Fletcher Planetary Guard

AFFS Force Brief 01-01-3145

History
Like many other Republic Planetary Militias, the Fletcher Planetary Guard was hard hit by the events of the Blackout and its aftermath. Like many of the Planetary Guard units, its strength and preparedness had waned over the long decades of peace. Located deep in Prefecture III, the world was far from any hostile border and, as such, was lacking in any immediate threat to serve as a motivation. Much of its equipment was mothballed or transferred elsewhere, while the amount of training time dropped considerably.

However, other forces made the situation even worse. Much of the guard’s strength actually came from the Bright Fang Militia Cluster, one raised from the planet’s large Wolf Clan population. With the formation of the Steel Wolves following the Blackout, the cluster simply defected wholesale to the newly formed pseudo-Clan, immediately gutting the Planetary Militia’s strength. To make matters worse, the Wolves then began seizing equipment from the militia, be it by Clan trials or simple assault. When the Wolves left Fletcher for their assaults on Northwind and then Terra, they took that strength with them.


For the next few years, the militia struggled to get by with what it could, limping along with its greatly reduced strength and capabilities. The withdrawal of the RAF and formation of fortress republic proved to be another severe blow, triggering another wave of defections and desertions from the unit. Using the situation as a pretext, Baron Victor Godfrey, one of the planet’s nobles, stepped in and effectively took control of the weakened and demoralized unit.

Godfrey was a powerful and influential figure within planetary politics. His family had held its title since the time of the Terran Hegemony, and had managed to retain its power despite numerous shifts in the planet’s control. Added to that, Godfrey had a record of military service, albeit as a part of the Planetary Militia, this gave him an air of practicality as a commander. When Fletcher fell under the control of the Federated Suns as a part of Erik Sandovell-Grossel’s so-called Tiknov March, Godfrey gladly switched his allegiance to the new government.

For the next half-decade, Godfrey focused on rebuilding the militia’s strength while also securing his powerbase. Using his political connections, he reshuffled the command to ensure that the officers in charge of the militia were personally loyal to him, while weeding out any with lingering Republican leanings. At the same time, he managed to acquire more weapons for the unit from various sources, including BattleMechs, which served to further reinforce his power.

With the Capellan push into the Federated Suns beginning to swing towards Fletcher, Godfrey used the situation to further cement his control over the command while also preparing them for the seemingly inevitable invasion. With the Capellans clearly intent on reclaiming every world lost to them, it was clear that Fletcher would be in the line of fire sooner or later. It was clear that Godfrey intended to be ready for that eventuality.

When the Capellans invaded in 3144, Godfrey’s preparations paid off, albeit in a way that few had expected. Confronted with the CCAF forces, the Fletcher Planetary Guard offered only limited resistance and in some cases outright surrendered without firing a shot. It soon became apparent that Godfrey had no intention of fighting the Capellans, and instead effectively aided them in seizing control of the world. Clearly a calculated move, the result was that Godfrey was able to retain his position, his title and his lands under the new Capellan regime. The Capellans likely agreed to these terms in order to gain easy access to Fletcher’s revitalized industries, something that would be essential for their already stretched military.

At present, the Planetary Guard are focused on protecting key military and command targets across the world. While Fletcher is presently home to at least one CCAF line regiment, it appears that the planet is being used as a staging ground for attacks into the Federated Suns, thus leaving the planetary guard to shoulder much of the burden of defending the world.

Force Structure
Due to its origins, the Fletcher Planetary Guard is more akin to a collection of smaller units under a common banner then a single unified command. Godfrey’s reforms, as well as liberally reshuffling the command structure and filling it with loyal officers, have somewhat streamlined the command. However, many of the sub-commands are tied to specific locations and lack transportation assets, limiting their ability to respond.

The draw-down in troops during the long peaceful years of the Republic, as well as the subsequent raiding and defections crippled the Fletcher Planetary Guard’s strength and capabilities. While Godfrey has done a lot of work in rebuilding, vehicles, conventional infantry and Battle Armour dominate the force. What few BattleMechs are possessed by the unit are mostly concentrated in the hands of the most loyal units, or those defending the most important targets. Most of the unit’s equipment is RAF-vintage (With some dating back to the Jihad), but has been supplemented by purchases from the Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation. Converted IndustrialMechs and MillitaMechs have also been used to bolster the unit’s strength.

The Planetary Guard lacks aerospace assets, being largely equipped only with conventional fighters for air support. Likewise, it lacks sufficient Dropship assets to effectively move large parts of its command. As a result, Dropship transport is usually reserved for the best equipped portions of the command, such as those with BattleMechs.

Training and Morale
While it is hard to see Godfrey’s taking command of the Fletcher Planetary Guard as anything but a naked power grab, the result has been a generally positive effect on the unit’s morale. On the other hand, given how badly that command had suffered in the years before then, such would not be hard. In general, morale across the command is good, even if the average soldier is less loyal to the Confederation as they are to their world/

The quality of training across the command is incredibly uneven due to its nature. While some units are staffed by military veterans and those with extensive training, others consist of reservists and weekend warriors with little practical experience. Overall, the command are a Green unit, but some individual elements would be considered Veteran in quality. This is especially true of its BattleMech units, which tend to be only manned by the best personnel available.

Colours and Insignia
The Fletcher Planetary Guard use a modified version of their old Republic era colours, being painted in olive drab with a Liao green trim. The unit’s insignia depicts the planet Fletcher set against a green field.