Imperial Army Regiment

An Imperial Army Regiment (Emperian: Ral'tar, Aetherian: Aempar'ki-ta) is the basic building bloc for a conventional Army force. Composing of a few hundred to tens of thousands of troops that often specialize in certain environments and methods of war. Not only allowing a great deal of flexibility in Army formations, but also tailoring each Imperial formation for a specific objective.

Overview
While the unit structure of the Imperial Army is very much universal across the Emperian Empire; Regiments, are not. As each planet can have a varied environment and history that can shape how and what type of soldiers it produces. Such as volcanic worlds often specialize in fielding troops trained to operate in extreme temperatures and around volcanic activity, while a world covered in ice might raise the exact opposite.

A Regiment is not the bottom of the unit structure chart however. Only the top of the conventional strategic chart for units capable of operating on their own for long periods and being sufficient to battle varied threats.

Most Regiments are made up of Battalions and support battalions/companies pending on size and availability of military assets. Typically battalions are roughly uniform throughout the Regiment unless necessary or due to unit specializations (casualties also play an inevitable part). Battalions therefore can compose anywhere between a few hundred to a few thousand soldiers and any organic vehicle/support unit that may be apparent.

Moving into the strictly tactical realm is that of Companies, immediately below Battalions, and typically specialize or are made up of one type of tactical aspect. Such as Logistics, Tactical, Assault, Artillery, Heavy Weapons, or Scout companies being but examples. Companies therefore can become very tight knit formations of soldiers from training to whatever ends their service together. As each platoon and squads in accordance relying on each other to defeat the enemy or simply survive the day.

Types of Regiments
Despite the intense variation of Regiments across the Empire, the vast majority, can fit into a few categories that more or less explain their role.

Line Regiment

By far the most common form of Regiment is the Line Regiment. These formations are meant to be conventional in nature, and have roughly 20,000 troops within them the vast majority of the time. This makes the Line Regiment more or less standard across the Empire and the most common Regiment fielded.

What makes the Line Regiment so useful is that it is a balanced formation. Composing a diversified vehicle pool and supporting elements that do not over compensate for the traditional infantry role the unit is expected to provide. Thus the name, 'Line,' more or less represents the units ability to defend the front line, while also being equally effective on the offensive, and in a complimentary fashion making adept garrison formations.

Armored Regiment

Typically numbering 10-15,000 troops an Armored Regiment almost universally is meant for mobile and mechanized warfare. Possessing enough vehicles to transports its supporting infantry and personnel (if it has any), while the main punch being companies of Armored combat vehicles like Imperial anti-gravity tanks to mobile assault guns.

Mechanized Regiment/Mobile Regiment

A Mechanized Regiment is a formation were all combat and support personnel can be transported and fight from/within vehicles or combat vehicles. This allows a greater degree of flexibility for infantry formations and mobility across the battlefield. These Regiments are typically twined with Armored Regiments wherever possible to exploit breakthroughs in the enemies line or help outmaneuver a foe on a planetary surface. These Regiments typically consist of 12-15,000 troops and a proportional number of vehicles.

Now, a slight, but common variation is the Mobile Regiment or Mobile Infantry Regiment. The only difference being that it takes a typical Line Regiment and mounts them all on transport vehicles (while usually not loosing any organic armored vehicles). Often times a Line Regiment will be equipped with excess vehicles and simply, 'upgraded,' to the status of Mobile Regiment. This can cause great variation in size pending on the formation of such a Regiment with anything from as low as 5,000 to as much as 25,000 or more troops fielded.

Assault/Heavy Infantry Regiment

Assault Regiments are relatively uncommon on the battlefield, typically made up of veteran troops specializing in assaulting fortified strongpoints and positions. Therefore these Regiments typically have less troops than a Heavy Infantry Regiment, but great potency in their experience and close range firepower. Assault Regiments are often described as very squad support heavy, meaning they have a far greater amount of heavy weapons allocated to their platoons, with as much as entire battalions being out fitted with specific weapon groupings. Followed by custom or advanced armor that often uses advanced systems to help the troopers survive long enough to take or at leash punch a hole in the enemy line long enough for follow up elements to arrive. This makes Assault Regiments taking a high attrition rate all to common across dangerous warzones were they are habitually sent.

Heavy Infantry Regiments, often given the designation of, 'Assault,' status after a series of deployments in which they successfully assault the enemy, are the heavy version of the Line Regiment. Each soldier toting more powerful weapons and armor, greater access to Army arsenals, and a slightly higher amount of supporting weapons. These type of Regiments tend to hover around 15,000 personnel when initially raised on their home worlds.

Light Infantry/Scout Regiments

Scout Regiments are another uncommon sight on the battlefield. Not for their size or weight in firepower, but the skill in operating stealthily and with as little equipment as possible; while, also having to survive the possibility of being stranded out in alien terrain for days if not more before rejoining a larger Imperial force. That and the grueling training involved in Scout training means this type of Regiment cannot always be mass produced. Though, a good commander is always to make sure to have a good formation of Scouts in any large Imperial Army force.

Light Infantry, by contrast, can be raised in bulk and cheaply, with each Regiment varying from 1,000 to 30,000 (the latter figure is a rarity). Each trooper is given lighter armor, weaponry, and gear; as Light Infantry are meant for their foot mobility and ease of going through harsh terrain with little inconvenience by cumbersome equipment or supplies, making them excellent city fighters and skirmishers in more open environments.

Orbital Drop/Anti-Gravity Regiment

A highly specialized group pair of Regiments, the former typically composed of veterans or soldiers from low gravity environments, while the latter is made up of troops and organic arsenal that is being dropped from aerial/void craft onto a planets surface from high atmosphere.

Orbital Drop Troops are typically launched from small fire team pods that breach a planets surface and then drop open to release the trooper for an extreme altitude descent. Making excellent covert operations and deployment soldiers on a battlefield that can switch from conventional to asymmetric in the blink of an eye. However, these units often are stuck behind enemy lines till extracted or relieved, and can suffer severe casualties if stranded for to long. Therefore they operate in small numbers, no more than a couple thousand per Regiment at most.

An Anti-Gravity Regiment on the other hand, can reach numbers of up to 20,000, and do not breach a planets atmosphere; but, are released by craft already within the planets atmosphere.

Artillery

The most common type of combat support Regiment is that of the artillery. Capable of releasing dozens if not hundreds of guns on an enemy position, giving them massive amounts of firepower. Now most Regiments typically possess their own form of artillery to support them in combat. But few match the power of a Regiment geared specifically for the task of unleashing a fire storm of plasma, laser, shells, and bombs upon the enemy. Ranging from a few hundred to 5,000 troops these Regiments are called when the enemy needs softening up or to flatten them in a lethal barrage.

Static Regiment

Static Regiments are large in size, a single formation can average 50,000 soldiers per Regiment, and are usually only called in to dislodge a heavily fortified position, or to besiege planets. Possessing large amounts of Heavy Infantry, Artillery, Heavy Armor and Assault guns, Light Infantry and a Scout company; while, most often than not also possessing veteran assault infantry companies to crack enemy positions. They are mixed Regiments through and through, but when push comes to shove these Regiments specialize in long term warfare over a fixed position.