Zero, M, FB, Plus, 7, 7Gin, D7, F
Illustrated by funbolt
Caption:
• The Earth Unified Forces, which were prepared and maintained for an interstellar war with aliens, suffered devastating damage in the First Interstellar War. After the war, the Unified Earth Forces was reorganized under the Unified Government and now also had duties such as escorting the Emigrant Fleets.
The Earth Unified Government
The "Earth Unified Forces", the unified organization directed by the Unified Government
In preparation for an encounter with aliens or an interstellar war, the "Earth Unified Forces" were organized to unify the military forces of all the countries on the Earth.
The Earth Unified Forces—which were established with the inauguration of the Earth Unified Government in January 2001 (it's also said that they were officially inaugurated in February of the same year)—were initially formed mainly from the armed forces of the former Western nations. This was due to the presence of former Eastern Bloc countries that formed an Anti Unification Alliance in opposition to the proposed Unified Government. In other words, when the Earth Unified Government was inaugurated, the Earth was divided into two groups: the unification faction and the anti unification faction. Armed conflicts between the unification faction and the Anti Unification Alliance frequently occurred in such places as the Middle East from the preceding year, and they later developed into the "Unification War".* Thus, the first opponent in battle for the Unified Forces was not aliens, but fellow Earthlings. The 2008 "Bird Man" incident brought the "Unification War" to an end. In February 2009 of the following year, however, the alien "Zentrādi" attacked the Earth, and the Unified Forces commenced hostilities with their rightful enemy.
In preparation for this "rightful enemy", in May 2001 during the Unification War, the Unified Forces began constructing Alaska Base, which would become their military headquarters, and the "Grand Cannon", a wide-area attack system for use against space fleets. At the same time, the Unified Forces were also working on the practical application of OTM-using anti-alien weapons, exemplified by the VFs and Destroids, and the development of a space fleet. Thanks to these preparations, the Unified Forces won what was later called the "First Interstellar War"—the interstellar war against the Zentrādi Force's 118th Main Fleet (the Bodoru Main Fleet)—and narrowly fulfilled its mission. However, as a result of the fierce battles, the Unified Forces were also almost completely destroyed.
After that, with the establishment of the New Unified Government in May 2010, the Unified Forces were also reorganized by the surviving units of the Unified Forces—including the officers and men of the SDF-1 Macross—and the Zentrādi who were allied with the Earth. Thereafter, together with the progression of the "Humankind Dissemination Plan", they were tasked with escorting the Emigrant Fleets and defending the Emigrant Planets in the 2050s as the "New Unified Forces".
* Translator's note: errata. Originally was: "In fact, in July 2000, the year before the inauguration of the Unified Government, conflicts in the Middle East triggered the outbreak of the "Unification War", a clash between the unification faction and the Anti Unification Alliance."
Related Matter: The Military Personnel who Supported the Unified Forces
The Earth Unified Forces gathered together superior personnel from the armed forces of the various countries that served as its parent organizations. Even though there were differences in their positions due to the ulterior motives and the governmental manoeuvring of the constituent countries, the personnel formed the foundation of the subsequent Earth Unified Forces.
Caption:
• Major Roy Fokker served as a test pilot in the early stages of the VF's development. Pilots like him, who were able to handle the Variable Fighter—a new type of weapon—were also important to the Unified Forces.
▶ Bruno J. Global
He served as the captain of the SDF-1 Macross, and was one of the few high-ranking officers who survived the First Interstellar War. He later played an important role in the New Unified Government.
◀ Admiral Hayase
A central figure in the Unified Forces during the First Interstellar War. He led the operation to destroy the Zentrādi Fleet using the Grand Cannon, however he was killed in action in the orbital bombardment.
The Dilemma of the Unified Forces
With the implementation of the "Humankind Dissemination Project", the mission of the Unified Forces now included the defence of the Emigrant Fleets and the planets that they settled on. Along with that, the problem where it became difficult for the officers and soldiers to transfer around began occurring. With Emigrant Fleets in particular, the location and the distance, as well as the difficulty of coming and going due to Fold Faults, inevitably increased the number of officers and soldiers who stayed in the same fleet from their enlistment until their discharge from military service. This meant that the officers and soldiers would have a sense of belonging and loyalty to the fleet that they were attached to, rather than to the New Unified Government on Earth, and it has been pointed out that this could lead to treasonous acts—such as those of the Macross Galaxy Fleet in 2059. In addition, during the "Sharon Apple Insident"* in 2040, a YF-19 single-handedly breached the Earth's defence network, and the question of providing the latest weapons to the frontier troops couldn't be ignored from the perspective of that risk.
*
Translator's note: deliberate spelling error due to restrictions by the website's host.
Captions:
• The basic design of the YF-24 that was provided to the various fleets led to the development of the VF-27 and other Valkyries with performance superior to that of the New Unified Forces' main Valkyrie.
• In the 2040's, an unmanned aircraft being made into the main fighter was considered due to cost issues. However, due to a distrust in the fully autonomous AI, the unmanned aircraft were deployed in parallel with the VFs.
⬢ The History of the Unified Forces
The Unified Forces were created as an anti-alien military force. After the First Interstellar War, the Unified Forces patrolled the solar system and dealt with the Zentrādi who had become disorderly. The military organization soon took on the aspects of protecting the Emigrant Fleets and the planets they settled on in accordance to the "Humankind Dissemination Plan". In addition, after the start of that emigration, the Unified Forces also had the important mission of dealing with such things as rebellions against the government*, and heavily-armed VF-owning criminal organizations.
*
Translator's note: "rebellions against the government" was "rebellions against the central Earth" in the original edition.
2001-2008: The Birth of the Earth Unified Forces and the Unification War
In January 2001, the Unified Forces were founded along with the Earth Unified Government. The initial Unified Forces—which was formed mainly from the armed forces of the former Western countries—were deployed in the Unification War that broke out the year before the Unified Government's inauguration, and fought against the Anti Unification Alliance. Toward the end of the war, the Unified Forces began operating OTM-using weapons, such as Variable Fighters and Destroids.
Caption:
• Immediately after its founding, the Unified Forces were forced to fight against the Anti Unification Alliance. In the same year as its founding, the Alaska Base military headquarters was also constructed.
2009-2010: The First Interstellar War and the Destruction of the Unified Forces
Immediately after the end of the Unification War in May 2009, the Zentrādi Armed Forces attacked the Earth and opened hostilities with the Unified Forces (the First Interstellar War). The Earth side won the war, but the Earth was severely damaged due to an orbital bombardment, and the Unified Forces were devastated except for some small parts of the organization, such as the SDF-1 Macross.
Caption:
• Even though preemptive strikes were forbidden, the Macross automatically fired its main gun, resulting in a state of war. After that, the Zentrādi main fleet was repelled, however the Unified Forces were decimated.
2010-2011: The Reorganization of the Unified Forces
Immediately after the end of the First Interstellar War in May 2010, the New Unified Government was founded, and the Unified Forces were also reorganized accordingly. Not only the surviving troops, such as those in the Macross and on the Lunar surface, but also a large number of the Zentrādi who had allied with the Earth—represented by the Buritai Fleet—were recruited into the Unified Forces. In addition to patrolling the solar system for such things as the troops who had broken off from the Bodoru Main Fleet and an invasion by a new main fleet, the Unified Forces were also tasked with dealing with the Zentr?di who had become disorderly.
Caption:
• Immediately after the war, there was the problem of the Zentrādi who couldn't adapt themselves to the Earth and became disorderly. Destroids and other elements of the Unified Forces were deployed to get them under control.
2012-: The Unified Forces Spreading Across the Galaxy Together With the Emigration Fleets
Starting with the Megaroad-01 Super Long Range Emigrant Fleet that departed in 2012, numerous Emigrant Fleets embarked into the Galaxy. The Emigrant Fleets were accompanied by the Unified Forces to protect them from such things as stray Zentrādi and alien lifeforms. The Unified Forces came to be stationed on Eden and the other planets that had been settled for defence and other purposes. As a result, the Unified Forces also spread far and wide outside the solar system.
Caption:
• The 30th anniversary memorial ceremony for the inauguration of the New Unified Government (the end of the interstellar war) was also held in Macross City in 2040.
Related Matter: The Development of the Unified Forces' VFs
The Unified Forces and its successor organization, the New Unified Forces, placed great faith in VFs as they excel in versatility and combat capabilities. As a result, new VFs have been developed in each era. After the AVF project, however, the mass adoption of completely new models was shelved due to the soaring costs and the promotion of the joint use of VFs with unmanned aircraft.
▶ The Development of the VF-1
It was developed as a VF equipped with thermonuclear turbine engines by way of the VF-0 prototype Variable Fighter. The VF-1 was the first main VF to be formally adopted by the Unified Forces, and was active in the First Interstellar War.
▼ VF-1 Valkyrie
▶ Project Super Nova (the AVF Development Project)
In 2040, the YF-19 and YF-21 prototypes competed over which would be the successor to the VF-11. The YF-19 won the competition (it was formally adopted as the VF-19), however its mass deployment was postponed due to production issues.
▲ YF-19
▶ The YF-24 Project
The YF-24 project was launched as a next-generation VF research project. Data from the YF-24 was provided to the various Emigrant Fleet, and became the basis for such VFs as the VF-25 and VF-27.
⬢ The Equipment of the Unified Forces
The Unified Forces, which had been implementing VFs and other OTM-using weapons since the end of the Unification War, used OTM in most of its equipment during the First Interstellar War—including the VFs, Destroids, and spacecraft. After the end of the interstellar war, the development of high-performance VFs was emphasized for combat and conflict with alien lifeforms.
⊘ Variable Fighters
Variable Fighters can transform into such things as humanoid Battroids and a "Fighter" in the form of a fighter jet. Many of them can be operated irregardless of whether they are in space or in an atmosphere, and have become the main weapons of the armed forces.
◀ VF-11
A multipurpose VF that is said to have been adopted in 2030. As a general-purpose VF had not appeared for a long time after the VF-1, the VF-11 was used by troops everywhere.
▶ VF-171
A main VF which was an upgraded special ops VF-17. The VF-171 was deployed mainly by the New Unified Forces?such as in the Frontier Fleet?in place of the VF-19 and VF-22, whose deployment was delayed due to their high costs.
Caption:
• During the Unification War, the Unified Forces deployed unmanned combat aircraft. Later, the AIF-7S was also used by the New Unified Forces that escorted the Emigrant Fleets.
⊘ Spacecraft
Most of the Unified Forces' spacecraft can be used both in space and within an atmosphere, and have the ability to Space Fold. Successor ships to the Macross class—such as the Battle class—can also be seen among the Unified Forces' spacecraft.
▶ SDF-1 Macross
The first Macross class ship: the ASS-1 refurbished for Earthlings. It also served as a test case for the Emigrant Ships, as civilians built a city inside of it.
⊘ Destroids
They can be described as bipedal armoured combat vehicles. Unlike the versatile VFs, the Destroids specialize in such things as anti-aircraft defence and artillery attacks.
▶ HWR-00-MkII Monster
A heavy artillery Destroid classified as a Heavyweight Robot. Its mobility is extremely low, however it can fire four Reaction Weapons at the same time.