Sergeant Gulthar Garlocke stands guard at the entrance of a building serving as the headquarters for the famed Lieutenant General Umak Korr. Photo taken on Amitus 19, 2575 by Horace Helms.

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An orc on the field of battle has always been a fearsome and tough opponent and the same held true in the industrial era of warfare. Starting in the 2550s the Confederated Tribes of Orcilon Army underwent a massive set of reforms that made it a modern combat force that took to adapting to the rapid advances in technology and military theory, such as it was at that time, far more easily. This included a more refined organization, new equipment, and a heavy emphasis on logistics combined with the centuries old warrior traditions. This produced an Army that waged war with a zeal and skill rarely seen in the world at the time. Though there were plenty of growing pains and several disasters, an orc on the battlefield remained a force to be reckoned with.

The core of the Army, as were most armies, was the infantryman. Trained in the linear tactics of the time with an emphasis on expert marksmanship, orc infantry was just as tenacious and stubborn on defense just as they were on offense, and with their massive sword bayonets affixed could route even some of the most crack foes before the dreaded weapon came to within stabbing distance. As elven General Vethyn Dryss remarked after the Battle of Aldris, "There was a thin green line between us and victory and for hours we threw the best we had it and yet that thin green line was still there the next day."

Uniforms
From the 2660s to the 2690s, the primary uniform of the orc infantryman consisted of a forest green wool sack coat, forest green wool trousers, white canvass gators over black leather ankle boots, and a cylindrical military cap known as a Sepo Hat. The green color of the uniforms proved rather fortuitous as a form of camouflage. This was of course unintentional as green had been the color of the Confederated Tribes uniforms for years and was the primary color on the national flag, however later 26th century claims created the myth that the orcs had invented the first camouflage uniforms.

Equipment
The equipment of an infantryman was pretty standard across most armies for the era. Leather belt with a cartridge box, canteen, haversack, and backpack. Due to their size and strength orcs could carry similar or heavier loads than their counterparts and still make long or rapid marches cross country. However some equipment would still be discarded on the march to lighten a soldier's load, typically this would be the backpack, a heavy wood and leather affair, to be replaced with the lighter and more comfortable blanket roll, but some soldiers were known to carry both as a means of transporting additional rations.

Weapons
The primary weapon carried by the orc infantryman during this period was the single shot (later updated to two shot) bolt-action Type 65 Rukar Rifle. It fired a .56 caliber round from a paper, later brass, cartridge filled with black powder that was detonated by a percussion cap. The weapon had a maximum range of 1,200 yards with infantrymen trained to hit targets accurately between 300-600 yards, though battles of this period would often end up much closer. The average rate of fire was 8 rounds per minute, a little over double the rate of fire compared to that of a musket. The Rukar could also be equipped with the famous orc sword bayonet, at nearly half the rifle's length they were extremely imposing and as the name implied could be wielded as a sword; however, the bayonets were not well liked by most soldiers as they were heavy and cumbersome both on the rifle itself and stowed in it's scabbard on the left hip, it was not uncommon for them to be discarded on the march. While many orc commanders still felt the sword bayonet had viability and tried to discourage troops from discarding it, it would be replaced in the early 2680s for a much shorter bladed bayonet. The Confederated Tribes were among the first armies to massively and rapidly adopt the new bolt-action rifle over the trusted musket or more typical breechloader and it's rate of fire served them well in a variety of battles when they were heavily outnumbered.