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In order to ensure the proper protection of the Austrian Empire, the Kaiserlich-königliche (k.k.) Streitkräfte are created, including the following branches:

  • k.k. Armee (Army)
  • k.k. Landwehr (Militia)
  • k.k. Kriegsmarine (Navy)
  • k.k. Luftstreitkräfte (Air Force)

These are the four main branches of the Imperial-Royal Armed forces, their role being the defense of Austria and its interests, the assistence of civil authorities in disaster relief, assistence of civil authorities in policing, upon authorisation by the Reichsrat and monarch, enforcement of border security and of internal security against state or non-state terrorism.

 

Assisting these four main branches are the following minor auxiliary branches of the:

  • k.k. Militärpolizei (military police)
  • k.k. Heeresnachrichtenamt (military intelligence)
  • k.k. Marinetruppen (marines)
  • k.k. Luftsturmtruppen (airborne troops)
  • k.k. Jagdkommando (special operations)

The military is organised by the k.k. Stabswesen, which would include the Generalstab and Marinestab, as well as by the Reichskriegsministerium, located at the Ringstraße. The Generalstab is headed by the Generalinspektor der Armee, the Marinestab by the Generalinspektor der Marine and the Kriegsministerium by the Imperial Minister of War. Supreme commander of all armed forces naturally is the monarch, at this time Empress Josephine I von Österreich-Este.

 

638px-Regierungsgeb%C3%A4ude_Vienna_June

k.k. Kriegsministerium or Reichskriegsministerium

Edited by Evangeline Anovilis
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Kaiserlich-königliche Armee

 

The k.k. Armee are the ground forces of the Austrian Empire. It is projected to number 400,000 soldiers in the standing army, with 900,000 reservists. The k.k. Armee is supported by the similarly structured k.k. Landwehr, which numbers 525,000 members. The Army is structured into multiple Army commands, which are:

  • I. Armee (HQ in Vienna)
  • II. Armee (HQ in Prague)
  • III. Armee (HQ in Vienna)
  • IV. Armee (HQ in Budapest)
  • V. Armee (HQ in Zagreb)

Additionally, there exist four smaller territorial armies, tasked with defending specific regions of the Empire:

  • Böhmische Armee (HQ in Prague)
  • Galizische Armee (HQ in Krakow)
  • Siebenbürgener Armee (HQ in Cluj)
  • Bosnische Armee (HQ in Sarajevo)

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1st Guard Battalion of the Army

 

The army numbers 80 divisions, of which one is a guard division, 14 are mountain divisions and light divisions, 15 are mechanised divisions and 8 are armoured divisions. The Jagdkommando makes up an additional four-thousand odd soldiers. The Austrian Empire has a system of conscription, which it however only uses in times of crisis. It normally relies on professional soldiers.

 

The k.k. Landwehr meanwhile has 50 divisions, which are deployed all over the country, for territorial defense.

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Kaiserlich-königliche Kriegsmarine

 

In order to protect its coastline, as well as to project power abroad, should it find such necessary, the Austrian Empire has its own naval forces, the k.k. Kriegsmarine. While funding for naval forces has been announced to be less prominent than funding for the other branches, due to the relative security of the Adriatic Sea, the naval forces of Austria are planned to be at least capable of performing limited operations abroad, so as to support humanitarian interventions and allies abroad. Apart from the greenwater navy, stationed in Pula and Kotor, a brown-water navy is being constructed to patrol the central river of the monarchy, the Danube, which is also important for riverine trade.

 

320px-Austria-Hungary-flag-1869-1914-nav

Naval ensign of the Empire

 

The k.k. Marineamt, subject to the k.k. Kriegsministerium is thus not only responsible for the k.k. Kriegsmarine, but also the k.k. Donauflotte. additionally, it commands the k.k. Seeflugwesen (in charge of land-based air support), the k.k. Marinetruppen (responsible for both amphibious operations and protection of naval installations). This last branch notably includes the vast majority of the personel the Marineamt is responsible for, with eight Marinesturmbrigaden and about 50,000 soldiers garrisoning the coastal installations.

 

The Empire relies for naval construction on its shipyards in Pula and Rijeka, while the main bases of the naval forces are Pula (home of the main Seearsenal and HQ of the Northern adriatic District) and Kotor (HQ of the Southern Adriatic District). Supplementary bases are in Rijeka (secondary to Pula) and Dubrovnik (secondary to Kotor).

 

In terms of ships, the fleet posesses currently the following:

  • 5 minelayers
  • 12 fast attack craft

However, the k.k. Marineamt is planning to acquire more ships in the coming years, pending funding, by construction or purchase.

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Kaiserlich-königliche Luftstreitkräfte

 

Defending the Austrian airspace, the k.k. Luftstreitkräfte are an essential part of the overall k.k. Streitkräfte. While however important, the branch is still in its infancy and is still being build up. However, much funding is being given to create a capable airforce, as well as to expand the domestic aircraft manufacturing capabilities, which have hardly received any attention, due to the small individual budgets of the states preceeding the monarchy. To this end, the Österreichische Flugzeugfabriken AG (Oeffag) has been reestablished in Wiener Neustadt, to develop and manufacture aircraft for the Empire.

 

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Austrian Typhoon

 

The mainstay aircraft of the k.k. Luftstreitkräfte at the current time is the Erofighter Typhoon multirole fighter, of which the Empire has 412. Flexible and comparatively low in cost, it is used for many missions, though there is an ongoing debate on expanding the inventory in terms of quantity and quality. With the limited ressources available, however, it is expected that most expansions will be covered by purchases.

 

240px-Roundel_of_the_Austrian_Air_Force.

 

Roundel of the k.k. Luftstreitkräfte

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QxL3ch7.jpg

 

Kampfpanzer I Ausf.1

 

Weight: 44.8 tons

Length: 10.3 m

Width: 3.6 m

Height: 2.2 m

Crew: 3 (commander/radio, driver, gunner)

 

Armor: Composite, with attached NERA and AVS3

Main armament: Škoda 120 mm ETC Panzerkanone Modell 14

Secondary armament: Škoda FWS

Engine: 12 cylinder engine (1,200 hp)

Power/Weight: ~27 hp/t

Operational range: 700 km (780 km with external fuel tanks)

Speed: 72 km/h

 

The Kampfpanzer I (KPz I) is the first indegenously developed main battle tank of the Austrian Empire. Based on Croatian development and refined and produced by Škoda, the KPz I is planned to become the main tank of the k.k. Streitkräfte, featuring a decent combination of mobility, firepower and protection.

 

The KPz I weighs just below 45 tons and is powered by a 1,200 hp engine, giving it a quite good power to weight ratio of a bit below 27 hp per ton. This allows the KPz I to reach a top speed of over 70 km/h, making it mobile in the field, while 700 km operational range and the aforementioned economic weight allow for high tactical and strategic mobility. Due to the vastness of terrain within the Empire, ability to perform well in many different environments was an essential design criteria.

 

In terms of firepower, the tank uses a 120 mm rifled gun, capable of firing both normal types of ammunition and purpose-built ATGMs. Employing advanced ETC technology, the Modell 14 gun lends the KPz I enough firepower to take on most armoured vehicles in service. Ammunition available includes APFSDS, HE, HESH and an anti-infantry shrapnell load, with a total of 40 of which 22 are stored in the autoloader. Additionally, the tank features a remote weapon system (or FWS), which increases defensive, as well as offensive strength. It features a machine gun, to attack infantry, as well as an externally mounted missile pod for a wire-guided anti-tank/anti-helicopter missile (which is still being researched).

 

Protection is offered by a formidable composite armour, which especially at the front gives good protection from projectiles. This passive protection is supported by non-explosive reactive armour plating on turret and the frontal part of the hull, to improve protection against projectiles. Apart from this passive protection, the KPz I posesses a newly developed AVS3 (Aktives Vehikelselbstschutzsystem), a directed energy active protection system. AVS3, will, upon detection and identification of a threat, calculate the probable trajectory and approach and will then fire a directed energy weapon to destroy the incoming threat. The system has a rather light weight, has a reaction time of 0.56 seconds and can engage threats as close as 10 m from the vehicle. Unlike other hard-kill APS, AVS3 does not pose additional threat to accompanying infantry, apart from debris of the hostile projectile.

 

The KPz I is entering production by Škoda in their plants around Plzeň/Pilsen. It is expected that most tanks of the k.k. Armee will be of this type, or one of its other variants. There exist plans to produce a minor number of KPz I Ausf.2 tanks, mounting a 128 mm gun. This gun, still under development for heavier tanks has been factured into turret design, so that no new turret will be needed for this undertaking.

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