Ministry of Defense

"The Helldivers receive their orders from the Ministry of Defense, and I mine from the Ministry of Truth. In this way, the hands of Liberty are intertwined."

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) is an executive ministerial department of Super Earth. It is responsible for providing, managing and maintaining the military forces needed to deter and wage war as well as protect the security of the federation.

Collectively referred to as S.E.A.F (Super Earth Armed Forces), the defenders of the Federation are split into different branches, including the Super Earth Army, the Navy, Colonial Guard and of course the Helldiver Corps, whom receive their orders directly from High Command.

SEAF Branches
'Note: The following is based on both in game sources and also a heavy amount of speculation. The Helldiver Corps also have their own page.'

Super Earth Army
""Eulogy template - Soldier, Exemplary Service 121: The heroism of [Rank] [Name] cannot be understated. They did not lose their life in the defense of Super Earth. They gave it, willingly."" "Eulogy Template - Soldier, friendly fire variation 016: [Name] devoted many hours to the prosperity of Super Earth. They may rest easy in the knowledge that the [bullets/shrapnel/concussive force] that took their life was Democratic in origin and fired in the service of Liberty.""

Whilst the Helldivers are the scalpel of the military might of Super Earth, the regular army corps are it's hammer, responsible for the bulk of the fighting in the galactic war, as well as taking over more permanent security duties over liberated planets. Whilst the exact strength of the Army Corps is highly classified, the army likely possesses vast reserves of manpower numbering in the tens of millions, as they can hold multiple fronts on dozens of planets. The Army also possesses overwhelming firepower in the form of heavy artillery, ICBM and SAM sites, as well as armored vehicles such as exosuits and tanks (the latter of which the automatons have made inferior copies). Additionally, the army is the branch which the Helldivers are drafted from, at least during the first galactic war.

Their bravery in the face of overwhelming odds and anti-democratic values cannot be understated. High Command maintains that any lost ground is a temporary tactical decision to draw the enemy into the blinding light of justice and liberty. The Army has never suffered a (total) defeat, but rather has willingly expended lives in the pursuit of drawing the enemies of Democracy into traps or fighting valiant delaying actions to allow for civilians to evacuate safely. Even when forced to withdraw from a planet, the Army will simply lick it's wounds and return in greater force. Even so... individual casualties are high so Soldiers deployed to exceptionally hazardous postings will be granted an increase in citizenship class for themselves and their immediate families upon mission completion or death.""Due to the exceptional Hazard of the current posting, all SEAF soldiers and their approved domestic family units will be granted Class C citizenship following mission completion or death.""

The Army also possesses it's own Engineering corps, responsible for building various SEAF instillation's, such as the TCS Towers and the Orbital Defenses of the Menkent Line. These military engineering units will sometimes be supplemented with civilian contractors when necessary.

Another notable branch of the Super Earth Army (operating under the S.E.A.F. engineering corps) is the Excavation Corps; who were founded by SGM Janet Jones, who famously said that "The ground is just another obstacle that hasn't yet been cleared." The Excavation Corps are an engineering unit that are likely responsible for systematic drilling and blasting for surface excavations. They make heavy use of explosives and the CE-27 Ground Breaker armor.

Super Earth Navy
Super Earth's Aerospace service branch, responsible for maintaining and crewing it's space borne warships like the Super Destroyer as well as aircraft such as the Pelican and Eagle. It's primary mission is to defend and spread freedom as well as economic prosperity by providing orbital support to SEAF forces planet side, maintain orbital dominance, keeping the Faster than Light Lanes open as well as transporting military personnel and equipment. Though figures of it's exact size is unclear, it is likely the Galaxy's most powerful navy as well as the largest, at least in terms of sheer numbers with over 450,000 active vessels (based on Helldiver numbers as each active diver gets a Super Destroyer).

Colonial Defense Forces
""EMERGENCY WARNING: Hostile forces incoming. Evacuate immediately. EMERGENCY WARNING: Hostile forces incoming. Evacuate immediately.""

The brave individuals of the colonies are given extensive military and survival training to further augment S.E.A.F. force projection. Every person, man, woman, child, and pet are expected to give their life without question in protecting Super Earth's legal holdings. To this end, the colonies of Super Earth possess their own security forces and colonial militia's, funded in part by the Ministry of Expansion. In theory a well regulated planetary security force backed up by colonial militiamen would be able to wage a successful guerrilla war against enemy invaders thanks to their greater knowledge of the local terrain and the fact that the colonists would be fighting to defend their homes. ""Memo to Colonial Overseer: In order to best serve Freedom, the security budget for your colony will be reduced by [23.7%] for the next fiscal term.""

However these security forces have proven insufficient in the current conflict. Thus showing the barbarity and inhumanity of Super Earth's enemies to kill voters who were equipped, within regulation, for the past 100 years of peacetime for only protecting against wildlife as well as policing. While well equipped with valor, they were nowhere near as well equipped or trained as the rest of S.E.A.F.

Additionally budget cuts, due to limited need in peacetime, for many colonies has also pulled out what few teeth they still had, possibly contributing to swift fall of many planets near the start of the Second Galactic War. A prime example of this being the first Defense of Angel's venture, where the spawning hordes of Terminids easily overwhelmed the planet's colonial militias in a matter of hours. Even so, individual heroism has been noted amongst the colonial militia, with reports of Helldivers coming across dead citizens who managed to destroy Devastators using double barrel shotguns and, in some cases, shovels.

As per S.E.A.F. policy, such valiant heroes will posthumously have their citizenship level raised and thus garner the right to have their name listed in the planetary death log (subject to Ministry of Truth regulations).

Possible SEAF Doctrine (speculation)
"The Galactic War is a united effort. Only by working together can we ensure planets don't fall to the enemy." Despite possessing deep manpower reserves and awesome firepower, SEAF forces are often outnumbered, outgunned or outclassed showing that continual sacrifice, and military spending are required by Super Earth. This has resulted in Super Earth being slowly being worn down and destroyed adopting a strategy of tactical advances to defensive lines away from the enemy in order to preserve it's manpower and equipment.

Although the exact doctrine of SEAF forces is unclear classified, one possible strategy employed is a "Hammer and Scalpel" doctrine that relies on cooperation between all branches. Much like the Federation itself.

The Super Earth Army holds the frontlines, enduring the full might of enemy forces, whilst the Helldivers -- with orbital support from the Navy -- deploy deep behind enemy lines where they cripple key objectives, disrupt enemy logistics and cause general chaos. This gives the Army the chance to push forward and liberate some ground, increasing a planet's liberation progress. Once all enemy resistance has collapsed and all ground is taken, the planet will be officially liberated, with S.E.A.F. forces then transitioning to occupation, cleanup and reconstruction operations in the aftermath.