Jack of Harts

The Republic of Texas Guard is descended from the Texas State Guard that existed before the Second Great Depression. They were similar to the reserves some other States had at the time, entirely under the command of their governor. They were not a National Guard and did not depend on national funding. There were only a few thousand Texas State Guards when the Second Great Depression began, but their purely Texas funding made them capable of surviving when Washington ran out of money to pay the troops. They had very few desertions, and it was not long before their roster swelled to ten times that number after the Texas Air and Army National Guards joined the State Guard. That made them larger than most national armies and air forces of the time, and they played a starring role during the Drug Wars. That cemented their reputation as a solid military organization and paved the way to their future.

The Republic of Texas Army aerial cavalry regiments have been an integral part of the Army for centuries. They flew ground attack helicopters or transport aircraft during the Second Great Depression, and adopted other aerial attack craft in the decades that followed from the Air Force that slowly disappeared into the ever-devouring maw of the Space Force. They flew all types of atmospheric ground attack and transport craft when the Peloran made Contact, but the technological race that followed made pure airbreathers a relic of the past. By the time The War came upon us all, the Army flew the same Savages and Vigilantes as the other services, though their mission was still purely atmospheric in nature. Their entire reason to exist is to provide scouting, ground support, and transport for their ground pounder brothers and sisters. Their training and their mission reflects this, and many consider them the best pilots for atmospheric operations.

The Republic of Texas Army mechanized cavalry regiments have been a bit of an odd duck since the early days. While they have never lived up to the grandiose standards of Japanese anime, or the prolific Mechs of War franchise, they have forged a valuable role for themselves over the centuries. The largely humanoid mech designs move at the speed of thought, making a veteran mech pilot a true danger to any foe. Mechanized cavalry scout and skirmish mechs bound across every battlefield, maneuvering around the main battle lines and engaging the enemy in their vulnerable flanks. Battle mechs are also a large part of the battle, even if they cannot match the firepower of a main battle tank. Their maneuverability is a powerful weapon, and many battles have been decided by a well-timed mechanized thrust that broke the enemy battle line. This makes the mechanized cavalry a valuable part of the Texas Army for now and the foreseeable future.