Federal Ground Defense Force¶
The Federal Ground Defense Force (FGDF) — Rikujō Bōeitai — is the Federation's land service. 245,000 active personnel + 80,000 trained reservists. The principal mission is defence of the home archipelago against amphibious threat, with secondary missions for disaster response and limited deployable readiness in support of WDP partners (subject to constitutional revision).
Doctrine¶
The FGDF is a brigade-centric, defensive-mechanized force after the 2018 reform that downgraded the historical division structure in favour of agile combined-arms brigades. The doctrinal logic reflects the Federation's geography:
- No land borders mean no continental defensive belt; archipelago defence requires distributed readiness across all four principal islands
- Brigade-scale formations match the geography — a Rapid Reaction Brigade can be lifted by the Amphibious Brigade or transported between islands by FADF airlift in 24-48 hours
- The Tank Brigade provides concentrated armoured reserve for the principal-island scenario
- The Airborne Brigade provides strategic vertical-envelopment capability for the constitutional-revision contingency
Organization¶
The FGDF is organized under Akehoshi Imperial Defense HQ, with operational forces distributed under five Regional Army headquarters:
Regional Armies¶
| Command | Region | Principal subordinate units |
|---|---|---|
| Central Army | Akehoshi region | 1st RRB 'Akahoshi'; 4th RRB 'Tōzai'; 7th RRB 'Senshi' (readiness); Imperial Guard Regiment |
| Northern Army | Hokutō | 2nd RRB 'Hokutō' (cold weather); 1st Tank Brigade 'Senshikidan' |
| Western Army | Saikoku theater | 3rd RRB 'Saikoku'; 5th RRB 'Yamamori' (mountain) |
| Eastern Army | Eastern Akehoshi | (Coordinates Akehoshi-East formations) |
| Southern Army | Nansei archipelago | 6th RRB 'Nansei' (tropical) |
Combat formations¶
- 1st Rapid Reaction Brigade 'Akahoshi' — capital defence; Type-10 MBT squadron + Type-16 MCV + Type-30 IFV mech; ~5,500 personnel
- 2nd Rapid Reaction Brigade 'Hokutō' — cold-weather mission; ~5,500
- 3rd Rapid Reaction Brigade 'Saikoku' — Saikoku theater readiness; ~6,000
- 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade 'Tōzai' — strategic reserve; ~5,500
- 5th Rapid Reaction Brigade 'Yamamori' — mountainous interior; ~5,500
- 6th Rapid Reaction Brigade 'Nansei' — tropical archipelago; ~5,500
- 7th Rapid Reaction Brigade 'Senshi' — readiness brigade, deployable abroad if constitutionally cleared; ~6,000
- 1st Tank Brigade 'Senshikidan' — heavy armour; 3 Type-10 battalions; ~4,500
- 1st Airborne Brigade 'Kūchūdan' — paratrooper brigade; ~3,500; joint with FADF at Akehoshi-Sōgō; C-2 + KC-46 transport-integrated
- Imperial Guard Regiment 'Konoe Rentai' — ceremonial palace guard; ~1,200
Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)¶
- Tokushū Sakusentai (TSST) — Tier-1 SOF, ~480 operators in 3 operational squadrons + training cadre
- Joint Special Mission Wing (JSMW) — V-22 + MH-47-equivalent for TSST + Amphibious Brigade insertion
- 1st Reconnaissance Battalion 'Tantō' — ~600 long-range light recon
Tokushū Sakusentai — the signature elite¶
Tokushū Sakusentai (TSST) ("Special Operations Group") is the Federation's apex special-operations / direct-action formation and the only Tier-1 unit in the HFDF. Administratively assigned to JSOC; operational control by JSOC in peacetime and war.
- ~480 operators in three operational squadrons + a training cadre
- Selection paralleling 22 SAS, KSK, and FSA TF Rage — 18-month assessment + cadre course
- Specializes in maritime SOF missions: ship-boarding, hostage rescue from ships, deep coastal reconnaissance, direct-action against littoral targets, coalition SOF integration
- Operates closely with FMDF Submarine Flotilla for clandestine insertion
The Tokushū operator badge is granted for life and confers ceremonial admission to the Imperial gardens. The badge is the single most prestigious individual distinction in the HFDF.
Equipment¶
Combat vehicles¶
| Class | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MBT | Type-10 | Indigenous 44-tonne MBT; 120mm smoothbore; modular composite armour; ~340 in service |
| MCV | Type-16 | Wheeled 105mm "mobile combat vehicle"; 26-tonne; ~250 in service |
| IFV (tracked) | Type-89 mod / Type-30 | Type-89 mod ~120, replaced by Type-30 from 2027 |
| IFV (wheeled) | Type-96 APC + Type-19 wheeled IFV | Patria-derived; ~450 |
| Reconnaissance | Type-87 RCV | Stryker-class; ~80 |
| MRAP / LAV | Type-26 LAV | JLTV-family; ~600 |
| Light tactical | Type-73 LAV | "kō-kidōsha"; ~2,400 |
| Engineering | Type-92 AVLB; Type-19 breaching vehicle | |
| Specialty | Type-78 over-snow (Hokutō); AAV-7 family (Amphibious Brigade) |
Artillery¶
| Class | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Towed 155 | FH-70 license; M777 (Amphibious Brigade) | |
| SPH tracked | Type-99 155mm | ~110 in service |
| SPH wheeled | Type-19 155mm | Archer-derived; ~80 in service |
| MLRS | M270 license + HIMARS-equivalent Type-29 RSAS | |
| Coastal SSM | Type-12 SSM (improved) | The signature anti-ship coastal capability; ~30 batteries archipelago-wide, weighted toward the Nansei + Southern Archipelago Sea-of-Xianren belt |
Air defense¶
| Tier | System | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Long-range SAM | Patriot PAC-3 MSE | 6 battalions |
| Medium-range SAM | Type-03 Chū-SAM (Improved) | Domestic medium-range; ~12 batteries |
| SHORAD | Type-93 Kin-SAM; Skyranger 30 (license) | |
| MANPADS | Type-91 SAM | Distributed widely |
| Radar | J/FPS-7 long-range; J/MPQ-P19 PAC-3 FC; OPS-50 shore-based | Six principal radar nodes archipelago-wide + mobile gap-fillers |
Small arms¶
- Service rifle: Howa Type-30 (5.56×45mm modern piston rifle, indigenous design; HK-416 family influence) — full conversion to be complete by 2028, replacing the legacy Type-89
- DMR: Howa Type-22 DMR (7.62×51mm precision-grade)
- Sniper: Type-18 .338 LM semi-auto; Type-16 .300 WM bolt
- Anti-materiel: Type-12 BMR (.50 BMG)
- Sidearm: SIG P320-derived Type-19 pistol (9×19mm)
- SAW: Howa Type-62-mod (5.56mm)
- GPMG: Sumitomo Type-74 GPMG-mod (7.62×51mm; MAG-58 family)
- HMG: M2-equivalent (.50 BMG license)
- PDW: MP7-equivalent Type-08 (vehicle crew / Coast Guard boarding teams)
Soldier protection¶
- Body armor: NIJ Level IV plates front/back, Level III side; NIJ IIIA soft armour
- Helmet: Level IIIA aramid for line infantry; rifle-rated upgrade for SOF
- Night vision: universal Gen 3 binocular for line infantry; fusion thermal-NV for SOF + Amphibious Brigade
- Squad radio: Type-22 secure handheld (PRC-148-equivalent), AES-256, mesh-networked
- Service rifle optic: 1-6× LPVO standard; 1× red dot for SBR
- IFF / blue-force tracker: universal at squad-leader level and up