ASTRA MILITARUM

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"Men, we are the first, last and often only line of defence the Imperium has against what is out there. You and that fine piece of Imperial weaponry you hold in your hands is all that is keeping humanity alive. Most of you will probably not live to see your second year in the Guard and most of you will probably never see your homeworlds again, but I can guarantee you that when you do fall, with a prayer to the most high and mighty God-Emperor on your lips, you will have earned the right to call yourself a man!"

— Staff Sergeant Vermak, 12th Cadian Shock Regiment

The Astra Militarum, also known as the Imperial Guard in colloquial Low Gothic, is the largest coherent fighting force in the galaxy. They serve as the Imperium of Man's primary combat force and first line of defence from the myriad threats which threaten the existence of the human race in the late 41st Millennium. It is comprised of countless billions of men and women -- hundreds of thousands of different regiments, supported by a vast array of light and heavy armoured vehicles that provide the Guard's primary offensive punch. The Astra Militarum are usually the first Imperial force to respond to a threat if a world's Planetary Defence Force (PDF) fails to suppress it. They also garrison major locations of strategic or cultural interest to the Imperium and are often found in defensive roles. Supported by legions of heavy armour and thundering artillery, the Imperial Guard fight a never-ending war for the survival of Mankind in an unrelentingly hostile universe.

The Astra Militarum is often referred to as the "Hammer of the Emperor" -- the sheer amount of force that the Imperial Guard can bring to bear on the enemy is devastating, but is not as direct or as precise as their Space Marine allies, who are described as the "Scalpel of the Emperor." There is no universal uniform or regimental command hierarchy in the Imperial Guard, although it is compulsory for every regiment to have at least one Commissar to maintain the discipline and morale of the men while watching for any signs of corruption or taint in the ranks. However, it is worth noting that a number of worlds copy the uniform used by the regiments of the Cadian Shock Troops, who are viewed as being the most effective of the Imperial Guard's infantry units. The main tactic of the Imperial Guard is to overwhelm the enemy with their endless numbers, while at the same time hammer them into submission with devastating artillery and crush them with powerful main battle tanks.

The Imperial Army was a vital part of the expedition fleets sent out to claim the stars in the Emperor's name. Gargantuan numbers of brave troops -- millions growing to billions of men, ranks of armoured battle tanks and mighty armadas of capital-class starships -- were raised, all subordinate to the Legiones Astartes. At first, the Imperial Army was employed for garrison duties and to mop up resistance in the wake of the Legions' assaults, utilised where the back of an enemy was broken and Compliance to the Imperium required only a watchful presence. Eventually, certainly by the time the Crusade reached the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy, the Imperial Army was deployed at the forefront of the Crusade, fighting alongside the power- armoured super-soldiers of the Adeptus Astartes. But everything changed when the galaxy was ripped asunder by the treachery of the Warmaster Horus, triggering a cataclysmic interstellar civil war that engulfed the newly founded Imperium.

In the aftermath of the Horus Heresy, the organisational structure of the forces of the Imperium were revised significantly. To prevent the possibility of large-scale rebellion occurring again, the titanic armies of the Imperial forces were divided. The nine remaining Loyalist Space Marine Legions were split into Chapters. The Imperial Army, as it was, ceased to exist. The link between fleet and army was severed; never again would ground commanders be given direct control over interstellar warships. From its ashes were born the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Guard -- known officially as the Astra Militarum. The Astra Militarum was reorganised into planetary-sized units known as "Militarum Regimentos," which in turn were divided into smaller regiments. Commissars of the Officio Prefectus were introduced to ensure loyalty and discipline. The interdependence of the newly formed Imperial Guard ensured that, should a regiment turn against their oaths, they would not be able to spread their treachery beyond a single world, and should a Navy fleet mutiny then they would not have the ability to re-supply or deploy ground troops. The Imperium had learnt a painful lesson from the dark days of the Horus Heresy, one its rulers were determined never to repeat in the grim days to come.

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