The United Defence Directive is the standing defence force of the colonies throughout the Unity Protocol, serving as their lines of defence against hostile aliens, pirates, and other threats.

Having being around for as long as the Unity Protocol has been gathering wayward species and their ways of life, the United Defence Directive incorporates centuries of combined technological and strategic knowledge to create a defensive perimeter around the planet Traveller and its many colonies. In particular, the Defence Directive has been the first line of defence against hostile alien invasions on the colonies. They also work with colony police forces to go after pirates.

Recruitment is open. Like-minded people or species will be sorted into units or posted to assignments which suit their needs and effectiveness.

The UDD currently employs 850,000 non-Unit personnel, patrolling Traveller and its moons . An untold number of Units keep things running the bureaucratic level, letting the operational side of the organisation focus on training recruits, gathering intelligence, and finding ways to continue combat effectiveness.

The following units, divisions, and theatres are notable within the United Defence Directive:

The UDD allows colonies to run a citizen's militia in hostile areas, if the local politics agree with the idea. UDD Militia are considered the bottom rung of the Defence Directive, made up of concerned citizens and weekend warriors who have a bare minimum of training necessary for combat. They are rarely sent abroad, and are supported more often by local resources than the larger logistics scheme of the Defence Directive, bringing their own weapons, armour, ammunition, and vehicles to the fray.

For GMs	Consider UDD Militia to be the first responders to an alien or pirate invasion making landfall on a colony. They are often the first to get their noses bloodied, and report the news higher up the chain. PCs could be part of a militia on a backwater colony holding out for reinforcements against a pirate attack.

The ground force of the Defence Directive includes footsoldiers, powered armour, light combat exoskeletons, and smaller mecha between two and eight metres tall. Their motorpool includes various tanks, artillery pieces, transports, and logistics trucks.

For GMs	The mainstay of any UDD attack, the Army is present. An easy plot to run is as an Army Squad containing PCs doing an attack or a defence against giant insects in a nearby colony of Traveller.

The spacefaring force of the UDD, the Navy serves as the UDD's patrol through space, the first to see new arrivals. They employ mecha pilots and fighter pilots alongside the ship's crew and armoured boarding forces to defend Traveller's border.

In addition, the Navy supports ground units with artillery blasts. Ranging from precision howitzer strikes to carpet bombing patterns, or orbital beams and rainstorms of lasers. The shows the Navy's artillery ships put on are nothing short of spectacular for those on the ground, and deadly for whatever is under the designator.

For GMs	Ideally, the operation of the Navy should be unnoticeable to player characters who are only moving from place to place. Put detail into it if players are going to be helping the ship, will be undertaking their adventure there, or are its crew.

Currently disbanded in the wake of scandals involving EAD's assets as a means to eliminate political and personal rivals, the Emergency Assault Division was formerly a squad of individual specialists who had developed a bond on the field, before growing into a larger unit together. EAD employed beings such as combat-oriented spellcasters, psions, cyborgs, mecha jockeys, and veteran fighters to act as a special operations unit against especially large threats, such as Kaiju, weird things, and spearheading attacks to external threats to the Protocol. Their effectiveness in the field was the stuff of legends, with other UDD units nicknaming EAD the 'Superheroes' for their larger than life personae and widely circulated tall tales.

With time though, the fast and loose approach to accountability and growing corruption from deep relationships lead EAD into being twisted away from its original intentions, with some of the EAD Commanders ordering troops to attack political or personal targets, disguising the missions by fabricating evidence. When the scandals came to light, the bulk of EAD's personnel was suspended pending trials and investigation, and all assets were mothballed or redistributed to other units. The spiritual successor to EAD in terms of skill level and scope is RACCA.

The following Code Names of former EAD members who have appeared or been mentioned in the Roleplay are as follows:

• Anchor (Orok Nak-Riar), Deceased
• Buzzsaw (Angela LaForge), Deceased
• Decker (Jirou Harridan)
• Driver (Dean Bodala)
• Hospitallier (Jean-Luc Bardot)
• Phoenix (Luca Pavone)
• Prewett (Harry Torburn), Deceased
• Rutterkin (Kandin Ta Jalokia)
• Toymaker (April Zanetti)
• Wrack (Colm Masterson), Deceased

For GMs	Many EAD units didn't put their gun down after leaving EAD, and work as roaming mercenaries, bounty hunters, pirates, terrorists, or criminals if they were not jailed during the investigations. Ex-EAD personnel can make frightening villains, or useful allies.

The current special forces unit of the Directive, RACCA is the commanding branch of ad-hoc units and teams called to action when needed for specific tasks. They have similar selection patterns to their predecessor, EAD: Psionics, warmages, cyborg commandos, ace pilots, and other skilled warriors and experts. Operating with greater oversight than their predecessors, their main goal remains the same: Take the hard, or subtle tasks, and deliver victories.

However, the relative youth of the unit and the amount of exerted control compared with its predecessor casts a shadow over its effectiveness. The unit has green and untested personnel to work with as most of the former EAD personnel were charged or went into hiding, while the additional layers of bureaucracy for the sake of 'keeping them honest' hamper the unit's dynamics. They have access to most of EAD's former assets and documentation, but not the people.

For GMs	RACCA has some large shoes to fill, and they're eager to prove that they can be as dangerous as EAD; Once the paperwork clears out, of course. RACCA will put together teams and pitch them to missions, selected from UDD or ex-UDD personnel, or other skilled civilians.

The elite force for piloting mecha between twelve to eighteen metres tall and higher, Bashkarl-Altiers Mobile Force serves as UDD's best and brightest for large scale mecha combat in space, and urban environments. Named after the mech pilot duo who stopped an orbital residential station from dropping on the Shade colony, Robert Bashkarl and Altiers-334. Named in their honour, BA-MF units are at peak performance in their customised mechs.

For GMs	Yes, they are BAMFs, and they wear it on their sleeves. They're the perfect cavalry for stranded fighters.

The UDD's intelligence and analysis division, staffed primarily by Units, and computer-oriented Oddbodies and Mindeyes who are able to keep up with their peers. They rarely see direct combat involvement, but they are happy to provide intel on the latest objective, expose flanks for the Army and Navy to attack, and disrupt supply lines.

With the diverse array of equipment available due to how many civilisations have contributed their knowledge and armaments to the Defence Directive, equipment is split into broad groupings.

This section is incomplete! There is lots more to come!

The UDD's arsenal requires a vast amount of logistics to keep organised and supplied adequately.

• Handguns
  • Mark 8 Laser Pistol - A laser pistol with a battery-buffer magazine system, and the ability to charge a powerful shot. This standardised sidearm of the UDD has seen decades of war. It has few moving parts, leading to better reliability.
• Submachine Guns
  • Snapshot PDW - A T-shaped machine pistol boasting a compact, robust stamped steel receiver and body, and a telescoping stock. Often employed by shieldbearing troopers and vehicle crews for its handy size and mobility.
• Assault Rifles
  • Service Rifle System - A highly modifiable conventional rifle system, chambered in a 6.8mm cartridge. The standard main-arm of the UDD fighting force, deployed in battle rifle, rifle, carbine, and 'stubby' configurations.
• Battle/Sniper Rifles
  • Spotter's Rifle - A long-barrelled laser weapon with a powerful scope, and an integrated designator system for artillery spotting or information gathering. A battery magazine's contents can be discharged all at once for a powerful strike capable of damaging light vehicles.
• Shotguns
  • Jaguar Claw - A semi-automatic cousin to the Tiger Claw pump-action shotgun, this weapon is intended for room-clearing combat. With a banana-shaped magazine and distinctive muzzle brake, it has a fearsome reputation in close quarters.
• Grenade Launchers
• Rocket Launchers
• Missile Launchers
• Melee Weapons
  • Survival Axe - A light hatchet, with a hollow portion, a rubber handle, and a spike behind the axe blade. Useful for cracking through armour, or getting by in the wild. Can be turned into a makeshift torch.

• Riot Shield - A five to six foot tall slab of metal and ballistic fibre, these are ideal for blocking bullets. In addition, the frontal portion of the shield is coated in a fine, energy-weapon dispersing mesh, allowing it to remain effective against lasers and electric weapons. The peephole can be covered with a hardened, transparent Hellenium window.
• War Shield - Built much like the Riot Shield, this round shield is two to two and a half feet in diameter, and intended for use by more mobile troopers. Some are fitted with a sharpened edge, proving the best offence is a good defence.

Image coming soon.

This fatigues of the UDD are reasonably comfortable, and capable of . Worn over this is a ballistic vest, with chest space for storing ammunition. A belt and harness system keeps the weight of the body armour well distributed. The forearms of the uniform are banded over, binding the remainder of the uniform's fabric down, reaching just under the gloves. In hot climates, these may be removed and the sleeves rolled up. Space for a name tag is on the chest of the uniform, ranks presented in badges worn by the neck, and squad or flag patches shoulders are stuck to the shoulders with velcro. The slacks are made of khaki, with cargo pockets for additional carrying capacity.

It is made out of a cotton/canvas weave, ballistic weave on points of stress and where protection is needed, plastic zippers and velcro for fastening, and a layer of neoprene for comfort and heat retention. On personnel armour, there is a thick ballistic weave, combined with ceramic trauma plates for primary protection. On additional armouring, non-newtonian shock absorption is integrated - and it's in the boots too! The helmet's visor is a dense polarised plastic, providing eye and sun protection.

Colours and patterns are still being figured out.

• Picket Jeep - A diesel fuelled off-roader jeep suited to the outdoors. A low centre of gravity ensures the vehicle won't roll on tight turns. They make excellent reconnaissance or scout vehicles, and are capable of mounting a machine gun, but lack armour.
• Palisade Armoured Transport - A six wheeled, heavy-framed urban response vehicle with a light autocannon mounted to the top. Performs admirably off-road as well, and can carry eight troops in the back with a driver and a gunner. Also great for cargo.

• Space Patrol Fantail - The lightest of the UDD's space presence, this combat-ruggedised One-Stop Fantail uses its cargo space for an enlarged sensor supercomputer, expanded powerplant, hotter running power distributor and cruise engines, and suitable payload space for the ship's weapons.
  • Fitted with two beam lasers, and an autocannon on a turret mount - all forward facing.
  • Can mount dumbfired rockets or point-defence systems.
  • For how lightly they're armoured and general-purpose they can be, they're not intended to be sent alone or expected to fight - unless in a wing of six or seven and supported with dedicated fighters.
  • Sometimes fitted into ultralight troop transports.

The UDD has the following Rank structure.

UDD! UDD!