Imperial Guard

Organization and conditions of service
Although the Praetorians resemble in some respects a Legion, they are unlike any of the regular Legions of the Drakon Imperium. Their six cohorts (one less than a legion) are larger, the pay and benefits are better, and its military abilities are reliable. They also receive gifts of money called Donativum from the imperators. The Praetorian cohorts total around 6,000,000 women, recruited from the legions of the regular military.

Each cohort of the Praetorians numbered 1,000,000 women.

The training of guardswomen is more intense than in the legions because of the amount of free time available, when a cohort is not posted or traveling with the imperator. The Guard follows the same lines as those elsewhere. Equipment and armor are also the same with one notable exception — specially decorated breastplates, excellent for parades and state functions. Each guardswoman possesses two suits of armor, one for duty and one for the field.

The Praetorians receive substantially higher pay than other soldiers in any of the legions, on a system known as sesquiplex stipendum, or by pay-and-a-half. So if the legionnaires received 2500 drakos, the guards received 3750 per annum.

On special occasions they receive special donativum from the imperator.

Upon retiring, a soldier of the Praetorians is granted 200,000 drakos which constitute more than 53 annual salaries.

Imperial Cavalry
From its beginnings, the guard usually included a small cavalry detachment, to escort the imperators to important state functions and on military campaigns. Its size was that of 7200 cavalrywomen in 24 squadrons. It was commanded by a tribunus militum and so was, in effect, a 7th Praetorian cohort.

Mission
The Drakon Imperium Imperial Guard serves as the land-based branch of the D.I. military.
 * Preserving the majesty, physical security, political and imperial power, and bodily safety, of the Imperial house, and any other individuals designated by the Imperator.
 * Putting down any and all insurrections.
 * Escorting members of he Imperial house, and any other individuals designated by the Imperator to battles, ceremonies and state functions.
 * Investigating, tracking, and punishing insubordination and treason.

Imperial Guard components
Currently, the Imperial Guard is divided into the Regular Guard, and the Guard Reserve. The Guard is also divided into major branches such as Infantry, Aviation, Signal Corps, Corps of Engineers, and Armor. All Imperial Planetary Guardsmen are considered planetary soldiers unless federalized by the Imperator.

The final stage of Imperial Guard mobilization, known as "activation of the unorganized militia" would effectively place all able bodied males in the service of the D.I. Imperial Guard.

Structure
The Imperial Guard is led by a civilian Minister of the Guard, who has the statutory authority to conduct all the affairs of the Guard; under the authority, direction and control of the Minister of War. The Praetor of the Imperial Guard who is the highest ranked military officer in the Imperial Guard has dual roles; one as the principal military adviser and executive agent for the Minister of the Imperial Guard, i.e. its service chief; and secondly as a member of the Military Council, a body composed of the service chiefs from each of the eight military services belonging to the Ministry of the War who advise the Imperator of the Drakon Imperium, the Minister of War, and the Imperial Security Council on operational military matters, under the guidance of the First Minister of the Military Council.

Operational control of the services follows a chain of command from the Imperator to the Minister of War directly to the Unified Combatant Commanders, who have control of all armed forces units in their geographic or function area of responsibility. Thus, the Ministers of the military ministries (and their respective service chiefs underneath them) only have the responsibility to organize, train and equip their service components. The Imperial Guard provides trained forces to the Combatant Commanders for use as directed by the Minister of War.