| Ostland Defense Army Ostland Landwehr | |
|---|---|
 War Flag of the Grand Duchy of Ostland | |
| Service branches | Ostland Armee (Army) Ostland Marine (Navy) Ostland Luftfahrtruppen (Air force) Tōgun |
| Headquarters | Wolfsheim, Ostland |
| Leadership | |
| Supreme Commander | Grand Duke Florian II |
| Chief of the General Staff | Col.-Gen. Regismund Volkmar von Rohr-Mauss |
| Chief, Operations Department | General (Air Force) Jörn von Völknitz-Siezenhaus |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 18 - 50 |
| Conscription | Yes |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | Dorvik Zardugal |
The Ostland Landwehr (Luthorian: Ostland Defense Force) is the unified armed forces of Ostland. Ostland's military is made up of the Armee (Army), Marine (Navy and naval aviation forces) and the Luftfahrtruppen (Air forces). The Ostland Landwehr is commanded by the "Supreme Commander-in-Chief" (Dundorfian: Oberbefehlshaber) who is the sitting Grand Duke of Ostland. Underneath the Supreme Commander-in-Chief is the Chief of the General Staff (Dundorfian: Landwehr Generalstab) which is modeled off the Dorvish General Staff system and heavily influenced by them. The Chief of the General Staff was traditionally the Minister of Defense or the State Secretary of Defense until April, 4617 when the Ministry of Defense was abolished and placed totally underneath the control of the General Staff.
Each branch is commanded by a Commander-in-Chief (Dundorfian: Befehlshaber) who is appointed by the Grand Duke with the recommendations of the Chief of the General Staff. The most important officer aside from the Supreme Commander, the Chief of the General Staff and the respective commanders-in-chief is the Chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff. The Chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff is responsible for all operational planning of the Landwehr.
Ostland's forces were previously bolstered by the semi-independent Tōgun (literally "Eastern Army" in Kunikata) which belonged to the Touryou State; a semi-autonomous enclave of Kunihito people in southern Ostland. The Tōgun was underneath operational control of the Landwehr General Staff but is administratively independent. The Togun was formally eliminated and merged into the Ostland Landwehr.
Overview[]
Ostland's defense forces have undergone a significant rebuilding in recent years, largely underneath the desire to "De-Dundorfianize" and "Hulstrianize" their forces. The largest push for this was in November, 4862 when the General Staff conducted a massive re-organization of the Landwehr along more modern, Hulstrian lines. Prior to Ostland's rise to power on Dovani, Ostland maintained a large portion of Hulstrian troops during its time as one of the Crownlands of Hulstria. When Ostland gained its independence it kept a large portion of the older Hulstrian military equipment with it, notably its naval forces that had resided as a means to control the Sea of Carina, the large sea in the center of Dovani. Ostland was considered to be one of the stronger colonies due to the large presence of Hulstrian loyalist following the surge in Kunihito nationalism in Hulstria.
The Ostland Defense Forces (Hulstrian: Ostland Landwehr) is comprised of 3 primary service branches: the Ostland Army (Hulstrian: Ostlandische Armee), the Ostland Air Force or literally "Ostlandic Aviation Troops" (Hulstrian: Ostlandische Luftfahrtruppen) and the Ostland Navy (Hulstrian: Ostlandiche Marine). Each of these 3 service branches has an appointed Chief of the respective high commands (Hulstrian: Armeeoberkommando, Fliegeroberkommando and Marineoberkommando); these in turn report to the Chief of the General Staff and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the Grand Duke of Ostland.
Following the removal of the Sturmabteilung as the special forces, the Landwehr formed the basis of their special forces from specialty mountain formations. The Bergkommando own their name to historical linage in which Hulstrian forces use to send troops to Ostland's eastern mountain ranges for training. The Bergkommando are divided into 4 operational task groups with a central headquarters; the Ostland Special Forces Command (Hulstrian: Ostlandische Spezialkommando; OSK).
Sturmabteilung special forces[]
The Landwehr previously maintained the Sturmabteilung (Luthorian: Storm Battalion) which shared a name with the National Socialist Movement's original paramilitary that founded a Freikorp (Luthorian: Free Corps) movement in Ostland following the Collapse of the Dundorfian Reich period of history. The Sturmabteilung was technically a branch of the Landwehr, which was both the name of the ground combat operational force and the name of the entire military itself. The Sturmabteilung were the special forces of Ostland and reported directly to the heads of government and Grand Duke though they were de jure apart of the command structure.
Freikorps militia[]
The Ostland Landwehr was augmented by the presence of "militia" known as the Freikorp (Luthorian: Free Corps) although they were technically outlawed, the law was never enforced. The Freikorp drew its name from the same groups that fought during the Kulturkampf period of the Dundorfian Reich. The Freikorps tended to be more radical than their Landwehr counter-parts and were traditionally a very loyal, poor, support and paramilitary base for the government of Ostland. The Freikorps were traditionally assigned to tasks that were potentially less savory for the Landwehr to handle. The Freikorps were technically private military groups that in theory, did not operate under government supervision. They were disbanded following January 4419.
Command and control[]
The Landwehr General Staff (Dundorfian: Landwehr Generalstab) is responsible for the command and control over the Ostland Landwehr. The Ministry of Defense plays a secondary role in a civil function, as of recently the Minister of Defense has been the appointed Chief of Staff of the Landwehr General Staff which has brought the two closer together. The Landwehr General Staff follows the Dorvish-style of General Staff that many other countries, including Dundorf, Hulstria, Vanuku, and several others have followed. Each branch of service has a "high command" Army High Command, Air Force High Command and Navy High Command (Armeeoberkommando, Fliegeroberkommando and Marineoberkommando).
The Landwehr General Staff has multiple departments, none of which are as prominent as the Operations Department, which controls all operational planning of the Landwehr itself.
Branches[]
Marine[]
The Ostlandic Navy (Hulstrian: Ostland Marine) has played a pivotal role in Ostlandic and Hulstrian history and is responsible for the maritime operations of the Ostland Landwehr. The Navy High Command (Hulstrian: Marineoberkommando; MOK) is headed by the Commander of the Ostlandic Navy (Hulstrian: Kommandeur der Marine) who is appointed by the Grand Duke by recommendation of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff. The Commander of the Ostlandic Navy shares a unique honor of being chosen as the Chief of the Naval Section of the Ministry of Defense, a tradition dating back to the old days of Greater Hulstria. The Commander of the Ostlandic Navy is also known as the "Chief of Naval Operations", the overall head of the Ostlandic Navy.
- Navy High Command (Commander of the Ostlandic Navy, Chief of Naval Operations)
- Naval Staff
- Office of the Deputy Commander of the Navy (Deputy Commander of the Navy, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations)
- Office of Naval Administration (Chief of Naval Administration)
- Ostlandic Naval Academy
- Office of Naval Operations
- Naval Arsenal Command
- Naval Intelligence Bureau
- Naval Technical Committee
- Naval Staff
The Ostlandic Navy is divided into several squadrons: the 1st Squadron, the 2nd Squadron, the 3rd Squadron and the 4th Squadron. The Ostlandic Navy's administrative formations are specific Naval District Commands (Hulstrian: Marinebezirkskommando).
Special forces[]
The Bergkommando (Luthorian: Mountain Commando) replaced the older Sturmabteilung (Luthorian: Assault detachment) and are now formed underneath the Special Forces Command's Special Forces Headquarters. The Bergkommando are divided into 4 special operations task groups. The Bergkommando are trained in all forms of warfare including airborne, amphibious, counter-intelligence, signals and other special forces tactics.
The Sturmabteilung (Luthorian: Assault detachment) were the special forces of the Landwehr and were directly underneath the command and control of the Grand Duke of Ostland (with the consultation of the State Chancellor and the Chief of the General Staff). The Sturmabteilung were divided into 10 assault detachments of roughly 200 men each who were assigned to the regular Landwehr (ground foces) and 2 marine assault detachments. Sturmabteilung units were trained in a variety of methods, including airborne, amphibious, counter-intelligence, signals, and other special forces tactics.
Equipment[]
Ostland was primarily supplied through its former colonial owner of Hulstria, however the presence of Ostfirma has solidified Ostlands reputation with the Volksdundorfische Cultural Association and to a lesser degree Dorvik. The VDKA and many of its member have vacation homes in Ostland, which in it's northern parts are colder and in the southern portions is far more tropical and temperate. With the various changes in government from Dorvik, many Dorvish defense companies have re-located their business to Ostland where it has been generally more friendly to their regimes. The benefit to Ostland is that they are capable of producing equipment that is produced now in limited quantities in Dorvik.
Domestic arms industry[]
Dorvik, Dundorf, Hulstria and Gao-Soto and several other countries have at one point placed investment into Ostland's domestic arms industry. In the modern era Ostland can be found possessing much of the equipment that is found in the militaries of Dorvik, Dundorf, Hulstria and Gao-Soto and others. The Dorvish defense industry following the revolution in Dorvik in the mid 46th century saw many scientist, researchers and developers alongside their workers flee to the favorable government of Ostland in place of the radical, unstable socialist regime in Dorvik.
[]
Ostland originally retained much of its naval forces from Hulstria, however as time grew and Ostland faced new threats, it developed a native defense industry largely based off of older Hulstrian equipment.
Eastern Shipyards (Hulstrian: Ost Werft) has become a prominent producer of naval equipment in the nation. Eastern Shipyards corporate headquarters is based out of Alderhafen, in the Wolfsheim state. It's most prominent recent creation is the Grand Duke-class destroyer laid down in December, 4883 and the first ship of the class completed in May, 4891.