Imperial Army Hierarchy

Much like the evolutionary history of the Army itself, so has the structure of the Army changed as well. Changing from planetary guard force, to garrison, and finally a campaigning army capable of launching small scale operations to sector wide warfare.

Organization
The Imperial Army is ultimately commanded by the Ministry of War on Imperia, the Minister of War bearing the title of Lord Imperium Militaria and sitting on the Imperial Senate as representative of the Ministry and Army. The Ministry of War, however, only oversees the Army in an administrative fashion. As all logistics is conducted under the Astral Logisticae or Space Logistics branch of the Imperial government.

At the top of the provincial ladder are the Lords Astral, who primarily oversee the Army in accordance with the Ministry of War within their provincial boundaries. Typically appointing only top level officers and appointments and lower levels of command working out themselves. This leads to a streamlined system of promotions and appointments from provincial to planetary.

A peculiar, but not uncommon, feature in the Imperial Army is the usage of a few unique ranks that either exist outside of the ordinary command chain, or, are present under specific circumstances. The highest if these is that of Lord High Marshal (Emperian: Haar Valt'auch Marzchall, Aetherian: Venat-Marshal). A Lord High Marshal is placed below the Lords Astral, but above all other conventional officer in all Imperial military branches. Other such peculiar ranks include that of Marshal, and Castellan.

The highest conventional rank in the Army is that of Lord General Militaria (Emperian: Haar Janarus Praetus, Aetherian: No equivalent), with such an officer commanding an entire Army group. Below this rank is what can be called, 'Imperial General Staff,' or, 'Imperial General Officers Corps (IGOC).' This group contains the various rank of, 'General,' in the Imperial Army. Generals by nature can command multi-Regiment/Brigade groups, to entire Army Corps with more than one Division and strategic assets attached. As each Regiment's commanding officer is known as a Colonel or Vice-General (latter is purely honorary and denotes seniority or experience), and a Regiments Officer Corps (ROC) divided into: Senior, Junior, and Entry or NCO positions and appointments.

Operating in tandem with the Army's rank tree is that of other Imperial branches and organizations. Such as the Navy, Logisticae, Communications, and any planetary or system defense forces. This provides a system with most ranks or titles having an equal counter-part in other Imperial organizations and bodies.

High Command of the Army
At the highest level the Imperial Army is commanded by the Minister of War, the Lord Imperium Militaria, and his/her immediate subordinates: the Lords Astral. However, due to the vast stretches of space and the size of the Army, these officials tend to only exercise control at an extremely macro-level. Leaving lower officers to actually interpret top level orders in the field.


 * Lord Imperium Militaria: Technically the top most official in the Army, only answerable to the Imperial Senate and Emperor, therefore one of the most powerful figures in the Emperian Empire. Although, principally tasked with running the Ministry of War on Imperia, and manages the Army in a more administrative and directive based fashion.


 * Lords Astral: Nominally commanded all military forces in their respective province.


 * Lord High Marshal: Non-conventional rank, but the title an officer bears if placed above all conventional commands; yet, below a Lord Astral.


 * Lord General Militaria: Highest conventional rank in the Imperial Army, and therefore commands an entire Army group or multiple Army groups if necessary.

General Staff of the Army
A member of the Imperial General Staff is an officer holding rank above that of the Regimental or Brigade level; therefore, capable of commanding multiple Regiments and/or Brigades, typically as Divisions, Corps, and Armies. This level of command has multiple variations of rank, usually detailing a specific duty or responsibility, while entirely necessary to materialize the directives sent from the provincial and Ministry of War to the Regimental/Brigade officers in the field.


 * Lord Marshal: Senior to General, Lord Marshals and their honorary counter-parts: Marshals; are the highest level of General officer rank in the Imperial Army. These officers tend to command an Army or Army group if need be or tasked to do so.


 * General: Tasked to command any type of multi-Regimental/Brigade force, usually in the form of Divisions, Corps, and Armies. The rank itself comes in several variations; Lord General, for a senior and recognized officer given the title of, 'Lord,' as a sign of his or her achievements; Castellan or Lord Castellan, title given to a General in charge of a garrison or fortified planet that is usually strategically valuable. Typically given to generals with extensive knowledge in defensive warfare.

Regimental and Brigade Officers
The Imperial Army does possess dedicated training facilities for Regimental officers and up, but for the most part many officers are given command when their Regiment is raised; therefore, Regimental officers tend to be native to the planet their Regiment originates from. Brigade officers tend to be more mixed, as Brigades are rather ad hoc in nature.


 * Colonel: The commanding officer in a Regiment and typically a Brigade as well. An honorary rank known as, 'Vice-General,' does exist and is awarded to distinguished Regimental/Brigade commanders for capable leadership on and off the battlefield.


 * Lieutenant-Colonel and Major: Usually staff officer ranks, and not always used within a Regiment/Brigade; however, these officers typically succeed their commanders and are entry level ranks to higher ranks.


 * Commander: Also known as: Vice-Major, Sergeant-Captain, or Battalion Captain; are Battalion level officers. Commanding multiple front line companies and support assets these officers are the intermediate officers between Regimental/Brigade command and company officers. The junior administrative rank of Lieutenant-Commander does exist, but is not universal across the Empire.


 * Captain: These are the company commanders, and the most wildly seen commanding officer on the battlefield below Battalion command. Typically leading by example these officers are the backbone of the Imperial Army's field officer corps.


 * Lieutenant: Junior officers to their Captains, these officers are the second-in-command to the company captain. Leading platoons and commanding company support formations they play a vital part in any combat operation.

Non-Commissioned/Low level officers 


 * Sergeant: Also known as: Head-Corporal, Chief Private, and Lead-trooper; Sergeants, are the squad leaders of any Army force. Leading by example these troopers are often gruff and experienced field leaders.


 * Corporal: The lowest NCO ranks are that of Corporal, along with all its variations: Staff Corporal, Lance-Corporal, and Fire-Team Leader; Corporals, serve under Sergeants and are singled out for their ability to lead on their own if the need arises along with being particularly skilled fighters.

Army Soldier/Trooper/Guardsman

The basic soldier of the Imperial Army, and armed with a variety of weapons and conducting various tasks. From driver to battlefield communications and cook are but additional duties these soldiers can perform if the need arises. Trained with strict discipline and as various as their unit these soldiers protect the Empire across the stars.