United Forces

The United Forces are the United Republic of Nations' first line of defense. They serve as the nation's main military, consisting of nonbending soldiers as well as firebenders, waterbenders, and earthbenders.

History
During the battle for Republic City, Tenzin sent word to the United Forces that the city had come under attack by the Equalists. After receiving the tip, a contingent from the United Forces began traveling toward Republic City via a fleet of large battleships led by General Iroh, intending to liberate the large metropolis.



Three days later, the First Division arrived and sailed into the waters of Yue Bay, encountering no initial resistance from the Equalists. However, as they neared the city, the ships were caught off guard when they detonated several naval mines, designed to explode upon contact. Not long after, a large formation of biplanes, invented by Hiroshi Sato, attacked the crippled fleet from above, dropping bombs and torpedoes onto the warships before flying away. The firebenders and earthbenders were able to shoot down several planes with cannons and earth discs, while General Iroh himself was able to dispatch two planes before he was knocked into the water by an incoming bomb. Nonetheless, the battleships were not able to withstand the attack, and soon after, the remaining ships were either sinking or heavily damaged.



However, General Iroh survived the destruction of his division and retreated underground with the help of Avatar Korra. Later on, he used Gommu's previous experience as a telegraph operator to send a message to Commander Bumi. Iroh advised the commander not to approach Republic City until he sent him a signal, instead ordering him to hold position at Red Sand Island, as none of the naval vessels used by the United Forces were armed to take on Hiroshi's new combat planes. The Second Division arrived at Air Temple Island shortly after Iroh, Bolin, and Asami destroyed the Equalist air force.

Six months after the Anti-bending Revolution, Korra requested President Raiko, the commander-in-chief of the forces, deploy them to the South Pole in order to aid the Southern Water Tribe in the Water Tribe Civil War. However, Raiko refused to grant military aid, desiring to resolve the civil war by diplomatic means. Korra subsequently went directly to General Iroh, who plotted to bring his fleet to the south for training exercises as an excuse to engage the Northern forces. However, Raiko, tipped off by Mako, discovered their intent and threatened to court martial Iroh if he disobeyed his direct orders, effectively placing the entire United Forces on lockdown.



When Korra later returned with the revelation that Unalaq intended to unleash Vaatu and destroy the entire world, Raiko again rejected her call for help, keeping the United Forces on high alert in Republic City in order to protect its citizens. General Iroh patrolled the bay with his ships, while the Air Force controlled the sky. When the Dark Avatar arrived, the United Forces opened fire, though their attacks were ineffective against him. Unalaq used his enhanced power to push the battleships aside with his waterbending, while using his tentacles to pull the biplanes out of the air.

In 174 AG, Tenzin assures Prince Wu that once Kuvira and her army reunites the Earth Kingdom and quells the anarchy, the United Forces will escort the future Earth King back home to assume his position on the throne.

Navy
The navy of the United Forces is split into several divisions. The First Division, commanded by General Iroh, was completely destroyed during the battle for Republic City in 170 AG.

Ships
The United Forces use large fleets of battleships during combat. The first division is led by General Iroh, and the second division was led by Commander Bumi before his resignation in early 171 AG.

Design
Each battleship bears the characteristic insignia of each of the three nations. Battleships have the Earth Kingdom insignia located on their bows, Fire Nation insignias on their cannons, and Water Tribe insignias on the hulls.

Armament
Battleships are armed with a multitude of cannons powered by firebenders, alongside several platforms equipped with earth discs launched by earthbenders. There are also waterbenders for anti-mine defense.

Uniform


The crewmen of the battleships wear a variety of different uniforms, with each marine's apparel being determined by the type of bending that they utilize. Firebenders wear maroon, earthbenders dark green, waterbenders blue, and nonbenders gray uniforms. In addition to these uniforms, the crewmen wear caps or light helmets with leather neck guards.

High-ranking officers wear a more elaborately designed uniform, though the color of every outfit is red and not discriminant of the officer's bending abilities, or lack thereof. In addition, the outfit also includes gold trimmings, a black belt, and a white lower portion and trousers.

List of known commanding officers

 * General Iroh
 * Commander Bumi (retired)

Air Force
After the Anti-bending Revolution, the United Forces acquired biplanes, which were incorporated into their line of warfare and bore the emblem of the United Republic. The Air Force's only known engagement was their defense against the Dark Avatar at the battle during Harmonic Convergence; one of the biplanes was destroyed in the ensuing battle.

Trivia

 * While the United Republic of Nations was still led by the council, The Legend of Korra creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, described the United Forces as being the World of Avatar's parallel to the United Nations in the real world. However, subsequent to the council's dissolution, it has been described by the newly elected president as "the military of the Republic".
 * Prior to confirmation of Book Two: Spirits, an early script for "Endgame" had Asami join the United Forces at the end of the episode.