Military of Santiago (Great White South)

The Military of  is primarily composed of the country's Defense Forces (: Fuerza de Defensa Santiagana, FDS), though the country's is also occasionally considered a military or paramilitary organization.

The Army was officially established by Santiago's first constitution in 1901, while the Navy was first established as a separate entity in 1919. Santiago has utilized military aviation since 1919, but a separate Air Force was not established until 1965. The Policía Nacional, which developed into the, was founded in 1907.

Early years
Santiago's military was initially composed only of the Army, which also handled Naval warfare. In 1901, most of the country's soldiers were former civilian combatants of the ; while others were former members of the official militaries of the four countries which had occupied the area, such as, who later became.

Initially, the Santiagan Army were primarily a glorified police force, as Santiago was not involved in any external conflicts, and the country's regular police forces were poorly organized at that time. In the eastern frontier of Santiago, the Army was engaged in a significant conflict against local s, known as the.

World Wars
In, the Army mustered a force of almost 10 000 men, who became the first Santiagan troops ever to be involved in an international war. Other than a few raids on nearby, Santiago's troops in World War I were mostly confined to border defense, as the opposing forces were far larger than the small Santiagan Army.

The of 1915 was caused by a splinter faction of the Army attempting to remove the current government; which resulted in a five-month civil war between the opposing factions of the military. Ultimately the rebels were victorious, and their commander, Colonel was installed as President.

As a military figure, Bodega did much to develop the Santiagan Army, and pushed for the creation of a Navy which was independent of the Army. This goal was achieved in 1919, and gave the Navy the responsibility of regulating customs in port cities and coastal towns. Also in 1919, Santiago purchased its first military aircraft, and the Army Aviation division was founded.

The wars with the Kaiws continued into the 1920s, but on smaller scale, and after 1907, much of the fighting was done by the Policía Nacional rather than the Military. Santiago also saw a brief involvement in the as Communist and Anarchist revolutionaries attempted to establish bases in Santiagan territory, outside the jurisdiction of Russian authorities.

In 1939, Santiago became involved in a and with  – two conflicts which were closely linked. During the war with Bellinsgauzenia, Santiagan troops fought extensively alongside an troops. This was the first time Santiago had coordinated a significant campaign with foreign troops. Santiago also played a part in the post-war occupation of, increasing the military's cooperation with allied forces.

Recent history
After negotiating peace with Bellinsgauzenia in early 1942, Santiago entered an era of peace lasting over 30 years, during which time the national Air Force was created from the Army Aviation and Naval Aviation units. Through the 1950s and 60s, the military also had limited involvement in combatting Santiago's organized crime syndicates; but this task was primarily the responsibility of the.

The of 1974 was the next international conflict Santiago faced, when the military mounted an assault on  with the goal of removing 's government. Despite support from rebel groups within Chile, the Santiagan troops were unsuccessful, and were repelled from the country after five months of conflict. This war was controversial in Santiago and unpopular among the armed forces, who considered the Chilean military to be a close ally. General, widely considered one of Santiago's greatest military leaders, was dismissed from his position due to his criticism of the government during the war.

A few years later, Santiagan troops were again deployed in another controversial war, the.

Command Structure
The Commander-in-Chief of Santiago's armed forces is the, though most of the President's power is usually delegated to the Secretary of Defence and the General of the Army (except in times of crisis, when the President often uses more authority). The General of the Army is considered superior to the Fleet Admiral and Air Marshal due to the small size of Santiago's Navy and Air Force.