Cardassian Guard

The Cardassian Guard was the formal name for the military of the Cardassian Union. The Guard answered to Cardassia's Central Command headquartered on Cardassia Prime. 

Structure
Though numerous other Cardassian government agencies that in other governments would answer to other branches of the government, such as the Science Ministry, reported to Central Command, the Cardassian Guard proper is divided into twelve Orders which are subdivided into smaller units sometimes referred to as militias. 


 * It is unknown whether the Detapa Uprising, in which the Cardassian dissident movement successfully challenged the uncontested rule of Central Command, affected the reporting relationships of non-soldiering agencies.

During the alliance with the Dominion, the Cardassian Guard came more and more under the auspices of Dominion leadership, a move which provoked the ire of some of its commanders and ultimately led to rebellion within the ranks. (, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--The Thirteenth Order)

The Orders

 * First Order: This Order maintained a presence on Empok Nor until the station's abandonment. Soldiers of its Third Battalion were experimented on with psychotropic drugs, but were known for their fanaticism even before the introduction of the drugs.  Elements of this Order, however, were among the first to answer Damar's call to rebellion during the Dominion War.


 * Second Order: Under Gul Dukat, this Order played a prominent role in the Occupation of Bajor.


 * Third Order: Elements of this Order participated in the attack on Rondac III at the inception of Damar's rebellion. Gul Yaltar is known to belong to this Order.


 * Fourth Order: This element of the Cardassian Guard was often found in the vicinity of Deep Space Nine, as well as maintaining a presence around the Badlands and DMZ. Known guls include Trepar and Evek.


 * Fifth Order: This Order was known for particularly sophisticated military encryption codes.


 * Sixth Order: This Order maintained at least two outposts in the Almatha Sector. Gul Toran is known to belong to this Order.


 * Seventh Order: At least one ship in this Order was stationed near Deep Space Nine immediately following the Federation takeover, under the command of Gul Jasad.


 * Eighth Order: At least one ship in this Order was stationed near the Federation-Cardassian border in the area of the Demilitarized Zone. Duties included stopping and searching all vessels entering Cardassian space.  Gul Benil belonged to the Eighth Order.


 * Ninth Order: Elements of the Ninth Order are known to have participated in the Occupation of Bajor, and maintained at least one ground base on Bajor that was subsequently attacked by Kira Nerys. Detachments from this Order later participated in Damar's rebellion.


 * Tenth Order: No information has been established about the Tenth Order.


 * Eleventh Order: The Eleventh Order, headquartered on Septimus III, was described during the Dominion War as largely consisting of "old men and walking wounded." The Eleventh Order was slaughtered down to the last man during the Invasion of Septimus III.  This brutal act, referred to by the Cardassians as the Septimus Massacre, was the main impetus behind Damar's choice to rebel against the Dominion. (, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--The Thirteenth Order)


 * Twelfth Order: During the Dominion War, this Order was headquartered on Sarpeidion V, one of the most heavily fortified planets in the Cardassian Union.

Other Departments

 * Mechanized Infantry: A unit described by Elim Garak, presumably charged with ground operations. (, Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--The Thirteenth Order)


 * While its canon existence is at least somewhat in doubt given Garak's state of mind and unknown motivations, in the Sigils and Unions continuity, Thouves Daro is established to have served at some time with this unit.


 * Science Ministry: Cardassia's main scientific body was known to answer directly to Central Command as of 2371. Accordingly, its scientists sought to avoid projects that might appear too dangerous to Central Command's authority.


 * Vigilance Corps: The training command of the Cardassian Guard, responsible for the instruction of recruits as well as the administration of all training facilities. (Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--The Thirteenth Order)

Ranks
Known ranks within the Cardassian Guard include legate, gul, and glinn, in descending order of seniority.


 * At least three Cardassian ranking systems have appeared in licensed or fan works--the Fires of Armageddon system, a similar system in the Terok Nor novel series, and the most divergent of the three, the Sigils and Unions'' system. For more, refer to the main article on Cardassian ranks.