Introduction to the Universal Century Ⅰ Part 7
Earth Federation Forces Stationed in Munzo



U.C. 0068…
The Earth Federation had recognized the self-governing status of Side 3, the Autonomous Republic of Munzo, but this did not mean they were truly off the leash.
Earth Federation Forces were deployed in the space colonies of each Side in the name of maintaining public order, and despite being granted autonomy, Munzo was no exception.

The Munzo Defense Force, established by the people of Munzo for the purpose of self-defense, was inevitably placed in a subordinate position to the Earth Federation Forces garrison.
The Munzo State Security Police was responsible for public security and the protection of VIPs. Due to its small scale, it was outside the purview of the Federation Forces, and was treated as an independent police organization instead. It was placed under the direct jurisdiction of the autonomous Munzo government, but although it had cavalry units, it was equipped with relatively few armored vehicles.

The equipment of the Munzo Defense Force, on the other hand, was loaned from the Earth Federation Forces. This was partly because the Sides were officially prohibited from pursuing independent weapons development and research, or acquiring military equipment.
Vehicles loaned from the Federation Forces, such as the Earth Federation-made Security Enforcement Armored Bus and the M62 Four-Wheeled Armored Vehicle, were repainted in Munzo colors and deployed to all the colonies of Side 3. However, their quantity and specifications fell far short of meeting the minimum requirements requested by the Munzo Defense Force, and they were always surpassed by those of the garrisoned Earth Federation Forces.

Vehicles with heavy weapons, such as tanks (like the Type 61 MBT Model 2) and large fighting vehicles (like the RTX-65 Guntank Early Type), were unavailable for loan to Munzo, but were preferentially deployed to the Federation Forces units stationed in the colonies.
The true situation of the colonies' defense forces was that they were only permitted to have military equipment that posed no threat to the Federation Forces. It is said that many of those who volunteered for these defense forces ended up resigning, as they didn't like being under the command of Federation Forces garrisons.

As of U.C. 0068…
A large tracked fighting vehicle has appeared, which greatly resembles the mobile suit weapons that will later be used in the One Year War. This is the aforementioned RTX-65 Guntank Early Type.

The Guntank Early Type, which has been deployed even to Munzo, is equipped with continuous tracks which give it high mobility over both rough and smooth terrain, and enable it to travel at high speeds on level ground. It also carries heavy weapons, including large-caliber cannons on its shoulders, and manipulator-mounted quadruple autocannons in its arms which are capable of both anti-ground and anti-air combat.
Its overall height is 13.1m. More than three times higher than the standard Type 61 MBT Model 2, it has an overwhelming presence. Rather than maintaining public order in the colonies, it could be said that this machine was intended to nip any anti-Federation resistance in the bud. Nonetheless, its performance is undeniably inferior to the mobile suit weapons that will be developed in later years, which become one of the factors that determine the course of the One Year War.

These new mobile weapons will be realized with the development of an ultracompact fusion reactor based on Minovsky theory. But as of U.C. 0068, that time has not yet come.
The appearance of the mobile suit will shake the foundations of the Earth Federation's system of government, which has ruled over the space emigrants for many decades. But this will happen in an era where the Autonomous Republic of Munzo goes by a very different name.
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