Armed Forces of the NCR

[RetroAmerica]

Since the NCR's Armed Forces are at best poorly defined and tend to contradict each other(see Fallout 2 vs FNV), I drew up a very basic model which would more accurately represent the NCR's military.

NCR Department of Defense(Overall command authority of the services):

NCR Armed Forces(Military of the NCR):

Department of the NCR Army(Coordinating authority for the Army):
NCR Army (Divided into three operational commands):

Army Ground Forces:
Infantry Branch
Cavalry Branch
Mechanized Branch
Motorized Branch
Artillery Branch
Special Forces Branch

Army Service Forces:
Adjutant General’s Corps
Chaplain’s Corps
Chemical Corps
Finance Corps
Judge Advocate General’s Corps
Medical Corps
Military Intelligence Corps
Military Police Corps
Nurse Corps
Ordnance Corps
Quartermaster Corps
Signal Corps
Transportation Corps
Veterinary Corps

Army Air Forces:
AAF Training Command
AAF Technical Training Command
AAF Flying Training Command
Air Technical Service Command
Air Transport Command
Army Air Forces Center
AAF Personnel Distribution Command
Air Materiel Command
Proving Ground Command
Troop Carrier Command
Flight Control Command

Department of the NCR Navy(Coordinating authority for the Navy):

NCR Navy(Singular Command, with organizational commands and a Corps of Marines):
Fleet Forces Command
Naval Special Warfare Command
Naval Education and Training Command
Naval Operational Test and Evaluation Command
Naval Transportation Command
Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command
Naval Warfare Systems Command
Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Naval Supply Systems Command
Naval Sea Systems Command
Naval Air Systems Command
Naval Medical Command
Naval Personnel Command
NCR Marine Corps

Department of Internal Affairs and Security Forces(Paramilitary Forces involved with joint operations with the NCR Army) :
NCR Rangers
NCR Marshals


**Note the NCR Marshals were mentioned in Fallout 2**

 

[Tagaziel]

Too big. NCR is only 700,000 citizens and most of it has no need for most of these departments. The most likely breakdown is this (basing on The Vault:

President of the New California Republic (Commander-in-chief) is the political leader.

The military is the New California Republic Army, with a separate organization, the New California Republic Rangers, acting as special forces, folded under the Army's tactical command.

Both the Army and the Rangers are organized into battalions, with special purpose battalions (such as 1st Reconnaissance Battalion) being present.

Smaller units that exist within the NCRA include:

Field Preparation Division (administrative unit, not a pre-War Army division)
Heavy infantry
Air force (maintaining the Vertibirds)
Logistics (incl. car maintenance)
Military Police

And that's about it. It's a small army relative to our own and it doesn't really have tanks, a navy, cavalry, artillery units, and non-combat duties are handled by civilians.

 

[RetroAmerica]

Too big. NCR is only 700,000 citizens and most of it has no need for most of these departments. The most likely breakdown is this (basing on The Vault:

President of the New California Republic (Commander-in-chief) is the political leader.

The military is the New California Republic Army, with a separate organization, the New California Republic Rangers, acting as special forces, folded under the Army's tactical command.

Both the Army and the Rangers are organized into battalions, with special purpose battalions (such as 1st Reconnaissance Battalion) being present.

Smaller units that exist within the NCRA include:

Field Preparation Division (administrative unit, not a pre-War Army division)
Heavy infantry
Air force (maintaining the Vertibirds)
Logistics (incl. car maintenance)
Military Police

And that's about it. It's a small army relative to our own and it doesn't really have tanks, a navy, cavalry, artillery units, and non-combat duties are handled by civilians.

A few things:

1) The population figure of 700,000 is based on Fallout 2(Fallout Bible). Now considering that Fallout: New Vegas takes place around 40 years from the events of Fallout 2, and not to mention that the NCR absorbed many more territories in the intervening years, it's quite plausible that the population has expanded significantly since that period.

2) The Fallout Bible 6 mentions that: The NCR military is composed of several Divisions,[SUP][1][/SUP] including special cavalry and mechanized units. One of their "Special Forces" units consists of the Rangers, a select group that is pledged to protect the people of the Wastes much like the Texas Rangers of old. The Rangers are said to have numerous safehouses throughout the wastes, and they use these to strike at slavers outside of NCR territory (usually in the North). As expected, the two groups hate each other with a passion. NCR was also in the habit of establishing marshals in the major population centers in their territories, responsible for enforcing the laws of NCR throughout the Republic. Ghouls, super mutants, and humans were all known to serve in the NCR armed forces, even in the rangers.

3) With the above in mind, it stands to reason that the NCR possesses some form of tracked(mechanized) vehicles and some form of reconnaissance element(cavalry). Also the NCR would more than likely have taken the artillery pieces from the Sierra Army Depot, which could have quite easily formed the basis for a Field Artillery Branch.

4) Now an NCR Navy would probably be something more akin to the Irish Navy or many of the smaller navies of the world, with its primary warships being small patrol vessels, with the remainder of the naval service being either used to support a minor fleet, or being used in either naval brigade duties, or in times of increased hostilities similar to the Royal Navy Division of the First World War. A marine corps, if it existed would be more like Apartheid Era South Africa's Marines, a small force whose primary tasking is harbor defense and security.

5) I agree with you on the point that there's no way that the NCR would support the Air Force as a separate branch but instead maintain it as an adjunct to the Army, and perhaps have an even smaller branch of Naval Aviation.

6) Also it's quite feasible for the NCR to have a rather large support apparatus. After all look at the modern New Zealand Army, which has a Total Force of only 7,000 all ranks (Active, Reserve and Civil support staff) and it still manages to maintain many of the Administrative Corps found in other British Commonwealth Armies. Also another great historical example is that of Southern Rhodesia(Rhodesian Republic) who maintained at it's height around a total Force of 10,000 (Active Duty), 40,000(Reserve) and still managed to maintain traditional Administrative Corps and support elements, so I find it very feasible that the NCR could maintain a similar system, if not potentially larger, since apparently Conscription is in full force along with what appears to be a rather large supply of defense contractors(ie: bounty hunters etc.).

 

[Tagaziel]

A few things:

1) The population figure of 700,000 is based on Fallout 2(Fallout Bible). Now considering that Fallout: New Vegas takes place around 40 years from the events of Fallout 2, and not to mention that the NCR absorbed many more territories in the intervening years, it's quite plausible that the population has expanded significantly since that period.

The same figure is also cited by the FNV strategy guide. I agree, there likely has been some population growth, but I very much doubt it was an explosion. Estimating the total population of the NCR at one million is plausible, but that's still a nearly 50% increase in population over just 40 years. Without a rise in medical standards to our modern level, it's unlikely.

2) The Fallout Bible 6 mentions that: The NCR military is composed of several Divisions,[SUP][1][/SUP] including special cavalry and mechanized units. One of their "Special Forces" units consists of the Rangers, a select group that is pledged to protect the people of the Wastes much like the Texas Rangers of old. The Rangers are said to have numerous safehouses throughout the wastes, and they use these to strike at slavers outside of NCR territory (usually in the North). As expected, the two groups hate each other with a passion. NCR was also in the habit of establishing marshals in the major population centers in their territories, responsible for enforcing the laws of NCR throughout the Republic. Ghouls, super mutants, and humans were all known to serve in the NCR armed forces, even in the rangers.

The problem with citing from the Bible is that it's pre-FNV. At the present, the standard unit of organisation within a theater is the battalion (Hayes' is 5th Battalion, with the 1st being the NCR Recon), which can be a part of a division, but doesn't have to be. I don't recall any mention of divisions in the game, with the sole exception being Field Prep and I don't think it's going to be several magnitudes larger than combat troops.

3) With the above in mind, it stands to reason that the NCR possesses some form of tracked(mechanized) vehicles and some form of reconnaissance element(cavalry). Also the NCR would more than likely have taken the artillery pieces from the Sierra Army Depot, which could have quite easily formed the basis for a Field Artillery Branch.

They do have trucks they use to transport goods long distances (like the ones you find at McCarran), but there's no mention of them having any tracked or wheeled combat vehicles. I think they lack the support capability. Any intact systems would likely be used as stationary emplacements, if at all.

The problem with field artillery is that there's no mention of it. The war with the Legion is the largest military conflict in the history of the Republic and the NCR has no artillery in the theater. That's why Boomers are so important: They have an artillery battery and can provide support during the battle for Hoover Dam. Even if the howitzers from SAD could be recovered, there's no telling they're in a workable condition.

4) Now an NCR Navy would probably be something more akin to the Irish Navy or many of the smaller navies of the world, with its primary warships being small patrol vessels, with the remainder of the naval service being either used to support a minor fleet, or being used in either naval brigade duties, or in times of increased hostilities similar to the Royal Navy Division of the First World War. A marine corps, if it existed would be more like Apartheid Era South Africa's Marines, a small force whose primary tasking is harbor defense and security.

Where would they use the navy? The NCR is a land power with no interests over water. Sure, they might have a few boats for shipping and protecting the shipping from the odd raider or mirelurk, but I don't think that's enough to warrant creating a separate entity.

5) I agree with you on the point that there's no way that the NCR would support the Air Force as a separate branch but instead maintain it as an adjunct to the Army, and perhaps have an even smaller branch of Naval Aviation.

Same point as above. In general, we should keep in mind how large the NCR is.

6) Also it's quite feasible for the NCR to have a rather large support apparatus. After all look at the modern New Zealand Army, which has a Total Force of only 7,000 all ranks (Active, Reserve and Civil support staff) and it still manages to maintain many of the Administrative Corps found in other British Commonwealth Armies. Also another great historical example is that of Southern Rhodesia(Rhodesian Republic) who maintained at it's height around a total Force of 10,000 (Active Duty), 40,000(Reserve) and still managed to maintain traditional Administrative Corps and support elements, so I find it very feasible that the NCR could maintain a similar system, if not potentially larger, since apparently Conscription is in full force along with what appears to be a rather large supply of defense contractors(ie: bounty hunters etc.).

The problem here is that we're comparing a modern army to what's essentially a 19th century one. The NCR has a lot less bureaucracy.