epicenter00
SOC-13
I've always seen the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Marines as the "Imperial" military force, they answer, first and foremost to the Emperor or Empress on the Iridium Throne. They may be granted to Dukes or Archdukes for some purpose or another of interest to the Throne, but everyone involved is always aware that these forces serve only at the pleasure of the Emperor - they can be withdrawn at any time. Technically, they are paid for by the Emperor or Empress. They swear their loyalty directly to him or her in their oaths. A lot of effort is made to mix up people serving in these units so that provincial ties are broken and replaced by loyalty to the Iridium Throne.
The Imperial Army is a power granted to the fief-holding nobility (as opposed to royalty). It is a carte given to the nobility of the Imperium by the Iridium Throne to project and protect their interests which are by default the interests of the Imperium. They are usually organized on the planet level. They are paid for by local Imperial governments. The chain of command is answerable to the Emperor only indirectly and their oaths are usually given to serve the office of the local nobility and the Emperor. The real chain of command for the Army is planet/system, subsector, sector, and domain. Army units are forbidden from leaving the domain in which they were raised except under specific circumstances. The Army deals with local problems, are raised by planet, and have varying levels of sophistication and equipment. Their deployment is at the discretion of the controlling noble and his or her superiors.
If Army units are to be transported offworld for some reason, they must meet uniform levels of equipments set forth by the Imperial government. This is slightly inferior to that of the Imperial Marines. While ostensibly this is because it's cheaper to raise and maintain units at this TL (due to the greater number of planets) everyone knows that it's really to keep the Imperial Marines an advantage if they're forced to intervene against local nobles who've forgotten their oaths. Exceptions to this TL rule exist: Household Cavalry units (the personal armies of the Archdukes) may be equipped to Imperial Marine standard. In addition, very high TL planets will often be equipped to a level identical to that of Imperial Marines or in some cases, even higher.
Ultimately, the Army of a Domain is expected to handle most routine threats within a Domain, such piracy, civil wars, insurgencies, and so on without aid from the Throne itself. Because they are projecting Imperial power, they are allowed to wear the Imperial Sunburst. Because the Emperor often wishes to remind local nobles where the real power lies, blood his troops, and because Moot politics exist, Marines may show up in even the smallest of conflicts, however.
In times of great crisis, such as invasion or big wars (such as the various Frontier Wars or the Solomani Rim War), there will be a greater Marine commitment, but the Emperor will also "nationalize" Army units, drawing them from other Domains to reinforce things. This isn't just done because the local forces can't handle things - it is also a political gesture to the Imperium to show "we're all in this together." However, it also has an effect of breaking the usual provincial lines of authority and replacing it with a chain of command that goes directly to the Emperor, a useful thing at times to put a shot across the bow to unruly (but not disloyal) nobles and so on.
The Imperial Army is a power granted to the fief-holding nobility (as opposed to royalty). It is a carte given to the nobility of the Imperium by the Iridium Throne to project and protect their interests which are by default the interests of the Imperium. They are usually organized on the planet level. They are paid for by local Imperial governments. The chain of command is answerable to the Emperor only indirectly and their oaths are usually given to serve the office of the local nobility and the Emperor. The real chain of command for the Army is planet/system, subsector, sector, and domain. Army units are forbidden from leaving the domain in which they were raised except under specific circumstances. The Army deals with local problems, are raised by planet, and have varying levels of sophistication and equipment. Their deployment is at the discretion of the controlling noble and his or her superiors.
If Army units are to be transported offworld for some reason, they must meet uniform levels of equipments set forth by the Imperial government. This is slightly inferior to that of the Imperial Marines. While ostensibly this is because it's cheaper to raise and maintain units at this TL (due to the greater number of planets) everyone knows that it's really to keep the Imperial Marines an advantage if they're forced to intervene against local nobles who've forgotten their oaths. Exceptions to this TL rule exist: Household Cavalry units (the personal armies of the Archdukes) may be equipped to Imperial Marine standard. In addition, very high TL planets will often be equipped to a level identical to that of Imperial Marines or in some cases, even higher.
Ultimately, the Army of a Domain is expected to handle most routine threats within a Domain, such piracy, civil wars, insurgencies, and so on without aid from the Throne itself. Because they are projecting Imperial power, they are allowed to wear the Imperial Sunburst. Because the Emperor often wishes to remind local nobles where the real power lies, blood his troops, and because Moot politics exist, Marines may show up in even the smallest of conflicts, however.
In times of great crisis, such as invasion or big wars (such as the various Frontier Wars or the Solomani Rim War), there will be a greater Marine commitment, but the Emperor will also "nationalize" Army units, drawing them from other Domains to reinforce things. This isn't just done because the local forces can't handle things - it is also a political gesture to the Imperium to show "we're all in this together." However, it also has an effect of breaking the usual provincial lines of authority and replacing it with a chain of command that goes directly to the Emperor, a useful thing at times to put a shot across the bow to unruly (but not disloyal) nobles and so on.
