Kampf-Staatsschutz

The Kampf-Staatsschutz (K-SS, Galactic Standard: Battle - State Protection) is the military branch of the overarching Staatsschutz paramilitary organization, and is one of the largest paramilitary forces in the Menschlicher Sternenstaat sans the Nationales Verteidigungsamt. Acting as the direct military apparatus of the Vaterlandspartei', the functions and operations of the K-SS are managed by its senior-most members within the Kabinett Stab Staatsführer-SS', and invariably answers to the Staatsführer-SS as its commander-in-chief. Many formations of the K-SS are composed of the baseline human citizenry of the Sternenstaat known as Staatsmenschen, but quite a few formations are also composed of foreign nationals of both human and xenoi origin, especially in times of war.

Originating from the combat formations of the Schwarzegruppe of the Veran Star Confederation era, the K-SS grew in importance to the Staatsschutz in intranational bids of military dominance between the SS and the Staatswehr as centuries went on. The result of this half-millennia long feud was a prime influence in the beginning of the Civil War of the State, where the bulk of the K-SS and SS-aligned Staatswehr formations fought against loyalist military forces. Past the civil war, however, the Staatswehr and the Staatsschutz came to coexist in their niches, with the K-SS specifically becoming a "battle-turning force" and acting as reinforcement to Staatswehr front lines in wars. Many K-SS formations also developed constancy in deployment as shock forces in both space and land, with some formations developing veterancy and legacy alike (such as the 51st Vera K-SS Panzer Division "Hornheide"). In command structures, K-SS formations are usually assigned to Staatswehr command groups in strategic, multi-organizational combat situations, but this can be overriden by direct intervention of the Staatsschutz Zentralkomitee.

The nationalist fanaticism of the SS and its subsequent drilling into each and every recruit, human or otherwise, into the K-SS has resulted in a massive, racially diverse force expressing zeal to the ideals of Staatism and human supremacy. A result of this fanaticism is the numerous atrocities that the K-SS has been blamed for perpetrating in combat and in occupied territories, including the genocide of "undesirable sophonts" and razing of infrastructure - a blame that the Staatswehr itself also carries.