Commonwealth of Susquehanna Defense Force (1983: Doomsday)

The Commonwealth of Susquehanna maintains a small armed forces. Most of the military units were formed post-Doomsday, with a few pre-Doomsday units training troops after the apocalypse. Military service is by volunteer only, although in times of need the government can draft from ages 17 to 45 years of age, in a selective service style recruitment.

Much of the equipment operated by the Commonwealth are pre-1960's equipment that is being replaced with newer models as funding becomes available. It lacks manpower and modern equipment. Most of the equipment has been purchased from foreign nations or converted civilian equipment.

The total military strength as of 2014 stands at approximately 719 soldiers and personnel.

History
Immediately after Doomsday, local police and small National Guard units in various communities around what would become the Commonwealth of Susquehanna. Some organized small civilian militias to back up defense against gangs and raiders who were prowling around the area. After the area unified into a more organized militia. They lacked artillery or explosives and only had a handful of scavenged M2 Browning machine guns and M1919 machine guns.

Most infantry were armed with a hodgepodge of weapons, from M16's to M14's to hunting rifles. They were organized into several platoons and operated independently of one another.

The main issue the nation faced was the lack of any major military instillation in or near Susquehanna's territory that had not been leveled by a nuke. There was a small logistical and cargo Army Reserve unit in Bloomsburg as well as an Army National Guard clerical unit in Berwick. Neither was officially infantry, but both had training in the field and began to patrol regularly. The men operated along side local college security and police units.

After several months, the area needed additional manpower and the civilian militias were formed. The soldiers and police began to train them alongside ROTC and JROTC units from Bloomsburg University and local high schools.

Once the training was complete, the area had a manpower of 200 militia members, 250 National Guard members, 180 ROTC members, 75 JROTC members and 60 police, SWAT, and security members. Overall there were 765 available personnel.

Once they were trained, the commander of the Provisional Pennsylvania Militia requisitioned 20 local trucks and converted them into technicals armed with an M2 Browning.

Between 1983 and 2005 the militia operated a small air arm and waterway arm. They were equip with scavenged aircraft (which rarely flew), and rowboats armed with rifles.

After the official formation of the Commonwealth of Susquehanna, the militia disbanded and reformed as the Commonwealth of Susquehanna National Guard. They formed a separate air arm and turned some of the best soldiers into a special forces unit called the Susquehanna Guard.

When raiders became a problem, the government launched Operation Retribution to destroy them. The military was weak and struggled to do more than keep them out. To add support, the government purchased twenty Jeep Raiders (eight have been destroyed), four artillery pieces, and a variety of other equipment. There was also standardization to the M14 in 2006 after recovering a large stockpile.

To portray a more neutral tone, in 2013 the National Guard was renamed the Defense Force, although individual service branches suffered no name changes.

Commonwealth of Susquehanna Army National Guard
The Commonwealth of Susquehanna Army National Guard is the largest branch of the armed forces.

It is the oldest branch of the armed forces, having been in existence in some form since the foundation of the nation. There are 500 soldiers in the Army National Guard. The military allows females to serve in any branch of the Defense Forces. The Jeep battalion, as well as the engineering and logistics company are commanded by females.

Both men and women earn the same pay and rank advancement in the armed forces.

Training
All soldiers regardless of gender or job are sent through the same training.

First they are sent to four weeks of physical training. To pass basic training, they must be able to run a mile with a full combat load (73 pounds of gear, plus weapons and ammunition) in under fifteen minutes, then ten miles with a training load (40 pounds of gear, plus weapons and ammunition) in under an hour and twenty minutes, do 60 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 20 pull-ups, and do ten chin-ups.

If they pass that, they go to weapons training. At weapons training, they spend two weeks training on handguns, one week on their personal assault rifles, one week on grenades, and five days on improvised explosives. To pass weapons training they must shoot seven rounds and hit at least five targets with a one-inch spread; fire ten rounds from their rifles, hit at least eight targets (nine for scout or sniper), and have a one-inch spread; destroy two targets with a grenade; and make and use two improvised explosives.

Infantry
The largest branch of the Army National Guard is the infantry branch. The main role is to provide defense from foreign powers, and raiders, offensive against hostile nations and groups, as well as security and aid police during a natural disaster.

History

The infantry can trace back to immediately after Doomsday. It is the successor to local militias that formed to defend the towns and communities from raiders, and rogue army groups.

In 2005 the military was officially formed as part of the Commonwealth of Susquehanna National Guard (Since renamed the Defense Force).

Manpower

The nation maintains three companies of infantry of 104 men, for a total of 316 available soldiers. All infantry regardless of role are issued M1911 pistols and either the M26 or M67 hand grenades.

Each company has four platoons, divided into four infantry fireteams, and three heavy weapons fireteams (Machine Gun Team, Rocket Team, and Mortar Team).

Two companies are active units, with full time soldiers, while the third is a reserve company, which only activates if needed.

Fireteam


 * Team Leader- Leader of the unit. Armed with a select fire M14 rifle, five ten-round magazines, and fifty extra rounds of ammunition, as well as the unit radio if issued one. Provides direct leadership in situations as well as information on the mission.
 * Rifleman- Baseline infantryman. Equip with an M14 select fire, ten ten-round magazines, and fifty extra rounds of ammunition. He may be issued an M72 LAW depending on the mission.
 * Designated Marksman- Acting scout and sniper of the fireteam. Equip with select fire M14, bipod, and a scope as well as five ten-round magazines, and thirty rounds of loose ammunition.
 * Automatic Rifleman- Issued a fully automatic M1918 BAR with ten 20-round magazines, and forty extra rounds. Provides suppression fire as well as fire support for the team.

M1919 Machine Gun Team
 * Team Leader/Gunner- Leader of the team. Equip with the M1919, and standard issue weapons. Provides support fire for fire teams and bazooka team. Carries one belt of ammunition (250 rounds).
 * Loader/Ammunition Bearer- Carries the machine gun's tripod, and two belts of extra ammunition (500 rounds). Loads gun as needed. Issued standard issue pistol and grenades.
 * Spotter- Spots for the crew. Carries one belt of ammunition (250 rounds). Issued M14 and eight ten-round magazines.
 * Infantryman- Equip with an M14 select fire, ten ten-round magazines. He also carries one belt of ammunition (250 rounds).

M20 Super Bazooka Rocket Team
 * Team Leader/Gunner- Leader of the team. Issued Super Bazooka as well as the standard issue sidearm. Carries two rockets.
 * Ammunition Bearer- Carries ten extra rockets. Issued standard sidearm as well as a Model 870 shotgun for close combat.
 * Spotter/Infantryman- Issued M14 select fire rifle with eight ten-round magazines. Also carries two extra rockets as well as the sidearm.

L16 Mortar Team
 * Team Leader/Gunner- Leader of the team. Equip with the M253 Cannon, and standard issue weapons. Provides indirect fire support the other units. Carries two mortar shells.
 * Loader/Ammunition Bearer- Carries the M177 bipod and the M64 sight, and three mortar shells. Loads mortar as needed. Issued standard issue pistol and grenades.
 * Spotter- Carries M3 baseplate and spots for the crew. Carries two mortar shells. Issued M14 and eight ten-round magazines.

Units
 * 55th Infantry Company
 * 109th Infantry Company
 * 223rd Infantry Company (Reserve)

Artillery
Artillery is a newer branch of the Army National Guard. It was formed on April 3rd, 2013 when the nation received four M101 artillery pieces from the Canadian government as well as trucks to tow them and carry ammunition and supplies. There is one battery of four guns, with four trucks towing and four supporting.

Manpower

There are five men assigned per howitzer, three for firing, and two as spotters. Overall, there are 20 soldiers in the artillery branch, although that may change as Susquehanna faces better armed opposition.


 * Artillery Battery (four guns, 20 men)
 * Two Artillery Platoons (two howitzers, ten men)
 * Two Artillery Sections (one howitzer, five men)

Howitzers
 * One Team Leader- Directs firing of gun, as well as ordering movements of the unit. Armed with standard issued weapons.
 * One Ammunition Bearer/Loader- Carries fresh shells to the gun, loads guns, and piles spent shells. Carries a Model 870 shotgun for close range defense, as well as standard load.
 * One Artillery Gunner- Armed with standard equipment as well as Model 870 shotgun. Fires the gun.
 * Two Artillery Spotters- Armed with M14's. Act as forward observers to direct artillery rounds as well as provide defense for the gun. Also carry standard issue weapons.

Units
 * 107th Field Artillery Battery

Motorized Infantry
Susquehanna has a single jeep force that utilizes twelve Jeep Raiders purchased from North Pennsylvania. Originally twenty Jeeps were operated, but eight have been destroyed by enemy action. They are divided into two platoons of six jeeps, and each company has three squads of two. There are forty eight soldiers in the Jeep battalion.

Manpower
 * One Company of Twelve Jeep Raiders
 * Two Platoons of Six Jeep Raiders Each
 * Three Squads of Two Jeep Raiders
 * Four soldiers per Jeep

Units
 * 103rd Motorized Infantry Company

Waterway Patrol
The Commonwealth does not have an independent military branch for maritime defense, simply because there was not a need for a large naval force. Instead it was formed as a component of the Army National Guard, similar to the pre-Doomsday Swiss Lakes Flotilla. There are sixteen soldiers assigned to the Waterways Patrol.

Recently, the Commonwealth commissioned two Susquehanna-class patrol boats. Each is similar to the Vietnam era PBR boats. Both were former pleasure craft that were recommissioned as patrol boats.

There is consideration to purchase several dedicated patrol boats from another nation.

Units
 * 1st Bloomsburg Detachment

Engineering and Logistics
There is a small 100 man engineering and logistic company. They operate the earth moving equipment as well as supply trucks to support the army in operations against the enemy.

There are 40 soldiers in the Engineering platoon, with their role as providing support for the army. An additional 40 are in the logistics, providing planning for meals, and bringing supplies and fuel to the front lines in wartime. They coordinate with the Air National Guard to ensure a constant flow of supplies makes it to the men. The last twenty personnel are the finance and office duty personnel. They keep up with the paperwork, payroll and standard clerical duties. The majority of soldiers here are female, but all soldiers are still trained for combat roles and are capable of acting as infantry in an emergency.

Equipment
Individual Arms

Explosives, Rockets and Missile Systems

Crew Served Weapons

Artillery

Unarmored Vehicles

Patrol Vessels

Military Police
There are 30 members of the Military Police. They are the former personnel of the Hazleton Security forces. Many are assigned as law enforcement on military bases and in military secured regions.

They are qualified to aid local police and security as well as the State Police in criminal investigations and securing crime scenes.

All are trained in counterinsurgency, hand-to-hand combat, firearms, and nonlethal tactics.

They are equipped with 6 motorcycles, 12 armored pickup trucks, and each officer is issued an M-16, an M1911, handcuffs, and pepper spray. There are three divisions of the Military Police: Air base Guard, Base Guard, or Peacekeeper. Each has ten officers, although they all may change positions as needed. They are broken up into three squads:
 * A Squad (Air base Guard)
 * B Squad (Base Guard)
 * C Squad (Peacekeeper)

Susquehanna Guard
The Susquehanna Guard has duties as both the bodyguard to the Governor and dignitaries, as well as the Special Forces of Susquehanna. It is made up of one platoon of 33 soldiers, and broken up into three squads of 11 soldiers each. They are all trained in special operations, hand to hand combat, crowd control, as well as other specialized information.

Training
All soldiers in the Susquehanna Guard are selected from the Army National Guard, Military Police, or Air National Guard. They must be between the age of 21 and 38 to enter into the program. Approximately 70 soldiers are selected each year, but only about six make it through.

Since all the soldiers have basic training, and most have some combat experience, they are sent straight to training in Special Operations and security training, as well as law enforcement. Most who want to join the Susquehanna Guard have gone to Columbia County Community College for an associates degree in Criminal Justice.

Once they are certified by a board of Army National Guard or Air National Guard, they are sent to training camp.

Ranger Squad
Ranger Squad is attached to the Commonwealth of Susquehanna Army National Guard. They are trained in counterterrorism, base security, and tactical fire support. There are eleven troops in Ranger Squad.

SEAL Squad
SEAL Squad is assigned to the Air National Guard. They are trained in BASE jumping, paratrooping, tactical insertion by water, as well as the basic training that both squads receive. There are eleven soldiers in SEAL Squad.

Commonwealth of Susquehanna Secret Service
The Secret Service is trained to defend the Governor, lieutenant governor, and other government officials as necessary. There are eleven soldiers in the Secret Service.

Commonwealth of Susquehanna Air National Guard
The Commonwealth of Susquehanna Air National Guard operates several aircraft from pre-Doomsday. Several light aircraft were salvaged from the Bloomsburg Area Airport, and Riverside Airport, while two were purchased from Canada.

The Air National Guard has only been recently formed, created in 2010 as an independent branch of the Defense Forces. Most of the aircraft have been refurbished, or purchased from Canada.

The mission of the Air National Guard is to monitor the nation for foreign incursions, provide logistics and support, as well as air defense, and a light ground attack role.

There are seven fixed wing aircraft operated by the Air National Guard, and 144 personnel on duty. Most of the aircraft are modified civilian aircraft, and the rest are old military aircraft, being used as an interim until new aircraft can be acquired. Susquehanna is looking to modernize its forces to defend against outside aggression, although it is doubtful that they will be replaced in the near future.

Currently there are no rotary aircraft in their inventory, although there is consideration of purchasing as many as four UH-1 Huey helicopters for Medivac and cargo transport in the coming years.

Fuel
The aircraft are slowly being converted to run on natural gas, although only the C-47's and two Cessna 172 planes are converted. The aircraft are all kept up to date, but most of the aircraft are grounded due to the lack of fuel. There is enough fuel in the nation for a handful of flights, but they are limited. Most are for VIP trips, quick scout missions, and ground attack missions.

201st Training Wing
The training wing is the Air National Guard's smallest section. It operates two Cessna 172 bush planes as basic trainers, and active military aircraft on occasion as advanced trainers, under guidance by an experienced pilot. Most people in the wing are cadets training on aircraft maintenance, or flight, but there are three flight instructors, and six maintenance personnel.

171st Tactical Airlift Wing
The transport wing is the largest in the Air National Guard. It operates two Douglas C-47 Skytrain cargo planes. There are six pilots, six flight crew, and fifteen maintenance crew assigned to this wing.

111th Aerial Combat Wing
The aerial combat wing operates two Piper PA-28 Cherokee's as COIN aircraft, armed with two forward M2 Brownings, and wing mounts for eight unguided rockets per wing, in two clusters of four each. The aircraft have the rear two seats removed, and additional fuel tanks added, extending their range. There are four pilots, and eight maintenance crew.

193rd VIP Wing
The VIP wing operates one long range aircraft, a Cessna 404 Titan. Their job is to transport the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and other governmental personnel around the nation and to visit other countries as well. There are five pilots and ten maintenance personnel assigned to the VIP Wing.

112th Air Defense Wing
The air defense wing is responsible for securing the airspace in the nation as well as defending the airports from hostile forces. They operate four Bofors 40 mm antiaircraft guns at the two airports in the nation. There are six gunners, four munitions personnel, and six crew members.

271st Air Support Wing
The air support wing are the support units for the rest of the Air National Guard. There are eighteen air traffic controllers, fifteen communication specialists, twelve refueling operatives, and twenty firefighters.

Air bases
There are two military air bases in Susquehanna, both based out of civilian airports. A small landing strip in Berwick can be used in time of war or emergency, but is unlit, and only 3000 feet long. It is paved, an usually used as a feeder airport for Bloomsburg Regional Airport.

Each airport has a military hanger section and fuel tanks reserved for emergency military usage. All the personnel that handle vital operations such as radar firefighting, and refueling are handled by the military.


 * Hazleton International Airport


 * Bloomsburg Regional Airport

Training
Trainees are required to have attended Columbia County Community College or another institution to obtain the two year Aviation Professional Pilot's Associates Degree.

Once obtaining their degree, they are transferred to the 201st Training Wing. New inductees are first sent to six weeks of wilderness survival courses. Once completing that, they receive one month of firearms training, and hand-to-hand combat training.

Once completing basic training, the personnel are given one week of flight training, showing them around the aircraft and basic controls. They are then given a month training in the Cessna 172 basic trainers, and on emergency field repairs that can be done to the aircraft.

After basic flight introduction, they train on their respective aircraft for up to one month, although more recently it has only been for two weeks.

Uniforms
The Commonwealth of Susquehanna has three main uniforms for the Army National Guard and Susquehanna Guard, one additional one for the Waterway Guard, one for the Military Police, and one for the Air National Guard.

The Army National Guard and Susquehanna Guard use the Battle Dress Uniform for combat, training and emergency situations. The uniform is directly planned from the former United States Battle Dress Uniform. Badges are attached using buttons. The left arm has the rank badge and the National Guard arm patch. The right sleeve has the flag of the Commonwealth of Susquehanna as well as the unit patch below it.

The second is for soldiers to wear on base while off duty and for physical training. It is a tan color, with Susquehanna's flag and the National Guard arm patch on the right sleeve and the rank insignia on the left sleeve.

The last combines the Mess Uniform and the Service Uniform into one uniform. It is a blue uniform, based on the Army Service Uniform, and is named the Army Formal Service Uniform. Soldiers are to wear it during formal dinners, services, or other activities.

The Waterways Guard uses the same uniforms as the Army National Guard for base wear and formal occasions. The combat uniform is the same design as the Battle Dress Uniform, except it's naval camouflage, and has the naval insignia instead of the National Guard arm patch.

The Military Police share the same uniforms for duty with the Army National Guard, but utilize one special one while acting in a law enforcement role. It is olive green with no insignia on the right arm, and a simple armband on the left saying: Military Police.

The Air National Guard has its own uniforms for flight personnel. When soldiers or airmen are off duty, they use both the base and exercise wear, and the Army Formal Service Uniform with a Susquehanna Air National Guard pin for formal occasions. All personnel not assigned to fly in an aircraft use the Battle Dress Uniform for combat jobs. The flight uniform is called the Flight Personnel Active Uniform.

Defense Industry
The Commonwealth of Susquehanna does not have a large defense industry. The two major domestic suppliers to the armed forces are the Danville Steel Mills, and Appalachian Firearms Corporation.

Danville Steel Mills provides stamped armor for the military, knives and bayonets for the military. Currently they manufacture the M5 bayonet for the M14 assault rifle.

Appalachian Firearms Corporation mainly manufactures ammunition for the armed forces. They also manufacture the M26 hand grenade, the M67 hand grenade, and both the M7 and the M76 rifle grenade launcher.

They are currently working on prototypes for the XM-20 assault rifle. Experts plan on mass production of the new service rifle in 2018 to 2020, although realistically, it won't be in service until 2030-2035.

The company also modified and refurbishes used and damaged weapons.

The newly formed Columbia Ordnance Facility opened in Berwick, in February of 2014. It manufactures unguided bombs and rockets, as well as incendiary bombs.

Facilities
Susquehanna operates nine facilities and bases around the nation.

The overall headquarters of the Defense Force is in Bloomsburg, with Army National Guard bases in Bloomsburg, Berwick, Daville, and Hazleton. The Air National Guard operates two air bases out of Hazleton International Airport and Bloomsburg Regional Airport. The Waterway Guard has a small base on the Susquehanna River where they do repairs and launch the boats from.

Miscellaneous
Susquehanna has non-aggression pacts and military training deals with the Pennsylvanian survivor states as well as Canada. They purchase military hardware from Toledo and Superior as well, although Canada has pushed for Susquehanna to stop buying from Superior.

Although there are nuclear materials and facilities to produce crude chemical weapons, Susquehanna has announce they will not seek WMD's.

To support the small military, in times of war the State Police and local police are able to be conscripted as a reservist force. Their job would be to secure borders and captured territory as well as defend the territorial integrity of Susquehanna.

Some counties are considering forming county militias to supplement the military units in their area. This is so if war is ever declared, the communities will continue to have defense. The government has approved of them, but so far none have begun the process.

After discovering Canada and the Atlantic Defense Community, some wanted to request to join. The government knew it would be impossible to modernize the forces enough in order to allot troops to the ADC military structure.

Gettysburg approached Susquehanna in 2013 about requesting Virginia to join the Dixie Alliance, but Susquehanna declined that as well. They did not have the logistical capability to send units down that far south. Many were against it due to Virginia's government system and militaristic tendencies.

For now, they remain independent of any military alliance. That may change in the future as the military expands.

Future
There are several plans for the National Guard in the future. Many of them are unlikely to occur in the near future, but a few have been accomplished and met. The goal of the armed forces is to be able to secure the borders by 2020 and secure the rest of Luzerne and Sullivan County by the 2030's or 2040's.

Army National Guard
The Commonwealth of Susquehanna has been working on keeping a relatively well trained, strong military force. On paper there should be five active infantry companies, three reserve infantry companies, one artillery company, one motorized infantry company, one armor company, one engineering company, and one logistics company.

In reality the Army National Guard is only at approximately half strength or less. There are only two active infantry units, one reserve infantry company, an undersized artillery company, one motorized infantry company, and a combined engineering and logistics company.

Much of the equipment has been scavenged from military bases or acquired from other survivor states. Some of the explosives and almost all of the ammunition is being produced in a factory in Berwick. Some foreign suppliers include North Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Canada.

Long term goals are to add an armored force, and increase the strength of the infantry force. There are also plans to purchase two or three new light patrol boats from Canada or Superior in the future.

Air National Guard
The Air National Guard is underdeveloped and lacks proper training. At the time of its founding, there were five Cessna 172 basic trainers and three Piper PA-28 Cherokee light attack planes. Due to age, three Cessna's were retired as well as one of the Piper aircraft were. Two cargo planes were purchased from Canada as well as a VIP aircraft. There is also talks of repairing the three Bell 47 light helicopters which had been within Susquehanna's borders prior to Doomsday. They had been used as crop dusters before, but were damaged from the EMP blast and were never repaired due to costs and operating costs. Today, one sits at the Hazleton International Airport and two are stored at the Bloomsburg Regional Airport.

On paper the Air National Guard should operate one fighter flight, one ground attack flight, one training flight, a logistics flight, and a VIP transport flight. The goal would be to operate 18 fixed wing aircraft, a helicopter utility flight, and three rotary wing aircraft. It is highly unlikely this goal will ever be attained.

Currently there are seven aircraft in operation. Two are basic trainers, two are attack, two are cargo, and one is the gubernatorial aircraft. They also operate four anti-aircraft guns, although they have not seen any action for several years.

Susquehanna may turn the Air National Guard into the aerial branch of the Army National Guard. As the aircraft age, it is possible that it will lose its offensive capacity and turn into a purely logistical force.

Current Missions

 * Operation Retribution