Imperial General Headquarters

The Imperial General Headquarters of Karnia-Ruthenia is the highest echelon of command of the armed forces of the Karno-Ruthenian Empire. In terms of function, it was approximately equivalent to the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and the British Chiefs of Staff Committee. The Imperial General Headquarters was established by the Imperial Constitution of 2017 under the auspices of creating a central command for both the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy. The Emperor-King who was defined as both Head of State and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Armed Forces according to the Constitution, was the head of the Imperial General Headquarters, and was assisted by staff appointed from the Army and Navy and after its recreation, from the Air force. It was established as a full-time body at the head of the Armed Forces of Karnia-Ruthenia, responsible for the continuous study of all aspects of war, and for drawing up and reviewing plans for mobilization or campaign. It existed unofficially from 2014 in other configurations, and was formally established by law in 2016, the first general staff in existence. It was distinguished by the formal selection of its officers by intelligence and proven merit rather than patronage or titles, and by the exhaustive and rigorously structured training which its staff officers undertook. It also enjoyed greater freedom from political control than its contemporaries, and this autonomy was enshrined in law on the establishment of the Empire in 2016. It came to be regarded as the home of Karno-Ruthenian militarism.