In E5-174, Colonel Brennan passed away, leaving the legacy of a peaceful protector, committed to the efficient defense of the world's communities. His newly formed Military had enough personnel and with enough training to take on virtually any kind of monsters in the Mazes, provided they can find them, establishing the new core mission of the faction. In his will, he requested that his successor be selected among the company leaders (those with the rank of Captain) and that only the best and most experienced of them shall be selected.
=== Wars and conflicts ===
The Military was involved in various incidents, conflicts, and wars since the inception of its modern incarnation.
==== The Resource Wars ====
Following the Ferland Incident in Era 5, the Military was involved in the 355-year-long military conflict as one of the sides vying for control of resources, forming raiding parties, and attacking one another's towns and supply reserves. The Military was also involved in the defense of Neo Khazrun, then considered the "capital city of the human world", routinely called upon to defend the town and its trade routes.
==== Operation Needle Poke ====
In E7-454, [[Satoshi Sangi]] declared the official formation of the [[Youkai Nation]].
The televised announcement officially declared the purpose and intention behind the Youkai Nation, before warning that any challenges to the independence of the Youkai Nation will be treated as an act of war. This statement, intended to be interpreted as a means to announce the existence of a youkai defense force, was instead itself treated as an act of war by the [[Maze Military]]. Within six months, the Military mobilized all of their forces, and the next year in E7-455, launched a strike at Yurai, in what became known as Operation Needle Poke.
Initially successful, the military's progress soon came to a halt; the town's power was cut, and activist fighter reinforcements, pouring through from neighboring towns, appeared with NVGs and weaponlights to repel the forces from behind and retake the town, forcing the human soldiers to retreat to one half of the town, while youkai activists held the other.
A panicked radio call informed Captain Donahue, the Military commanding officer leading the assault, that the expected reinforcements from the other companies were unexpectedly routed by swarms of enemies and that roughly 400 activists are coming to the aid of Yurai. Faced with an impossible situation, Captain Donahue refused to order a retreat, relinquished leadership to one of his lieutenants, and committed suicide. The new commanding officer, Lieutenant Halder, quickly retreated alongside his surviving forces without casualties.
The failure of Operation Needle Poke prompted the creation of the ''Military Memorial Day'', honoring all soldiers fallen during combat.
=== The Phasma dynasty ===
Between E7-471 and E7-531, the Phasma family was effectively in control of the Maze Military for three generations. Because each leader after Mark Phasma was a descendant of the last, the family's control over the Military was referred to as the "Phasma dynasty". The family intended to continue directing the Military and maintain their anti-youkai focus for as long as possible
Military leaders during this period:
* E7-450 ; E7-470: Colonel Mark Phasma
* E7-470 ; E7-504: Colonel Blaine Phasma
* E7-504 ; E7-531: Colonel Morgan Phasma
=== Operation Red Temple ===
By E7-531, the Maze Military had seen three different leaders from the Phasma family, which was referred to as the ''Phasma dynasty''. All continued their hardline anti-youkai policy, frequently punctuated with small, sporadic insurrections into the Northeastern Zone. Task Force "Mind's Eye" began planning Operation Red Temple, with the objective of eliminating then-current Maze Military leader, Colonel Morgan Phasma, alongside his son, Captain Gerald Phasma of the Fourth Company. Sangi believed that breaking the Phasma dynasty would force changes within the Maze Military and pressure them to select a more moderate leader.
With the aid of human mercenaries providing intelligence to the cell, the activists split into two teams, one for each target, the intended plan was for each team to assassinate their targets at the same time.
Captain Gerald Phasma was assassinated in Ovis City, inside of the convenience store. His body was found alongside that of the shop manager, both of which were shot in the head with a powerful, suppressed firearm. The perpetrators were described as a male kappa and a female oni. They were later revealed to be respectively Daiki Haraguchi and Sayu Tawara in person.
Colonel Morgan Phasma was lured out of Fort Cutlass and into Neo Khazrun through a telephone scam. Once the Colonel was at the intended location, the plan was to assassinate him and use the crowd to escape before being noticed. However, the activist fighters were spotted by the Colonel's security detail, and the assassination plot turned into a very brief gun battle in the middle of the town's social square center. The Colonel sustained eight gunshot wounds, and the panic caused the Town Security to open fire on both the youkai assassins (which later turned out to be Satoshi Sangi himself, alongside his third trusted lieutenant, Yuriko Hirota.) Although the Town Security officers failed to hit the Colonel, the brief confusion allowed the youkai activists to flee, and the Colonel to bleed out and die of his wounds.
=== The Weil era ===
Unfortunately for the Youkai Nation, the act did not provide the expected results. In E7-531, a new Colonel was selected: Donald Weil, who not only continued the Military's hardline anti-youkai policy but in fact strengthened it, declaring it to be the Military's mission to stop the Youkai Nation, starting what became known as the ''Weil era'' of Military leadership. Weil described the faction as a threat to the safety of the Mazes. However, rather than retaliate with a large military operation and a direct strike against their most well-defended town, Weil instead ordered groups of military units to patrol in the Northern, Eastern and Central Zones to attack and harass caravans, travelers, and other traveling parties coming to and from the youkai territory, with the objective of hurting the Nation's economy and forcing them into effective isolation.
The Weil era was successful; for over fifty years, the Youkai Nation was systematically harassed in one form or another, whenever their military or civilian members tried to leave their territory. This resulted in the increased development of methods to ensure self-sufficiency, with various new facilities and industries opening in youkai towns.
With the death of Colonel Weil in E7-581 and his replacement by a more moderate leader (Colonel Lembo), the harassment and isolation campaigns ended, and youkai territories were able to resume trading with the rest of the world; though it left a profound mark on the Nation and is said to have influenced Satoshi Sangi to push for complete autarky.
=== Post-Weil era ===
Colonel Lembo abandoned his predecessors' anti-youkai focus, declaring that a "return to form" was necessary for the Military to regain its shine. Unofficially referred to as the post-Weil era, the Military ceased insurrections against the Youkai Nation during this period, focusing instead on its original mission of UA patrolling and monster hunting.
Military leaders during this period:
* E7-581 ; E7-619: Colonel Carl Lembo
* E7-619 ; E7-670: Colonel Ethan Humbra
* E7-670 ; E7-671: Colonel Zachary Geist
=== Captain Wight's ambush ===
In E7-670, Duplima 18, while conducting a training exercise in the Northern Zone's Uncivilized Area alongside a small group of soldiers, Captain Thomas Wight of the First Company was approached by a group of youkai activist fighters. An argument over whether the group had crossed the Youkai Nation's border ensued, and rapidly devolved into threats. Unsuccessful in his attempt to negotiate his group's departure, one side opened fire on the other, triggering a huge gunfight - it is unknown who opened fire first. Despite being outnumbered four to one, Captain Wight ordered his forces to fall in and fight, but a flashbang grenade detonating inches away from his head caused the Captain to go down, missing most of the fight. The flashbang left the famous burns and wounds to the right side of his head.
When he comes to his senses again, he finds the bodies of his subordinates littering the floor, being stripped of their every last clothes and gear by two remaining activists. The sight reportedly filled Wight with indescribable rage. Having lost all his weapons besides his [[KA-BAR|knife]], Wight charged the two activists with it, and proceeded to eliminate both of them before they could land a shot on him. He then desperately searched all of the bodies for signs of life to try and find a survivor, but finds only one; Lieutenant Lewis Dunbar, Wight's best friend, and oldest colleague. These events are widely considered to be the reason behind Wight's hardline anti-youkai stance.
=== Colonel Geist's disappearance ===
In E7-671, the newly appointed leader of the Military, Colonel Zachary Geist, went MIA following a visit to [[Neo Khazrun]]. His group disappeared without a trace under mysterious circumstances on the [[Neo Khazrun]] - Nanton route; his body was never recovered, and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day. The Military launched search parties but remained unsuccessful. Presumed dead, a new leader was appointed, and the extremely talented but hardline Captain [[Thomas Wight]] of the First Company was selected to become the new Colonel.
=== The Great Military Reform and today ===
With the rise of Colonel Wight, recently hardened by last year's events, the Military immediately returned to a hardline anti-youkai stance. He organized the Great Military Reform, instigating a wide array of changes; among which, deep changes in the Military's training method and ethics, the formation of the Phantom Forces elite branch, and an upsizing effort, increasing the size of the Military from just seven companies to 12.
More controversial changes were introduced as well, such as the renaming of Fort Cutlass into [[Fort Wight]], the modification of military training exercises to match Colonel Wight's own personal training regimen, and most importantly the reactivation of Weil-era military harassment patrols against youkai activists and civilians in the Northern, Eastern, and Central Zones.
As of today, Colonel Thomas Wight is one of the most popular Military leaders in history, adored by the vast majority of his subordinates. He enjoys the reputation of a soldier's soldier, with none of the stereotypical detachment of lack of concern for the "little ranks". Large framed pictures of him can be found at every military base, military culture pushes the "Wight Makes Right" slogan, advocating soldiers to train like him, making the concept of becoming like Colonel Wight synonymous with becoming a better soldier.
== See also ==