The Sol Defense Forces, or SDF for short, is the name of the military organization tasked with the protection of the Sol system among other things. Other tasks include border security, anti-piracy operations and offensive campaigns in the form of raids against anti-Sol fanatics.
History[]
The SDF played a key role during the Sol Unification where it not only restored order to the system but also enforced the new laws and regulations imposed by the Sol System Government.
Created roughly at the same time as the SSG officially formed, the SDF started out as a merge of the hundreds of national armed forces and colonial defense forces.
During the Unification all branches of the SDF worked actively to restore the peace that had lasted for decades which included riot control and all-out warfare depending on the planet and opposition. While most of Earth, or Terra as it was rebranded to, were quick to follow suite the SDF struggled with militia groups on Luna and Mars who had grown more independent than their Earth-based counterparts.
Eventually the SDF won through the sheer number of soldiers and thanks to the much better equipped soldiers.
Zeruel Campaign[]
Even though many of the details behind the SDF's involvement on Zeruel remains a SSOID secret, the SSG were quick to release basic information to the public.
However, even though the public knows that a relatively large SDF force took part in the battle they still don't know that a former SSFD soldier was the one who called in the SDF in the first place nor do they know about the secret SSOID fleet which battled in the skies above.
Siege of Novithus[]
During the siege of Novithus a Divinity Creed raiding fleet led by Zealots Roth and Korunov invaded the peaceful colony. While there were some civilian casualties, most notably in the city of Hoxith which was occupied, the SDF's Novithus Auxiliaries were quick to respond and encircle the Creed forces before the bulk of the SDF responded.
Spearheaded by Lieutenant James Warren and a small detachment of Boome Marines (led by Mercury) the SDF response to the attack on Novithus was swift and decisive with nearly all Creed invaders killed during the counter assault.
Sol-USR War[]
The United Sol Resistance, an alliance led by the Fists of Sol, declared war on Sol just before several devastating attacks were carried out on fringeworlds who had either received support (supplies, funding, etc.) by Sol or the UGC.
Organization[]
The SDF consists of several branches and while they all work underneath the main SDF administration and the Lord General each branch have their own administrative staff and command personnel. Below is a list of all the branches and a short description for each one.
Sol System Marine Corps[]
Arguably the largest of the branches, the SSMC or Sol Marine Corps consists of mechanized and armored platoons backed up by orbital-dropped shocktroopers and heavy weapons specialists. Marines are often deployed in offensive campaigns however they do have special units tasked with the creation of frontline defense.
The SSMCs most famous operation was the Battle for God's Refuge on Mars where over 15,000 marines were deployed to secure the massive Divinity Creed headquarters.
Lord General Kaspar Cross is a former member of the SSMC.
Sol System Special Forces Division[]
The SSFD consists of the SDF's most elite soldiers which are divided into smaller teams of varying sizes tasked with high-risk operations. Each SSFD unit have a history of their own but the birth of the SSFD happened during the Sol Unification shortly after that Terra had been secured.
While Terra had been easy to restore order to it became clear very quickly that it would take much more coordination, tactics and manpower to secure Luna and Mars as militant groups there had managed to dig in deep.
Just like the rest of the national militaries all special forces merged into one, creating the SSFD. It members were former SAS, Delta Force, Spetsnaz, etc.
One of the founding members, SAS veteran Daniel McKenzie, led a three-man team on Mars where he and the other two members, the Edisons, during numerous high-risk operations which quickly earned the SSFD a reputation of being a "unstoppable force". During the Battle for God's Refuge McKenzie was joined by rookie marines Leon Eastlindth and Victor Reed who played a crucial role later on after McKenzie agreed to train both into fill-fledged SSFD soldiers.
Despite their critical role during the Unification only a handfull of SSFD units became famous to the public while the rest became legends mentioned only in whispers between fellow marines or the enemies of Sol.
For a list of SSFD units, please read SSFD Units.
Sol System Army[]
Functioning more as a buffert for rookies and veterans, the SSA works as a introductory branch to the SDF and as a defense force for Terra, Luna and Mars.
All SDF servicemen and women have at one point spent their mandatory three months within the SSA where they receive their basic training before being transferred to another branch.
Soldiers from the Sol Army rarely gear up unless there's a SDF parade, propaganda piece shown on holovid or incase the High Councilor has declared a state of emergeny.
[]
Second biggest and surpassed in size only by the Sol Marine Corps, the Sol Navy consist of roughly five hundred vessels with additional fifty vessels serving with the SDF Auxiliaries. The Sol Navy has two missions; the first one is to protect Sol (and its allies) from domestic and exterior threats which require military strength while the second one is to support the SSMC.
While the Navy have their own designated boarding troopers and security teams its vessels are not capable of managing a full-scale ground assault on their own and since the Marines lack long-range transportation not to mention mobile housing and heavy fire support on their own the two branches constantly work together.
The flagship of the Sol Navy is the mighty battlecruiser SNV Terra which is simply unrivaled in size and strength. All SDF navy vessels carry the Sol Navy Vessel-prefix infront of their names. Naming conventions for SDF vessels follow no specific guidelines and captains often name them after famous individuals, a city or mythological figure.
Roughly three percent of the SSN consists of ground-based naval forces which are restricted primarily to Terra, there is however a small fleetgroup operating in the terraformed oceans of Mars.
Sol System Air Force[]
Just like the Sol Army the Sol System Aviational Force, commonly referred to as the Air Force or Sol Air Force, serves a defensive role while also serving as a introductional branch for Navy pilots.
The bulk of the SSAF's aircraft are atmosphere-based stratobooster aircraft which compensate for the lack spaceflight with increased speed. The SSAF have their main bases on Terra and Mars however there's several training facilities on Luna and the moons Phobos and Titan.
Sol System Foreign Legion[]
Smallest of all SDF branches and with a reputation that makes the SSOID look like boyscouts in comparison, the SSFL builds on to the concept first created by the nation of France during ancient times on Terra.
Even though there's a small minority of non-Terran servicemen and women working within the SDF the road to becoming one of them is long as soldiers and officers require a minimum of five years as a citizen of Sol to even be able to sign up at a SDF recruitment center.
For Sol-born terrans this is no problem but for aliens settlng down it certainly is, should they harbor the dream of joining the SDF. However, unlike the other branches the SSFL does not have this requirement (infact their requirements are extremely lax in certain aspects) which allows non-Sol citizens to enlist.
Over the years soldiers of the SSFL have made several front-page appearances on the latest batch of news from the Sol News Network due to the lack of discipline within its military units.
Some SDF officers still argue if the SSFL serve any real military value whatsoever or if they're just a drain of resources. Despite this the SSFL have participated in several successfull military campaigns while supporting marine shock troopers.
Auxiliaries[]
While most of Sol's former colonies are independent and have minor, if any, ties to the system of their ancestors not all choose to have this exact same degree of independency.
Several of the former colonies which neighbours Sol once agreed on a deal proposed by the SDF, namely the creation of the SDF Auxiliary Corps. As the deal was accepted it allowed some of the neighbouring colonies to have military forces on par with the SDF (just on a much smaller scale) which are trained and equipped by the SDF.
Sol Interior Guard (SIG)[]
Officially a branch of the SDF, the SIG more or less functions as a independent organization as it is not involved with military affairs. As the name suggests, the guardsmen of the SIG are tasked with the protection of interior assets such as the High Councilor, the SSOID director, politicians and other high-profile figures within the Sol government.
Normally the SIG guardsmen wear suits with compact alloy vests underneath with a kinetic pistol at their hip. However, guardsmen assigned to special positions such as the guarding of the Terranos council chambers wear a full set of honorguard armor which includes torso, shoulder, thigh, shin and forearm protection alongside a ceremonial helmet.
Equipment[]
Armor[]
SDF-KUAS[]
SDF version of the LWA KUAS.
OMS Armor[]
Heavy armor worn by Orbital Marine Shocktroopers.
NBT Armor[]
Modified OMS armor worn by naval boarding troopers.
FENRIS Rig[]
Advanced pilot helmet and rig worn by SDF pilots.
UMBRA Rig[]
New generation pilot rig meant to replace the dated FENRIS rig. Worn by SDF pilots within the Air Force and Navy.
Vehicles[]
Champion IFV[]
Part of the new SDF arsenal, the Champion IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) is a eight-wheeled armored vehicle with a crew of three (driver, commander and gunner). It is armed with a 160mm cannon, a kinetic LMG turret and two racks of small smoke grenade launchers. It is designed to support infantry squads and armored units in the field. The Champion can carry six fully-equipped marines or army troopers in the rear compartment.
Optional equipment includes slat armor, IR optics and IR smoke launchers.
Guardian MBT Mk.II[]
Just like the Champion IFV the Guardian Mk.II is a modernized version of the old SDF Guardian Medium Hovertank. Unlike it's older sibling the Mk.II variant does not use four hoverpods for propulsion and instead relies on a pair of alloy tracks. While this removes the ability to traverse water the Mk.II has a much smaller profile not to mention the reduced production cost.
Mk.II Guardians are armed with a 200mm kinetic cannon, a pair of rocket batteries, a co-axial kinetic HMG turret and a top-mounted turret station capable of housing either a kinetic LMG or a railgun turret. Tactical equipment includes mine resistant armor, active defense system, IR smoke launchers and hull-mounted IR cameras.
Hawk VTOL[]
A newcomer to the SDF arsenal the Hawk VTOL is meant to replace the aging HarkArk Adeptor design. Even though the Adeptor is more armored the Hawk is much smaller, faster and better at carrying out stealth insertions. The Hawk has a crew of up to five airmen which includes a pilot, co-pilot, crew chief and two door gunners.
It is armed with a 60mm nose cannon and guided anti-armor missiles. One Hawk VTOL can carry up to twelve fully-equipped soldiers while the medevac version can transport four wounded soldiers on stretchers and have four seats for additional personnel.
Marauder Gunship[]
Used widely by the Sol Navy for support missions and quick airstrikes, the Marauder is piloted by a single crewmember who acts as both the pilot and gunner. The gunship is armed with a heavy kinetic rotary cannon capable of tearing through armor with ease.
A advanced onboard targeting system linked to a neural feedback cortex device helps the pilot during combat. The Marauder is capable of limited atmospheric flight however during combat operations it is most commonly deployed in high atmosphere.
[]
In some cases when a Navy vessel doesn't have its own marine company onboard but is required to send personnel to the ground they will utilize the NRV. A four-wheel drive vehicle which can transport up to four people and a small amount of cargo or supplies, it can be fitted with a LMG on the roof manned by the front passenger.
NRVs are highly capable of traversing rough terrain and spare fuel tanks and a toolkit can be found mounted in the front. The hardtop can be removed and the windows folded down.
Protector Supersonic Jet[]
Used by the Sol Air Force the Protector is a supersonic jet which relies on stratobooster tech to reach incredible speeds with the record being fifty metric miles in ten minutes.
Scout Rover[]
Designed for long-range reconnaissance and scouting the Scout Rover rely on its speed to outmaneuver enemy forces. It has a crew of up to two servicemen (driver, gunner) and can transport seven fully-equipped soldiers with six seats in the back and one front passenger seat.
It is armed with single pintle-mounted kinetic LMG which can engage targets in a 90 degree field of view infront of the vehicle.
Sentinel Gunship[]
A twin-engine attack craft, the Sentinel Gunship is in use by the Sol Air Force. Unlike the Marauder the Sentinel is unable to fly beyond the atmosphere with its maximum altitude of three metric miles.
It is armed with a nosemounted kinetic repeater which is paired with advanced optical sensors. The Sentinel has a crew of two, a gunner and a pilot.
Shield Mobile AA[]
A newcomer to the SDF arsenal, the Shield Mobile Anti-Aircraft battery or SMAA for short is a self-propelled tracked anti-air vehicle used in a support role during offensive and defensive operations. Armed with twin kinetic flak cannons and a pair of missile launchers the Shield is able to track and engage multiple airborne targets thanks to its advanced radar array.
The Shield has a crew of three (driver, commander and gunner).
Spear MAU Mk.II[]
Just like with the Mk.II Guardian the new version of the Spear Mobile Artillery Unit has undergone several changes. This self-propelled artillery gun no longer relies on hoverpods for propulsion and has instead been turned into an eight-wheeled heavy-duty truck. By not relying on a modified Guardian chassis production costs has been severely lowered and the wheeled base offer more stability during fire missions than the hoverpods of the older model.
The SMAU Mk.II is armed with a single 250mm kinetic howitzer cannon capable of rapid, sustaining, fire. A Spear is crewed by two (driver and commander).
Turtle APC[]
A tracked heavy APC, the Turtle is primarily in use by the SDF Army. It functions as more armored (albeit slower) alternative to the Wolf and Wolverine. It is armed with a 75mm heavy kinetic cannon, allowing it to also function as a light tank.
The Turtle can carry up to ten combat-ready soldiers. Crew consists of a driver, gunner and commander.
Wolf LAPC[]
Light Armored Personnel Carrier, the Wolf sacrifices armor for speed. Equipped with a light kinetic cannon this vehicle can carry six combat-ready soldiers in its rear passenger compartment.
Crew consists of a driver and a commander who also doubles as the gunner,
Wolverine APC[]
The Wolverine is bigger, better armored and overall much more meaner than the Wolf. Crew consists of a driver, commander and gunner. Primary armament is a rapid-firing kinetic cannon.
The Wolverine can transport up to ten combat-ready soldiers.
Miscellaneous[]
Media[]
