| abstract | - The history of the Gaian Defence Forces dates back to the Pre-Migration Era when it was known as the "Gaian Security Forces". The GSF were responsible for the protection of Gaia and its territories on the ancient homeworld. Shortly after the Great Migration, the Gaian Security Forces were put under the administration of the Gaian Colonial Authority. During the Colonial Era, the GSF was utilized by the Colonial Authority to protect settlements and vital infrastructure. This small, elite force was also used during the turbulent times of the era to suppress rioting and other seditious acts against the Colonial Authority. Following the signing of the Sora Agreement, the Gaian Security Forces was formally reorganized into today's Gaian Defence Forces. It was during the Frontier Pacification Campaigns of the Expansion Era, that the newly created Gaian Defence Forces first saw combat. The GDF was initially deployed by the Gaian government to protect settlers, supply convoys and new settlements. After numerous attacks by mercenaries and other armed groups against Gaian settlers and military personnel, the GDF was redeployed along the frontiers for pacification operations. The decades following the military campaigns of the Expansion Era were fairly uneventful for the Gaian Defence Forces, until the outbreak of the Northern District Crisis. During the crisis, members from both branches of the defence forces were deployed across the country under the auspices of maintaining order during martial law. Airborne units of the Gaian Naval Defence Force were deployed to assist law enforcement agencies, such as the Agency for Internal Security, during the worst of the riots. After the ratifying of the Imperial Union Act in 3265, the military saw major restructuring in all of its branches, which would lead to budget cuts under the early governments of the Contemporary Era. The military would see cuts in their budget, which resulted in nationwide closures of military facilities and the deactivation of numerous units, under the successive governments guided by the Liberal Gaia party. These cuts would promptly end in 3410, when a planned military expansion was approved by Her Imperial Majesty. After 3410, the Gaian Defence Forces would be the focus of continued expansions and upgrading programs. The expansion and upgrading programs would pay off in 3497, when the GDF launched its first liberation campaign against the nation of Picara. The Picaran war would touch off a series of wars known as the Wars of Liberation, which would end in 3570 under the orders of Empress Isabella. The Gaian Defence Forces played a minor role in the defence of allies in 3559, when a rogue nation threatened the peace and security of Kebir Blue. Survey Corps personnel were deployed to the Republic of Romanam to assist in local defence operations. The 3560's saw a rapid increase in the GDF's participation in overseas peacekeeping missions. Over the span of the decade, Gaian military personnel were deployed in a variety of locations, most notably Tactical Rock and Arendale. GDF garrisons received ₡1 trillion in upgrades from 3610 to 3615. Garrisons across the country were outfitted with missile defence systems, in response to the increasing use of naval missile ships worldwide. Today the Gaian Defence Forces, with a shift in military and foreign policy, are increasingly being devoted towards defence capabilities and military cooperation with allies, since the cessation of the offensive oriented Wars of Liberation. With the improvement of the Gaian economy, billions are being spent on maintaining the country's advanced military, mostly on ammunition upgrades.
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