roll under the Para-rescue tables. 

Special forces

Israel doesn't have a defined "Special Operations" directorate - not that's been revealed to the public, anyway - but some units report to the Ministry of Defense and General Staff rather than operational units.  These are listed below. 

• Unit 269 (Sayaret Matkal) - Army Special Operations force that reports to the Ministry of Defense, and  focuses on strategic reconnaissance and hostage rescue; characters add Navigation 1 to first term skills.   This was the unit that conducted the 1976 Entebbe hostage rescue raid - and it's been busy ever since. 

• Shayetet 13 - Naval Special Operations Force specializing in maritime hostage rescue.  

• Unit 5101 (Shaldag) - Air Force special operations unit focusing on forward air control, target designation and special reconnaissance missions.  Rolls on Special Operations Support, take Forward Air Control specialty.

• 88th Oz Commando Brigade - The Commando Brigade is a parent unit for three specialized units that also report to the IDF's general staff:

  • Unit 212 (Maglan) - Rolls as Raiders.   They support operations by other Israeli SOF units. 

  • Unit 217 (Duvdevan) - This is an undercover counterterrorism unit.  Characters must be fluent in Hebrew and have at least a "6" in Arabic or Farsi, by education or native culture.   They roll on the Unconventional Warfare tables, with the following First Term skills:

    • Parachute: 2

    • Stealth: 1

    • Small Arms: 2

    • Language: 2 (Arabic or Farsi)

    • Interrogation: 1

  • Unit 621 (Egoz) - Rolls on the Raider table.  Substitute Wheeled Vehicle for Parachute.  Specializes in small unit direct action against terrorists.  

Border Police

The Border Police are a combination border patrol and national police force - characters can roll on either Border Patrol or National Military Police tables.  

Characters can serve in the Border Police in the same way as they do the armed forces, and remain in the reserves for the same period. 

• Equipment List

Shin Bet

Shin Bet is the national investigative service.    It's three major branches include:

• Investigation of Arab terrorism (characters should have Language (Arabic) 5+

• Investigation of Israelis and non-Arabs

• An executive protection group (rEnd. 

Shin Bet also works with a police special counter-terror unit.  

Mossad

Mossad is the  national intelligence service.  In addition to regular case officers, Mossad's "minders" are capable of small-group direct action.  These agents roll as Special Operations Forces, after a term inone of the Special Forces listed above. 

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

• War of Independence (1948)

• Suez War (1956)

• Six Day War (1967)

• Yom Kippur War (1973)

• Invasion of Lebanon (1981)

• Numerous antiterrorist actions

The Italians military is, by modern continental NATO standards, large and well-equipped. 

 Basic Training: American

• Italian Army, Navy, Air Force and Carabinieri ranks

 Army

The Army includes two Mountain brigades (infantry roll as "Mountain Infantry"), as well as a combined airborne/airmobile/mechanized division and a mechanized division of five heavy brigades. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment - roll on the Raider table, adding Mountaineering 2 to first term skills.  

• 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment "Colonel Moschin" - rolls on the Special Operations Forces tables. 

• 28th Operational Communications Regiment "Pavia" - Roll under the "Psychological Warfare" tables on the Special Operations Combat Support page. 

• 185th Paratroopers Reconnaissance Target Acquisition Regiment "Folgore" - Roll on the Special Reconnaisance table.  

Navy:

• Surface -  Four air defense destroyers, 12 antisubmarine frigates, 16 open-ocean patrol vessels.  

• Submarine - 8 small diesel submarines, suitable for operations in the shallow Mediterranean.  

• Naval Aviation -  The Italian Navy has two V/STOL carriers, the Cavour and the Garibaldi.   Garibaldi is due to be retired and replace by an air-capable amphibious vessel.  The fleet's 14 Harriers will be replaced by 15 F5B Lighting V/STOL fighters.  The Navy also operates 3 light transports and about 80 helicopters. 

• Littoral forces - 10 mine warfare ships. 

• Amphibious Warfare - Three landing ship docks. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   COMSUBIN (Comando Raggrupamento Subacquei e Incursori) - Roll as Naval Special Operations Forces.

 Air Force

The Italian Air Force, already flying the Eurofighter Typhoon figher, is buying a sizeable fleet of F35 Lightnings. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    1st Special Operations Air Brigade includes Special Operations Helicopter and Pararescue units. 

Carabinieri

Carabineri are a separate, parallel branch of service, a paramilitary group that is a combination national police and security force.  

Use the Military Police character tables.  The Carabinieri also operate a small aviation and coastal patrol force - roll both under the Coast Guard tables.  

• Carabinieri Special Forces

  • Special Intervention Group - Roll as Hostage Rescue unit.  Characters must serve a term in the regular Carabinieri first. 

Coast Guard

The Italian Coast Guard performs the same mission as the US Coast Guard, and rolls characters on the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Aviation tables. 

Use the Military Police character tables. 

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

 Gulf War (1991) (naval and air units).

After World War 2, Japan was deprived of armed forces in the conventional sense of the term.   This has been changing over the years, with the Japanese taking a more explicit role in regional defense, and up-arming its forces, especially the Navy, for a more pronounced role.  

 Basic Training: American

• Japanese military ranks

 Army

• Equipment:  List.  Note that the Howa Type 64 rifle that equipped the JSDF during the Cold War is in second-line service and being phased out fast. 

 Army Special Forces: 

•  Special Forces Group.   This is a dedicated counter-terror group, trained by the US Delta Force.  Roll as Special Operations Forces. Candidates must serve a term in the First Airborne Brigade (below). 

• The First Airborne Brigade is considered an elite - troops roll on "Airborne" infantry tables. 

Naval Self Defense Force:

• Surface -  44 destroyers and destroyer escorts.  

• Submarine - 20 diesel submarines. 

• Naval Aviation -  The JNSDF includes two "multipurpose operation destroyers" that are basicallylight aircraft carriers.  Both will be operating F35B STOVL aircraft in the near future.  Japan also has two "helicopter destroyers" of similar design equipped to carry ASW helicopters.   There are also 90+ land-based ASW patrol planes, 29 transports. 

• Littoral forces - 24 mine warfare, 6 patrol boats.  

• Amphibious Warfare - 3 large, 9 smaller amphibious warfare ships. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   The "Special Boarding Unit".  Heavily modeled on the British Special Boat Service, characters in this unit roll as Naval Special Operations Forces.  

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

This is the most militarized society on earth. Every male citizen serves a term in the armed forces (unless they manage to go to university AND into government).

Conscription

Many/most North Koreans males outside the various elites serve a 13 year period (three full terms) in the Army, before serving as Reservists. 

Basic Training: Soviet

• North Korean Ground Force, Naval and Air Force ranks. 

 Korean People's Army Ground Force

The KPAGF compises 11 Corps-sized formations, mostly Armor and Mech Infantry and a staggering amount of Artillery, mostly aimed at Seoul. 

• Equipment:  List

Korean People's Army Naval Force

The KPANF, mostly a coastal force, is divided into Eastern and Western fleets.  It is largely unable to operate most tan 50 miles from the NOrth Korean coast. 

• Surface - The KPANF operates a small fleet of mostly Cold War era Soviet surface ships.  

• Submarine - The KPANF operates perhaps 40 coastal submarines, a few dozen '50s vintage diesel attack subs, likely a dozen or so midget subs for special operations use and, reports indicate, a single experimental ballistic missile sub. 

• Naval Aviation - only KPANF ship is currently  capable of carrying helicopters, which are likely flown by Air Force crews. 

• Littoral forces - The KPANF has hundreds of patrol, torpedo and missile boats. 

• Amphibious Warfare - The KPANF likely has a couple of hundred small amphibious warfare vessels, mostly small. 

• Ships Used:  List

 Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force

The KPAAF appears to have approximately three dozen fighters (MIG-29 multirole fighters) built later than 1970, and hundreds of Cold-War-era aircraft. 

Characters roll as Air Force and Artillery/Air Defense. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Korean People's Army Strategic Force

Characters at referee's discretion at the moment. 

Korean People's Army Special Operation Force

Reportedly numbering over 200,000 troops, the KPASOF is focused on creating a second front behind the South Korean lines to distract attention and divert forces from the main battle front.  They have been scouting the South for over six decades, including many infiltrations (some spectacularly unsuccessful).  

With exceptions according to referee discretion, treat them all as Raiders, either regular or Naval.  

• Airborne - likely to infiltrate using obsolescent biplane transports.

• "Reconaissance" and Light Infantry units - basically recon and shock troops. 

• Maritime SOF - Naval Raiders, deploying from midget and older diesel submarines and the RPANF's many small amphibious and patrol craft. 

Korean People's Internal Security Force

• Reserve home guards - mostly comprising service members who've served their term in the regular military. 

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

• Korean War - which has not ended, and which flared into a near-war in the late 1960's.

• Numerous skirmishes since 1970. 

• North Korean special forces were reported operating in Zaire and Zimbabwe in the 1970s. 

After seven decades of high and low-grade conflict with the communist "Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea" (DPRK), the Republic of Korea (ROK) military is large, well-trained, well-equipped, has a solid professional officer and NCO corps, and is supported by a large domestic military industry producing equipment right at the edge of the first-world technology curve.  

Conscription

South Korean citizens are subject to compulsory military service as enlisted personnel.  Officers and NCOs are all volunteers.   The primary exemptions have been to Olympic medalists, as well as some musicians, actors and film directors.  As a result, nearly all male South Korean characters will be "Long Service"-type conscripts and reservists  - and "promotion" to NCO rank is irrelevant.  South Koreans reservists who take a civilian career will not roll for promotion.

All women in the ROK military are volunteers.  

Basic Training: American

• South Korean Army, Navy and Air Force ranks

 Army

Half a million strong at any moment, with massive reserves

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:   ROK Army Special Forces are large, well-trained, and well-equipped.  They train constantly with western, especially US, special forces.  

• Four brigades of ROK Special Forces (about 1,100 men per brigade) are organized and trained for raiding and conducting guerrilla warfare against a DPRK invasion.  Characters roll as Unconventional Warfare troops, optionally substituting any other first term skills for the Language skills (although officers will learn at least a level of English). 

• An additional brigade serves as the ROK's overseas deployment force.  They also roll as  unconventional warfare.  Troops in this unit, at referee's discretion, can have foreign military contacts with 1D10 roll of 6+. 

• The 13th Special Mission brigade is a dedicated "decapitation" unit, trained to kill top DPRK officials in the event of a threat of weapons of mass destruction being used against the ROK.  Roll as Special Operations Forces (Naval) - while they are an army unit, they train extensively for both airborne and martime insertion into the DPRK, including reportedly extensive training with the US Navy's DEVGRU.    

• 707th Special Mission battalion - the ROK's dedicated Hostage Rescue unit.  

Navy

The ROK Navy has grown from a brown-water force in the '50s-60s, to a significant regional fleet with ambitions to be a blue-water fleet by the 2020s.  

• Surface -  12 destoyers, 11 frigates, 12 corvettes. 

• Submarine - The ROK Navy has 19 diesel submarines. 

• Naval Aviation - 21 fixed wing patrol and utility aircraft, 50+ naval helicopters. 

• Littoral forces - 67 various patrol and patrol/missile boats, 11 various mine warfare craft.  

• Amphibious Warfare - 12 large amphibious warfare vessels.  

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   The Naval Special Warfare Flotilla includes a Special Warfare Squadron (roll as Raiders (Naval)), a UDT Squadron (roll as UDT) and a maritime counterterror unit (roll as Special  Operations Forces (Naval)). 

Marine Corps 

The ROK Marine Corps is a branch of the Navy.  The Marines is the Korean quick reaction force as well as strategic reserve.  Influenced by the USMC down to the look of its emblem, it is two divisions strong and has a sterling fighting reputation going back seventy years. 

•  Characters roll on Marine tables. 

• Equipment list. 

 Air Force

The ROK Air Force is also large and modern - although it still has a fair number of cold-war era F5 fighters.  It plans to incorporate a large fleet of F35s by the mid-2020s. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

• Korean War

• Vietnam (Marine detachment noted for its ferocity)

• Numerous skirmishes along the DMZ, including a near-war in ithe late 1960s. 

• Responses to numerous naval and special operations incursions over the years. 

Kurdistan - in eastern Turkey, northern Iraq and northwestern Iran - may be one of the  more fertile areas for Twilight and Merc campaigns out there.  

Militias

The Kurdish military - really an organized and highly experienced militia - is called the Peshmerga.  It is almost entirely composed of irregular militias. 

At the referee's discretion, a Peshmerga character can have a career as a militiaman before the campaign begins.   Characters will treat "militia" as a military career, taking skills every term from the "militia" basic and subsequent term skill lists.  At referee's discretion, Peshmerga fighters can start their careers at age 14. 

Kurdish characters will select one of three alignments:

• Democratic Party of Kurdistan (DPK)

• Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 

• Kurdistan Regional Government

I'll leave it to referees / players to sort them out, ideologically. 

Note that female characters may serve in supporting roles in the Government and DPK forces, and in combat in the PUK.  

• Equipment:  Mostly Russian, outside various special forces units.  

 Special Forces:  There are a few units that have received training from foreign, largely US, special forces units.  They roll as Raiders, omitting all Parachute skills.   Some may be armed with US weapons (largely captured from ISIS, who largely captured them from Iraqi forces). 

 Prior Conflicts:

 Army

Latvia's tiny army is the equivalent of a motorized infantry brigade.  

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:  The Special Tasks Unit is a small unit whose characters roll on the Raider table - remove "Parachute" from the skills.  

Navy

Latvia's navy largely patrols the island-dense littoral of the small nation's Baltic coast.  

• Littoral forces - Latvia's fleet includes six  minesweepers, six small patrol craft, and six even smaller patrol craft.  

• Amphibious Warfare - 

• Ships Used:  List

 Air Force

Latvia's air force includes two Soviet-era light transports and five helicopters.  Four UH60 Blackhawks are on order.  

•  Aircraft Used:  List

National Guard

Latvia's National Guard is a volunteer reserve force of four brigades.  Troops roll as Home Guard-style reserves. 

• Equipment list

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

In 2015, in resonse to the Crimea crisis, Lithuania reintroduced concription.  Roughly 10% of Lithuanians will serve a period as Short-Service conscripts.  

• Lithuanian military ranks

 Army

The Lithuanian Army consists of one mechanized and two light infantry brigades, backed by 5,000 reservists (who serve as "Territorial"-style reserves). 

• Equipment:  List

Lithuanian Naval Force

The Lithuanian Naval Force its intended to control Lithuanian coastal waters.  

• Littoral forces - The LNF includes a small flotilla of mine warfare and patrol craft.  

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   

 Air Force

Lithuania's air arm consists of a single light attack plane, half a dozen utility transports and five helicopters.  

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Special Operations Force

Lithuanian Special Forces fought with some distinction in Afghanistan.  They trace their lineage to the "Forest Brothers" who, similar to Estonia, resisted Soviet occupation in some cases the 1980s.  

Lithuanian Special Forces include:

• Vytautas the Great Jaeger Battalion - roll on the Raider table. 

• Special Purpose Service - roll on the Special Operations Forces table. 

• Combat Divers Service - roll on the Naval Raiders table. 

• Air Force Special Operations Element - roll on the Special Reconnaissance table. 

Volunteer Forces

•  This is a national volunteer reserve.  Characters serve as Territorial-type reservists. 

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

 Army

The Mexican Air Force is actually embedded within the Army.  

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• Special Forces - roll as Raiders

• High Command GAFE - roll as Hostage Rescue characters. 

• Presidential Guard - roll as Infantry.  Entry: Str+Con 12+.   Take an extra Melee Combat 2 in first term skills. 

 Air Force

The Air Force is technically a branch of the Army.  Its primary combat strength is about three dozen counterinsurgency turboprop attack plans, and three 1960's vintage F5 Freedom Fighters.  The MAF literally has more VIP transports than jet fighters. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Navy

The Navy is the other armed service. It includes Naval Aviation and Naval Infantry. 

• Surface -  Four 1960's vintage American frigates, plus one new Dutch-built frigate, the first of (currently) eight planned, as well as 24 various oceangoing corvettes and patrol vessels.  

• Naval Aviation - A few dozen light transport and light attack aircraft, as well as a few dozen helicopters.  

• Littoral forces - 11 WW2-vintage American minesweepers, 44 inshore patrol boats, 50+ small patrol speedboats. 

• Amphibious Warfare - 3 Amphibious landing craft for the Naval Infantry. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   Naval Infantry (see below)

Naval Infantry

The bulk of the Mexican Marines train as Marines. Qualified Marines can also serve as:

• Marine Presidential Guards (same qualifications as Army guards, above)

• Marine Paratroopers - an elite strategic reserve force, add Parachute 2 to first term skills. 

• Marine Special Forces - roll as Naval raiders. 

 Prior Conflicts:

National Guard

A national military police force created in 2019, intended to "get the Army off the streets of Mexico".  Also includes an Investigative capability. This replaced the Federal Police. 

 Prior Conflicts:

 The Netherlands' military shrank precipitously at the end of the Cold War; it has has been all-volunteer since 1995 (although conscription is suspended, not abolished).  It remains unionized.  

 Basic Training:US

 Note that Civilians may join the "Home Guard".   See "Reservists", 

• Dutch military ranks

 Army

The Dutch Army disbanded its last main battle tank formation in 2012.  The army currently consists of one brigade each of airmobile, light infantry, and mechanized infantry.  

The Dutch and Germans maintain a joint mechanized brigade.  As this is written, the tank battalion in this brigade is German; one company of that German battalion is Dutch. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• Korps Commandotroepen (Commando Troops corps):  This unit rolls on the Raider table. Each commando specializes as a unit medic, demolition specialist, communications specialist or sniper.   They belong to one of four companies, specializing in counter-terrorism, mountain warfare, maritime warfare, and HALO/HAHO parachuting, and should pick skills accordingly.  These troops wear green berets. 

 Air Force

The Netherlands Air Force is adopting the F35.   THre is also a respectable helicopter fleet.  Note also that the Dutch Air Force flies all combat helicopters for the Army (including the respectable force of 28  AH64 Apaches) and Navy (12 antisubmarine choppers flying from the navy's frigates, 8 carrying Marines from the amphibious warfare ships).

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Navy

• Surface -  The Dutch Navy has six frigates and four offshore patrol ships. 

• Submarine - Four diesel submarines. 

• Naval Aviation is supplied by the Air Force - see below. 

• Amphibious Warfare - Two Amphibious Transport Docks (LPDs) support the Dutch Marines). 

• Ships Used:  List

• Additional Units:  

  •  Royal Dutch Marines - see below. 

  • Netherlands Coast Guard - A small fleet of coastal patrol ships and rescue boats.  Roll as coast guard characters. 

  • Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard - this small force handles law enforcement and rescue duties in the Netherlands' possessions in the Caribbean.  Roll as Coast Guard, including Aviation (the force has two helicopters).  One Dutch Navy ship - usually a frigate - is also on station;  this ship often carries a US Coast Guard special boarding party. 

Netherlands Marine Corps

The Netherlands Marine Corps maintains two "Combat Groups" (reinforced battalions) rolling as Marines (infantry only), a battalion of landing craft (roll Marine basic training, then replace first term skills with Small Boat 2 and Small Arms 1) and a squadron of Special Boat troops supporting the Special  Operations Group

•   Marine Special Operations Forces include two squadrons:

  •  C Squadron - This is the "conventional" unit providing reconnaissance for amphibious operations.  Roll as Special Recon (Naval) - about half will substitute mountaineering for scuba. 

  • M Squadron - this is the marine counter-terrorism squadron.   Roll as Special Operations Forces (Naval). 

Koninklijke Marchaussee

This is a national police force, border patrol, royal palace guard, airport security and criminal investigative force, as wel as the military police for the Dutch armed forces.  It also serves as the municipal police in the some of the less populated parts of the Netherlands.  

Characters may roll as

•   National Military Police (for those assigned to the military)

• Border Patrol

• Executive Protection

• State police

Equipment:  List. 

Prior Conflicts

Under construction. 

• Gulf War (1991) (air and support units)

• Several colonial insurgencies in Indonesia (before Indonesia became independant)

• Korea (marines)

• Peacekeeping duty, Bosnia-Herzegovina.  The Dutch contingent was criticized for apparently allowing Serb militias to massacre Bosnian civilians ostensibly under their protection.  This action sparked a national controversy, sometimes called (with possible hyperbole) “The Dutch Vietnam”.

New Zealand's Army uses the Commonwealth regimental system. 

• New Zealand military ranks

 Army

The New Zealand Army has one light mechanized, five light infantry, and one each Artillery, Engineers and Signals battalions. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• 1st (New Zealand) SAS Regiment - Special Operations Forces table.  This unit trains with the Australian SAS.  Add Tracking 2 to first-term skills.

Navy

• Surface -  Two Anzac-class Frigates and two offshore patrol vessels.  

• Naval Aviation - The helicopters operating from RNZN ships are provided by the Air Force. 

• Littoral forces - Two inshore patrol craft. 

• Ships Used:  List

 Air Force

In addition to maintaining a small fleet of transport aircraft, the RNZAF provides a small unit of maritime patrol aircraft, as well as the helicopters flown from New Zealand's naval vessels.  The RNZAF has no combat aircraft, other than these, per se.  

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Prior Conflicts

• Occupation Forces in Japan until 1949.

• Korea: air, naval and ground units involved

• Malaysian Emergency

• Vietnam (SAS, infantry, artillery etc)

• Falklands (no units saw combat but many were deployed in support roles or to cover gaps left by the deployment of British Forces)

• Gulf War (SAS forces, medical units, transport aircraft)

• Many peacekeeping assignments around the world, most significantly Bosnia and East Timor.

• Additionally SAS troops routinely see action overseas while 'seconded' to the British SAS.  This process allows the government to avoid declaring NZ troops’ involvement.

• East Timor - from the 1990s to the present.  NZ infantry patrols in East Timor were 15-18 days long with no resupply.

• NZ was a step away from intervening in the FIji coup of the late eighties.  There were four C-130s filled with SAS and infantry on the runway ready to go before the stand down came from the Prime Minister.

• NZ forces were involved peacekeeping missions after the breakup of Yugoslavia. 

• NZ forces, particularly the NZSAS, have been heavily involved in the Global War on Terror, in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

 Basic Training: American  (add Snow Skiing to basic training skills)

• Norwegian military ranks

Conscription

Norway has weak conscription.  While all 60,000-odd men and women reaching military age are examined, in practice only those who in effect volunteer - about 10-15% of the pool - wind up serving.  These characters serve as long-service draftees who may serve their reserve service in one of the service branches or the Home Guard. 

Army

Norway's Army has always been small - and with the phasing down (but not complete abolition) of conscription, is almost entirely professional.  It is heavily focused on light infantry, but also includes tanks, mech infantry and the usual support arms.  

• Equipment:  List

• Special Unit:   "Hans Majestets Kongens Garde" (His Majesty's Royal Guards), a mechanized infantry unit that also serves as the ceremonial royal guards.   Open to conscripts, the unit requires STR+CON 12+. 

• Jegerkompaniet (Ranger Company) of  Brigade Nord) - This unit is stationed at 70 degrees north latitude, among the northernmost regular  military posts in the world.  The Arctic Ranger company is both regular and conscript, and trained for raiding, guerrilla warfare and long-range reconnaissance far above the arctic circle, as small patrols capable of operating in denied territory for up to 30 days at a shot.  Roll as Raiders, with no parachute or small boat skills, but adding Snow Skiing 1 and Survival 1 to first term skills.  

• Garisonen i Sør-Varanger - while not a "Special Forces" unit per se, the Sør-Varanger garrison mans Norway's 120-mile border with Russia.   This unit - composed mostly of conscripts, mostly men but with more women joining over time - requires Strength+Constitution+Intelligence of 14+.  In addition to basic training, members of the garrison get:

  • Small Arms 1

  • Tracking 1

  • Snow Skiing 2

  • 1 from either Leadership, Electronics, Medical (Trauma) or Observation. 

  • Subsequent term skills as with Border Guards. 

Navy:

• Surface -  The Navy has four modern frigates. 

• Submarine - the Norwegian Navy has six diesel-electric submarines. 

• Amphibious and Littoral forces - the Kystjegercommandoen (see below), as well as a fleet of six patrol hovercraft.  There are also a number of mine warfare craft.

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   

  • Kystjegercommandoen (Coastal Ranger Command) - An amphibious / coastal defense force, roll for them as Raiders (Naval), but remove Scuba and Parachute from the first term skills and add "Tactical Missile" 1.    The unit also includes the crews for a number of the boats that carry the commandos - roll under Special Boat units. 

  • Marinejegerkommandoen (Navy Ranger Command) - is under Norwegian Special Operations Command - see below. 

 Air Force:

Norway's Air Force includes the F35 Lightning, as well as a variety of other aircraft.  Air force rotary wing pilots also fly the helicopters stationed on the Norwegian Navy's frigates and coastal patrol ships. 

•  Aircraft Used:  List

Home Guard

Norway's Home Guard includes 40,000 men and women, serving as part-time security troops.   Roll on the Home Guard tables - adding Snow Skiing 1 to first and subsequent term skills.   (Norwegian conscripts may serve their reserve service in the Home Guard as well. 

In addition, the Home Guard includes numerous specialty sub-units - with a combination of CON+INT 12+, the character may add one of the following to their first term skills:

• Observation 1 (Recon platoon member)

• Small Arms 1 (Sniper)

• Interrogation 1 (Military Police)

• Canine Handling 1 (Dog handler)

• Computer 1 (Communications)

• Medical 1

There is also a naval component to the Home Guard.  Characters choosing to be in this arm may take Small Boat 1 in the first term and as a subsequent term option.   

Norwegian Cyber Defense Force

Norway's dedicated cyberwarfare section.  Roll under Military Intelligence (Choose "Cyberwarfare Specialist" for enlisted men)

Norwegian Special Forces Command

The Norwegian Special Forces command includes an assortment of units from across the Norwegian military. 

• Forsvarets Spesialkommando (FSK) - Norway's elite special operations and counterterrorism force, analogous to Delta or the SAS.   Roll on the Special Operations Force table.    Troops must have served a term in Army combat arms or the Navy's Marinejegercommandoen (see below) to join.   Str+Con+Int of 18+ to join.

• Jegertroppen (The Ranger Troop) - An all-female unit specializing in close-in surveillance in built-up areas.   Roll on the Special Reconnaissance Units table, replace "Parachute" with an extra point of observation in the first term.  This is reputed to the the world's first all-female special forces unit.   Open to women, with Str+Con+Int of 18+ to join.

• Marinejegerkommandoen (Naval Ranger Command) - analogous to the SEALS, the Marine Rangers are rolled on the Raider (Naval) table. 

Coast Guard

Norway's Coast Guard combines civil and military duties.  It's responsible for fisheries protection, customs enforcement, maritime border enforcement, shipping inspection and search and rescue.  Characters roll as Coast Guard (no aviation - their air support comes from the Norwegian Air Force. 

•  Ships Used:  List

Prior Conflicts

• Under construction.

• There have been several Norwegian contingents on UN Peacekeeping missions.

• Norwegian air (including combat) and special forces units, as well as regular troops on peacekeeping duty, were involved in the various Balkans conflicts, Libya, and in Afghanistan. 

Under Construction 

Army

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

Navy:

• Surface -  

• Submarine - 

• Naval Aviation - 

• Littoral forces - 

• Amphibious Warfare - 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   

 Air Force:

•  Aircraft Used:  List

• Air Force Special Forces :    

<Additional Branches>:

 Prior Conflicts:

 Army

The Pakistani Army is the sixth-largest in the world, in terms of active duty soldiers.  It is descended from the same roots as the Indian Army, and uses the same regimental system. 

• Equipment:  List

 Army Special Forces:

• Special Service Group - five battalions that specialize in Unconventional Warfare.  There are also independent companies that work in Hostage Rescue. 

Navy

The Pakistan Navy is heavily influenced by the United States Navy. 

•  Surface -  The Navy has eight frigates and eight corvettes

• Submarine - the Navy has five submarines of French design, to be supplemented by eight new Chinese designed boats.  

• Naval Aviation - The Naval Air Arm has 17 fixed-wing patrol and transport planes, and 24 various helicopters of Russian, Chinese, British and French provenance. 

• Littoral forces - Pakistan has a respectable fleet of patrol, patrol missile and mine warfare craft. 

• Ships Used:  List

• Naval Special Forces:   The Pakistan Navy has two special forces units:

  • Special Service Group Navy - This unit is heavily-enough influenced by the US Navy SEALs that they are often colloquially referred to as SEALs.  Roll under Raider (Naval) tables. 

  • First Marines Battalion - Roll as Marines.