War ensemble, the makers and breakers of armies

Department of HumanitiesPsychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief EngineerSubject:: Support elements

Every armed force, great and small, needs to have the following supporting elements in order to ensure success of every aspect of the military force. Support elements are divided into the following three categories: Logistic, supply, administration. These three branches of the support element sustain the force.

The logistic side of the house includes the medical staff (loosely), cooks, engineers (explained in crushing of the masses), and the supply trains. The medical staff is considered logistical due to their fixing of "broken" soldiers. Cooks sustain the health of the troops through nourishment, although there isn't much in the way of nourishing organics in Acheron. Supply trains are the most important element of the logistic teams. They are the ones who transport everything from battlefield to battlefield. All food stocks and other useful supplies are kept on the wagons and barrows of the supply train. Engineers are only in spirit considered to be logistic. Due to their construction nature, they fix broken wagons and build the shelters that keep the casualties who still live from growing worse. They build the offices that house the upper echelons during the extended field campaigns.

The supply elements are responsible for issuing, ordering & obtaining supplies for the army. The supply elements are the focal point upon which the fighting men and women of the Acheron militaries hinge. Without the supply element, there would be no battalions, no great houses. The largest unit in Acheron would be a mercenary squad. Within the larger military structures, the supply elements are responsible for ordering supplies for their battalion, company, etc. These items are normally common issue items that through wear and tear and general misuse need to be replaced from time to time. In times of great need and scarcity, the supply elements are charged with the task of foraging and finding items any way they possibly can in order to ensure the survival of the military.

Lastly, the administration sections keep tabs on who's where and what's what. They record every event of a campaign and how much each soldier gets paid (if they get paid at all). Administration is required to maintain the records of any military force. Someone must know where all the funds are going and how they are supporting the force. The administrations serve in this role. Any disciplinary actions or awards/promotions are also conducted by the administration.

My next letter shall discuss the last element of the army's core: the leadership and the staff sections. Once an army has achieved this size, it is at least one battalion in size.

Calix Arvandus, Shaper 2.