M36 Imperium Armies
Imperium Military Hierarchy
Imperial Armies (Lowest to Highest)
Imperialis Militia
Planetae Militarum
Astra Militarum
Legiones Astartes
Imperialis Militia
The Imperialis Militia is made up of civilians who have volunteered to act as localized first responders in the event of invasion. These civilians have dedicated their limited free time to performing combat exercises and simulating invasion scenarios to be better prepared when an incursion actually happens.
While the Planetae Militarum is largely responsible for defending planets and orbitals from enemy forces, Militia forces are less concentrated and are meant to prevent civilian deaths and destruction of infrastructure by enemy saboteurs who have split off to attack targets of opportunity.
Each Militia is based around a Militia Armory, which are fortified buildings strategically distributed across the population centers of a planet or orbital. Containing armor, weapons, and materials to construct simple fortifications for the surrounding area. In addition to acting as a Command Center for each Militia, Militia Armories serve as rally points for Planetae Militarum formations deployed to the area.
The Imperialis Militia is supplied directly by the manufactorums of their homeworld or orbital and every Militia Armory contains some form of Flak Armor, Lasgun, and Vox Equipment. All equipment is required to meet a set of minimum specifications, but beyond that there is little in the form of standardization between planets.
Planetae Militarum
The Planetae Militarum is made up of professional soldiers who act as the first line of defense for the many planets of the Imperium. These soldiers spend the majority of their lives performing combat exercises, studying tactics and strategies, and simulating invasion scenarios to be able to effectively defend their homeworld or orbital from incursions.
Each Planet-based Guardsmen Division is based around a Guardsmen Supply Depot, massive fortresses that houses Guardsmen, their equipment, and their war machines. As each Division is expected to be a self contained army, Guardsmen Supply Depots all contain the full range of weapons, armor, and war machines available to the Planetae Militarum.
The structure and supply of Star Fort-based Guardsmen Divisions is different from their Planet-based counterparts. Favoring heavier armor and having a larger number of special weapons, these Divisions lack vehicles almost entirely. The sole exception to this are Assault Boats, specialized boarding craft meant to deploy troops directly into the heart of enemy warships.
Planet-based Guardsmen Divisions are expected to be capable of full deployment within twelve hours and Star Fort-based Guardsmen Divisions are expected to be capable of full deployment within two hours of their system's long range sensors detecting an incoming threat.
Each world is expected to supply its Divisions with specific types of weapons, armor, and vehicles as described in the Codex Planetae Militarum to at least the current set of minimum specifications issued by the Adeptus Militarum. Many worlds go beyond these minimum requirements and put a personalized twist on their equipment. Some examples being Hydrax IV's Divisions being armed exclusively with Plasma weapons due to their close ties with the Forge World of Ryza and Signus Prime's Divisions primarily being armored in Power Armor, the designs having been gifted to their world by Horus after their assistance in the campaign against Auretian Technocracy in the third century of the Great Crusade. Most importantly, it is at the local level that innovation begins, in time the advanced wargear will spread across Sectors and Clusters creating a new standard for the forces of the Imperium.
Astra Militarum
The Astra Militarum is made up of highly skilled professional soldiers who are responsible for the prosecution of the Eternal Crusade and responding to threats the Planetae Militarum is unable to handle. The majority of these soldiers spend the majority of their service traveling from battlefield to battlefield, only resting between the stars and are known as Crusaders. A sizable minority is responsible for garrisoning important worlds, vital to the Imperium's success, and are thusly named Castellans.
Crusaders are Fleet-based and typically call a given Strike Cruiser or Battle Barge their home for the entirety of their service. These starships carry with them the entire range of equipment and war machines available to the Astra Militarum several times over as each vessel transports multiple Solar Cohorts. Each Solar Cohort is meant to operate as a self contained army, and is also expected to seamlessly transition to working in tandem with other Solar Cohorts during mass-warfare operations. Once Crusaders have reached a planet's Medium Orbit during an invasion, they are able to fully disembark from their Strike Cruiser or Battle Barge within a single hour and reach the surface within two hours.
Castellans are System-based and typically call a Planet their home for the entirety of their service. These planets are all stocked with the full range of equipment and war machines available to the Astra Militarum hundreds of times over as their strategic value is critical to the Imperium's continued survival. These Solar Cohorts are theoretically self sufficient, however due to the nature of the threats they encounter, working in harmony with thousands of other Solar Cohorts is all but guaranteed upon invasion. Once a threat has been identified, Castellans are capable of fully deploying within half an hour due to their training and specialized deployment technologies developed by the Mechanicum.
Each World is expected to supply its Solar Cohorts with the specific types of weapons, armor, and vehicles as described in the Codex Astra Militarum to at least the current set of minimum specifications issued by the Adeptus Militarum. Many older Solar Cohorts will also have tied to Forge Worlds near their point of origin and will be supplemented with more advanced equipment and war machines by the Mechanicum.
Legiones Astartes
The Legiones Astartes is made up of highly skilled, genetically enhanced warriors who are responsible for responding to Chaos Eldar threats and continuing the Webway Crusade as a means to disrupt Chaos Eldar plots. The majority of these soldiers spend the majority of their service traveling from battlefield to battlefield, only having down time between the stars.
Each Astartes Legion is based around a Legion Sector, which are centered around the Legion Homeworlds, and work in close contact with the Diviners of the Adeptus Psykana to react to Chaos Eldar threats across the galaxy. There are times when the Chaos Eldar themselves have not yet decided they will invade an Imperial System and a Legion Response Force will be en-route.
Each Astartes Legion is supplied all of their equipment and war machines by the dozens of Forge Worlds in the systems surrounding their Legion Homeworld. Officially designated as Legion Forges, these Forge Worlds were planned and designed to be capable of mass producing some of the most advanced technology the Imperium has available to it. Each Legion Forge is responsible for supplying the Imperial Astartes with everything they might need.
The oldest and most capable Legion Forges are known as Alpha Legion Forges, and were created during the first centuries of the Great Crusade to supply the Emperor's Legions. Important for more than just their Forge-Fane output, Alpha Legion Forges hold the exclusive right to the secrets to the creation of Legion specific wargear that has been used since the time of the Interex Coalition War.
