The Saudi State [FT: Earth: Empires]

[Saudi States]

WIP - Please do not post

The Saudi State


Coat of Arms of the House of Saud

To call the vying powers and interests of the Saudi factions a State right now is almost farcical.

Head of State: Imam Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz

Head Of Government: Prince Ahmed bin Hussein (First Minister)

Population: 100 Million dispersed throughout the desert and in the crowded, poor cities.

Current State of Saudi Government: The Saudi state has been reorganized with the unification of the states. Groups of people, rather than regions, are the organizational basis of the new government. Overseers appointed by the Imam are given governance over a group of registered tribes. The tribes are tracked wherever they go and must biannually report for a census and/or tribute to the government. Tribute can be paid in several forms but the main ones are military, where the clan submits its warriors to the state on a temporary basis, or with money. As most tribes are poor, the state usually has an ample supply of auxiliary cavalry. This also means it is nearly impossible for the tribes to act independently of the government. So a steady, forced peace has taken hold in the state.

Formerly - Pre-Unification
The only thing that could possibly be called the Saudi states are the territories held by claimants to the House of Saud. There are several, but most control little more than a small band of warriors and a few desert tents. The three major claimants to the Saudi State are Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Sa'ud bin Abdur Rahman Al Saud, Faisal bin Abdur Sa'ud Al Saud who each represent some of the varying interests of the Saudi state. Abdullah represents those in the Cities, Sa'ud represents the nomadic tribes, and Faisal represents radical Islamic sects. These three men have managed to unite some part of the Saudi territories to their cause. Each has a legitimate claim to the Throne, however Abdullah has the most senior claim.

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History: The Saudi Imamate was once a powerful and dominant force on the Arabian Peninsula. Their rule spread across the peninsula. The Saudi Imams overthrew the Ottomans permanently and established an Independent state in the late 19th century. The state prospered for a number of years, reaping the benefits of its vast oil reserves. However, the ruling family disputed who owned what. The factions of the family began to skirmish with one another as the Imam Abd ar-Raḥmān grew old and incoherent in the mid 21st century. Foreign pressures and internal infighting broke the nation apart when the Imam died and his young son also died. The family broke into several factions that slowly lost their grip on the Peninsula. Today the nation is backwards and divided.

Recently however some of the factions have began to rally behind three of the strongest claimants to the throne, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Sa'ud bin Abdur Rahman Al Saud, Faisal bin Abdur Sa'ud Al Saud who by no means totally dominate their spheres but have managed to pacify them somewhat.

Prince Abdullah and Malik, his "sword", built a new army, won the support of foreign powers and swept through the peninsula unifying all of the tribes under a single government and declaring a new imamate. The state was reorganized and the new army solidified.

Military:

Formerly
The state has no unified military force as it is not a centralized state. Most of the military of the Princes are desert nomads mounted on actual horses using dilapidated equipment bought from other nations. The tribes are highly militarized while the cities are slightly less so. The Saudis are brilliant horsemen and light infantry.

Arabian Horsemen

Arabian Horsemen are largely drawn from the nomadic tribes, although each city has a large contingent of these warriors. They are usually totally unarmored or only slightly so. They are mounted on superb, steeds, that have been genetically enhanced in times past through selective breeding and other methods. These steeds are lightning fast and resilient to the heat. They usually wield an array of weapons provided by the individual warrior of the city and thus they wield muskets, carbines, pistols, Swords, and lances. Many warriors carry several weapons. Groups of horsemen carry old kinetic shield generators to protect their general area. These horsemen are highly light and maneuverable, excellent as dragoons, light cavalry, etc. They prefer guerrilla style warfare. Emphasis is placed on individual bravery.

Arabian Infantry
These come in three variants, the Musketeer units and the Melee units, and the most common mixed type. The musketeer units are usually totally unarmored and drawn from the poor of the poor of the Arab cities. Melee units are more prestigious and the best ones come from the cities. They are either heavily armored in old powersuits or very lightly armored. The heavier types come from the cities while the tribes prefer to employ lightly armored types. Most locations however cannot afford to distinguish between musket and melee and just have "Infantry" that attacks in mobs. The quality of the infantry really depends where they are drawn from.

[Saudi States]

The Army of the Imamate

Organization

This is a work in progress in both IC terms and in rl building terms.

The Prince's Corps

-Headquarters Division
-- 2nd Royal Horse "Prince's Own"
-- 4th Desert Cavalry Regiment
-- 5th Desert Cavalry Regiment
-- 2nd Royal Gaurd Infantry Regiment
-- 16th Royal Djinn Regiment

- 1st Division
1st Brigade (Savoyard Captain Alain Favre, Brevetted Brigadier General)
-- 1st Riyadh Lion Infantry Regiment "Lions of the East"
-- 10th Riyadh Infantry Regiment
2nd Brigade
-- 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment (1,000 Dutch Line Infantry)
-- 12th Foreign Light Infantry Regiment (500 Dutch Light Infantry)

- 2nd Division
1st Brigade (Lieutenant Henry Thomas Horton, Seventh Baronet of Westmeath, Brevetted Brigadier General)
-- 5th Riyadh Lion Infantry Regiment
-- 2nd Riyadh Lion Infantry Regiment "Lions of the West"
2nd Brigade
-- 13th Foreign Jannisary Regiment (1st Jannisary Regiment, Eartern Roman Jannisaries)
-- 14th Foreign Jannisary Regiment (5th Jannisary Regiment, Eartern Roman Jannisaries)
-- 15th Foreign Jannisary Regiment (11th Jannisary Regiment, Eartern Roman Jannisaries)

Artillery Division

Infantry Types

- Royal Guard Infantry

Much like Napoleon's Imperial Guard, these men are the ultimate warriors and precious reserves of the Saudi armies. These men are not drawn from the dregs of society as much of the new model infantry is, they are from the elite warrior class of the Saudi state and drilled in the technique of the musket. These men are given personal suits of armor, swords, and the best musketry available to the Saudi State, their weapons have superior range and accuracy than most muskets however no bayonet to speed up reload time somewhat. They have a much different doctrine than the speed and maneuvering training of the regular infantry. These men are trained to be accurate, deadly killers. Their emphasis is on fanaticism, for they are to be deployed only at a crucial or hopeless point in a battle. They are to provide a sudden, feirce presence to the key area of the battlefield and never falter. they have only two modes, attacking or dying, their is no retreat. While they have immense fire capabilities, albeit slow, and great morale boost to the soldiers they are supporting, they are slower on the march. They are to be a death blow to the enemy, the heavy knockout punch after several quick stinging strikes. They are most at home with the sword and in melee they are without match. Once committed however, their doctrines do not permit them to retreat so once committed to a charge they will either drive the enemy away or die in glorious carnage. Due to their last ditch use only, they are usually used to guard the rear & supply lines.

- Lion Infantry

Much like the "Guards" of other armies, the Lions of Arabia are the elite core of the New Model Army. They are composed of the first new style units and have received extensive drilling in both European and Arabian style warfare. They have been trained in a mixture of different styles but the biggest emphasis has been on Speed and hitting power. They have adopted the deadly British fire-by-ranks style, but theirs is slower and is usually only done for a very short, hard hitting time. While they have adopted British firing drilling, Russian maneuvering and training styles have dominated. Inspired by the classical tomes of Suvorov, the men are drilled heavily on endurance and aggression. They usually move very lightly to accommodate for desert terrain but they drill in full gear. Emphasis in their tactics are move in fast and get very close, let off a massive volley and close in for the kill. Their motto is "March forward for Allah! Never a step backwards!" Retreat is not mentioned in their training manuals, only means by which to disengage to attack elsewhere. Men in these regiments are not to be mindless automata but inspired, intelligent warriors, trained to think independently.

- Line Infantry

Trained in a similar fashion as the Lions, except less emphasis is placed on the individual. Some independent thinking is allowed, but these units are intended for mass attacks. They do not have the precision firing drills of the lions, but fire standardly. Much of their training is simply endurance - they run through the desert almost daily. Their emphasis is speed and maneuverability, able to move anywhere needed to provide quick and massed fire. Their tactics are to march in large formations with significant reserves. The reserves are used as internal line reinforcements, placed at the discretion of the commander. They are to engage, test the enemy weakness, once it is found, fire is to be massed on that area (provided by the internally moving flexible units) and then the enemy is to be broken. Marksmanship is really not trained, simply massed fire and melee abilities. Again speed is key, especially to cover the vast desert expanses. They are massed, glorified light infantry.

- Light Infantry

While each battalion fields a platoon of light infantry, light infantry regiments do exist independent of line infantry regiments. They are not used solely to support infantry units either, but have their own independent uses in battle. Light infantry have only their weapons, ammunition, and the clothes on their back. Light infantry is the most traditional of the Arabian musket troops, fighting in this manner in the desert for thousands of years. They are feircely independent and intelligent fighters. They are drawn almost exclusively from the desert tribes. They are lighting fast, skilled at tracking, gueriila warfare, hit and run tactics, and sharpshooting. They can vanish into a landscape and reappear with their muskets pointing at your face. Light infantry not only screens infantry, but it also harasses the enemy and is used quick strikes. They wont stand in a toe to toe slugfest but are expert at hard and fast strikes.

- Djinn Infantry

The traditional warriors of the Arabian tribes and states. These men are from an old warrior caste. They are drawn mostly from the desert tribes, but many cities maintain contingents of these warriors. They are unmatched in the desert, specializing in guerrilla hit and run. They are lightning fast, unencumbered by heavy musket, shot, or heavy uniforms. They are equipped utilitarianly, with only the most essentials in order to maximize their speed. They wield deadly power scimitars and carry reinforced metal shields that are not very large, but offer great precise protection. They have trained to use their shields to deflect bayonet stabs with their shields, push the muskets down away from its user and close with their swords. It is a lethal tactic for taking out regular infantry. With their speed, they are used to provide decisive blows wherever needed. They are kept in reserve until the enemy has been tested by the line infantry. When the time to deliver the death blow comes, the Melee infantry are rushed in. Every Batallion has a platoon of Djinn armed with spears, small shields, and muskets. They occupy the rear most ranks and are the platoon's reserve troops. The primary role of the Djinn platoon is to protect the flanks of the battalion from cavalry and to form the front rank when the battalion prepares to charge.

- Auxiliary Infantry

Tribal infantry pressed into temporary service to the state as tribute from their tribes. They are masters of the desert. They are exactly like the regular light infantry troops except they lack the discipline of the traditional light infantry. The use of the auxiliary infantry largely depends on their commander. They can be used as additional light infantry skirmishers, ambush troops, or they can be massed and thrown together as additional line infantry. Despite not usually wanting to fight, they are stubborn and proud fighters and good commanders will exploit this in them. This means judging their willingness to fight is difficult as they can either have no desire to fight and wish to leave or be full of pride and stubbornly fight on. Regardless of which extreme they are on, it usually means they are difficult to command. They arm themselves usually and have an array of firepower and melee weaponry. The auxiliary infantry is also the old style of infantry employed by the princely armies. Those auxiliaries employed by the Princely armies are akin to death sentences. Old strategy would be to use them as fodder to cover the real soldiers.