Appendix E: Rank and Force Structure of the Equestrian and Gryphon Militaries
Though all the Equestrian service branches use similar ranks except for the Navy, their structure is not unified and joint chains of command can be difficult to determine. A Captain for the Corps is much higher than one for the Army, for example, and the only General the Corps has is its commanding officer while there are several grades of it in the Army, commanding brigades on up.
Equestrian Army:
The Equestrian Army is officer-heavy compared to the other services, and takes up nearly 2/3rds of the available student slots of the Equestrian Officer Academy, which is fair given that it is the largest Equestrian service branch by far. Senior enlisted are expected to enter the Academy at some point in their careers and the Army leadership prefer officers commanding units above platoon, but in practicality, only about a third to half have them. This leads to awkward situations where senior enlisted are outranked by officers commanding units beneath them, yet still have authority over them by virtue of commanding the higher unit. Duels are only too common for this.
The Army would prefer to address this by having senior enlisted as assistants to officers but the Equestrian Officer Academy is simply not able to train all needed, and the other services would say that the army is too liberal with officer appointments and there are not enough deserving candidates anyway.
Given its large size, there has been some discussion of the Army setting up its own separate Academy on the grounds of an existing tactical school called Sunset Pointe for the express purpose of training its officers, but thus far the other services have balked and the Princess has not approved such a request, fearing the Army would become even more insular if she allowed it and the other services would follow suit.
Ranks and Units
Current contingency plans for war with the gryphons call for not increasing the number of units but rather, unit size from brigades on up, in effect doubling the Equestrian Army’s effective strength.
Militia
The Equestrian earth pony militia generally uses army ranks, though there are exceptions there as well, such as the Trottingham militia. Outside of Trottingham, the Earth Pony militia is casually detested by the regular Army for being at best half-trained and motivated. In the event of war, militia ponies would be drafted first but also treated as little better than raw recruits for it.
Equestrian Aerial Corps:
The Aerial Corps has fewer ranks, fewer officers and is more stringent in its chain of command than the Army, though there is wiggle room there as well. Battalions can be commanded by First Lieutenants all the way down to SFCs. The Corps also has the odd rule where all assigned to a base are subordinate to the base commander regardless of rank; this has likewise led to more than a few duels and disruptions of discipline in the past.
The Corps also has a curious dual-track officer system, differentiating between base and unit command above the battalion/outpost level. Captains command divisions but Majors and Colonels command the larger installations they work out of. It is believed this division of responsibility allows unit commanders to focus on training and combat while the base commander handles housing, supply and logistics; as an example, Captain Sirocco commands the 5th division but Outpost Gamma itself is in fact run by Colonel Contrail. There is also only one General in the Corps at any given point—the Corps Commander. In order to make that rank, you have to spend time as both a base and division commander so you know all areas of the Corps.
Ranks and Units
The following is an idealized rank chart, but in practice, there is considerable variation in who commands what on a given border base or unit. At Outpost Omega, which consists entirely of veterans, everypony tends to be higher ranked and thus have a lower level of authority than they typically would elsewhere.
*The Corps will grant a higher starting rank to particularly gifted trainees; about a quarter are named PFCs and given immediate command of a flight while about 5% make Corporal and become new squad leaders. The Corps also has the philosophy that if you train together, you should fight together, so new squads are, as much as possible, drawn from the ranks of the same training company.
In the event of a prolonged large-scale war, contingency plans exist to double the size of the Corps to nearly 30,000 pegasi, giving it the strength of six Gryphon legions. Much like the army, this would be accomplished by increasing the size of existing units above platoon level. Companies would increase from two platoons to three, and battalions from two companies to four, thus tripling their effective strength. Corps battalions participating in the Phoenix Fire operation were reinforced to wartime strength by taking platoons from other Corps Divisions, but reinforcing the entire Corps would take months of training and establishment of additional training bases.
Weather Teams
Weather platoons function as the Aerial Corps artillery arm, a force multiplier used to defend friendly bases and reduce hostile ones. One weather platoon typically consisting of 2-3 weather teams is attached to every outpost as they excel at static defense. They are much harder to use offensively, however, as weather team members must keep the clouds still while firing them, attracting mage attacks and crossbow bolts. They require air supremacy or the protection of regular Corps soldiers to safely use on the attack. Each weather team is built as follows:
Roles may rotate between team members during drills, but typically the only way the ‘gunner’ gets replaced is if he or she is killed.
Pegasi Militia
The 5,000 strong Pegasus Militia of Cloudsdale uses old ranks and tactics dating back to Imperial times, using the classic Aerial Phalanx to fight. In times of war they would be folded into the Aerial Corps, which is a prospect that does not generally please Corps soldiers. Though decently trained in their archaic tactics—ones the Corps feels are badly obsolete—neither they nor their equipment are up to Aerial Corps standards and would require extensive retraining before they could fight effectively as part of the Corps. Despite that, their primary duty is to guard Cloudsdale, and their sheer numbers would make any attack on the great city a very costly affair.
*Denotes an officer rank.
Royal Guard
Whether the Armored Guard or Plainclothes Security Division, the Royal Guard is almost entirely enlisted. Officers are few and there are only two graduated from the Equestrian Officer Academy every year; typically one for the Armored Division and one for the PSD. They command garrisons as well as installations; the highest rank of the Guard is Captain.
Armored Guardspony officers and promising young NCOs like Firefly are often seconded to other services to give them seasoning outside of Canterlot. Conversely, PSD agents often get ‘borrowed’ by the EIS to conduct “Temporary Additional Duty”—domestic surveillance or counterintelligence ops that do not require the services of the Black Lances.
Ranks and Units for the Armored Guard (PSD numbers are classified!)
*Like the Corps, the Royal Guard can give graduating recruits a higher starting rank ranging from Private First Class all the way up to Sergeant, though the latter is exceedingly rare. Also, when an existing soldier from another service transfers to the Guard, they are initially stripped of their rank but often returned an equivalent Guard one upon graduation. There are no exceptions to this, not even for highly decorated soldiers.
As an example, Windshear entered the guard a Sky Sergeant of the Corps, was then reduced in rank to recruit, but was named a First Sergeant of the Guard upon graduation, which was the equivalent Guard rank. This is not automatic, however; the Guard requires you demonstrate you deserve such treatment otherwise they will happily leave you with a reduced rank.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy has a very unique rank system that dates back to the time of the Celestial War, harkening back to the days when Luna’s signature service assigned titles instead of ranks. Promotions are given too readily but Celestia limits them to only a dozen officers per airship outside of pegasi and transport squadrons to prevent nobles from simply buying their rank and titles.
Reforms have been instituted by Admiral Coral Torch in an effort to make the Navy viable again, but three hundred years of only ceremonial service have taken their toll. Battle Group leaders are given a great deal of autonomy in how they run their ships, meaning that some groups are better trained or disciplined than others.
The Navy also has no less than three rank advancement tracks: Airship Combatants, Airship Transports and Pegasus Squadrons. By tradition, those who pilot transports or belong to pegasus attack squadrons are automatically given officer ranks upon graduation from their respective training. This causes no small of resentment along the enlisted, since they’re the ones that have to keep the airships flightworthy while the Naval Pegasi, who often draw their ranks from the nobles and Cloudsdale well-to-do, tend to look down on the enlisted ranks. Unicorns pilot the transports and tend to be nicer about it, but they, too, chafe at being used as a glorified ferry service.
Gryphon Military
The experienced and well-trained Gryphon Imperial Military has a fully unified command structure across all services with the sole exception of the Paladins, which use an archaic rank structure dating back to ancient times. This enables joint chains of command to be set quite readily and eases the use of the combined arms warfare that the Gryphons favor and excel at.
The Gryphons also have fewer formations than the ponies—they do not have a concept of a battalion, for example—and, although there are some instances of lower ranks being assigned to a higher post in absence of a suitably ranked commander, you will never find any higher ranks subordinated to a lower one in the Imperial Military. They also have fewer enlisted ranks.
Rank Advancement
Gryphon rank advancement can happen either through meritorious service or by winning a duel with a higher-ranked opponent, in which case you gain their rank and armor. There are limits to this, however—warriors cannot generally challenge any more than one rank above themselves else they will lack the training and qualifications of their new post, and all challenges must be approved by a higher rank in the same chain of command. In practice, what this means is that the higher rank you obtain, the greater a warrior you were. Upon promotion to certain ranks, you are required by the Empire to attend a training class or tactical school suitable for your new responsibilities. The sole exception for this is battlefield promotion, as war is the greatest teacher of all.
Enlisted ranks in Black, Officer ranks in Dark Red.
Equestrian vs. Gryphon Military
What follows is a VERY rough equivalent of ranks and units between the Equestrian and Gryphon militaries excepting the Royal Navy. Gryphon ranks are unified between their services and thus apply regardless of service branch. Note that the list of Gryphon ranks is NOT exhaustive!
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Hmm, a delicious peek behind the worldbuilding screen.
I just love that there is so much background information and worldbuilding in your story. Its fabulous!
Also, in ancient Rome, many of these titles that were military were also autocratic and many officers in the military were also nobles / aristocrats. Is it the same case here? The Prelate doesn't seem to be a noble, but the empire sounds like it would have this system.
And also, have you mentioned the sun master at all? Seems like that would be Celestia.
8609900
Well, you hear the sounds of blades but don’t actually see blades on the wings themselves. But hey, that’s enough confirmation enough for me, and even aside from that, I believe Daybreaker had wingblades or something like them as well from the one time we saw her.
I can’t claim credit for the idea of wingblades themselves, though. Think I said in an earlier Author’s Note that they came from the story Blue Angel.
8610382
Thank you!
The Empire has a nobility but at its core is a military meritocracy. Nobles might start with a leg up but it’s a mixed blessing because they’re expected to be better than the rest but aren’t always. The drawback to the whole system is that there are many who cannot meet the Empire’s warrior standards and end up being treated as outcasts or social refuse. That’s where Gavian and raider groups in general come from; filled with the dregs of a warrior society who either could not or would not meet those standards.
If you check Bonus #3: Equestrian Military Awards, Sun Master is a title Celestia bestows on only the most worthy of military commanders. In fact, to this point the only Sun Master in Equestrian history was the original one (this verse’s Sun Tzu), and you would have to show the same strategic brilliance and understanding of military matters as he did in order to qualify.
You wouldn’t get this title just for winning battles. You would get it for defeating a much stronger opponent or better yet, bringing a powerful enemy to heel without firing a single shot, which in the original Sun Master’s estimation was a far greater form of generalship than merely defeating opponents in battle. Will there be a Sun Master named in the war to come...? Stay tuned.
8612660
Historically, the Romans had rules for earning a Triumph. When Claudius conquered England, there weren't enough casualties. He threw a tournament with POW gladiators & did a bunch of other stuff to qualify for an exception.
As to the army situation -that's why you have a standing army + trained reserves. Minor note. Since the Spanish Armada (say, 41/2 centuries) the side that starts a Great Power War tends to lose & lose because they overlooked something that, in retrospect, was obvious. For example
Franco-Prussian War. France overlooked the fact that, although they had a bigger army, most of the German army was in Europe (you know, where the war was?). Partially explained because they didn't think German reserves were as good as front line forces
US Civil War
South depended on England helping them. Overlooked
1) The British Antislavery Society
2) The Union's trade was more important than "King Cotton"
For Great Power Wars lasting more than a year or so, economic resources are by far the most important factor. Rome won battles because the Legions were good. They won wars because they could afford to keep a 10,000 man Legion in the field indefinitely & most of their enemies couldn't.
Oh My freaking GOD! I finally FINISHED IT!! Damn! A superior masterpiece! (This is Raven btw, just borrowed my account back from me hubby :Twilightsmile: *
8714150
Thank you very much!
And remember, there’s a sequel you can now start into as well!
- MLP: FiM
- Dark
- Adventure
- Thriller
Before the Wonderbolts, there were the Bolt Knights. And before Rainbow Dash, there was Firefly. The story of Rainbow Dash's ancestor, the founding of the Wonderbolts, and the outbreak of the Great Pony/Gryphon War.Hope everything’s well and we soon get word of a new baby!
8716506
Oh Mah Gawd! Another one?! well... I got time though~ (PS I just saw this lol)
You can has review!
8962139
...
Oh Celestia
WELL MY NEW QUEST STARTS NOW
8847782
Your faith in your friends is your own.
Heheheh
9028994
you have another Star Wars reference?
I will find it.
I will not fail.
9028992
No, I meant that I never considered the option that the soldiers were being controlled. I should’ve quoted something else, shouldn’t I have?
Thank you for writing this book. It gave me many hours of exitement and joy to read
Just found out there is a 2. Book, looking forward to reading it.
9398107
If you get a chance to check out JBtD, definitely give it a shot!
It's a post Lunar war fic with a human Praetorian serving in a massive war against deer. Plenty of political intrigue and massive battle scenes, M-rated but no sex. Also incomplete, but nearing the end according to Drefsab.
You've built a fantastic universe here, the amount of details is awesome. It's hard to create a likeable OC, and you've done it with a whole cast. This was a great way to preface the war, and not having to explain all this at the same time made me far more engaged, excellent pacing.
9401078
Appreciated! They were a lot of work, but I immensely enjoyed writing this story, and I think it shows. Always wanted to write a military thriller!
The irony is that this was initially meant to be nothing more than a quick four-chapter story that told of her time in basic; the same tale she related in TLaTU when she was channeled there. But after I wrote it, I realized I enjoyed it, and just kept going with it, turning it into what you see here. The story guided me, and I couldn’t be happier with the way it finally turned out.
Thanks!
Now onwards to the second book, which is still very much in progress. I assume you’ll be caught up soon if you aren’t already, but plenty of new maps and battles to come!
9391822
Really appreciate you saying so!
It was often a joy to write as well and became my favorite story to work on while I was creating it.
It’s still very much in progress, but looking forward to hearing from what you think of it!
9432295
Having just read the third interlude I understand what you mean about Thunderbolt. I was referring to his willingness to go to extreme lengths to help others which is motivated by his guilt. Gryphons are clearly not interested in helping those weaker than themselves and it will cause some problems eventually I expect.
9432375
Exactly. Suffice it to say, Gavian’s not the only one they’ve mistreated due to an overemphasis on strength and warrior ability. One reason there are so many raider groups is too many gryphons get cast out of the gryphon military or greater society for one reason or another and end up with nowhere else to go.
So, I binged this story over the past.... two or three days? It all kind of runs together since I got sucked in from page one!
But I wanted to leave a comment and just say that I've not seen many military focused stories that are this well written, and honestly as a writer myself I think I learned a thing or two about how to write the military, past or present, and I am going to dive head first into the next story as soon as I am done writing this comment!
Also, I would like to thank you for sharing this amazing story with the world, as well as the world you and your co-authors and co-conspirators have created for this trilogy to take place in, I can only hope my own group can equal even a fraction of what you all have put together here!
Anyway, see you in the next story!
9449942
Thank you! And I’m glad. I’m always happy to pick up new readers and see that the first story leaves them eager for the second. I’m doubly happy to know that I’ve helped inspire a fellow author as well!
Best of luck! I’m lucky myself to have such good friends and a good production group. Believe me, they’ve stopped me from making major mistakes more than once in the past...
Enjoy!
Certainly look forward to hearing what you think of it!
9456014
I'm already caught up on the next story xD
9456060
So I see!
And I’m now caught up on your comments, too...
9456140
Yeah xD I spend a lot of time on Fimfic since I work as a freelance writer at home, so I may have replied to just about all of them almost instantly.
9456008
This is why, even after being rejected upon attempting to enlist due to having consumed Ritalin in the past, I attempt to pick up military contracts when trucking. Maybe one day I'll try a different recruiting officer, and run for them directly.
I am really late to the party, but this is such a good story and I do love the time and effort you put into this. I have a read a few war based stories here on the site and I must say, by far this is one of the best. Now off to read the next one.
9456143
Really? Wow. Good work if you can get it! I’d like nothing more than to leave my day job and be able to work on my writing full time, but unfortunately, that doesn’t even remotely pay the bills right now.
9456681
Best of luck! I tried myself once and failed, years ago. My own fault because I wasn’t there for the right reasons and ultimately didn’t belong. That didn’t mean I don’t respect the hell out of those who are and do, however. And my interest in things military remains, as I’m sure is quite obvious from stories like this!
9483416
Welcome, then!
I’m always happy to see new readers come into the story and even happier to hear from them how much they enjoyed it. Getting readers from this has been a struggle from day one, unfortunately, and I’ve had to be very patient and persistent about it. There was a time I was considering just cancelling the story after a very weak initial launch, but I didn’t. And now I’m very glad I continued!
If the main OCs in this story were voiced, what would they sound like?
9795717
There’s actually a voiceover project underway that may help answer that.
How did this fic escape me until now?! This fic shall not escape the wrath of my eyes!!!!
Reading commences!
9795718
Can I please get a link?
9937282
It’s not ready yet, sorry. Hopefully by year’s end.
9937292
Could you please tell me when it's ready, then?
9978402
There will be a blog post against the story when it is. I’ll try to remember to follow up this comment as well.
You know how the universe is an hologram and reality an illusion? Good cause you got reviewed!
10185637
Thanks! For other readers, I gave you a shout out here: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/897586/some-people-collect-coins-others-collect-stamps
10198440
Thank you my friend
10198455
You’re welcome!
Look forward to hearing what you think of Into the Storm!
I hate how long I put off reading this.
Two days, well worth it.
Everything was great, from the linguistics, story, plotlines, and characterization.
10654800
I'm glad to hear it!
Thanks for the like, and I hope you enjoy the next Firefly story as well!
10655499
Im about 1/4 through and it's really good.
Given the topic,I feel it's very well inception. Written inside being written.
I am sure you’ve heard this before, but you and your friends did an insanely good job writing this.
I started reading, and in less than two days I finished The story. I just couldn’t put it down.
I can assure you I will be reading the sequel, once it is completed.
10655642
I know you've already made it through the current content of the sequel, but I never did respond to this. Thank you very much!
A story within a story is something I like to do. I first used it to good effect in Five Star Service, and this ended up being written much the same way.
10666548
On behalf of all of us, thank you!
Now that's what I like to hear!
I'm very glad it did it for you, and I hope the sequel does the same.
Unfortunately, that's going to be quite a while--years, most likely.
So what I've done is break up the sequel into what I'm calling a magnum opus of multiple substories, of which the first two are already completed. I did it that way to make it more bite-sized without actually breaking it up into multiple stories, which would cost me a significant portion of my readers for each subsequent sequel.
The substories (for lack of a better term) are clearly labeled, so feel free to go through the first two ("The War Begins" and "Rally and Recover") and stop short of the third ("Second Offensive"). That should keep you reading for a while and satisfy your Firefly cravings for a bit!
10725717
You know that Rule 34 is going to be lit though. Have you seen Sunny Starscout? Gorgeous!
derpicdn.net/img/2021/3/3/2563886/large.png
Please G5. At least give us something to look at!
10764341
Odd, I don't recall seeing a notification for this comment!
But I'll answer it now. You know the old saying that unless you're the lead dog, the view never changes? Sometimes that can be a good thing! 
10844576
I hope so to but im going to take a break first it was tiresome for me for some reason don't know why.