The military ( 軍事 Gunji ? ) also known as the Armed Forces of Eldia are a full-time professional armed forces of Eldia on Paradis Island originally trained to deal with the Titans within and beyond the Walls. It was divided into three branches: [1] the Survey Corps, which explores outside human territory to hostile areas in a bid for expansion; the Garrison, which patrols and maintains the Walls, keeping Titans out and acting as the first to engage the Titans if the gate is destroyed; and the Military Police Brigade, the top-ranking soldiers who serve as the personal guards for the king and maintain order within the Walls. Additionally, the Training Corps oversees the education and training of the recruits in order to join one of the aforementioned branches. After the truth about the Titans is revealed to the public, the Eldian military changes their focus to defending Paradis Island from aggression from Marley and other nations. It is now in the hands of the Yeagerists, who have changed the military logo and uniforms.
The military was initially divided into three divisions, each of which had their own leader. Collectively, all of them were subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief. [1] Now the military is formed into one division centered around the Yeagerists. [2]
Ranked among the most elite soldiers, the Survey Corps were tasked with attempting to reclaim territory that has been lost to the Titans. Despite being the most well trained, they often come under dispute from those within the Walls and are constantly under threat of being disbanded since they suffer high losses, and usually fail to supply results. The latest commander was Armin Arlert until he became an ambassador for the Allied Nations. [3]
The symbol of the Survey Corps was a pair of wings, one blue and one white, also known as "the wings of freedom".
The Military Police were in charge of keeping order inside the Walls and protecting the ruling monarch, currently Historia Reiss. Due to their important function as guardians of the most important humans, only the top 10 trainees from a graduating class were permitted to join them. [4] Despite recruiting from only the best, they were shown to be corrupt and often incompetent due to the nature of their work inside the Walls, far away from Titans. The latest commander was Nile Dok until his death. [5] [6]
The symbol of the Military Police Brigade was a green unicorn.
The Garrison was responsible for patrolling and protecting the Walls. They are set the task of evacuating citizens and dispatching Titans in the case of an emergency breach in the Walls. Falling intermediately between the Survey Corps and the Military Police, soldiers in the Garrison were seconded to the former in Titan combat and are less corrupt than the latter. The highest ranking officer of the southern territories was Dot Pixis until his death. [7] [8]
The symbol of the Garrison was a pair of roses.
The Training Corps oversees the education and training of recruits. They assess the qualifications and eligibility of the trainees over the course of the training regime. Upon graduation, the trainees choose either of the three main branches to join and formally begin their careers in the military. The chief instructor of the Southern Division of the Training Corps was Keith Shadis until his death.
The symbol of the Training Corps is a pair of crossed swords.
A former rebel group, who believed Eren Yeager should have led the nation. [9] They were soldiers from all divisions, that allied with the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers to take down the former military. They now makeup the entire military and are building up an army to counter any nation plotting their revenge against them. The symbolic leader was Eren Yeager, while the de-facto leader was Floch Forster until both of their respective deaths.
The symbol of the Yeagerists is a pair of wings with two guns crossing over each other.
Though the army is full time and has protected the Walls for over 100 years, it is largely corrupt. The Military Police were thought to be the worst, as they actively avoid fighting the Titans, preferably staying inside the safety of the Walls. They were also responsible for the lack of technological advancement as well as numerous other issues inside the Walls. Under them was the Garrison, initially viewed to be lazy, irresponsible, and cowardly. However, after the breach in the Shiganshina District, their tactics and personnel underwent amazing and notable improvements. The Survey Corps was the least corrupt of the three, fighting only for the sake of humanity and reclaiming the land lost to the Titans.
All members of the military, excluding the Training Corps instructors, wear similar uniforms consisting of a short, light brown jacket with the badge of the squad on both shoulders, on the front left pocket and on the center of the back, a light-colored shirt, a dark brown sash around the waist covering the hips, white pants, and dark brown knee-high leather boots. [citation needed] The Training Corps instructor uniforms differ slightly from the other branches, including a trench coat replacing the jacket of the other factions. [citation needed] The Survey Corps members often wear a heavy, green, hip-length hooded cloak with the Wings of Freedom on the back, usually when conducting missions outside of human territory. [10] Trainees have been observed to wear the cloaks, albeit without any symbols when conducting marches in the rain. [11] When on official business within the Walls soldiers wear a long coat with their branch insignia. [12]
During the Raid on Liberio, the Survey Corps wears a predominately black uniform for their nighttime infiltration into Marley. Their branch insignia is worn on the left side of their chest over the heart, rather on the sleeve like their previous uniform. [13]
Three years after the Battle of Heaven and Earth, the entire military wears a light helmet with a new type of armored chest plate over their black uniforms. The new insignia is worn on the helmet and left side of the chest. [2]
The primary equipment of the military is the vertical maneuvering equipment, which is also their main weapon used in conjunction with two snap-off blades attached to the hand grips. However, the Military Police often use muskets and other firearms since they mostly deal with people and rarely with Titans.
Later anti-personnel variants of the vertical maneuvering gear use shotguns, [14] pistols, [15] and Thunder Spears. [16]
