Midwinter has a small standing army of Watchmen and City Guard as well as a strong navy. Like most of the other kingdoms, it uses Mercenaries to augment its defences. The ground forces are controlled by the Lord Marshal. He has three subordinates, the Commander of the Watch, the Commander of the Guard and the Commander of the Auxiliaries. The navy is controlled by the Lord Admiral and his subordinates, the Commander of the Sea Guard and the Commander of the River Guard. Together, the seven people make up the Defence Council that operates out of Norn Keep.

The Commander of the Sea Guard controls the deepwater ships that operate in Dukeswater and beyond. He is also responsible for the harbour defences and the customs officials working the Harbour district. The Commander of the River Guard is responsible for any traffic on the Tooze and the customs officials in the Harbour and Docklands districts.