Antarctic State Military

The Antarctic State Military (ASM or "State Military"), also known as the Cyberian Military Forces (CMF), is a very large military force. They are organized by and serve to protect the integrity and longevity of the "high castle" that is the country of Cyberia. The ASM makes up the vast majority of the country's government, which is best described as a stratocracy. Thus, working for the military is quite synonymous with working for government, in a much wider context than in other countries. They are the largest employer of Cyberian citizens, as well as the largest military association in the context of in-country military companies/corporations. The ASM are an integral part of the country's history, and to this date is significant to its culture. Cyberia's military is a wholly voluntary service. The service has its own news websites as well as its own news channel that keeps its citizens and personnel alike informed of progress, issues and other interesting topics.

Civilians are always near to home-country military presence, and oftentimes there are events and shows held to display advances in technologies both electronic and physical. Examples of such advances include caseless ammunition and vehicle-mounted and vehicle-charged railguns.

Though the military population is large enough to replace the country of Switzerland, the military plays a very significant, if not the most important role in the provision of quality of life and protection for the country's non-military citizens. The citizens in turn provide able bodies for enlistment and economic stability and prosperity for the country as a whole. Enlistment is culturally regarded by many, but not all, to be the duty of every able-bodied citizen.

History
The origins of the ASM began as a covert military alliance between 20th century US and Soviet armed forces. This alliance only applied within the continent of Antarctica, as both superpowers were using the continent for its rich resources using civilian mine-workers.

Higher-ups of both Soviet and American militaries slowly but steadily felt the urge to keep all the resources for themselves. This eventually resulted in a bloody militant takeover in the early 2000's of all resource mines on the continent, much to the dismay of the mother countries.

This now disavowed separatist conglomerate held its ground against many counterattacks and scavenged anything and everything they could from the units they defeated. The mother countries then ceased their counterattacks in an effort to draw thin and wait out what remained of the detached conglomerate's rations and other such support. This however only served as an opening for the separatists to launch trade operations with outside countries, and thus turn a profit out of the Antarctic mines just as done before.

With these profits, this new military power began to grow and develop at an exponential rate into an entirely new sovereign nation that became known for its heavily defensive nature. This new nation officially called themselves, Cyberia.

Branches of the Military
There are no officially recognized branches of the ASM. Rather, the ASM recognizes distinct differences between the type of jobs personnel take on (for example, MOS codes), while assuming each job falls into a singular force, the ASM itself. This is in contrast to many other countries' militaries, who for example divide the air force away from their navy and their army.

There are however, three major police organizations of which civilians and military populations alike seem to focus upon when comparing Cyberia's military to past superpowers. These three organizations are Public Security, Riot Control, and the Security Forces. Popular comparisons are to the former United States of America, wherein the branch stereotypes of its once great military have found their way to modern day Cyberia. For example, the US army, regarded sometimes insultingly as the police of the old world, is compared to Public Security; the marines, said to be the strongest and most aggressive troops of the bunch, are compared to Riot Control; and the air force, seen as the smarter, yet less physically active branch, are compared to the Security Forces.

Furthermore, Cyberia also maintains quite a large section of reserve duty troops, called the National Guard, a name taken directly from the former US's branch of the same title and purpose.

Rank Hierarchy
The terms "rank hierarchy" and "chain of command" are very similar in definition. Chain of command refers to the established sequence in which orders must be passed down until they reach the specific person who will carry out the order. In Cyberia this may include gaps in the rank hierarchy due to the structure of departments.

The rank hierarchy of the Cyberian Military Forces is as follows, ordered from highest to lowest rank:



Enlisted
Personnel of E-1 to E-4 rank (technically E-1 to E-10) are said to be "enlisted" as opposed to "officers" or "commissioned". Enlisted members make up the majority of the ASM and are nearly always the troops that do most of the grunt work and heavy lifting, executing tasks handed down from direct superiors. They are most commonly recruited upon graduation of the 12th grade, which usually sees them between the ages of 17 and 19. Most personnel who only serve a single term (3-4 years) do not progress past the rank of E-4. All promotions beyond E-3 are usually competitive.

Non-Commissioned Officers
Non-commissioned officers or NCOs are higher-ranking enlisted personnel and are the more experienced members of the forces. Usually, they have the most hands-on experience of the whole. The ranks of E-6 to E-10 (E-5's are a grey area between enlisted and NCO) are most commonly regarded as NCOs. "Senior non-commissioned officers" (SNCOs) are not officially recognized as a separate group of ranks, but are well-known by popular belief to be ranks of E-8, E-9 and E-10, the most experienced in proper physical workmanship plus leadership at the same time. Low-ranking commissioned officers without prior enlisted experience commonly take tips and advice from SNCOs despite holding superior rank above them.

Warrant Officers
Warrant officers are ranks of the forces that only apply to members of the Riot Control Corps. They hold superior rank to enlisted and NCO personnel and almost always are given the title of "warrant carrier", as they take command of units to carry out search, arrest and death warrants (WO-1, WO-2 and WO-3 respectively). Promotion to WO-1, WO-2 and WO-3 is always competitive.

Commissioned Officers
Commissioned officers make up the managerial personnel of the forces. A significant portion of citizens who earn a college degree (which is required for commissioning) eventually join the forces as a commissioned officer, immediately putting them in a rank hierarchy above all enlisted members and warrant officers. Ranks of O-1 to O-3 are said to be low-ranking commissioned officers, mid-ranks being O-4 to O-6, and high-rank being O-7 to O-10 plus the the additional highest special rank of General of the Forces.

One is not required to progress through enlisted ranks to become a commissioned officer, however every recruit is first given a rank of E-1 throughout acceptance and basic training.

Gender Roles in the Military
By official standards, gender and gender identity do not play a role in the Cyberian military. It is common knowledge that higher ups will expect no less than equal, if not exceeding performance in accordance with mental and physical qualifications, regardless of gender. All occupational specialties are available to all genders; the only barriers to entry being uniform-restricting anatomy, criminal record, and whether or not a candidate meets the required skillset for the job.

Uniforms
Each and every recruit is issued thick, rugged and insulating fatigues. They are expected to keep and maintain this uniform to a high standard, and at the very least store it at the ready at all times, even if their job does not require its use. As long as one is of an enlisted rank, one is never to rid themselves of their ASM uniform.

As enlisteds wear rough fatigues, commissioned officers by contrast wear a fancier tailored battle dress complete with gold braid and gold shoulder stripes. Similar to the enlisted ranks, officers are required to maintain their look and appearance, however officers are held to an even higher regality standard, which is also arguably less restrictive than enlisted standards in the context of the ability to stylized. For example, commissioned officers are allowed to wear rings, piercings and other jewelry on their person, to an extent. It can be said that the standard for commissioned officers is more fancy rather than rugged.

All personnel who are stationed in urban areas wear CWP's (City Working Pattern), a dark blue digital camouflage, reminiscent of the old US Navy NWU Type I pattern. This blue digital pattern serves little in the way of actually concealing the wearer, due to their environment. Rather, it serves as a visual distinction between civilians and military personnel.

Those who are sent outside of urban areas are given WWS's (White Working Solid) and WWP's (White Working Pattern) which is also sometimes anachronously called ACP (Arctic Combat Pattern), all white-dominant camouflages used in order to blend in with the very snowy and icy landscapes. Commissioned officers can but are not required to wear similar colors, and are also given long black overcoats with fluffy collars.

During certain special events, fully black uniforms are worn by personnel, depending on the event.

Civilians cannot legally wear any clothing that closely resembles Cyberian military dress of pattern AND color. Similar pattern may be worn if it is of distinguishably different color. The same goes for similar colors if the pattern is distinguishably different.

Enlistment
The most common form of enlistment is recruitment immediately after high school graduation, which is usually roughly around the age of eighteen. The earliest age one may enlist is specifically seventeen and a half (17 years + 6 months), while the maximum for first-time enlistment sits at thirty-nine years of age.

Anatomical Restrictions
Certain anatomical properties natural to some species and hybrids present difficulties for personnel wishing to enlist.

Antlers, horns and headfins must be naturally short or surgically shortened/removed. This is to ensure proper fitment of helmets. Personnel who are assigned to areas with very limited space, such as fighter jets and tanks, must have short or surgically shortened tails. Specific tail length maximums vary with space available.

Wings are disallowed outright in the majority of ASM jobs.

There are rare cases where anatomical violations are waivered, for a number of reasons, and must be approved by the appropriate commissioned officer.

Contractual Obligations
Civilians wishing to be employed by the military must first apply for enlistment. This is generally a short process of relatively lenient physical and background checks done by recruiters. These recruiters then present applicants with a contract outlining what the ASM will expect of them should they sign on. Signing this contract legally binds the applicant, if taken in, to: This contract may be renewed once every four years at the enlist's discretion, except in the case of those who have earned a commission, in which the officer must apply to be relieved of duty.
 * A minimum of four years service to the military, barring outstanding discharge. These four years include training which takes up the majority of the first year. (A contract of three years may be granted upon extraordinary circumstances.)
 * Another four years post-service 'reserve' period where the ASM may draft the applicant back into service before any other civilian, should the need arise.
 * Adherence to any and all rules and orders given by a member of higher rank, except in case(s) where such orders are believed to be illegal, unethical, immoral, or a break in the established chain of command.
 * In the case of refusal to act as ordered; present valid reason for the choice of refusal.

Basic Training
All new personnel who are accepted for enlistment are given the rank of Private (E-1), then are placed in an eight-week program that will physically and mentally condition the recruit into life as an employee of the military. All new recruits go through this training, even those destined for immediate commission. In the eighth week, privates get to choose their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), which determines what further training they will receive depending on what job they choose.

Commissioning
Those who wish to advance beyond the enlisted and NCO ranks (designated by the letter "E") must attend Officer Training School (OTS). Requirements for acceptance into OTS are completion of basic training, and the earning of a bachelor's degree before or during military employment. Any major of degree is sufficient for attending OTS, however some MOS codes only accept specific majors. For example, military police officers must hold a degree in the field of criminal justice.

Advancement to commissioned officer may be done with or without rising through the enlisted and NCO ranks.

Civil Services of the Military
Cyberian military jobs titles are perhaps most well-known for extending into civil service and civil protection roles, such as law enforcement, emergency medical & fire response, and governmental agencies, which are all operated by the military itself.

Governmental
The vast majority of government offices require its agents to be currently serving in the Cyberian Military Forces. This is best defined as a stratocracy. Depending on the sphere of influence a particular office has, it may require that only a certain rank of personnel be employed in that position.

There are nine "castle departments" within the Cyberian government, each housing a great number of governmental units of many types and sizes, all with their own respective directors, under which house smaller sub-units under the directors' supervision. Altogether, the departments handle a common interest of national well-being and the security of the country's prosperous future.

The nine governmental departments are as follows, ordered from oldest to newest: The Assembly of Presidents that holds authority over all departments is the High Castle.
 * ASC Department of Defense
 * ASC Department of Justice
 * ASC Department of Civilian Affairs
 * ASC Department of Treasury
 * ASC Department of Resource Management
 * ASC Department of Agriculture
 * ASC Department of Energy
 * ASC Department of Infrastructure
 * ASC Department of Foreign Affairs

Each department is headed by a singular, elected president, who has their own distinct office of personnel, and who directly supervises all chiefs of staff within his or her department. Furthermore, all nine presidents regularly meet in council with each required to be present at an undisclosed location to discuss national matters of all kinds.

Emergency Services
Emergency medical and fire response teams are also populated only by military personnel, as they are to be trained very similarly to military medics and corpsmen, but are almost exclusively deployed to afflicted civilians and civilian areas. These response teams are rarely armed, and wear high-visibility uniforms. Emergency medical and fire teams operate within the Department of Civilian Affairs

Public Security
Public Security is a subset of militarized police that almost only deals with civilians. There is a distinct understood difference between policemen and police officers. To become a policeman, a citizen must complete a basic training course which includes a written exam, with satisfactory or exceeding scores, then opt for enrollment in a police academy headed by the Department of Civilian Affairs. Police officers are policemen who have risen through the ranks of Public Security and hold authority over lesser-ranked units of multiple men. Enlisted policemen as well as officers often carry a handgun, taser and handcuffs/zipties as part of their standard loadout. They also wear beige, uncamoflagued uniforms, in contrast to the military's digital camo. Except in times of emergency or martial law, civilian police and military police generally do not exercise authority crossed over one another; Public Security protects and serves civilians, while military police protect and patrol military bases where the majority of residents are not civilians.

Riot Control
Riot control, unofficially known by many nicknames, one of which being SWAT, and derogatorily known as "Attack Dogs", is seen as the middle ground between civilian police and military police. RC operates within the Department of Defense. They are distinguished by their completely black uniforms in contrast to law enforcement's beige. They also wear ballistic vests, helmets, visors and occasionally carry clear ballistic shields. A common stereotype against RC is that they "shoot first; ask questions later." In reality, RC is trained specifically to order targets down before taking more lethal action, unless the target is in immediate likelihood of harming hisself, bystanders, or RC themselves.

While they still largely operate within civilian populations, riot control is much more aggressive, as they are tasked with suppressing organized crime and rioting, as well as dealing with armed civilians who are marked for search, arrest or execution in some cases. Some believe that RC is the government military force whose enemy is the civilian population itself. The ASC Department of Defense consistently disputes this claim and asserts that riot control is the opposite of the civilians' enemy; that they are a military force operating against enemies of the people who blend in amongst the people.

Armaments
Most units tend to be supplied with high capacity, high rate of fire firearms, even in public. 5.45×39mm is the most common cartridge chambered, for logistical reasons, as it can be seen standard in the ASM's service rifles such as the AK-107, as well as specially modified into rifles that do not come standard in the round. A popular example of the latter is the FAMAS specially chambered in 5.45×39mm and specifically manufactured that way with other modifications for the ASM, known to them under the name R3. Such a variant was not approved for manufacture by the French, however the Cyberians continue to utilize it and to great effect. This was done at the behest of Col. Tavash, the current Director of Research & Development in the city of Overcast.

It is a common sight to spot an armored ground vehicle driving along a roadway, or one or more military aircraft flying overhead. Due to the vastness of the landscapes and extremely frigid wilderness between cities, vehicles are a very important part of the ASM, even moreso than in other countries. Being manufactured in the same frigid conditions as they are used in, Cyberian vehicles and aircraft are heavily winterized on top of being well-armored. For example, insulated and/or heated fuel lines and compartments that trap body heat very well have been implemented for quite a long time, which has also been used in civilian cars.

Lineage of Older Cyberian Military Vehicles

 * Military Transport/Cargo Planes
 * 1956 - Antonov An-12 introduced to Antarctica, transporting supplies and mine resources
 * 1958 - Lockheed C-130 introduced to Antarctica, transporting supplies and mine resources
 * 2008 ~ Present - Cyberian acquisition of hardware from the likes of Airbus, Antonov, Boeing, and Lockheed-Martin
 * Present - Cyberian military transport and military/civilian cargo aircraft majorly consist of Boeing C-17's and Antonov An-256's (reverse-engineered and upgraded An-225's)


 * Main Battle Tanks
 * 1964 - Soviet T-64 tank, first MBT to be introduced to Antarctic soil, sparking Antarctic Tank Tensions
 * 1964 - US M60 Patton introduced to Antarctica in response to T-64 presence
 * 1972 - Soviet T-72 tank introduced to Antarctica, replacing most if not all T-64's
 * 1985 - US M1 Abrams introduced to Antarctica, replacing all M60 Pattons
 * 1992 - Russian T-90 tank introduced to Antarctica, replacing all T-72's
 * 2015 - Cyberian study of the Armata platform and T-14 tank
 * 2015 ~ Present - Cyberian upgrading of existing hardware, forgoing creation of completely new MBTs
 * Present - Cyberian MBT divisions consist of heavily upgraded T-90's, Abrams and reverse-engineered T-14's
 * Attack Helicopters
 * 1990 - Soviet Mi-24, first attack helicopter introduced to Antarctica
 * 1990 - US AH-64 Apache introduced to Antarctica
 * 1999 - Russian Ka-52 Alligator introduced to Antarctica, supplementing Soviet Mi-24's
 * 2015 ~ Present - Cyberian upgrading of existing hardware
 * Present - Cyberian attack helicopter divisions consist mainly of heavily upgraded Ka-52's, and less so of reverse-engineered and heavily upgraded Mi-28's

Strategic Installation
ASM activity in its present state is majorly focused on defending its land from potential invaders, as well as extending its reach to and establishing bases at any and all strategic locations on the continent of Antarctica. Its current overall goal is to heavily fortify all of the shore and fix its weak points. This further necessitates the installation of more mining stations in order to fuel its expansion over its own claimed land.

Military Bases
Bases are a very important installation for the ASM, as it provides shelter, supply and service to personnel. All Cyberian military bases are built surrounding a very large nuclear fission reactor. Specifically, a fast breeder reactor. This reactor supplies energy to the base itself as well as the city that usually surround the bases. While fusion power is technically feasible, swapping to such a system has been deemed by the ASM as unimportant, citing the lack of documentation and innovation compared to the very well researched fission power systems.

Bases are usually quite large, as they combine branches that other militaries keep separate, generally air force and army. Only coastal bases include naval activities.

Due to high elevations, many of the military runways are installed with EMALS catapult systems. Otherwise, runway lengths would need to increase a great deal, due to the thinner air requiring more lift and thus more speed for takeoff.

Continuous R&D
Another major focus is the continuous tinkering and adapting of new technologies, usually founded upon existing hardware and steadily expanded upon and/or modified again and again into new variants and possibly new standards. The city of Overcast is the most significant contributor to the ASM's R&D processes. Land and air vehicles play a critical part in the forces, arguably more critical than small arms, and is a recurring target in the research and development of new technologies. Cyberia has a propensity to accurately reverse-engineer existing designs, both hardware and software, and quickly improve upon them, which is especially true under the command of the current Director of Research & Development, Colonel Rikharthu Tavash.

Manufacturing and Sales
There existed, and to an extent still exists, a deeply ingrained military-industrial complex within Cyberia. Vash Firearms, arguably the largest defense industry company in the country, serves as both the military's consolidated equipment manufacturer and mediator for external sales (sales to civilians) and exportation.

Prior to the establishment of this company, the ASM offered a plethora of contracts to outside companies which designed and manufactured weapons for it to inspect and potentially adopt into service. Now with essentially a new branch of the military (the expanded R&D division), the research, development, design and manufacture of weapons has been streamlined significantly.