A coalition, or shan'al in the T'au Lexicon, is the largest unit of military organisation deployed by the T'au Empire. This formation is comprised of the four commands that together comprise all the members of the four T'au castes present in a given location, who are drawn together into a strategic organisation referred to as a "coalition," effectively the size of an Astra Militarum army or army group. A coalition is presided over by a specially assigned Ethereal council.
Thus, a coalition will consist of all T'au and alien auxiliary forces on a given world or within a particular star system, though it can also refer to an expeditionary fleet comprising members of all four castes, such as the Farsight Expedition led by Commander Farsight that founded the Farsight Enclaves over two Terran centuries ago.
Sources[]
- Codex: Tau Empire (6th Edition), pp. 8-12, 22-24
- Codex: Tau Empire (7th Edition), pp. 15-16