Background
There are 853 inhabited planets in the Sector. 441 of them are industrialized. 412 are resource/farming worlds. Each planet is governed by its own people, with a Federal Administrator working to coordinate with the Sector Government. The BSDF acts as a Federal Armed Forces and Police, with each corps given jurisdiction on its own planet. However, all BSDF members must abide by the laws of their planet, and are tasked primarily with defense and patrol of the system and neighboring uninhabited and small settlement worlds in neighboring systems, not with day to day law enforcement.
The Defense Forces are made up of 465 Corps, one from each of the industrial world; the 412 resource worlds are divided between four Corps; and there are 20 veteran corps answerable only to the Smuggler Alliance. Each Corps is responsible for protecting and acting as federal police for its planet(s) of origin. Many planets maintain militias, national guards, or police forces independent of the BSDF. This is left up to the individual planetary leaders to decide.
The Regular Corps are from the 441 Industrial Worlds. They are called "Regulars" due to their standard size and uniform composition (i.e. one world of origin). The Irregulars refers to the four Resource World Corps. They are somewhat larger than the others, and each one holds about 103 planets in its jurisdiction. Despite their large sizes, they are still spread thin, typically with one brigade per planet, if that. The Federals are the 20 Alliance Corps. These are veteran soldiers who have opted to serve the Sector government directly. These are the best equipped of all the Corps.
There is only one branch of service in the Defense Forces, comparable to the Imperial Navy. The ground forces are what were once called “Marines” on some planets. There are detachments of ground troops on virtually every ship in the Fleet. Each Division is designed to be a self-supporting combat force, with ground troops, air support, and starships.
Uniforms and Ranks
Uniform: Standard gray tunic and black trousers, with black boots. Commonly issued gray jackets with black highlights and gloves. Battle armor is typically black and dull gray. Specialized gear/uniforms may be issued depending on climate or nature of the operation. All enlisted rank insignia are black; officer’s insignia are black or silver (see individual description). Unit patches are typically number code designations- only distinguished units may apply for their own patch. Corps patch is typically representative of world(s) of origin. Duty insignia are black, and vary immensely (Administration, Armor, Starship, Technical, JAG, etc.)
All BSDF members are trained to recognize Smuggler’s Band ranks, and to treat Smugglers with respect, but only the “Federals” are answerable to the Band at times.
Enlisted:
All rank insignia are worn on the left collar and left sleeve (except for soldiers in the field) under their unit designation patch. Their Corps patch is on the right shoulder and duty insignia are on the right collar.
Officers:
All rank insignia are worn on the left collar, unit patches on left shoulder. Duty insignia and Corps patch on right side.
BSDF Corps Composition:
Note: There is only one Marshal in all of the BSDF, Marshal Zweig, and he commands the entirety of the organization, with direct authority over the Federals.
Marine Organization:
Not all companies, etc. in a division are designed for combat. They may fulfill multiple support roles, such as field hospital, special forces, administration, or technical support.
Naval Organization:
Naval organization is designed in two parts- the typical rank for commanding a certain size vessel, and the typical composition of the different groups in a Corps Naval Group. This all holds true on a larger scale for the entire BSDF.
1. Ship commanders:
2. Fleet organization:
Starfighters (note: most starfighter pilots are petty or warrant officers; some are officer grade)
note: multiple wings can be found in one section of a Corps, and are usually coordinated by commodores or some such.
Starships
Note: Usually, a picket or battle line is commanded by the senior officer present. In the case of a Group on up, usually a commanding officer of a senior rank (colonel and up) is assigned
Major Notes:
The Irregulars are scattered about, usually with only a battle line and a regiment stationed at any one planet. Even then, they are responsible for patrolling a much larger area of space. The four Irregular Corps are: The Rough Riders, The Outbackers, The Spacers, and The Rangers.
The Federals are composed of 20 corps, stationed throughout the sector. Their responsibilities include supporting the other Corps, patrolling the space lanes, and patrolling the frontiers of the Sector. They are answerable to the Marshal, to the Governor, and to the Smuggler’s Alliance.
All Regular Corps are required to assign at least one division (or the comparable size if the planet’s corps is a small one) and its associated ships to form a mobile Core Fleet. These units are rotated out every year.
All of Bakura Sector’s planets (except for the resource and farm worlds, though citizens may certainly volunteer) have a mandatory three-year service obligation, except for those with medical, religious, or philosophical conflicts. This service is paid, and is required at some point after reaching majority. The three years include a six-month basic training and a six-month M.O.S. (military occupational specialty) training.
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