Are the Elite Guard the only military force on Cybertron?

I was more thinking the academy was purely for officers, like how you can general enlist or go to the military academy where you come out as an officer.

That when Optimus was reffered to as an academy bot that it was simply stating he got officers training.

It's pretty much similiar to our society of setup with stereotypes and people who look up to various aspects, while others may be more towards the reality of their nature, and some are more conspiracy driven.

The pure benign aspect of the autobots has yet to really be discussed. Black Arachnia knows the con's won't disect her, yet she's afraid the autobots would.

Aspects like this among other areas that have yet to be explored make you wonder exactly how deep the differences are between the factions, and as to why the decepticon revolt besides thoughts of supremacy. While yes Megatron is power hungry, but why?

And it seems the academy does more than just pick out elite guard, they seem to also pick out the lower soldiers to those rungs too, even the communications officiers, repair bots, and clean up crews. Each crew also seems to maintain the same military classing like a state of martial law almost within the planet to keep the decepticon menace in check, as the decepticons abandoned cybertron once the allspark was gone. There was nothing to fight over, and nothing to help them turn the tide of the battle back to their favor as the autobots maintained a tight hold as to who can enter the academy to be placed into the society for jobs besides the 'family model' business like energon farms. (Similiar to earth martial law over a country, and how farm owners maintaining their own crops through parent to child passing traditions and caretaking.)

Probably could go more indepth than that, but yes I'd say there are probably more than just the elite guard, just the elite guard is the top rung of the Autobot military, whereas some offshoots may not be talked of, or may be so hush hush or dangerous they are kept off world since the war. While a typical soldier is just that, a soldier. Though we know ratchet was enlisted as a medic I believe, and he wasn't elite guard.

Optimus' space bridge repair crew basicly consists of this:
Prime - Washed out of the academy, but did so still while at a prime ranking, and was granted 'captain' of a space bridge repair crew since he's not 'hero' material.
BB - Washed out of the academy sorta, at the same time caught a spy. So eh, he basicly got the same punishment as prime, without progressing passed his initial enlistment as a cadet.
Bulkhead - Washed out of the academy into being a space bridge repair tech, though this was always his intention to be.
Ratchet - Retired War Medic, he's a doctor, not a soldier, remembers for those that can't, but is tired of the fighting and just wants peace and quiet. Joined a repair crew to get away and enjoy the quiet till he recognizes the allspark. Berates prime for living in the past, as those are days ratchet will never forget, but he also doesn't want to relive.
Prowl - Never finished his training, but no other info is known as to why he was assigned to that allspark forsaken rock.

Pretty much all seem to have been assigned via the academy, Prime is singled out due to his skill in rescuing them all. Which throws them off in how a 'prime' with this much skill is their captain, and not along side ultramagnus in the elite guard.

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Well see my take on this is that the Elite Guard wasnt actually founded until after the war had ended, the war caused everyone to pick a side even those not inclined toward combat but after the war itself had come to a close the Elite Guard was founded so that the Autobots had a standing Military.

Here's my question. Is Autobot a species, nationality, ethnicity or organization? If Autobot is a species, are they distinct from Decepticons, or are they both of the "Cybertronian" species? If Autobot is a nationality, and Decepticons are a nationality, are there non Autobot Cybertronian nations and ethnic groups? If Autobot is an ethnicity and decepticons are another Ethnicity/Nation, do they co-exist with other Cybertronian Ethnicities inside one nation? If autobot is an organization, are non decepticon cybertronians referred to as something else, and are they still part of the Autobot run state?

They are the few.....

They are the proud.....

They are, the Autobot Elite Guard!

A new age has begun! A new age, of Bayformers!

good questions. I know If I were to healm a tf universe I would make "autobot" the name of the species and make "decepticon" the name of a specific faction/organization

I say Autobots and Decepticons are factions/organizations.

Factions. The race/species is cybertronian, as has been said by Megatron, for example in the end of season 1, when Sumdac tried to affect his balance systems.

I would say that whatever distinct factions there might have been before the great war, they don't exist anymore, and that in the present, there are only Autobots on Cybertron.

They're the best of the best of the best, SIR! (With honours!)

And their supreme commander get blasted by a Decepticon second-in-command reject at point blank... right on his face.