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Description
The Taurian Defense Force (or TDF) is the military of the Taurian Concordat. The TDF has traditionally been known for being the largest, best trained, best motivated and best equipped military in the Periphery or Deep Periphery (excluding the Clans). However, the TDF still pales in comparison with Successor State militaries, especially with that of the neighboring Federated Suns. Indeed, a history of aggression (both real and imagined) by House Davion has put the Concordat on a state of high alert (some would say a state of paranoia) for much of its existence, lest the forced annexation of the Concordat begun in the Reunification War were to be completed.
One of the defining characteristics of the Taurian Defense Force is its fierce pride and fanatical devotion to defending the Concordat against outside aggression by any means the enemy makes necessary. Having never been signatory to the Ares Conventions, no quarter will be asked or expected by the TDF, and no "dirty trick" is above use in the defense of the homeland. This includes even the deliberate targeting of enemy JumpShips operating as part of an invasion force.[
Strategically, during the Succession Wars era the Concordat could not afford to conduct a defensive campaign similar to that used during the Reunification War, where it concentrated around protecting important worlds and was able to trade space for time. With its shrunken size after the Reunification War, nearly all of the remaining border worlds of the Taurian Concordat are vital to the Concordat's survival, requiring the static deployment of its military forces as far forward as possible and leaving little strategic reserves. In the event of another Inner Sphere invasion, the TDF Navy would deploy to engage the enemy as far forward as possible (and sacrifice themselves if necessary) to blunt any advance on the Hyades Cluster. Ground forces not part of a permanent garrison would operate as Special Task Groups to conduct a variety of missions, launching local counterattacks or raiding deep behind enemy lines to disrupt lines of communication. Eventually though the TDF would either be forced to withdraw again into the Hyades Cluster, surrendering many of its key industrial centers, or launch a desperate counterattack, with which its weakened military industrial complex may not be able to cope.
Tactically, the TDF was unable to practice true combined-arms warfare in the modern sense during the Succession Wars era, as the few 'Mech and aerospace fighter assets it possessed were thinly spread and deployed on a rotating basis. Conventional forces were able to work seamlessly together, giving the TDF a significant advantage, but any cooperation between them and any 'Mech or ASF assets locally available was often of an ad hoc nature. At the same time, many 'Mech regiments did have conventional forces permanently attached, providing them with needed support.
The Taurian Defense Force operates on a variation of the standard Inner Sphere model (see below table). 'Mech regiments are slightly larger than typical and will include a command lance. Conventional units not attached to a corps were permanently assigned to garrison a world. Armor regiments do not use a separate command unit, instead the regimental commander operates among the line units so as to improve their own survivability. Since infantry regiments rarely rotate offworld, many of their individual battalions train in a specialization, though anti-'Mech training is a given for all battalion-level units and higher. Additionally, each infantry regiment will also include a dedicated platoon of commandos trained in demolition, infiltration and other special warfare techniques.
Here are the name of a few of the most famous unit of the Taurian Concordat Defense Forces:
Taurian Guards Corps,

Pleiades Lancers,

Hyades Light Infantry,

Dumassas Legionnaires,

Calderon Red Hand.

The Taurian Concordat is an interstellar nation located in the Periphery. Founded as a constitutional monarchy under the leadership of House Calderon, the Taurian Concordat is one of the oldest surviving realms since the collapse of the Terran Alliance. Taurian citizens enjoy extensive freedoms guaranteed by the Concordat Charter and take pride in defending those freedoms through compulsory service. The Taurian Concordat has had an antagonistic relationship with the Inner Sphere, particularly against the Federated Suns, and is driven by a desire to expand its borders through colonization and protect its hard-won freedoms from outside aggression.
The Taurian Concordat traces its beginnings to Samantha Calderon, a woman whose family was murdered by the Terran Alliance and soon found herself in dire straits when that government's collapse left the Outer Reaches in chaos. After securing sufficient funding for a deep-space exploration effort, the Calderon Expedition left known space in 2250. Nearly two years later, they reached the Hyades Cluster, with Samantha the first to step foot on Taurus on 23 January, 2253. Over the next century the Taurians thrived in their isolation, expanding out to colonize the rest of the Hyades Cluster and outlying systems, while at the same time running into refugees fleeing war and oppression in the Inner Sphere. In 2335, Richard Calderon announced the creation of the Taurian Concordat, allowing those systems which joined to maintain their internal affairs while pledging to come to the common defense of all.
As the Concordat expanded, so did it come into more regular contact with the Inner Sphere. Due to a series of unfortunate events involving the Capellan Confederation and the Federated Suns, the Concordat became embroiled in conflict with the Federation, an event which would spark centuries of animosity towards House Davion. After the Great Houses banded together to form the Star League in 2570, they tried to convince the Taurian Concordat and other major powers of the Periphery to join as well, an offer which was politely but strongly declined. Eventually, the Star League gave them a final choice: join us or else. The Periphery refused, and for twenty-five years the Reunification War raged, causing immense destruction within the Concordat as both the Taurians and Star League fought with every tool at their disposal, including nuclear weapons. By the conflict's end, one in five Taurians were dead and the Concordat was made a Territorial State of the Star League.
The Taurian Concordat chafed under the rule of the Star League: slight increases in living standards and fewer pirate attacks were not worth the cost of being exploited and oppressed by distant masters. When Stefan Amaris of the Rim Worlds Republic approached the other Periphery leaders about a conspiracy to win their freedom, they agreed. The New Vandenberg Uprising began in 2765 when Nicoletta Calderon allowed several Concordat worlds to secede from the Star League, an act which would lead directly to the Star League Civil War. Though Stefan Amaris went back on his word and tried to retain the Periphery in his new "Amaris Empire," in the end the dissolution of the Star League in 2780 finally won the Concordat its freedom.
Though the Taurian Concordat was not directly affected by the devastating Succession Wars, they nevertheless still felt its effects: severe disruptions in trade and communication, increasing numbers of refugees and pirates spilling into its borders, and a general loss in knowledge and technology. A constant vigil was maintained against any aggression by House Davion, though more often than not any attacks on the Concordat came from its Periphery neighbors, including the Magistracy of Canopus.
When Houses Davion and Steiner joined to form the Federated Commonwealth in 3028, fears that this new superstate would once again try to conquer the Concordat spurred Thomas Calderon to put the Taurian Defense Force on high alert and vastly increase military funding at the expense of other programs. This state of affairs, coupled with Thomas blaming every setback on "Davion saboteurs," put him in opposition to members of the Far Lookers group and members of his own government. Even the Clan Invasion was first dismissed as a plot hatched by the Davions to distract the Periphery. His death in 3055 and Jeffrey Calderon's ascension brought relief from these policies and a change towards greater cooperation, first with the Magistracy and then the Capellan Confederation. The Trinity Alliance would bring greater access to technology and resources to the Concordat, in exchange for allowing some TDF forces to participate in the Capellan-St. Ives War.
Eighty-one years after the Calderon Protectorate was formed, on 29 August 3147, Protector Sam Calderon and Kaff Doru announced that Doru's twelve-year-old daughter Reva and Calderon's eight-year-old son Bryant would marry once Bryant turned eighteen. This meant that in 3157 the Calderon Protectorate and Taurian Concordat were scheduled to reunify as one nation again. Until then, the two nations would expand their trade relations and engage in mutual defense operations, with additional safeguards to prevent events like the Bromhead Massacre of 3067.

Taurians are proud to live in not only one of the oldest but what they see as the freest society in known space. Freedom of speech and the press not only allows the average citizen to express their views without fear of government censorship but for the creation of a multitude of news sources and political parties who have made arguing over everything something of a sport. Freedom of religion has allowed all faiths to flourish within Taurian society, and though some localities of like-minded individuals may create laws based on their particular interpretations the national government is wholly secular. Perhaps the largest religious following in the Concordat is Deism (which, despite reports to the contrary, is not the official state religion but has received personal support by various Protectors over the years), while the philosophy of the Far Lookers plays on traditional Taurian beliefs in their pioneering founders' courage and man's destiny to conquer the stars.
This love of liberty also explains in part the virulent anti-Davion strain in Taurian culture, beyond the history of aggressive acts (both real and imagined) committed against the Concordat. Many see the Davions as hypocrites, espousing ideals like democracy and freedom but operating for all intents and purposes as a military dictatorship. On worlds with interconnected computer networks, the most popular MMO (massively multiplayer online) games are those which recreate the Reunification War or otherwise feature the Davions as antagonists. This hatred and suspicion of the Davions permeates the government as well, with the military ever-ready to fight its counterpart in the Federated Suns and some foreign policy initiatives based simply on tweaking the nose of House Davion.
Perhaps the only thing Taurians value more than their liberty is the education needed to sustain it. Even before the Reunification War the Concordat's educational system was one of the best, serving even as a model for Houses Davion and Liao. During their occupation the Star League attempted to enforce a curriculum more favorable to their viewpoint, but many Taurians resisted such attempts and when their independence was regained the government quickly moved to rebuild the system to its former glory. Ample funding ensures that even the poorest planet is able to provide public education for everyone ages three to eighteen, along with many alternatives such as private academies and homeschooling. After graduating from secondary school Taurians can begin their compulsory state service, apply to one of the many professional schools for additional technical training, or apply to one of the prestigious universities. In 3025 the Concordat had six universities, graduating on average 40,000 students each year, with a seventh added in 3068.
The Concordat also boasts a lively arts and entertainment scene, none more so than its publishing industry. Love of the written word is fed by a very high literacy rate, while the income authors derive from their published works is considered tax-exempt. Another prominent feature are the Concordat Games, a triennial competition celebrating the ancient martial arts: sharpshooting, hand-to-hand combat, and swordsmanship are among the various war games celebrated by the Games. The ultimate competition is a ten-team paintball battle with the winning side earning the title of Concordat's Defenders.
Major Defense Industries
Sterope Defense Industries
Pinard Protectorates Limited
Taurus Territorial Industries
Vandenberg Mechanized Industries
Wingman Enterprises Limited

Description
The Taurian Defense Force (or TDF) is the military of the Taurian Concordat. The TDF has traditionally been known for being the largest, best trained, best motivated and best equipped military in the Periphery or Deep Periphery (excluding the Clans). However, the TDF still pales in comparison with Successor State militaries, especially with that of the neighboring Federated Suns. Indeed, a history of aggression (both real and imagined) by House Davion has put the Concordat on a state of high alert (some would say a state of paranoia) for much of its existence, lest the forced annexation of the Concordat begun in the Reunification War were to be completed.
One of the defining characteristics of the Taurian Defense Force is its fierce pride and fanatical devotion to defending the Concordat against outside aggression by any means the enemy makes necessary. Having never been signatory to the Ares Conventions, no quarter will be asked or expected by the TDF, and no "dirty trick" is above use in the defense of the homeland. This includes even the deliberate targeting of enemy JumpShips operating as part of an invasion force.[
Strategically, during the Succession Wars era the Concordat could not afford to conduct a defensive campaign similar to that used during the Reunification War, where it concentrated around protecting important worlds and was able to trade space for time. With its shrunken size after the Reunification War, nearly all of the remaining border worlds of the Taurian Concordat are vital to the Concordat's survival, requiring the static deployment of its military forces as far forward as possible and leaving little strategic reserves. In the event of another Inner Sphere invasion, the TDF Navy would deploy to engage the enemy as far forward as possible (and sacrifice themselves if necessary) to blunt any advance on the Hyades Cluster. Ground forces not part of a permanent garrison would operate as Special Task Groups to conduct a variety of missions, launching local counterattacks or raiding deep behind enemy lines to disrupt lines of communication. Eventually though the TDF would either be forced to withdraw again into the Hyades Cluster, surrendering many of its key industrial centers, or launch a desperate counterattack, with which its weakened military industrial complex may not be able to cope.
Tactically, the TDF was unable to practice true combined-arms warfare in the modern sense during the Succession Wars era, as the few 'Mech and aerospace fighter assets it possessed were thinly spread and deployed on a rotating basis. Conventional forces were able to work seamlessly together, giving the TDF a significant advantage, but any cooperation between them and any 'Mech or ASF assets locally available was often of an ad hoc nature. At the same time, many 'Mech regiments did have conventional forces permanently attached, providing them with needed support.
The Taurian Defense Force operates on a variation of the standard Inner Sphere model (see below table). 'Mech regiments are slightly larger than typical and will include a command lance. Conventional units not attached to a corps were permanently assigned to garrison a world. Armor regiments do not use a separate command unit, instead the regimental commander operates among the line units so as to improve their own survivability. Since infantry regiments rarely rotate offworld, many of their individual battalions train in a specialization, though anti-'Mech training is a given for all battalion-level units and higher. Additionally, each infantry regiment will also include a dedicated platoon of commandos trained in demolition, infiltration and other special warfare techniques.
Here are the name of a few of the most famous unit of the Taurian Concordat Defense Forces:
Taurian Guards Corps,

Pleiades Lancers,

Hyades Light Infantry,

Dumassas Legionnaires,

Calderon Red Hand.

The Taurian Concordat is an interstellar nation located in the Periphery. Founded as a constitutional monarchy under the leadership of House Calderon, the Taurian Concordat is one of the oldest surviving realms since the collapse of the Terran Alliance. Taurian citizens enjoy extensive freedoms guaranteed by the Concordat Charter and take pride in defending those freedoms through compulsory service. The Taurian Concordat has had an antagonistic relationship with the Inner Sphere, particularly against the Federated Suns, and is driven by a desire to expand its borders through colonization and protect its hard-won freedoms from outside aggression.
The Taurian Concordat traces its beginnings to Samantha Calderon, a woman whose family was murdered by the Terran Alliance and soon found herself in dire straits when that government's collapse left the Outer Reaches in chaos. After securing sufficient funding for a deep-space exploration effort, the Calderon Expedition left known space in 2250. Nearly two years later, they reached the Hyades Cluster, with Samantha the first to step foot on Taurus on 23 January, 2253. Over the next century the Taurians thrived in their isolation, expanding out to colonize the rest of the Hyades Cluster and outlying systems, while at the same time running into refugees fleeing war and oppression in the Inner Sphere. In 2335, Richard Calderon announced the creation of the Taurian Concordat, allowing those systems which joined to maintain their internal affairs while pledging to come to the common defense of all.
As the Concordat expanded, so did it come into more regular contact with the Inner Sphere. Due to a series of unfortunate events involving the Capellan Confederation and the Federated Suns, the Concordat became embroiled in conflict with the Federation, an event which would spark centuries of animosity towards House Davion. After the Great Houses banded together to form the Star League in 2570, they tried to convince the Taurian Concordat and other major powers of the Periphery to join as well, an offer which was politely but strongly declined. Eventually, the Star League gave them a final choice: join us or else. The Periphery refused, and for twenty-five years the Reunification War raged, causing immense destruction within the Concordat as both the Taurians and Star League fought with every tool at their disposal, including nuclear weapons. By the conflict's end, one in five Taurians were dead and the Concordat was made a Territorial State of the Star League.
The Taurian Concordat chafed under the rule of the Star League: slight increases in living standards and fewer pirate attacks were not worth the cost of being exploited and oppressed by distant masters. When Stefan Amaris of the Rim Worlds Republic approached the other Periphery leaders about a conspiracy to win their freedom, they agreed. The New Vandenberg Uprising began in 2765 when Nicoletta Calderon allowed several Concordat worlds to secede from the Star League, an act which would lead directly to the Star League Civil War. Though Stefan Amaris went back on his word and tried to retain the Periphery in his new "Amaris Empire," in the end the dissolution of the Star League in 2780 finally won the Concordat its freedom.
Though the Taurian Concordat was not directly affected by the devastating Succession Wars, they nevertheless still felt its effects: severe disruptions in trade and communication, increasing numbers of refugees and pirates spilling into its borders, and a general loss in knowledge and technology. A constant vigil was maintained against any aggression by House Davion, though more often than not any attacks on the Concordat came from its Periphery neighbors, including the Magistracy of Canopus.
When Houses Davion and Steiner joined to form the Federated Commonwealth in 3028, fears that this new superstate would once again try to conquer the Concordat spurred Thomas Calderon to put the Taurian Defense Force on high alert and vastly increase military funding at the expense of other programs. This state of affairs, coupled with Thomas blaming every setback on "Davion saboteurs," put him in opposition to members of the Far Lookers group and members of his own government. Even the Clan Invasion was first dismissed as a plot hatched by the Davions to distract the Periphery. His death in 3055 and Jeffrey Calderon's ascension brought relief from these policies and a change towards greater cooperation, first with the Magistracy and then the Capellan Confederation. The Trinity Alliance would bring greater access to technology and resources to the Concordat, in exchange for allowing some TDF forces to participate in the Capellan-St. Ives War.
Eighty-one years after the Calderon Protectorate was formed, on 29 August 3147, Protector Sam Calderon and Kaff Doru announced that Doru's twelve-year-old daughter Reva and Calderon's eight-year-old son Bryant would marry once Bryant turned eighteen. This meant that in 3157 the Calderon Protectorate and Taurian Concordat were scheduled to reunify as one nation again. Until then, the two nations would expand their trade relations and engage in mutual defense operations, with additional safeguards to prevent events like the Bromhead Massacre of 3067.

Taurians are proud to live in not only one of the oldest but what they see as the freest society in known space. Freedom of speech and the press not only allows the average citizen to express their views without fear of government censorship but for the creation of a multitude of news sources and political parties who have made arguing over everything something of a sport. Freedom of religion has allowed all faiths to flourish within Taurian society, and though some localities of like-minded individuals may create laws based on their particular interpretations the national government is wholly secular. Perhaps the largest religious following in the Concordat is Deism (which, despite reports to the contrary, is not the official state religion but has received personal support by various Protectors over the years), while the philosophy of the Far Lookers plays on traditional Taurian beliefs in their pioneering founders' courage and man's destiny to conquer the stars.
This love of liberty also explains in part the virulent anti-Davion strain in Taurian culture, beyond the history of aggressive acts (both real and imagined) committed against the Concordat. Many see the Davions as hypocrites, espousing ideals like democracy and freedom but operating for all intents and purposes as a military dictatorship. On worlds with interconnected computer networks, the most popular MMO (massively multiplayer online) games are those which recreate the Reunification War or otherwise feature the Davions as antagonists. This hatred and suspicion of the Davions permeates the government as well, with the military ever-ready to fight its counterpart in the Federated Suns and some foreign policy initiatives based simply on tweaking the nose of House Davion.
Perhaps the only thing Taurians value more than their liberty is the education needed to sustain it. Even before the Reunification War the Concordat's educational system was one of the best, serving even as a model for Houses Davion and Liao. During their occupation the Star League attempted to enforce a curriculum more favorable to their viewpoint, but many Taurians resisted such attempts and when their independence was regained the government quickly moved to rebuild the system to its former glory. Ample funding ensures that even the poorest planet is able to provide public education for everyone ages three to eighteen, along with many alternatives such as private academies and homeschooling. After graduating from secondary school Taurians can begin their compulsory state service, apply to one of the many professional schools for additional technical training, or apply to one of the prestigious universities. In 3025 the Concordat had six universities, graduating on average 40,000 students each year, with a seventh added in 3068.
The Concordat also boasts a lively arts and entertainment scene, none more so than its publishing industry. Love of the written word is fed by a very high literacy rate, while the income authors derive from their published works is considered tax-exempt. Another prominent feature are the Concordat Games, a triennial competition celebrating the ancient martial arts: sharpshooting, hand-to-hand combat, and swordsmanship are among the various war games celebrated by the Games. The ultimate competition is a ten-team paintball battle with the winning side earning the title of Concordat's Defenders.
Major Defense Industries
Sterope Defense Industries
Pinard Protectorates Limited
Taurus Territorial Industries
Vandenberg Mechanized Industries
Wingman Enterprises Limited