Within the Renaissance Movement and the Liberated Counties, the militia are civilians organized and prepared to defend their communities in emergency situations.
The exact organization and training of any militia unit depends largely on their proximity to danger and the presence of local RAM forces. Militia troops close to the front line often tend to have a cadre of standing officers and sergeants keeping watch, supplemented by volunteers who attend regular training. Those organizations further back in more secure areas tend to grow lax in their duties.
Organization
Every liberated community has a militia organization, of at least one militia officer and one senior sergeant, responsible for the administration of the militia. Larger towns may have multiple militia officers, responsible to a militia captain, and several watches or formations.
In some places, usually closer to the front line, multiple towns may be grouped together in militia battalions, to share resources and support. These are grouped under militia majors.
Regardless of their size, all militia organizations are answerable to the local RAM military commander. Though in practice most RAM commanders will not hold their militias to any high standards (particularly in Walker County), border counties often see close coordination between RAM regulars and militia.
Ranks – Militia Officers
The militia only have three recognized officer ranks; militia officer, militia captain and militia major.
Militia Officer
The militia officer is the most common rank of militia leadership, with every organization having at least one. The militia officer is the one responsible for maintaining the readiness of the militia in terms of training, weapons and morale.
Often elected by the militia, or appointed by the local mayor or headman, the militia officer usually received basic training and some manuals from the RAM, but little else. Some officers are more capable than others, but those officers are often recruited into the RAM regulars.
Militia Captain
Originally called a senior militia officer, common practice turned to calling them militia captains. These officers are called up for larger communities or collections of communities, where several militia officers need to be coordinated.
Militia Major
The original militia charters never anticipated militia majors, but they’ve become a staple of the liberated counties under field regiments. Militia majors are not much about commanding their militias, but about being a single officer to act as a go-between, from the militia to the local field regiment. They have some powers of coordination, and influence over the selection and training of officers, but many of their specific powers will depend on the individual militia.
Ranks – Militia
Common ranks in the militia use the same chevrons and rockers as RAM regulars, but with a diamond in the middle. As anyone can serve in the militia in an emergency, the lowest militia rank does not have an insignia.
Militia Volunteer
The title militia volunteer refers to anyone who elects to do the mundane tasks associated with militia duties, including patrol and guard duty. In emergencies, anyone who volunteers to defend their town is a militia volunteer. Militia volunteers often have little to no training in safer liberated towns, but in border counties they have basic weapons and tactics training.
Militia Specialist
A militia specialist is the lowest rank of enlisted militia. A specialist has special training beyond basic weapons and tactics. Common specialists are in weapons (machine guns are most common), basic field medicine, and field engineering.
Militia Corporal
Militia corporals have some authority over other enlisted militia, acting as assistants to leaders during patrols and watches. In emergencies they would be in charge of militia teams.
Militia Sergeant
Militia sergeants are men and women in charge of watches and patrols, and lead squads during emergencies. In serious militias, sergeants are often loaned from the regulars, or are made up of retired or wounded veterans.
Militia Senior Sergeant
A rare enlisted position (like a militia major), the militia senior sergeant is a regular sergeant assigned to a militia organization when the leadership wants to raise the militia’s standards. A militia senior sergeant’s role and duties would have more to do with the training and preparation of the militia, rather than any responsibilities with field or routine duties.
Training
At a minimum, anyone who wants to participate with the militia needs to know weapons safety and basic tactical terms. Serious militia will put their volunteers through marksmanship and tactical training, depending on the threat and availability of training personnel and resources.
Sergeants may be veterans or regulars loaned to the militia on temporary or permanent basis. If not, they’re usually older men of the communities that can keep the militia volunteers on track.
Officers are elected by their militias, or appointed by their headmen, and not always for tactical or leadership acumen. Selected officers get a training manual from the RAM, and in theory they can draw on the local RAM units for education and assistance, but usually only serious militia officers spend any time trying to improve or educated themselves. And in practice, many of those officers end up getting recruited into the RAM itself.
Equipment and Uniforms
Militias do not have uniforms like regular RAM units. At the least, militia member who need to bear insignia will be given the insignia to sew into their own clothes. Sometimes the militia can get jackets or headgear to wear, but that’s not the rule.
Militia equipment and weapons are provided by the RAM. Even in serious militia, their equipment is often second line, most often rifles, hunting muskets and shotguns. Automatics and machine guns are only provided to those who have training, and not in the quantities found in RAM regulars.