Jack of Harts

Every State maintained some form of Army in Jack’s day. Mostly the descendents of the old National Guard, Reserves, or State Guards from before the Second Great Depression, they defended each State from outside threats. Officially. Some were little more than vanity platoons, good for parades and maybe occupying a local bar when times got rough. Others were true combat field commands that could face off against any Federal unit ever assembled. Some even took up the duties of the State Space Forces in the same way that the older American Army of World War II included the Army Air Force. That could make for some interesting communications difficulties when working with the Feds or other States. Now there were far, far more of the State Armies than the Federal government could field. They become the bulk of the American Army when the Feds requested reinforcements to take The War to the Shang and their Chinese allies. Individual State battalions or brigades often served in amalgamated units under the command of a Federal division commander, though some States fielded entire corps or field armies under the Federal banner. Under their own State flag of course. The Feds needed to be kept in their place, don’t you know.