The quality and equipment standards of these local defense forces varies tremendously based on the world in question: a Feudal World's PDF may be equipped with half-plate and muskets while Fortress Worlds like Cadia are indistinguishable from regular Guardsmen. All planets of the Imperium are largely responsible for raising, training, and equipping their own defensive forces from which at least 10% are to be made available for conscription into the Astra Militarum per year as part of the Imperial Tithe. The Planetary Defense Forces are the Federation's primary defensive force on all of its worlds, as every single planet from highly-populated Parum to newly-established colonies like Aramea and Exile maintain a large garrison of PDF.Īs is common within the Federation, the PDF is based upon an identical institution from the Imperium of Man.
