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The Lauzanne Army (LA)
Founded: 1982
Country: Lauzanne
Type: Army
Size: 225,000~ Active
Part of: Lauzanne Defence Force
Nickname: настойчивый "The Persistent"
Motto: "За Родину, за Свободу!" "For the Homeland, For Freedom!"
Southern Army Command, Raselan
Northern Army Command, Novograd
Cédric Marković
Supreme Commander of the Army:
Arthur Markov
Lauzanne Civil War (1981-1982)
Refusal War (1987-1991)
The Lauzanne Army, officially known as the Ground Defence Force, is the largest contingent of the Lauzanne Defence Forces. It is directly responsible to the Government of Lauzanne, along with the other service branches of the LDF in both peacetime and wartime, albeit when deployed on international operations they are under the Minister for Defence and are responsible to the President of Lauzanne.
Unlike the National Service, the Lauzanne Army is an all-professional organisation ever since it's inception. As of 2020, it currently has 225,000 active personnel, with more available via wartime mobilisation and activating of National Service and Forestry Guards units into the Army's structure. It is currently in the last stages of the STRELET PHASE 1 modernisation.
History of the Army
1951-1981
Originally formed as the Lauzanne People's Army in 1951, the early LPA was characterised by strong adherence to Soviet training, regimenting and equipment. Early units were noted to have used surplus SKS rifles as the main service weapon until the introduction of the AKM (AK-55 in LPA Service). Mechanisation followed soon after with the arrival of older Soviet gear. Within several years of the early LPA's existence, changes were made to the doctrine to better suit the environment. The Svoboda Airborne School was founded in 1957, bringing with it the LPA's first paratrooper units, followed soon after by the Torun Armoured Warfare Training Centre in 1961. With these new schools came a slower trickle of new gear as well as local modifications of existing gear, as the industry and support structures were enhanced to support this new army.
However, there was always a clear demarcation between the Northern part of the Army and the Southern part. Northern units tended to field lighter equipment and more light infantry by comparison to the Southern units. Due to the sparser population and infrastructure this was one of necessity, but it did allow the Northern units more flexibility in controlling the rolling hills and dense forests of their regions of responsibility. In turn, this allowed Regiment and Battalion commanders more flexibility on operations, which historians often cite as one of the main advantages of the North in winning the Lauzanne Civil War.
1982-1991
With the formation of the Federal Republic, the LPA was changed into the Lauzanne Army, although more often than not is simply called the LDF. As soon as it could, the early LDF started to disseminate the Northern-style doctrine and tactics to all units, while also undergoing as rapid of a modernisation that it could. To this end, the Army Aviation Corps was established in 1983, which was given control of the majority of rotary wing aircraft such as the Mi-24 "Hind", the Mi-8 "Hip" and the newly-purchased Aerospatiale Gazelle. In addition, as much ground equipment was modernised as possible and other purchases were made abroad, to include the BVP-M80, the M84 MBT, the Stinger MANPAD, and the BGM-71 TOW. Such improvements were vital in stopping the invaders in the Refusal War, allowing them to lessen the technological edge the invaders possessed.
Also during the war, many captures of modern Soviet equipment was made. Everything from the T-64 to the Soviet T-72 models, and considered one of the "prizes" of the war was a company of T-80U's captured mostly intact, in The Battle of Farmer's Field. Of the company that was captured, 8 such vehicles were able to be returned to service in the hands of the LDF.
The Refusal War stood as their current most famous conflict, and the one that cemented their reputation as a professional and well-coordinated fighting force. Many of the junior officers who are veterans of that war are seen in the upper echelons of LDF command, such as Arthur Markov who was a Captain at the time of the War.
1991-2020
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lauzanne's greatest threat to its sovereignty was hopefully no more. However, with a wide variety of equipment and no standardisation set, as well as the inevitable loss of a lot of their vehicles and more sophisticated arms in the Refusal War, Lauzanne was in a unique position to modernise it's military for minimal cost. With large sums of money, they approached both the newly-independent Ukraine as well as the collapsed and recession-wracked Russian Federation. To offset the economic recessions both were facing, Lauzanne purchased many advanced and modern arms from the economically struggling nations, including but not limited to: T-80U tanks, BMP-2's, 2S7 Pion SPG's, 2K22 Tunguskas, several batteries of SA-10 and SA-12 systems, 2S19's, and various Mi-17 helicopters. Agreements with the USA allowed such a purchase, given that Lauzanne loaned several of these systems with trained personnel so that assessments of capabilities could be carried out.
With the 90's came doctrinal changes, from the squad all the way up to the divisional level. Units were re-organised and drawn together into the current day order of battle, and emphasis was placed on combined arms warfare. This, combined with the purchases made in the 90's was known as the VOIN-2000 program.
With the 2000's and the Second Chechen War, Lauzanne ceased to purchase unused equipment from the Russian Federation, instead turning to Ukraine and some Western sources, but many both in the manufacturing and military sectors decided that what should be done on a more permanent basis is to manufacture it's own equipment. This had already been successfully tested with the prototypes of the M-86 MBT in the late 90's, as well as the production of the initial Automat Norova rifle family to replace the AK's in widespread service. To this end, several modernisations, replacement of old Soviet-era equipment and a drastic overhaul of infantry equipment was conducted, known as the STRELET program.
As of 2020, the Army is nearing the final stages of what is now known as STRELET PHASE 1. Replacement of vehicles is at 80% with most Army units possessing Lauzanne-built vehicles, the rest using either Yugoslav or Soviet constructed vehicles. All infantry units have been equipped with modernised Norova rifles, protective plate carriers, helmets, camouflage uniforms and other gear such as HMG's, grenade launchers, sniper rifles and anti-materiel rifles.
Structure and Organisation of the Army
As of VOIN-2000 and revised by the STRELET program, the Army is comprised of:
- The Army Chief of Staff/Главкомат
- Armaments Research Staff/Команда Исследования Оружия
- Rear Echelon Support Staff/Вспомогательный Штаб Заднего Эшелона
- The Army/Армия
- Army Education and Training Staff/Армейский педагогический Состав
- Special Requirements Headquarters/Штаб Особых Требований
With these re-organisations, the head of the Army remains in charge of the Supreme Commander of the Army, currently General of the Army Arthur Markov. The head of each sub-branch of the Army is responsible to the Supreme Commander of the Army, with each sub-branch pertaining to a different requirement the Army has been placed under.
Armaments Research Staff co-ordinate with the other branches to provide requirements for equipment to companies for the production of equipment for the Army
Rear Echelon Support Staff provide logistics support and maintain the network of supply bases for the Army's usage, as well as co-ordinating disaster relief and evacuations should the need arise
The Army are the fighting force
Army Education and Training Staff provide initial recruit training, as well as advanced corps-specific training to soldiers on their first posting to a given corps or unit. In addition, it oversees the current educational schedule as well as develops training for the National Service and Forestry Guards.
The Special Requirements Headquarters is currently known to be the area that oversees the deployment, training and equipping of Lauzanne's forces overseas, but some leaked documents and unconfirmed testimonials point towards the SRH/ШОТ being Lauzanne's Special Forces Command. From what is known, it is perhaps the closest to the Army Chief of Staff in terms of directness of contact. However, such knowledge is scant.
Arms of the Lauzanne Army
The Army is divided into Corps, which are:
-Infantry Corps
-Armoured Corps
-Airborne Corps
-Engineering Corps
-Signal Corps
-Artillery Corps
-Air Defence Corps
-Logistics Corps
-Training Corps
-Army Aviation Corps
-Medical Corps
The Infantry and Armoured Corps work closely together as the main fighting forces of the Lauzanne Army. The Army enjoys a high degree of mechanisation courtesy of the large number of armoured vehicles both in service and in strategic reserve, allowing the Army a high degree of firepower even at the platoon level. In possession of a wide range of weapons from assault rifles, to autocannons, anti-tank guided missiles, man-portable anti air missile launchers to mortars and tank cannons in addition to static machine guns and towed anti-tank guns, the Infantry and Armoured Corps form the core of the Lauzanne Army.
Forming a rapid response force and considered one of the elite units of the Lauzanne Army, the Airborne Corps are intended for rapid deployment both domestically and overseas, along with being the first to receive new equipment as they often are the main force used to engage the insurgent Red Star Movement in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations. Equipped with helicopters for transport, reconnaissance and attack, the Airborne Corps serves as a potent force in it's own right.
Providing much of the firepower of the Army, the Artillery Corps has a wide range of artillery in both tube and rocket form, as well as being in possession of tactical ballistic missiles for use in stand-off situations, the Artillery provides excellent cover in any situation for the Army when operating abroad or domestically.
Operating a wide range of short, medium and long range air defence units, the Air Defence Corps is a well-trained and capable Corps capable of defending Army units, bases and other installations from attack by either rotary wing or fixed wing aircraft.
Army Aviation Corps operates the various rotary wing aircraft of the Army, from the small Gazelle to the high-tech and deadly Ka-52. Providing reconnaissance, anti-tank and direct attack capabilities, it's a fast-moving and flexible force for fighting and supporting the main Lauzanne Army.
The Engineering, Signal and Logistics Corps form the backbone of operations, being responsible for ensuring supplies such as ammunition and food arrive to the other Corps, allowing communications between them and also repairing facilities, bridges and creation of fords and other ways of crossing rivers should the operational need arise. The Signals Corps also provides SIGINT and ELINT capabilities for the rest of the Army.
Medical Corps comprises the medical training of the rest of the Army, as well as the operation of the various ambulance vehicles and helicopters in service. From the front-line medics to the doctors and nurses behind the lines, the Medical Corps is responsible for saving the lives of injured soldiers and civilians alike.
The Training Corps is part of the Army Education and Training Staff, and are directly responsible for the efficient training of the other Corps, as well as providing training to the National Service and the Forestry Guards. The Training Corps is noted for it's high levels of NCO's among it's ranks.
Personnel
As of 2020, there is five ways one can get into the Army, the two enlisted ranks methods with a flexible contract length:
Direct entry into the Army from civilian life (Known as "man/woman of one step"), also known as a Direct Entry Contract or DEC.
Entry into the Army via the National Service ("Man/Woman of two steps") also known as a National Service Entry Contract or NSEC.
Officers
Contracts for officers have a minimum contract length of 10 years, with possibility for extension by the officer should they choose. The three methods of entry are:
Direct Entry with either a Bachelor's Degree or a two-year preparation course spend three years at Officer's Training School, Novograd. Graduate as a Junior Lieutenant.
Direct Entry with a Master's Degree spend three years at Officer's Training School, Novograd. Graduate as a Junior Lieutenant.
Entry to the NCO Officer Program. via three years as a non-commissioned officer spend two years at the Combined Arms Officer's Training School, Torun and graduate as a Junior Lieutenant. The majority of commissioned officers are recruited this way.
Women in the Army
Women were originally in the National Service Ballot since the 90's, however with pushes to include them in the Armed Forces proper, all branches have since been opened up to female enlistment in the Army. Their requirements and contracts are the same, and females make up a minority in the armed forces but still make up a sizeable one (Estimates place it at 10-18% overall in the Army).
Equipment
Main Article: Equipment of the Lauzanne Army
Uniforms
In it's earliest renditions of 1981 to the year of 2003, the Army's standard uniform was the same as the LPA's, albeit made without the extra camouflage printing. From 2003 onward, Mark 1 Camouflage was implemented, with large angled shapes of dark green, brown and black on the original light green uniforms. With the STRELET PHASE 1 program came a new camouflage as an addition to the existing one, known as Mark 2 Camouflage. This added smaller disruptive shapes to make the camouflage overall more effective, as well as winter versions which have their colour changed to match the season.
In addition, a consistent among all the branches uniforms' is the addition of a Telnyashka of colour varying by Corps. In addition, the National Service and Forestry Guards, as well as the Naval Infantry all have one coloured to their specific group. Such shirts are often worn on exercise and in the field, although it is often covered by the rest of the uniform and the protective vest. The colours are:
Brown: Infantry
Black: Armoured and Artillery
Light Blue: Army Aviation and Airborne
Grey: Engineers
Red: Medical
Green: Forestry Guards
Dark Blue: Air Force
Purple: Signals
Orange: Air Defence
Gold: National Service
Pink: Logistics
Maroon: Navy and Naval Infantry
Such uniforms on parades have a matching beret to go with the Telnyashka.
Ranks and Insignia
Commissioned Ranks of the Lauzanne Army
NATO Equivalent | Rank | Patch | Comment |
OF-10 | Mareșal De Armiy/Marshal of the Army |
| Highest rank in the Army. Commands the Lauzanne Army, and also has command over the Forestry Guards and the National Service |
OF-9 | General De Armiy/General of the Army |
| Highest rank possible in peacetime. Currently held by Arthur Markov. |
OF-8 | General |
| Commander of either Northern Group or Southern Group. |
OF-7 | Leytenant General/Lt. General |
| Staff officer on the Army Chief of Staff |
OF-6 | General De Brigada/Maj. General |
| Commands a Division of soldiers |
OF-5 | Polkóvnik/Colonel |
| Commands a Brigade. Full Colonel is a matter of seniority in the role. |
OF-4 | Podpolkóvnik/Lt. Colonel |
| Commands a Brigade |
OF-3 | Maior/Major |
| Commands a Battalion of soldiers. |
OF-2 | Kapitan/Captain |
| Commands a Company of soldiers. |
OF-1 | Leytenant/1st Lieutenant |
| Rank for Direct Entry Officers after graduating. |
OF-1 | Mladshiy Leytenant/2nd Lieutenant |
| Rank for NCO's who pass the Combined Arms Officer School |
OF-D | Kursat/Officer Cadet |
| Rank of prospective officers going through the Officer Training School |
Enlisted Ranks of the Lauzanne Army
NATO Equivalent | Rank | Patch |
OR-9 | Praporshchik/Warrant Officer |
|
OR-7 | Starshina/Senior Sergeant |
|
OR-6 | Serzhant/Sergeant |
|
OR-5 | Korprel/Corporal |
|
OR-2 | Razvodnik/Lance-Corporal |
|
OR-1 | Ryadovat/Private |
|
