Mervarian Guards

The Mervarian Guards is the primary ground and air warfare service of the Mervarian Secretariat of War. It is the largest of the Mervarian military services, with 104,500 active, 30,500 active-reserve, and 110,000 inactive reserve personnel. The service is directly administered by the Secretariat of War, Mervaria's national defense ministry. It exists in parallel with the diverse clan militias—which function as a decentralized militia and, in some jurisdictions, law enforcement—as well as the Maternal Companions—a mechanized force directly under the authority of the monarch.

The Mervarian Guards were formed in 1741 at Mervaria's foundation out of the various professional armies and that had allied with Clan Khavarid during the Maternal Revolt. However, the force was largely demobilized by 1746, leaving the disjointed clan militias and Clan Khavarid's dominant Maternal Companions as Mervaria's military forces. It was only in the late 19th century and early 20th century that the Mervarian Guards rose to prominence as a relatively large standing army, triggered by mass industrialization, the threat of communist uprising, and the Grand Campaigns. Although it has not fought a major ground war in its history, the guards have over the course of time experienced several periods of mass expansion that usually correspond with global conflict. The Mervarian Guards reached its peak in 1959 towards the end of the Great Kesh War, when it was composed of 750,000 personnel. The service has also conducted some smaller combat deployments overseas, such as during the SiWallqanqan Civil War when elements of the Idignis Riverwalkers served on the side of the government.

Organization
During peacetime, Mervaria's ground forces are subordinated to three commands: a Strategic Reserve Command directly under the Secretariat of War, the Northern District headquartered in the city of Gonzak, and the Southern District headquartered in the city of Iraba. Mervaria's primary ground threats are Jungastia and Aftarestan, both of which have been judged to be "low threat" as of the 1990s.

In the table below are all operational units of the Mervarian Guards, in addition to the Maternal Companions (who are their own service branch) and the Eurybian Raiders (who are part of the Maritime Guards) which fall under the operational control of the Mervarian Guards during peacetime.

Air Forces
The Mervarian Guards, in addition to providing most ground forces, is chiefly responsible for the defense of Mervarian air space (including its territorial waters). It also provides 240 helicopters in support of its own ground forces, which are grouped within the Air Camelry Division.