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| - The USE Army was the Army of the United States of Europe. It was modeled on the army of the New United States, which was in turn modeled on the up-time United States Army. Its commanding general was Lennart Torstensson, and Frank Jackson served as his advisor on up-time military matters. After the middle of 1635, it was composed of three divisions: the First, under George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg; the Second, under Dodo zu Innhausen und Knyphausen; and the Third , under Michael Stearns.
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| abstract
| - The USE Army was the Army of the United States of Europe. It was modeled on the army of the New United States, which was in turn modeled on the up-time United States Army. Its commanding general was Lennart Torstensson, and Frank Jackson served as his advisor on up-time military matters. After the middle of 1635, it was composed of three divisions: the First, under George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg; the Second, under Dodo zu Innhausen und Knyphausen; and the Third , under Michael Stearns. While the USE Army had mercenary and ex-mercenary components, much of it was composed of citizen volunteers. Many of those volunteers were recruited by the Committees of Correspondence, and significant numbers were either sympathetic to, or members of, the Committees. This gave the USE Army some advantages; even officers who didn't really care for the attitude of the CoC regiments acknowledged that they could, and would, fight. CoC influence in the army was also an issue during Axel Oxenstierna's attempted coup. Oxenstierna wanted the army's divisions tied down outside of the USE out of concern that they might turn on him. In the USE army, ranks and rank insignia were standardized, though brevet ranks were sometimes used. There was a table of organization, which laid out standard names and sizes for infantry units, though it was not always strictly adhered to under field conditions. Units had numbers, though there was a tradition of regiments being known by unofficial names rather than their official unit numbers. Rather than being expected to provide their own gear, or have it provided by their officers, as was normal for 17th century armies, soldiers in the USE army were equipped by the government. This did not just apply to weapons and ammunition, but to basics such as socks and boots. Also, USE soldiers were directly paid by the government through designated payroll officers, and the USE Army, unlike most others, regularly met its payroll. Unlike other armies, the USE Army did not pillage and loot towns after taking them, and treated billeting soldiers on civilians as something to avoid whenever possible. This generally gained them the support of the local populace. The USE Army contained a special group known as the commandos. Led by Harry Lefferts, this small group of special forces were tasked with important operations during and after the Ostend War. In practice, while Mike Stearns was President of the New United States and Prime Minister of the United States of Europe, they were his special unit. The USE Army had the advantage of up-time knowledge and technology, which gave it an edge over its enemies. Developments such as the French Cardinal breechloader and the Russian AK-series rifles and the spread of radio and volley guns appeared likely to narrow the USE Army's technological edge. However, another part of the USE Army's edge came from recognizing the importance of hygiene and sanitation, which meant that USE soldiers were, on average, healthier than those in other armies. In early 1636, the USE Army was probably the most powerful and modern army in the world. However, soldiers in the USE army enlisted for three-year terms. It remains to be seen what will happen when those enlistments begin to expire. After the first battle with the Ottoman Empire, the USE plans to recruit three more divisions (therefore doubling its army size) in just two years
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