Directorate Officer
Caption: the "base proper" and the two starfighter hangars
Name: Carida Military Academy
Image Source: here
Intent: To expand upon the canon material and update the CMA according to the first invasion of Carida and the subsequent tests of fortifications described here
Classification: Planetary Defense Base
Location: Carida
Affiliation: Galactic Republic
Population:
-950 Army troopers (see 171st Assault Battalion below, miscellaneous support personnel)
-250 Naval personnel (pilots, mechanics, other miscellaneous support personnel)
-300 civilian employees (cooks, janitors, etc)
-up to 200 guests for training exercises (see guest barracks below)
Defenses:
-1 Defenstar Nyalsan II Shield Generator(acts as local theatre shield generator)
-1 20mm SCION cannon
-2 Dual Heavy Laser Cannons (Anti-Aircraft defense)
-12 artillery guns (with extended munitions bunkers)
-24 R46 Valiant-class Starfighters
-24 H-6 Scurrg Bombers
-24 Taurek AS/GS Mk I Fighters
-868 Republic Troopers (171st Assault Battalion)
-200 visiting personnel
-10 Z-10T Main Battle Tanks
-18 Arachnid-AT Walkers
-4 Skocha-class Main Battle Tanks
Points of Interest:
Base Proper: With 2 meter thick duracrete walls, The fortified monolithic base that acts an icon for the Academy as a whole is usually referred to commonly as “base proper”, but in actuality, it's official title is “171st Assault Battalion Building Complex B”. The 171st Assault Battalion is a GR TRADOC unit, which acts as the cadre for the training and school units. These permanent troops occupy and maintain the Carida Military Academy and are responsible for the Academy's defense. Most of the 171st continue to live in these same barracks that the planet has had for generations, which have constantly been remodeled to current technological standards. Connected in the same building is a small medical center, a gym, a cafeteria, and an underground motor pool that hosts its heavy vehicles. All of these structures are seemlessly interconnected by ensure that the 171st can continue to train soldiers to the standard before they are transferred to other units within the Republic. On either side of the "base proper" are a pair of heavy laser cannon turrets, which are optimized for anti-air defense, though they can be levelled at ground targets that manage to get over the ramparts.
Command Post: Buried into the heart of the plateau, guarded by Republic troopers, blast doors, and biometric security lies the Carida Military Academy command post. The command post acts as the brain of the base, coordinating the efforts of all of the base's forces for whatever the task is at hand. There are several holo-tanks for real-time mission observation and planning, all fed information by an orbital array of sensor satellites that do everything from weather and communications to early warning and observation. Orders from the command post typically radiate outward through buried ground lines, but it is also host to a Holo-Net console and a powerful subspace transceiver set.
Guest Barracks: Located at the base of the plateau is an area of caves that have been converted and expanded into barracks, originally for a special forces company (which demanded some privacy from the rest of the base for security reasons). Now, the barracks serve as a host for visiting personnel that come to Carida to train with the the 171st Assault Battalion. The guest barracks have hosted everyone from Mandalorians to the Venan Ducal Guard, a local defense force within the Republic. Whatever the nature of the guests, they rarely stay long after training is completed, as there is a constant flow of groups coming in to exchange training or to participate in field exercises.
CMA Starfighter Hangars: Originally built at the start of the Clone Wars, the hangars of the Carida Military Academy have been host from everything to Tie fighters and LAATs to the most modern variations of the X-wing and the Taurek fighter. But like the ships it holds, it has changed with the times, being updated with the most modern technology of the times. Since the last attempted invasion of Carida by the One Sith, these large tubular buildings have been covered in reinforced ferrocrete with durasteel rebar for extra strength. Still, the hangars are visible from space, which makes the command staff feel somewhat uneasy about their defenses. Thankfully, they are a short distance in front of the “base proper”.
The Rampart: Since the last invasion of Carida, the Republic opted to create a fortified wall around the summit of the plateau. At two meters thick and four meters high, this duracrete structure at first appears to be very plain. However, situated on the top of the wall are twenty equally spaced artillery cannons, which are supplied with an extensive underground magazines so that they can provide fire support around the academy. These guns are also used frequently to train new artillerymen, with the northwest quadrant outside of the plateau being zoned off as an impact area for them to fire into.
Description: Set upon a towering plateau, the Carida Military Academy has a long and storied history as the premier military institution in the galaxy for training ground troops dating as far back as the Old Republic. Today, the Carida Military Academy continues to train troops for service in the Galactic Republic under the watchful eye of the 171st Assault Battalion. The 171st Assault Battalion consists of experienced soldiers who act both as cadre to the new recruits undergoing training at the Academy, and as defenders to man the base's defenses in the event of an attack.
The base's infrastructure remains largely unchanged since its use during the Galactic Civil War, though many of the buildings have been remodeled or rebuilt to keep up with the times. Recently, the Republic has began to phase out the subterranean ionization reactors which used to power the base, opting instead to fully commit to geothermal power to power the base. Several of the ionization reactors are still maintained as back-up power sources. Most of the base's barracks and training areas continue sit upon the ground as massive structures. They would be easy targets to hit if not for the base's aging, but still effective Defenstar Nyalsan II Planetary Shield Generator. This shutter-type shield generator can project a dome-like energy field that is capable of stopping most direct fire assaults against the academy, though it does nothing to stop those enemies who move inside of the energy field. To help keep such enemies at bay, the base is equipped with a SCION cannon to deter enemy capital vessels, and a ring of artillery cannons to counterattack enemy artillery or bombard advancing enemies. The Academy continues to use the same hangars as the old Galactic Empire to house two squadrons of R46 Valiant-class Starfighters, two squadrons of H-6 Scurrg Bombers, and two squadrons of Taurek AS/GS Mk I Fighters.
But the real defense of the base lies with the 171st Assault Battalion. This group of highly trained and experienced soldiers are all equipped with Republic Combat Armor and carry standard Republic infantry weapons, including VLR-5 blaster rifles, Judge SAWs, C-22 Fragmentation grenades. The 171st contains a pair of heavy weapons companies, a mechanized company, and a headquarters group who runs the base and its various defenses from its command center. The two heavy weapons companies consist of an equal mix of standard Republic line infantry and those who operate heavier weapons such as a MM-s3 grenade launchers, PLX-2M missile launchers, CASPELs, and FAV-1 flame throwers. At this time, the mechanized portion of the 171st consists of 10 Z-10T Main Battle Tanks, 18 Arachnid-AT Walkers and 4 Skocha-class Main Battle Tanks. The 171st is the real shield that will allow the Republic to hold onto the Carida Military Academy if it is attacked.
History: Please see the wookieepedia article here for an in-depth canon history of the base before it entered the Chaos universe. Many months before the Netherworld event, the Carida Military Academy was attacked by the One Sith during their attempted invasion of the world but they were repulsed by the base's defenders. Since then, the Republic has added additional fortifications and defenses to ensure that the Academy is not easily overrun. Most recently, the CMA's defenses were tested during a field exercise that was a simulation of the world being invaded.
Links:
Operation Downfall: The first invasion of Carida. This thread describes the base's geography and its capabilities during that time frame. I've also grabbed the base's image from this thread.
At the Edge of Dusk: The Republic tests of the base additions in a simulated mock invasion.
