The Confederacy maintains the smallest military of any human government, which is exactly how most Confederates want it.
The Confederacy's military grew organically from its merchant and privateer traditions rather than being designed from scratch. This gives it a distinctly naval character—there is no Confederate Army, no separate Space Force. If you serve the Confederacy in uniform, you serve in the Navy or the Marines attached to it.
| Branch | Role | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Confederate Navy | Defense Fleet, patrols, fleet actions | Small professional force |
| Confederate Marines | Boarding actions, station security, shipboard ground ops | Small, attached to Navy |
| Privateers | Commerce raiding, wartime operations | Large but civilian |
| Planetary Militias | Ground defense | Local, not Confederate |
The Confederate Defense Fleet exists primarily to prove that it can. A small collection of warships—mostly converted freighters and purchased vessels—patrols Confederacy space and responds to major threats.
The Navy draws heavily from the Confederacy's merchant marine tradition. Most officers served on merchant vessels or privateers before joining the Defense Fleet, and the rank structure reflects this heritage. A captain who earned their rank running cargo through pirate territory is valued as highly as one who came up through formal training.
Ship prefixes:
The Defense Fleet is chronically underfunded, undermanned, and outgunned by either great power. Its primary purpose is deterrence—showing that attacking the Confederacy will cost something, even if victory is assured.
The Fleet operates primarily from Constitution Station, though vessels are frequently deployed to patrol trade routes and respond to piracy—at least, piracy against Confederate shipping.
The Confederate Marines are a small force attached to the Navy, handling boarding actions, station security, and ground operations launched from ships. They are not a separate service but rather a specialized branch within the naval establishment.
Marines use a parallel rank structure to the Navy (see Confederacy Ranks), with traditional ground-force titles. A Marine Lieutenant and a Navy Lieutenant hold equivalent rank and pay grade.
The Marines have no independent ground mission—that's left to planetary militias. Their role is exclusively shipboard and station-based operations.
Real ground defense comes from planetary militias and defense forces. These vary wildly in quality and equipment. Some worlds maintain professional militaries with modern equipment; others rely on armed civilians and hope for the best.
The Confederacy has no authority over these forces and no ability to standardize them. Each world defends itself as it sees fit. During wartime, planetary forces may cooperate with Confederate operations, but this is voluntary—the Assembly cannot compel any world to commit troops.
The Confederacy's real military strength lies in its privateers.
During times of conflict, the Assembly issues Letters of Marque authorizing private vessels to attack enemy shipping. This transforms the Confederacy's massive civilian fleet—all those ships owned by that 43% of the population—into a dispersed raiding force that's nearly impossible to counter.
Privateers are not military personnel. They hold no rank, wear no uniform, and answer to no admiral. They operate under the terms of their Letter of Marque: attack enemy shipping, don't attack neutrals, bring prizes to Confederate ports for adjudication. Beyond that, they're on their own.
Privateering is technically regulated, but the line between privateer and pirate is blurry at best. Many "privateers" continue their activities during peacetime, preying on Terran shipping with a thin veneer of legality. The Confederacy officially disapproves. The Confederacy does very little about it.
Famous privateers like Emelyn Achenson and her ship Spring's Endeavour are celebrated figures in Confederacy culture, regardless of how the great powers view them.
A Letter of Marque is issued by the Confederate Assembly (or, in urgent circumstances, by a planetary governor with Assembly confirmation). The Letter specifies:
Violating the terms of a Letter—attacking neutral shipping, failing to bring prizes for adjudication, continuing operations after expiration—theoretically voids the Letter and makes the captain a pirate subject to prosecution. In practice, enforcement is lax.
The Confederate Navy operates whatever it can get its hands on. The fleet includes:
Standardization is a foreign concept. Two Confederate ships of the same "class" may have completely different weapons loadouts, sensor suites, and internal configurations. This makes logistics a nightmare but also makes the fleet unpredictable.
The Navy maintains repair and resupply facilities at Constitution Station and several secondary bases throughout Confederate space. During wartime, friendly planetary facilities supplement these—for a price.