Miles

Major Miles is an Amestrian State Military Officer stationed at Fort Briggs as Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong's personal adjutant. Dutiful and intelligent, Miles is among Armstrong's most trusted soldiers and fulfills his orders efficiently and to the best of his ability. Though pragmatic and calculating, Miles is not without a heart; he holds a great deal of admiration for his queen, a soft spot in his heart for his comrades and the hope that people will be able to work together without prejudice in the near future.

Like most soldiers serving at Briggs, however, Miles hides a personal secret behind his slow-blindness goggles. Though he is the child of a multi-ethnic family, his paternal grandfather's Ishvalan heritage runs strongest in him, resulting in Miles' distinctive red eyes despite being only one quarter Ishvalan.

In 1908, when Führer's Order 3066 called for the assembly and confinement of all Ishvalan people serving in the Amestrian military at the start of the Ishval Civil War's final stage, Miles had just been assigned to Armstrong's command at Briggs. However, she neither confined Miles nor sent him away to the government's internment camps. When Miles, confused by Armstrong's decision and angered by the slaughter of his ancestors, confronted Armstrong as to why she kept him as her assistant, she told him that prejudice on the battlefield would only lead to casualties and that, as a pure-blooded Amestrian, she valued the measured judgment and unique perspective of someone like Miles, who had not only Ishvalan blood, but the blood of several other ethnicities in his veins. Armstrong urged Miles to work as part of Briggs' singular force to ensure everyone's survival and told him that, if he still felt resentment toward Amestrians for the murder of his grandfather and relatives, she would take him on in a one-on-one duel whenever he should so choose. After this exchange, Miles put aside his grievances aside and became committed to following Armstrong honorably and changing the general opinion of Ishvalans.

Major Miles is first seen in Chapter 63, but first introduced to the story in Chapter 65, when Major General Armstrong asks him to show the newly arrived Elric brothers around the fort and give them a duty to perform during their stay. After hearing that all the soldiers stationed at Briggs have secrets they would rather not share, Edward asks Miles what his secret is. After a bit of goading from Ed, Miles breaks his silence and removes his goggles. At first, Miles speaks harshly to Edward as a part of the nation that destroyed the land of his ancestors, but after Edward talks back to him instead of taking pity, Miles chuckles and apologizes, giving his respect to Edward for treating him as an equal. The remainder of the tour goes smoothly as Ed and Miles discuss the Major General, Fort Briggs' credo of "survival of the fittest" and ethnic relations in Amestris. After a falling icicle narrowly misses killing Edward, Miles notes that luck is also a part of survival and gives the Elrics the task of clearing the halls of hanging icicles before returning to his normal duties beside the Major General.

While briefing Armstrong on the new reports of Solf J. Kimblee's presence in a field hospital at the base of the mountain and the orders from Central Command requesting that Briggs forces aid the Red Lotus Alchemist in any way possible, Miles responds to the sudden intruder alarm set off by the breaching of the bottommost level of the fort by the Homunculus Sloth. After the soldiers use Briggs Tanks to force Sloth into a service elevator, Miles closes it and sends it to an upper level so that the Homunculus may be defeated. The next morning, Miles heads down to the hospital where Kimblee is recovering from his major wounds. He informs Red Lotus that he should focus on healing up while Briggs forces take over Kimblee's search for Scar in the north. But when Kimblee refuses to give up the assignment to Armstrong's men, claiming that the Ishvalan murderer is his prey, Miles removes his goggles and speaks up, refusing to let a known murderer like the Red Lotus Alchemist run free on Mount Briggs and promising to kill him if he makes any trouble. When Kimblee appears at Fort Briggs with Lieutenant General Raven within the day with his life-threatening injuries inexplicably healed, Miles is visibly surprised and begrudgingly accepts Lt. General Raven's request to show the Red Lotus around.