What started with a 'not involved, just selling' posture before becoming a 'volunteers only' was now a full effort of the TDF to deploy the most modern and capable of its forces for a prolonged period of time against the most advanced and dangerous enemy and far far away from home.
The 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Taurian Guards, that were going to be the core of this expedition, were currently in Jamestown, training against the Wolf's Dragoons Epsilon Regiment and the Revenants. The 2nd Canopian Cuirassiers were also present for training, even if they were not scheduled to depart to the Inner Sphere (call it a gift to the Magistracy).
While the Concordat and the Magistracy were for now not involved in the conflict, they got during the Outreach Summit, the services of one of the Wolf's Dragoons regiments to train their forces in anti-Clan operations. The other regiments were dispatched to the nations involved in anti-Clan operations. Edward and Emma managed to secured one of the regiments to train their forces as they were there and they had agreed to sell military hardware to the other nations involved.
At same time these units were replacing all their vehicles that didn't have fusion power, with more advanced ones or were busy refitting them. The objective was that the expeditionary force would be full fuel independent, ie 100% fusion powered. While expensive, this change freed them from the need to secure / transport fuel and gave the units more range while at the same time allowing them to operate in vacuum environments and to simplify and reduce the supply train.
Similarly, all the ASFs of the expeditionary units were upgraded or replaced with more advanced models, the objective being that they should all be capable of deploying Arrow IV AAM and/or A2G.
The infantry was also upgraded with all the Battle Armors being the latest Jack 2C, the "normal" units receiving Colibri PA(L). To give it even more punch, a few prototypes of the newest Heavy Battle Armor (2 tons) were added, for evaluation under fire.
The DropShips were all replaced by Lees, except for a few Union-BA, dedicated to transport/insert of Battle Armor units.
The JumpShips of the expeditionary force were all marked to be Mriyas, which forced some units staying home to give away theirs and receive less capable Invaders, until new ones were constructed.
To achieve all this, several units of the TDF had been 'forced' to transfer their more advanced hardware to the leaving units, which also received top priority in the new deliveries instead of the planned recipients.
The Naval escort force was also in the middle of a refit, upgrading its capabilities, with the DropShips and ASF components receiving equivalent upgrades.
Taurians, being Taurians, the number of Alamos and capital missiles with 'special ordnance' was very high. In fact, the Alamos were all of a new series, with improved seekers and ECM. In theory their efficiency was greater than the standard model, but the future battles would be the final judge for that.
The supply train would be made of 20 Leviathans that could carry an impressive 160 DropShips force, mostly Starlifters, the heavy cargo ones.
One of these Starlifters was right now being fully modified to have an assemble/disassemble/repair 'Mech and vehicle unit, equivalent of the most advanced only normally seen in 'Mech factories. Another was in the process of being converted into the most advanced mobile hospital ever constructed – well, outside of the top of the Star League, that is.
The very exigent training regime included replacing those that not could achieve the new much higher standards with new people, being transferred from other units.
The end result was the creation of a truly elite force, easily the very best the TDF could deploy, even if at the cost of the morale in those staying behind and siphoned of their best personnel and hardware was not so high.
In February 3056, with the news that the Clans had resumed attack operations, and the presence of several new Clans in the front-lines, the Taurian Expeditionary Force departed for Luthien, expecting to arrive about six months later.
The supply train departed a month later, escorted by four Pinto class Corvettes, three of them with Union-CV and the last one with a Union-BA. At almost the same time the first Orca raiders, built in record time, departed Bolthole, destination, the Exodus Road.