Infrastructural Army Officer By Imperator-Zor Watch

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An Infrastructural Army Officer in a garrison uniform. The distinction between Infrastructural officers and enlisted soldiers had become more pronounced since the birth of the Army. During the Wars of Unification officers were generally loyal regular soldiers with battle experience and basic literacy (the latter requirement not being strictly enforced). As the army was expanding steadily during that period and their foes were hosts of poorly equipped badly organized warriors this was sufficient. As time went on training of officers from the ground up became more formalized. Regardless unlike the forces of most other kingdoms where wealth and titles are a requirement, the Officer Corps of the Infrastructural Army is an institution to which any recruit or soldier can aspire to. Recruits who prove themselves in leadership exercises, volunteer for officer duty and pass admission test are sent an Academy for training (either three years* in peacetime or for one of year accelerated training in wartime). Officer Cadets are usually trained in a specialty (Riflers, Cavalry, Artillery, Logistics, etc.) often based on what they were assigned to serve in at boot camp. The general notion is that a dozen jack of all trades officers is inferior to a dozen specialist officrs working in concert. In 30 IA the army's rank structure received an overhaul, most notably adding the ranks of Junior Lieutenant and Major General. Field promotions are still fairly common, especially with the escort war.



While it would be a lie to say that that there is not a gulf between the rank and file of the Infrastructural Army and their officer's corps, such a gulf is less pronounced in other cultures with more traditional armies to the east in which lords, knights and patricians lead formations of common born infantry. This means that officers and enlisted alike tend to view each other as their fellow soldiers rather than an inscrutable capricious rulers or a collection of lowly scum. Some foreign observers have commended the Infrastructural Army for recruiting people based on merit rather than bloodline. Others have denounced the policy as being a crude system which substitutes "upjumped peasants" for "men raised from birth to lead by the sword". The latter is most firmly held by nobles.



*though the first classes of the military academy had a 5 year long training cycle, the process was streamlined.

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