Gardarike Realm Defence

Ríkisvarnir (e. Realm Defence) is the military force of Gardarike.

Army
The Realm Army is the oldest and largest service branch of the Gardic military, being composed of 31 maneuver brigades and 485,000 personnel at full mobilization. As a result of its age, its terminology has remained largely the same despite advances in technology. Tank formations are referred to as Cavalry, Mechanised infantry formations as Dragoons and artillery formations as Bombards.

Air Forces
The Air Forces are the youngest branch of the Gardic Military, being founded in 1922. It is composed of approximately 65,000 personnel and 400 Combat Aircraft.

Fleet
The Realm Fleet is a relatively small "White" Water Navy tasked with Coastal Defence, Maritime Patrol, Icebreaking, sealane protection and Nuclear Deterrence. While powerful, it is limited to regional operations. It is composed of approximately 40,000 personnel. Most of its combat ships are submarines with the ability to operate under the sea ice of the Boreal Sea. In addition the Gardic Navy has several Offshore Patrol Frigates, Minesweepers and Icebreakers. Like its submarines, the Icebreakers form Gardarike's nuclear navy.

The Viking force has a long history in the Gardic military, having participated in the onquest of Kironia in the 18th century. Originally employed only as naval infantry, in modern times they are an elite light infantry force capable of engaging in various Special and Clandestine Operations. They number approximately 5000 personnel in 4 Battalions. The Vikings are a sub-branch of the Gardic Fleet.

Rangers
The Gardic Rangers can be described as a gendarmerie force with a light infantry role in wartime. It is the most diverse branch in terms of roles.

Though formally a part of the Realm Defence, the Rangers are subservient to the Ministry of Interior and unlike the rest of the Defence Force its members swear an oath of allegiance to the laws of Gardarike and not to the Presider himself. Its civilian roles include law enforcement in rural areas, search and rescue operations, disaster management, riot control, security at large public events, and border control.

It is also tasked with military roles such as local defence, terrorism defence, military policing, infrastructure protection, protection of the Presider's Palace and the protection of the Gardic nuclear arsenal.

Finally, the Investigation Division of the Rangers is the primary Counterintelligence agency of Gardarike.

The Rangers have approximately 180,000 sworn members. The majority of which are local law enforcement officers. In wartime these LEO's form light infantry companies tasked with local defence, law enforcement, partisan operations, and military intelligence gathering.

Equipment
{| class="wikitable" ! style="text-align: center; background: #aabccc; width:20%;"|Name (Service Type) ! style="text-align: center; background: #aabccc; width:10%;"|Photo ! style="text-align: center; background: #aabccc; width:12%;"|Origin ! style="text-align: center; background: #aabccc; width:18%;"|Type ! style="text-align: center; background: #aabccc; width:10%;"|Introduced ! style="text-align: center; background: #aabccc; width:10%;"|Caliber ! style="text-align: center; background: #aabccc; width:20%;"|Notes ! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Small Arms ! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Artillery ! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Aircraft ! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Ground Vehicles
 * style="text-align: center;"|M89P
 * Gardic pistol.png
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1989
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|R70S
 * USAF_GAU-5A.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|/
 * style="text-align: center;"|1970
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|Used by support personnel in all branches
 * style="text-align: center;"|R70
 * M16A2_-_AM.016070.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1970
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|Being upgraded to R93 standard
 * style="text-align: center;"|R93
 * Danish_AR_M95.png
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1993
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|Current standard issue service rifle
 * style="text-align: center;"|Ksp94
 * UKM2000P_REMOV.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1993
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|Ksp44
 * Big bren.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1944
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * Being replaced by Ksp94 as the standard SAW
 * style="text-align: center;"|Möller-Karlsen M1916
 * M1917_Enfield_-_USA_-_30-06_-_Armémuseum.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1916
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * Service rifle from 1917-1949. Still in service in some scout units.
 * style="text-align: center;"|Möller-Karlsen M1916
 * M1917_Enfield_-_USA_-_30-06_-_Armémuseum.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1916
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * Service rifle from 1917-1949. Still in service in some scout units.
 * Service rifle from 1917-1949. Still in service in some scout units.
 * style="text-align: center;"|GC-45 Howitzer
 * GHN-45rear.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1974
 * style="text-align: center;"|155 mm
 * style="text-align: center;"|BGH-52
 * G6_Kanon.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1986
 * style="text-align: center;"|155 mm
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1986
 * style="text-align: center;"|155 mm
 * style="text-align: center;"|Smyrill
 * General_Dynamic_F-16_USAF.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1979
 * style="text-align: center;"| up to 7.7 ton of munitions
 * style="text-align: center;"|350 in service
 * style="text-align: center;"|Kyr
 * DehavillandCC-115Buffalo12.JPG
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1964
 * style="text-align: center;"| up to 8.1 tons of cargo
 * style="text-align: center;"|A bunch in service
 * style="text-align: center;"|1964
 * style="text-align: center;"| up to 8.1 tons of cargo
 * style="text-align: center;"|A bunch in service
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * Stridsfordon_90_Revinge_2012-2.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1992
 * style="text-align: center;"|37 mm
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * Pansarbandvagn_302_Revinge_2014-2.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1965
 * style="text-align: center;"|20 mm
 * style="text-align: center;"|Pansari-92
 * Grimm.png
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1992
 * style="text-align: center;"|150mm gun
 * style="text-align: center;"| 1400 in service
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * DT-30P1_Vityaz_1.jpg
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|Articulated tracked logistics vehicle
 * style="text-align: center;"|1982
 * style="text-align: center;"|none
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * Chevrolet_M1009_(1984)_owned_by_Graham_Worsfold.JPG
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1983
 * style="text-align: center;"|Various
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * ScaniaKhamn.JPG
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1979
 * style="text-align: center;"|Unarmed
 * style="text-align: center;"|Various
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * ScaniaKhamn.JPG
 * style="text-align: center;"| Gardarike
 * style="text-align: center;"|
 * style="text-align: center;"|1979
 * style="text-align: center;"|Unarmed
 * style="text-align: center;"|1979
 * style="text-align: center;"|Unarmed

Weapons of Mass Destruction
List of states with nuclear weapons

Civil Defence
Unlike many other nuclear powers of comparable capabilities, Gardarike has opted to include comprehensive civil defence as a part of its deterrence policy. This is intended to discourage an aggressor from striking civilian targets as doing so would result in comparatively few casualties compared to an unprotected population.

Gardarike has an ambitious program of public NBC shelters for its population and a reserve of strategically important machinery and resources, including fuel, food, medicine, fertilizer, locomotives, machine tools and various other resources deemed necessary to start a rebuilding effort of society in case of a catastrophic war involving Nuclear, Biological or Chemical weapons.

Municipalities with a population over 1000 people are required by law to provide public shelter space for all their constituents, funded by municipal taxes. Those who live in municipalities with fewer than 1000 people are entitled to a government voucher for purchasing an approved domestic shelter.



History
Following the global series of nuclear weapons tests near the end of the Great Kesh War, Gardarike started a large and ambitious nuclear weapons program for fear of being left behind in the Atomic Age of warfare. The nuclear program had begun as early as 1949 but did not seriously begin until 1958. The program eventually resulted in 93 nuclear tests, 45 of which were conducted in the atmosphere over eastern Gardarike. Designs tested ranged from lightweight atom bombs to high-yield missile warheads to even neutron bombs. The first nuclear test was a large and unboosted 20 kiloton implosion device detonated in Eastern Gardarike in September 1968, codenamed "Dandelion". Gardarike's largest nuclear test was also its first hydrogen bomb test, conducted in 1975 and codenamed "Sunflower" with a yield of 1.6 megatons, scaled down from a 3.3 megaton design.

The materials used to develop the weapons were produced at several government installations across the country. A 600 MWt "research reactor" as the Gardic government referred to it, is believed to have been used for producing weapons grade plutonium from 1966 to 1998. An older 200 MWt research reactor built in 1965 is still running however and could still be used to produce weapons grade plutonium. In addition, it is possible that some of Gardarike's power reactors may have been used to produce weapons grade plutonium, as they are usually graphite moderated and thus readily able to do so. Most of the HEU produced in Gardarike came from a single gas centrifuge plant built in Brun in 1973. This plant remains in operation today where it is believed to be used for producing HEU for naval reactors amd civilian reactors alike.

Defence Journals have claimed that Gardarike may have provided the Austrasian Riche with weapons grade plutonium and tritium in exchange for Austrasian assistance with Gardic semiconductor technology. The Gardic government has remained ambiguous about this however and officially maintains that it provided Austrasia only with reactor grade plutonium for power production.

Arsenal and targeting policy
Since the new millennium, Gardarike has eschewed most tactical nuclear weapons and abandoned countervalue targeting, instead adopting a nuclear posture based on and military installations. In addition it has adopted a no first-use policy against non-nuclear states. Furthermore, greater emphasis was placed on a survivable command structure and a dependable second-strike capability.

The primary component of Gardarike's nuclear arsenal is its 130 SSF-87 Mod 1 "Hörmung" Intermediate-range ballistic missile force. Each missile is mounted on a road-mobile launcher and carries a hardened 80-kiloton maneuverable nuclear warhead with a high level of accuracy and an earth penetrating option, enabling its use against hard targets.

The older versions of the Hörmung missile carry a 1.2 megaton warhead, as of 2016 most of them have been retired and dismounted from the missiles but approximately 20 Mod 1 variants are believed to remain in service.

As a part of its commitment to the PAC nuclear umbrella and a means of carrying out limited nuclear strikes as a show of force, Gardarike also possesses 40 air-deliverable nuclear gravity bombs. These have greater strategic flexibility than the missile force as they have a of 0.5 or 10 kilotons as well as having the possibility of rapid re-basing. Like their missile counterparts they are highly accurate and can penetrate the earth to a depth of a few metres. These bombs are deliverable by Smyrill or Fálki multirole fighters with the possibility of aerial refueling to strike targets in distant parts of Artemia.

In 1993, two of these bombs were when a Fálki fighter-bomber crashed in Northern Samotkhe. Despite a thorough search, the weapons were never recovered.