A Changing World (OPEN, MT, ATTEN: Reformed Britannia)

[Alexiandra]

Alexiandran Communique

Alexiandran Governmental Seal

While we regret the deaths of several Nitomian pilots over Nova earlier this week due to an Alexiandran strike, we must assert to Nitom's government that this strike was fundamentally necessary to the survival of both Nitom and the Alliance of Grand Powers. This is not a simple case of "treason" or "betrayal". In the early hours of May 11th, 2011, King Sevra authorized a missile strike against Nitomian planes suspected to be carrying nuclear missiles towards the peaceful region of Nova. By doing so, Alexiandra avoided waking a sleeping giant, Salzland, who would have undoubtedly crushed Nitom with one swift strike of nuclear proportions. While Nitom may regard itself as "invincible", a nation of the same size as Salzland would have eradicated the nation from the face of this Earth, along with half of the rest of the Alliance of Grand Powers. It was simply a situation that Alexiandra was not willing to contemplate in any way, shape or form and Alexiandra's government is horrified to learn that Nitom would.

[Alexiandra]

All was quiet in Alexiandra. The darkness settled over the land like a blanket, wrapping the inhabitants in a warm shelter. The occasional helicopter hummed overhead, and near several military bases, one could hear the sounds of thunderous jet engines blasting into the air. The real action, however, was in Outer Space. Alexiandran satellites observed as the Nitomian planes plummeted towards Earth, now just balls of flame and piles of twisted, charred metal. It was spectacular, but somewhat sad, too. The planes would probably land in the waters near Nova, the very region that the satellites had just defended. It had come at great cost to Alexiandra, as she had lost one of her allies, but it was worth it. All for the greater good. They even saved Nitom in the process. The wrecks entered the lower atmosphere, illuminating the sky with their brilliant orange hue. The bases on the ground however, had more pressing concerns. By order of the King, trenches and SAM sites were being built all across the country, in preparation for a Nitomian counter-attack. The King hoped it wouldn't come to that, but he had to be ready for the worst. There was no question that Alexiandra would win the ensuing war -it had innumerable nations supporting it- but Sevra was more worried about the damage it would cause. Lives would inevitably be lost on both sides. But the snotty nosed Nitomian letters had stirred a fierce determination and pride within the King. He would defend both his people and himself by any means necessary. If the Nitomians didn't see the sensibility behind his choice then so be it. They'd have to take on Alexiandra, Gibet and hopefully Salzland... all at the same time. The existing SAM bases all over the country were being activated overnight, and over one million reserves began mobilising as fast as possible. DEFCON was raised to 3 - Maximum Readiness. Military aircraft from far and wide began flying sorties, towards the shores where Alexiandra's lifeblood came from -the sea. it was going to be a hard war...


OOC: Alexiandra is an island with heavily defended cities, very advanced shore defences, and small numbers of elite, very well equipped troops along with a massive navy, the most prominent of all the armed forces.

[Salzland]

Strategic Defense Command
Rostgard, Salzland

"Sir," began one of the Airmen who had been assigned to monitor the progress of the Nitomian spaceplanes as they approached Nova, "Something's happened."

"Thank you for that vague report, Airman," replied Tony Hughes, the current shift's watch officer. "I'd like a more elaborate report, at your convenience. No need to rush."

The Airman muttered something under his breath before continuing, "Yes, sir. As I was about to say, sir, the Nitomian spaceplanes have been engaged by a third party. We're picking up wreckage, and it seems that the Nitomians have taken at least some casualities."

"Right, thank you Airman. I need to pass this up the chain of command."

*******************

Executive One
Orbiting over the Great Tear Ocean
200 Miles off the Coast of Salzland

"I see. Thank you very much, I'll pass that on to the President," Foreign Relations Minister Davis said, before hanging up the phone. "Mr. President," he continued, addressing the Situation Room, "We've received word that the Nitomian spaceplanes are under attack by a third party. We've also received a statement from the Alexiandran government, condemning Nitom's actions to date and claiming responsibility for the strike against them."

"John, I want you to send out a communique announcing our full support for the Alexiandrans. They're sticking their necks out for us, and we're damn well going to return the favor," President Phillips replied. "Also," he continued, crumpling up the notice of cease fire that had been forwarded by the Nitomian government, "We have never left an ally on the field of battle. I do not intend to start doing that now. Let the Nitomians know that as far as we're concerned, we are at war until everyone that has come to the aid of Britannia, either directly or indirectly, has received a cease fire. That includes the Alexiandrans and the Gibetans. God only knows there are too few nations willing to stand on principle anymore, and under my watch the Armed Republic will not leave behind countries that chose to stand with us."

******************

To: Open Statement
From: Office of the Minister for Foreign Relations, Salzland
Subject: RE: Nitomian Cease-Fire

To Whom It May Concern,

The Armed Republic has recently received word that the government of Nitom has offered a cease-fire to several of the nations opposing Nitoms' most recent acts of wanton aggression. As far as the Salzland government is concerned, that offer of case-fire is flatly rejected. Salzland combat units will continue engaging forces belonging to the Holy Empire of Nitom wherever encountered.

The Armed Republic has never, and God willing shall never accept a peace that leaves an allied nation on the field of battle. Though the Alexiandrans are otherwise strangers to us, and the Gibetans practice a form of government that ordinary Salzlanders would find repulsive, we will not abandon those nations to the Nitomians. The crimes that the Nitomians committed against Gibetan civilians are well-documented, and would in all likelihood be repeated to an even greater extent should the Nitomians be given a free hand to move even more forces into Gibet. Likewise, the Alexiandrans, knowing of the Nitomian government's preference for attacking defenseless civilians and fully aware of their nation's geographic proximity to Nitom, have elected to take a stand and declare that they will not tolerate such conduct from Nitom.

We will stand by those countries who stood by us, knowing what they risked to do so. The Nitomian government must recognize a cease-fire with all nations currently arrayed against it, before a true peace can be negotiated. Until this occurs, the Armed Republic will remain fully opposed to Nitom's continuing aggression and will continue to recognize a state of war between Salzland and the Holy Empire of Nitom.

Sincerely,

J. Marcus Davis
Minister for Foreign Relations

[Reformed Britannia]

OFFICIAL COMMONWEALTH COMMUNIQUE


While His Majesty's government is pleased to see that the Nitomian government seems at least somewhat willing to negotiate peace, we must note the dubious nature of the communique that was issued to us. The nation of Nitom has requested a ceasefire only with the nation of Britannia and the region of Nova as a whole-omitting the nations which have deigned to come to Britannia's aid during this trying conflict, namely Gibet, which would be left to fight a war against Nitom by itself should such a ceasefire be accepted.

It is therefore the view of His Majesty's government that such a ceasefire was proposed only because it would benefit Nitom by allowing them to concentrate their force against fewer targets, in this case, Alexiandra and Gibet.
Moreover, the Britannian government is not inclined to accept a simple 'ceasefire' when the bodies of civilians who were brutally and senselessly murdered by Nitomian commandoes are practically still warm.

Therefore, we shall issue our own counter-terms. We will accept a ceasefire if it is unilateral-that is, applying to all nations currently involved in this conflict, including Alexiandra and Gibet. No military movements-such as the mobilisation or deployment of forces to other territories, or the movement of aerial or naval assets-may take place during this ceasefire. Finally, during this ceasefire, the Britannian government wishes to state that it desires for a conclusive end to the conflict to be negotiated in the form of a treaty, which we believe should take place in the Britannian-held Veleque Islands.

It is truly our desire to negotiate an end to this conflict before it spirals out of control, but we are not willing to put the lives of other nations' citizens on the line in order to achieve this end.

God Save the King,
The Britannian Foreign Office

[Nitom]

Rumek, Nitom

"Sir, Britannia and Salzland have both declined the cease-fire." Kegan said as he walked into Ethan office. "Very-well, ignore them and play a defensive war against them. If they attack we will simply focus on Alexiandra and Gibet." Ethan said as he took a sip of his drink. "Let Alexiandra know that Nitom will only accept either full payment for the spacecraft or we will officaly cut all of our aid to the AoGP. That means no money of troops." Ethan continued as he stood up. "If they dont accept we will officaly declare war with the rest of the alliance declaring nuetrality and some may even support us." He continued as he walked over to kegan. "This is a time where the strong must seperate from the weak to survive." He said as he pated Kegans shoulder. "The devils scilent foot steps beat louder these days as he comes for our souls." He said as he sent Kegan out.

Code: Select all

TO: Alexiandra
FROM: The Holy Empire of Nitom

To stop the war you must pay for the equipment and lives you have taken. If you do not we will cut all support from The AoGP, money, troops, ect. We will also deploy the full force avalible from Nitom.

[Gibet]

"My people--sons and daughters of Gibet--this much, I swear: the history of this war will be no-less bloodier than the last. Even as te list of nations oppossing Nitom grows, they refuse to believe the war could be lost. Even now, they rush to defend territories claimed by force--not by right. Even as our brave troops rush into the battle--even as brave and noble Alexiandrians, Britannians, and Salzlandians and numerous others rush to fight this foe--our enemies continue to have the arrogance and egotistical belief that they are the controlling power of this war. That, this war's outcome depends upon them and them alone. They cannot imagine the horrors that await them. We will smite the Nitomiansfrom our lands!

Though they may sweep over our lands like the snows of winter, never again will we endure their oppression; never again endure their imperialism. Fighting as one hand, one heart, and one soul; we will crush dreams and haunt their nightmares!.................And as our last breath tears at their lungs; as we rise again from the ruins of our cities, they will know.........they have only begun to fear." Fuhrer Hans von Sturmgiest's voice rang through the airwaves and television speakers as his speech contnued over the wa. BEfore him, there were two-hundred of the finest Military Commanders and Political-figures Gibet had ever seen. They were each standing there, eagerly listening to their leader's words; taking each sentence to heart.

"Let no joyfull voice be heard! Let no Nitomian look-up at the skies with hope! And let this day be cursed by we who dare to make a stand against them and their oppression! Let each and every soldier fighting for a nation's soveriegnity fight with valor and vigor in their hearts. Go forth! My dear brothers and sisters! Forth into the mouth of Hell and return with victory! For every Gibetan killed fighting for this land a thousands times over! For every Britannain man, woman, and child killed at the hands of Nitomian commandoes! For every Alexadrian, Salzlandian, and other allied soldier bravely putting their lives on the line to defend against the invaders!For the generations squandered in warfare......and the generations yet un-born who might still cry out in anguish! The Nitomians believe they are the victors! They have said before tha they are unstoppable!" Sturmgiest paused for a moment to catch his breath and to gather his thoughts.

"I say, tell that to the Britannian who now bravely stand ready to defend their homeland from invasion. Tell that to the Alexaindrains who have shown courage to defend a nuetral region against Nitomian aggression. Tell that to the Salzlandians who have joined a fight that most others thought un-winnable. Tell that every other allied soldier who joined a fight that wasn't theirs, but fought as if it were. Tell that to our brave pilots fighting a war in the Heavens. Tell that.......to this great allaince of nations who have united togeher against a common foe; despite their differences!" He ended as a roaring applause echoed throught the large, empty halls of the grand-Reichstag building in the center of Krakow. His speech had been broadcast on the International frequincies and channels. It was hoped that it would bring hope to those who needed it and strike fear into those whom were now being fought of multiple fronts.

[Itailian Maifias]

Near the port of Boppard, Gibet

Lt. Abe Abelbard was flying in his LY910, one of the twenty five that were formed up in a arrowhead formation, just recently launched from the INS Regitoni, a Ark Royal-class aircraft carrier. The fighters were headed for the Boppard Gibet Military Airport, from which they would then stage the massive attack on Nitom which had been planned by Italian Global Command. The Empire had decided that despite it's tough times and being mlitary strained, it's allies could not go unaided and no one could ever accuse the Empire of not being helpful to it's allies.
Just pulling into the Boppard docks as the LY910's touched down and landed was the 3rd Red Fleet, one of the largest in the Navy and the most powerful, containing fifteen Ardent-class destroyers, eighteen Firefly-class cruisers, 3 Ark-Royal class carriers as well as around thirty odd frigates in addition to a large amount of troopships that were transporting the 2nd Sparrae Legion and the 4th Esrin Legion, both containing around seventy five thousand men and many cohorts and armed units. With Gibetan permissioned, General John Lynch, the heavily decorated Italian general and legendary icon watched from above a parked LY9 as his Legions unloaded. His orders were quite simple. Aid the Britannian coalition and strike directly at the heart of the Nitom Empire and end this very drawn out and longagated war.
Riding up to the City Hall in a LY83 Fox, Lynch was preparing to meet with the local Gibetan commanders and see what he could do about the Nitom blockade and ending this stupid war. Sitting in the jeep as it moved along the street, John thought about how over rated these wars were and yet, he was anxious to fire his AR-0 once more time. Or he might just swap it out for one of those Briannian FGR's that they so loved and adored.

[Salzland]

OOC: Could I trouble someone for a map showing which portions of Gibet are occupied by Nitom? I tried to find such a map on my own, but was unable to find a map that I believed to be 100% accurate and current. Thanks in advance.

IC:

Executive One
Over the Great Tear Ocean
240 Miles West of the Salzland Mainland

"Mr. President, now is the time for us to begin offensive operations against the Nitomians. Frankly, they've over-extended themselves and we finally have sufficient forces in position to launch a crippling counter-attack. We've significantly degraded, if not completely eradicated their space-based observation and strike capabilities, our Firefly weapons systems have engaged several critical points in the Nitomians' supply lines and the Nitomians are now faced with the prospect of fighting wars in multiple foreign nations while simultaneously trying to defend their own homelands from counter-invasions," Defense Minister Ian Williams stated, addressing the President via secure videoconference.

While the destruction of the Nitomians' space planes ended the current threat to Rostgard, and the crew of the Salzland space shuttle launched earlier had been able to confirm that there were no nuclear weapons on board, the President would be remaining on board Executive One for the near future. So long as there was a possibility of a nuclear attack being launched, the government would remain dispersed. There was no sense in making it easier for the Nitomians to decapitate the Salzland government in one quick strike, after all.

"What are my options, Ian?" President William Phillips asked in response. "The Nitomians have given us the opportunity to take the initiative away from them and I mean to do so in as many fronts as possible. We may not get a chance like this again, so I hope the Ministry of Defense is ready to pounce on it."

"I can assure you that we're ready, willing and able to, Mr. President," Minister Williams replied. "With your permission, I would like to officially unveil Operation Kingfisher." He paused briefly while the videoconference display switched to a computer-generated map of the current conflict zones.

"During Phase One of Operation Kingfisher, our objective will be to achieve naval superiority over the Nitomians in three conflict zones. I should note that the original Nitomian naval formation massing for an invasion of Britannia appears to have dispersed, at least according to our most recent intelligence reports. Some Nitomian warships seem to be re-deploying toward Gibet, some are maintaining a defensive posture between our force, the Britannian forces and the Nitomian mainland, and some appear to be preparing for a possible engagement with the Alexiandrans. Because the Nitomian military no longer appears to be in a position to threaten Reformed Britannia, we now have the opportunity to implement Kingfisher."

He paused before continuing, "Based on current force deployment estimates, the Joint Chiefs have developed the following strategy for neutralizing the Nitomian Navy. First, using land-based strategic bombers launching from bases in Nova and throughout the world, we will mount a long-range anti-ship missile strike against the Nitomian naval forces in the vicinity of Gibet. Targeting data will be provided courtesy of our RORSAT, ELINT and IMINT satellite sweeps of the area, the missiles' own sensor systems as well as any data-linked information that can be provided by Gibetan or other allied forces in the vicinity. Primary targets for this portion of Phase One will be Nitomian aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, cruisers and destroyers operating in-theater. Strikes will also be directed against naval yards, port facilities, refueling facilities and military fuel tankers in occupied Gibet that could be used to support the Nitomian naval detachment. For this portion of Kingfisher we will be committing approximately 2,000 strategic bombers, carrying roughly twenty LY-589 'Hellion' missiles each, with follow-up strikes being conducted as necessary to ensure the destruction or surrender of all Nitomian warships in the vicinity of GIbet."

"That leaves the portion of the Nitomian navy acting as a buffer between our forces and their mainland," he continued, "As well as any forces that they are massing for an assault against Alexiandra. The Joint Chiefs recommend that our navy, specifically the forces that we were moving to the Britannians' defense, be deployed to draw out and destroy the remnants of the Nitomian fleet. Phase One also requires the identification and elimination of all facilities capable of launching spacecraft, which will be accomplished via immediate Firefly satellite strikes. Eliminating the remainder of the Nitomian fleet, or forcing it to operate exclusively within the range of its land-based aircraft, will allow allied nations to freely move men and equipment by sea to combat the Nitomians. Eliminating its capacity to launch spacecraft will greatly reduce Nitom's strategic threat capabilities. That brings us to Phase Two of Kingfisher. Before I continue, are there any questions?"

Seeing none, Minister Williams said, "Phase Two of Operation Kingfisher builds off of the destruction or neutralization of the Nitomian navy, and sees us moving warships, ground forces and land-based aircraft into positions where they can assist both Alexiandra and Gibet. Obviously, this portion of the plan requires the consent of both nations before we can proceed. Under Phase Two, the bulk of our naval forces, along with the seven air-mobile divisions that we have in Britannia, will be moved to Alexiandra. The Alexiandrans will need forces suited to a defensive war, in the event that the Nitomians invade, and that's what our navy and our infantry will provide for them. The Gibetans, on the other hand, will require forces suited for offensive operations in order to take back their country from the Nitomians. The ground forces that we have en-route to Britannia now will be re-directed to Gibet, and will stage an amphibious assault in the rear of the occupied territories while the Nitomians are being engaged from the front by the Gibetans. Our ground forces will be supported by the two carrier battle groups we have at Britannia, along with additional naval escorts and the land-based aircraft that we will begin shifting to bases in Gibet proper once we receive permission to do so. With the Nitomian forces caught in a pincer, cut off from resupply and reinforcement, we anticipate that they will surrender quickly. On a strategic level, with the Nitomian navy neutralized, its capacity to wage offensive warfare eliminated and its foreign possessions liberated, we expect that the Nitomian government will surrender by the end of this Phase."

"What if they decide to keep fighting?" Asked President Phillips. "Suppose liberating Gibet and deterring an invasion of Alexiandra aren't enough. Then what happens?"

"If necessary, we implement Phase Three of Kingfisher. Phase Three calls for the complete destruction of the Nitomians' capacity to wage war beyond their borders. This Phase will begin with cruise missile and air strikes aimed at opening corridors into the Nitomians' air defense grid. Once we have accomplished this, our forces will begin striking every Nitomian factory, munitions plant, military airfield and naval yard that we can get our hands on. We expect that this portion of Phase Three will continue for some months before we have accomplished our objectives. Once Phase Three is complete, the Nitomians will be left without the infrastructure to build or support significant air or naval forces for years, if not decades. They will also be unable to support significant deployments of ground forces abroad, unless they are able to find nations willing to transport and supply their armies for them. Which, after we get through with them, will be very unlikely to occur."

The President considered the plans for several minutes before reaching his decision. "Do it. We have an opportunity to catch the Nitomians with their forces scattered across the globe, and if this plan works we could leave them militarily crippled for years, if not decades. If we can give the world a Nitom incapable of lashing out at innocent foreign nations for an entire generation, then we owe it to the world to do so. Make it happen, Ian."

***********************

Above International Waters
Somewhere Between Nova and Gibet

Launching from bases in Kirav, Etoile Arcture, Nidia, Hardenburgh and Salzland itself, two thousand massive B-22 'Zeus' heavy bombers, supported by KC-135 tankers, electronic warfare and jammer aircraft, E-3 'Sentry' AWACS, F/A-15 'Cardinal' fighter-bombers and F/A-84 'Shadow' stealth fighters, linked up over international waters into a massive aerial armada. Each and every aircraft in that formation was aimed at achieving the same objective, the complete destruction of the Nitomian naval presence in and around Gibet. The opening strike package would be firing a grand total of forty thousand LY-589 'Hellion' long-range cruise missiles, from a range of roughly two thousand five hundred kilometers away. Each missile, once fired, would skim the seas for the entire journey until it was either destroyed in flight or it struck its target. Depending on how diligently the Nitomians were patrolling the seas and skies, they could have anywhere from ten minutes to an hour of warning to attempt shooting the missiles down.

The sheer size of the missile strike, combined with the fact that the missiles would be flying literally meters above the oceans, would likely confuse the Nitomians' air defense radars, as their computers tried to pick out missiles between the ocean's waves, and lock onto targets made out of metal rather than water. Unfortunately, flying so low for so long would inevitably result in missiles lost to rogue waves, but for this first strike the Joint Chiefs had allocated enough bombers to ensure that there was plenty of overlap.

It would take the bombers some time to enter weapons range, but once they did, they would have the honor of firing the first terrestrial shots of Operation Kingfisher. Meanwhile, high above the aircraft, the Salzland counter-offensive was already being waged in space.

**********************

Low Earth Orbit
Approaching Nitom

For the second time in the war, the Nitomian mainland was about to be struck by Firefly-class weapons satellites. This time a formation of ten Firefly satellites, escorted by Brilliant Pebbles, OTIS defense satellites and a pair of Sentinel-class satellites on overwatch, would be striking the Nitomians' spaceports. The Joint Chiefs wanted those weapons out of play, permanently, and the Fireflys were the perfect weapons to do so swiftly and surely.

One hundred re-entry vehicles would be launched by the satellites, split between the spaceport facilities that had been identified by the Defense Intelligence Agency thus far. The strike's primary targets would be the launching pads, fuel storage sites and the transporter vehicles designed to bring the spacecraft to their launch pads. The strikes against the fuel storage would be especially massive blows, because the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen contained within were not only flammable, but explosively so. Because of the massive quantity of spacecraft the Nitomians maintained, they needed equally massive quantities of fuel on hand. Once tungsten carbide spheres with temperatures of over 3,000 degrees fahrenheit began impacting those fuel storage sites, the stage would be set for explosions that might wipe out entire spaceports on their own. Even if they did not, the intense heat and blast shockwaves would ensure that the Nitomian space facilities would be wrecked for months, if not years to come.

Capitalizing on the Earth's very rotation to aid in their attacks, most of the Firefly satellites were able to launch before they had even passed above Nitom. Gravity, and small rocket boosters on the back of each re-entry vehicle, would carry them to their targets, where they would air-burst at a sufficient height to ensure the highest probability of successful attacks. The re-entry vehicles would be in weapons range of Nitomian air defenses for only a brief few minutes, and only a direct impact would be able to knock the re-entry vehicle off of its ballistic course.

While it was very unlikely that the strike would knock out the entire Nitomian space force in one fell swoop, a significant amount of damage would likely still be done. Even if the entire space force was not neutralized, the destruction of hundreds of billions of dollars in spacecraft and space launch facilities would be a stinging blow to the Nitomians. The first of many, in all probability.

********************

Task Force Britannia
En route to Reformed Britannia

In anticipation of Phase Two of Operation Kingfisher, Task Force Britannia was beginning to split and head toward its two new objectives. The majority of the Task Force's combat power would be heading toward the Alliance of Grand Powers, to attack any Nitomian warships they encountered before moving to assist the Alexiandrans in the defense of their nation. They would be assisted by the seven light infantry divisions currently in Britannia, who were being recalled from the field to Britannian airbases and preparing to fly into Alexiandra once it was safe enough to do so.

The ground warfare component of the Task Force, along with suitable escorts, would be sailing to Gibet to stage an amphibious assault against the Nitom-held portions of that country. While suitable landing sites had not yet been selected, the Defense Ministry was rapidly narrowing down potential targets for the invasion. Once they had done so, once the Nitomian warships in the region had been swept away and once suitable preparatory bombardments were completed, over five hundred thousand Salzland combat personnel, with well over one million logistics personnel, would be going ashore to help the Gibetans take back their country.

The stage was now set to shift the war against Nitom from the defensive to the offensive stage. Once the initiative had shifted into the control of the Salzland military, the Salzland Defense Forces had no intention of giving up the initiative until the war was over. How long that took would now depend entirely on the Nitomians.

**********************

To: The Foreign Relations Minister of Alexiandra
From: Office of the Minister for Foreign Relations, Salzland
Subject: Request for Permission to Deploy Military Forces to Your Nation

Dear Sir or Madame,

I have been instructed by my government to inform you that the Armed Republic expects to begin offensive operations against the Holy Empire of Nitom in the very near future. While those operations are underway, my government is interested in taking measures to ensure that the Nitomian military does not attempt to lash out at other nations that have defied its will. As such, on behalf of my government I wish to request permission from your government for the deployment of Salzland armed forces to your nation for the duration of hostilities with Nitom, and for a sufficient period in the aftermath of hostilities to permit the speedy and orderly withdrawal of Salzland forces in your nation. This deployment will specifically include ground, air and naval forces.

Should your government approve of this request, further contact will be made by the relevant portions of the Salzland government and armed forces in order to work out secure communications protocols, joint operations planning and the like.

Sincerely,

J. Marcus Davis
Minister for Foreign Relations

**********************

To: The Foreign Relations Minister of Gibet
From: Office of the Minister for Foreign Relations, Salzland
Subject: Request for Permission to Deploy Military Forces to Your Nation

Dear Sir or Madame,

I have been instructed by my government to inform you that the Armed Republic expects to begin military operations against the Nitomian forces within your nation in the very near future. In order to assist those operations, my government wishes to request permission to deploy armed forces to your territory for the duration of your conflict with Nitom, and for a sufficient time in the aftermath of said conflict to permit the speedy and orderly withdrawal of said Salzland forces once victory is achieved. This deployment will specifically include ground, naval and air forces.

Should you agree to this proposal, further contact will be made by the respective portions of my government to establish communications protocols, joint strategizing and the like.

Sincerely,

J. Marcus Davis
Minister for Foreign Relations

*******************

To: The Foreign Relations Ministry of Reformed Britannis
CC: The Foreign Relations Ministries of Etoile Arcture, Katonazag, Kirav, Novikov, Allies of Reformed Britannia, et al.
From: Office of the Minister for Foreign Relations, Salzland
Subject: Operation Kingfisher

Greetings,

Please find attached a copy of what is currently being designated Operation Kingfisher. Our government would eagerly welcome your assistance in mounting offensive operations against the Holy Empire of Nitom.

Sincerely,

J. Marcus Davis
Minister for Foreign Relations

OOC: Consider the attachment to contain all of the above details regarding Kingfisher Phases One, Two and Three. I am unwilling to re-write the details, or edit a cut and paste to make it presentable. For a tl;dr version, Phase One will be knocking out Nitom's navy, Phase Two will be putting ground troops into Gibet and Alexiandra, and if necessary Phase Three will be the sustained air and cruise missile strikes at Nitom's air and naval defense grids and military-related infrastructure. The landing sites in Gibet for my forces may be considered retroactively included in this statement, once I have a map to work from and pick my targets. If any details need to be filled in, feel free to TG me.

[Alexiandra]

Alexiandran Communique

Alexiandran Governmental Seal

Alexiandra is glad to receive word of Salzland's speedy retaliation, and would be accepting of forces from Salzland deploying to rural areas in Alexiandra, provided that they leave promptly once the war halts. We feel no ill will towards Salzland, but Alexiandran citizens will not feel safe if foreign troops are patrolling the streets. We do, however, ask that the deployed forces remain small enough to go unnoticed. Our own defence forces should easily be adequate to hold off a Nitomian invasion, but some extra reinforcements are welcome. Alexiandran units are also preparing a pre-emptive strike against Nitom, and would like to request that Salzland and Alexiandra's offensive plans be shared, so that a stronger strategy can be co-ordinated. In the meantime, we demand that the Nitomian government stands down its entire armed forces, all of its naval assets, and relinquishes control of "Nitomian" Gibet back to its rightful government. There is no chance that Nitom can win this war, however invincible it may think itself. If Nitom does not stand down, allied forces will CRUSH Nitom into a worthless footnote in an old history book.

---

It was a clear morning for most of Alexiandra. There hadn't been any rain for a couple of days now, and citizens were making good use of the warm weather and somewhat tropical climate that had settled in for the coming summer. Television screens were full of news about the Nitomian war, and how some critics thought that the government was betraying a close ally. Military bases around the Empire, though, were not so calm. In fact, they were not calm at all. Almost every base in the nation had been put on high alert, told to activate their air defences, and begin mobilising whatever infantry regiments that were stationed nearby. The King had also authorised the preparation of one million of Alexiandra's reserve corps. This measure alarmed some people, but placated others. Overall, the streets seemed safer on the gargantuan island that was the Alexiandran Empire. In a small, sheltered inlet on the coast of the Alexiandran mainland, a military missile compound was preparing for several launches, as were others around the country. They would be firing some of the new prototype Shadowclaw missiles, (OOC: based off the real life ArcLight missile) which had been jointly developed by Alexiandran and North African scientists. This landmark occasion went unannounced though, as it was top secret, classified information. The missiles were capable of Mach 7, and were extremely long ranged, able to travel up to 1500 miles with extra fuel cells. The weapons were expensive...very expensive, and that's why everyone at the base desperately wanted to see if they worked in a real combat situation. At 0400 hours, the missiles blasted off towards Nitomian naval assets which had been detected by Alexiandran satellite craft orbiting the planet. Their orange and red boosters illuminated the area for only a few seconds though, for once they were in they air, they hit full speed and vanished like phantoms into the night. This was Alexiandra's secret weapon, and a very potent one at that. If it did in fact work in a real war, it would be a glorious occasion for the whole country. They were estimated to reach the Nitomian targets in just over one hour, which was largely due to Nitom's close proximity and the missiles' speed.

[Reformed Britannia]

The countryside of Britannia

Field Marshal George Cunningham sat only a few feet away from the prime minister as Britannia's elected head of government glanced around the room. In this bunker deep underground, many of Britannia's highest political and military figures had been convened for a meeting regarding the plans forwarded to them by the Salzlanders. Operation Kingfisher would be a monumental undertaking-but the prime minister wanted his country to play a part in defeating Nitomian tyranny once and for all.

Also in the room were Air Marshal Theodore Urquhart, Admiral of the Red Thomas Edgecombe and various other military and political figures. The relocation to the bunker had been, of course, a precaution-the Britannians were, unfortunately, all too aware of Nitom's tendencies to use weapons of mass destruction during conflicts.

"Well, by the looks of things, the Salzlanders have got it all planned out. Phase One is probably already underway, given the amount of time that's passed since we've received this message," Prime Minister Powers-Carne murmured, glancing at the sheaf of papers that described in detail the plans and objectives for Operation Kingfisher. His eyes focused momentarily on Urquhart.
"Air Marshal, can I expect our own strategic bomber force conducting sorties against Nitomian naval elements soon?"

"I've already forwarded orders to numerous major airbases informing them to outfit their strategic bombers for a mass anti-shipping strike against Nitomian fleets in Gibet, and at sea if we can find them. Hopefully we'll catch the buggers en route to Alexiandra and nick them before they can even get some boots on the ground." A self-satisfied look came over Urquhart's face as he paused briefly.
"And of course, we've already struck at the Nitomian satellite network.Without any military satellites they'll have a lean time of coordinating long-distance military operations. With luck we can deliver a one-two punch to them-hit their naval assets hard, and then send in the fleet and the BEF to liberate Gibet."

Powers-Carne nodded in agreement, and then turned to Field Marshal Cunningham to ask him a question regarding the BEF's mobilisation progress. Yet before he could speak, the field marshal cut in.
"Yes, of course. The entire BEF has already been mobilised for the defence of this country, and now that the threat of invasion seems to have evaporated for the moment, it should be no trouble loading some troops onto the fleet."

"His Majesty's Navy stands ready whenever it is needed," Edgecombe interjected, drumming his fingers against the table at which he sat. "We're all set to engage Nitomian naval forces. God knows the bastards have given us enough time to prepare. The only thing I have a question regarding, however, is where the bulk of our forces are going to be deployed. The Salzlanders are sending the majority of their land and sea assets to defend Alexiandra from Nitomian invasion, but in the event that we cripple the Nitomian fleet at sea, we're going to need plenty of boots on the ground in Gibet."

Powers-Carne reflected only momentarily on the situation outlined by Edgecombe. Leaning back in his chair, he addressed the assembled officers and ministers as a whole.
"We will be deploying the bulk of our forces to Gibet. That is not to say, however, that we will not be sending assistance to Alexiandra. But there are no Nitomian troops in Alexandria-yet, anyway. As of right now, a massive battle is about to take place in Gibet, and if we open up a second front then the Nitomian troops in that country will be done for."

"And what about Phase Three of Kingfisher?" The question came from a slightly younger air force officer standing towards the back of the room. All eyes turned to face the man, whose gaze was fixed squarely on Powers-Carne.

"If Phase Three happens, it happens. We'll be striking the Nitomian homeland itself. I still have no bloody idea how much damage was caused by the SIS' DDoS attack against their internet infrastructure, but for the moment, we should assume it's been minimal and didn't disrupt the natural order in Nitom all too much. In the event that it was tremendously successful and metropolitan Nitom is in chaos, then it's just a bonus, but we can't go about operating on the assumption that our attacks are going to be overwhelming successes. Which means that for the moment, we're assuming that the Nitomian war machine is running at one hundred percent full capacity." Powers-Carne stopped to catch his breath, then continued on his tirade.
"If or when Phase Three happens, I want our military to be prepared. We're going to need accurate intelligence on major Nitomian industrial zones so we can hit them hard when the time comes."

After Powers-Carne finished, the whole room became deathly silent.
"Nobody has any more questions?" Field Marshal Cunningham asked, glancing around the room at the faces assembled.
"Wonderful," the prime minister chortled, clapping his hands together in a mock display of mirth. "Gentlemen, you are dismissed. Go about your tasks with vigour, for victory is well within our grasp!"

---

Britannia's strategic bomber force was nowhere near as big as that of the Salzlanders', but the intent was to make up for a lack of numbers with force concentration. All one hundred of Britannia's Dauntless strategic bombers would be loaded up with the same Hellion cruise missiles that the Salzlanders would be using, and they would be escorted by a formidable array of LY910 Shadowhawk AASFs, RA-33s optimised for bomber escort, as well as tankers, AWACS, and specially designed EW/ECM aircraft. Their destination? The Nitomian fleet stationed in Gibet.

After sending the decryption codes for their comm channels and FOF identification codes to the Salzlanders, the Britannian strike force took off from various air bases all over the country, flying in a fairly loose formation so that they would remain as stealthy as possible. Radar was turned off on all aircraft except for the AWACS planes, who would effectively be the eyes and ears of the strike force, using both active and passive listening techniques to pick up any Nitomian aircraft who tried to intercept.

But the risk of interception was deemed to be quite low for one reason only-the incredible range of the Hellion cruise missiles. They would be launched from a distance of 2,500 kilometres, with their active seekers turned off, instead relying on GPS guidance to converge on their distant targets-the Nitomian fleet. The purpose of locating the fleet fell to Britannian ELINT and RORSAT satellites, which were being manoeuvred to search for the Nitomian fleet around Gibetan waters-since Gibet had only one coastline, this would hopefully be a relatively simply task. If it was located by the Britannians, the information would be forwarded to the Salzlanders, the bombers would close to launch range, empty their payload, and return to base. As this strike was being coordinated, a roughly army-sized detachment of the BEF was being allocated to a detachment of the Royal Navy for imminent deployment to Gibet, alongside copious amounts of supplies, heavy equipment, and logistics personnel.

The conflict was about to come to a head, as the armed forces of various nations clashed with those of Nitom at sea, in the air, in the fields of Gibet and perhaps Alexiandra, and in space itself.

[Nitom]

Orbit Above Nitom

Soon several explosions ripped through five of the 21 orbital space bases. One The NNS New Front Was almost blown apart from the explosions that crippled its cells. But despite the lack of early warning and devastating explosions several MK-5 Killer Orbit Fighters were launched along with a few new B-3 Orbital Bombers. The craft then began to try and find their targets. Meanwhile, the bases that were not hit began to ready all defense system. Those that were damaged, however, began to pull back if they could. The bases defense systems used a tungsten-copper penetrating cover over a depleted uranium shell. Once the missles were launched they would fly to their targets and attack the weapons and fuel of the enemy vehicles. The penatrating cover would tear away with the first objects it hit tearing the object away as well. Then the uranium shell would penatrate deeper untill it was torn away and then once there was nothing but a iron covering the oxygen would mix with the solid sodium cosing a violent reaction causing the missle top explode its main load.


Nitomian-Gibet

It was a unusaly calm day in the command bases in Nitomian-Gibet. But, that soon changed. Soon, out of nowhere, tons of air craft apeared on the radar. Moments later missles were detected launching from the craft. The command bases soon came back to life with people moving around to cordinate a counter-attack. As soon a message was given to the air bases and air defense bases around Nitomian-Gibet several air craft took off to confront the enemy planes. It would be a deadly fight with so many air craft in the air.

Nitom

Upon hearing of a multi-front attack every air defense network in Nitom was put online. Civilians began moving into their local bunkers and planes patroled the skies. If Nitom was attacked it would do everything in its power to stop it. The battle for Nitom could start any moment now.

[Alexiandra]

Orbit Above Nitom

Soon several explosions ripped through five of the 21 orbital space bases. One The NNS New Front Was almost blown apart from the explosions that crippled its cells. But despite the lack of early warning and devastating explosions several MK-5 Killer Orbit Fighters were launched along with a few new B-3 Orbital Bombers. The craft then began to try and find their targets. Meanwhile, the bases that were not hit began to ready all defense system. Those that were damaged, however, began to pull back if they could. The bases defense systems used a tungsten-copper penetrating cover over a depleted uranium shell. Once the missles were launched they would fly to their targets and attack the weapons and fuel of the enemy vehicles. The penatrating cover would tear away with the first objects it hit tearing the object away as well. Then the uranium shell would penatrate deeper untill it was torn away and then once there was nothing but a iron covering the oxygen would mix with the solid sodium cosing a violent reaction causing the missle top explode its main load.


Nitomian-Gibet

It was a unusaly calm day in the command bases in Nitomian-Gibet. But, that soon changed. Soon, out of nowhere, tons of air craft apeared on the radar. Moments later missles were detected launching from the craft. The command bases soon came back to life with people moving around to cordinate a counter-attack. As soon a message was given to the air bases and air defense bases around Nitomian-Gibet several air craft took off to confront the enemy planes. It would be a deadly fight with so many air craft in the air.

Nitom

Upon hearing of a multi-front attack every air defense network in Nitom was put online. Civilians began moving into their local bunkers and planes patroled the skies. If Nitom was attacked it would do everything in its power to stop it. The battle for Nitom could start any moment now.

Luke Skywalker jumped into his X Wing, called R2 and- oh wait, this is MT. Orbital bombers? Space bases?

[Nitom]

Orbit Above Nitom

Soon several explosions ripped through five of the 21 orbital space bases. One The NNS New Front Was almost blown apart from the explosions that crippled its cells. But despite the lack of early warning and devastating explosions several MK-5 Killer Orbit Fighters were launched along with a few new B-3 Orbital Bombers. The craft then began to try and find their targets. Meanwhile, the bases that were not hit began to ready all defense system. Those that were damaged, however, began to pull back if they could. The bases defense systems used a tungsten-copper penetrating cover over a depleted uranium shell. Once the missles were launched they would fly to their targets and attack the weapons and fuel of the enemy vehicles. The penatrating cover would tear away with the first objects it hit tearing the object away as well. Then the uranium shell would penatrate deeper untill it was torn away and then once there was nothing but a iron covering the oxygen would mix with the solid sodium cosing a violent reaction causing the missle top explode its main load.


Nitomian-Gibet

It was a unusaly calm day in the command bases in Nitomian-Gibet. But, that soon changed. Soon, out of nowhere, tons of air craft apeared on the radar. Moments later missles were detected launching from the craft. The command bases soon came back to life with people moving around to cordinate a counter-attack. As soon a message was given to the air bases and air defense bases around Nitomian-Gibet several air craft took off to confront the enemy planes. It would be a deadly fight with so many air craft in the air.

Nitom

Upon hearing of a multi-front attack every air defense network in Nitom was put online. Civilians began moving into their local bunkers and planes patroled the skies. If Nitom was attacked it would do everything in its power to stop it. The battle for Nitom could start any moment now.

Luke Skywalker jumped into his X Wing, called R2 and- oh wait, this is MT. Orbital bombers? Space bases?

Well, the united states has planes that can go into orbit that they are test flying atm. Also, the bases are possible but would cost money to build and money is one thing that Nitom has. Everything that I have put in early PMT or MT nothing that I have put is not out of reach of the united states in the next five years or that they already have.

[Alexiandra]

OOC:


A Changing World (OPEN, MT, ATTEN: Reformed Britannia)


let's try to keep this MT

[Salzland]

OOC: So the space plane bases have been moved from bases on the ground (i.e. "Ellis Island," referenced here: viewtopic.php?p=5499772#p5499772) into space? Given the number of attacks against Nitomian space assets that have been completely ignored (I know I've made three posts about it and RB has made at least one), I thought we were recognizing that everything you had in space had been wiped out and that we were finally done with the Final Frontier. There was something else that I wanted to say about the ongoing developments in the space campaign. Man, what was it? Oh, right.

Seriously? There's a difference between prototype unmanned space planes that have to be launched from the ground with the same booster rockets as a space shuttle, that have negligible cargo capacity and still cost billions a piece (and routinely have catastrophic mechanical failures), and a manned single-stage space plane that can fly from the ground to suborbital flight to space to suborbital flight and back again. Even if you were thinking of something like Blackstar (a two-stage to orbit aircraft, which also happened to be a complete and utter failure according to the single "article" about it) or even Blackswift (which still requires a ground-based rocket launch to help achieve orbital velocities), the technology for what you're using is not there. The only way these planes would even have the fuel capacity to perform what they've been depicted as performing would be if they had nuclear engines. Of course, the only manned aircraft ever developed with nuclear engines pumped out so much radiation that the pilots would have been killed while in flight.

That doesn't even touch upon the armed and armored space battlestations/aircraft carriers. Between the engineering necessary to withstand the stresses of maneuvering while at orbital velocities, the number of spacelifts required to construct, arm and heavily armor something that's bound to be larger than an aircraft carrier given the limited information on its capabilities that we have available (namely that the stations have the ability to shrug off multiple weapons strikes including kinetic weapons moving at faster than a kilometer a second, to survive multiple internal explosions, the ability to maneuver fairly rapidly, and each one can launch and maintain multiple space fighters and space bombers), and the fact that it's a freaking aircraft carrier in space, there's no way for that to work in MT. No way. That's also completely ignoring the facts that such a massive base would be: A.) Highly visible and detectable, B.) Locked into a standard low earth orbit, meaning that it would be passing over my nation at regular intervals and would be promptly shot down once it did so, and C.) Already engaged several times in posts that have apparently been completely ignored.

Nor is it a matter of just spending enough money. First, I'm going to preempt the "NS Economy/NS Tracker" budget argument right now by pointing out that, at a 99% tax rate with 71% of the budget invested in military or law and order spending, your economy would be collapsed and your people starving to death. The Soviet Union collapsed after a few years of spending roughly 30% of its GDP on the military, and even at that point they were dependent on foreign food aid to prevent their people from starving to death. The problems will only be magnified in a nation that is spending more than double the amount on its military and law enforcement that the Soviets did when their bloc failed.

Second, even if you are RPing without using Tracker statistics, something has to give. You cannot be fielding trillions of dollars of space planes, tens of trillions of dollars of space battlestations, tens of trillions of dollars in conventional military equipment (including a 7,000 ship navy, tens of millions of missiles and at least 50,000 military aircraft), and trillions of dollars in salaries for your military personnel (presuming at least one hundred million personnel, in order to have enough logistics capacity to realistically support an army of over twenty million men). That doesn't even address maintenance and upkeep expenses, costs of occupying hostile foreign territory, training, fluctuations in supply costs, etcetera.

I'll also address the potential counter-argument about my Sentinels not being MT by pointing out that, in fact, they are. Low-output, "miniaturized" nuclear reactors have been in use since the 1970s (see, for example, the Voyager space probes), the Northrup-Grumman FIRESTRIKE system that Sentinel is based on has already had successful full-power testing (and, since it is a scalable system, there is literally nothing preventing it from being scaled up to a two-megawatt unit besides cost and cooling concerns, one of which is addressed by budgeting and the other by being in space), and I RP the consequences/drawbacks of maintaining systems that cost more than an aircraft carrier to build and deploy. Every component of the Sentinel (which is the only thing in my arsenal that could have its MT status plausibly questioned) is fully Modern Tech.

To make a long story short, stop teleporting your forces around and get back to MT, Nitom. This is your war and you made it MT only, so play by your own rules. It's not fair to the rest of us when we have to respond to space carriers and TIE Fighters with MT equipment, and it's not fair to the rest of us when the capabilities and locations of these weapons systems and bases change on a whim to prevent their being attacked and destroyed.

IC:

To: The Government of Alexiandra
From: Office of the Minister for Foreign Relations, Salzland
Subject: Deployment of Millitary Assistance to Alexiandra

Greetings,

In response to your recent communique expressing hesitance about the deployment of Salzland forces to your nation, please permit me to first explain in detail the deployment and then present alternative solutions for your government to consider. At present, the Salzland Defense Forces are preparing seven air-mobile light infantry divisions for transit to your nation. That represent a total of seventy thousand combat personnel, with accompanying logistics support. These forces will be accompanied by elements of the Salzland Navy, which will remain at sea, and in all likelihood will never be within visual range of your nation. There will be helicopters deployed to re-supply (and extract, once the conflict is over) our ground forces wherever they are deployed. Barring an actual Nitomian attack, the Salzland presence in your nation will be no more intrusive than that (with the exception of transportation being provided from the airfields in your nation where our forces land to where you wish them deployed, with my government fully re-imbursing yours for the expense). Obviously in the event of a Nitomian attack, our nation would be performing overflights of your country with military aircraft, which is why we are seeking permission to perform such flights now, rather than during the middle of a Nitomian assault.

If your government feels that it has sufficient strength on hand to defeat any Nitomian invasion, and it feels that the deployment of Salzland ground forces would evoke a hostile reaction from your people, then we are entirely willing to cancel such a deployment. In that case, we would only ask for permission for our aircraft and warships to enter your nation's airspace and territorial waters, only if necessary to repel a Nitomian attack. From the ground, it is highly unlikely that the average citizen of your nation would even recognize that such aircraft were not your own, and if our warships must travel so close to your nation that they would be identified then in all likelihood the war would already be lost.

In the mean time, we would welcome coordinating offensive operations against Nitom. At present, the Salzland Defense Forces will not be in a position to strike targets in mainland Nitom until the Nitomian Navy has been neutralized as a threat. At present, our forces remain several days away from entering engagement range of known Nitomian naval formations. It would certainly be in the Armed Republic's best interests to coordinate a joint strike on any Nitomian warships that we can reach, and if you will forgive the presumption it would likely be in your nation's best interests to ensure that the warships which would escort any Nitomian invasion force are destroyed.

Eagerly anticipating your reply,

J. Marcus Davis
Minister for Foreign Relations

********************

Striker Two-Two
Over International Water, 11:48 PM Local Time
2,500 Kilometers from the Nitomian Naval Detachment, Occupied Gibet

"Crew, we have a green light to engage our targets. Weapons free," came the call from the Aircraft Commander over the massive B-22 'Zeus' heavy bomber's internal intercom system. As he spoke, the aircraft's three bomb bay doors began to swing open, revealing the deadly cargo that would soon be speeding toward the Nitomians.

"Missiles away," announced the Offensive Weapons Officer, as twenty LY-589 'Hellion' cruise missiles dropped out of the bays, before their engines ignited and lit up the night sky. "All away clean!"

The scene was being repeated across the other bombers in the formation, until a total of forty thousand missiles were in the air and speeding toward the Nitomian naval detachment off the Gibetan coast. Follow-up strikes were already being prepared at bases throughout the world, in order to begin striking Nitomian military facilities in Occupied Gibet once the Nitomian naval detachment in-theater was at the bottom of the sea. Word had been received that the Britannians, at least, would be joining in these strikes, speeding the destruction of any Nitomian warships in-theater

The Salzland Navy would prevent Nitom from moving reinforcements to Occupied Gibet by serving as a blocking force and continuing to threaten mainland Nitom with attack. With localized naval superiority achieved around Gibet, it would only be a matter of time before the Nitomians, with their supply lines cut and under constant bombardment, were softened up enough to allow allied ground forces to land and open a second front. Once that occurred, victory would only be a matter of time.

[Alexiandra]

OOC: I don't have time to right a long communique right now, but Salzland your proposal is accepted by the Alexiandran government.

[Nitom]

Hamburg, Nitomian-Gibet

It was the early morning. Everything was calm. But that would soon change. Soon several military transport vehicles came rolling in. They were carring the HFLMS's that Nitom had used in the second war to blow apart entire cities. It would take about two hours before the launchers were ready but once they were they would begin to strike at Krakow, Guttenburg, Kiesffurt, Bebra, ansbach, Bogen, and Aachen.

Alsfeld, Nitomian-Gibet

Soon tons of explosions ripped into the city causing mass panic. For some reason a glitch in the air defense grid caused by the massive numbers of the enemy air craft caused it to go offline. In the few minutes after the attack began Only the older anti-air craft guns and ground anti-air weapons used by thge troops there began to fire hoping to hit the incoming missles. It was not looking good.

Dead: 5,000
Wounded: 12,638
MIA: 325

Western Kriven ocean

Several ships were lazily sitting at their ports waiting for new missle programs to be set up on the ships when several missles slammed into the sides of three of the battleships. It was the Alexiandran missle attacks that had been warned about. The warning had been ignored by the commanders because on the fact that nothing was on the ships radar. The reason was because it was taken offline to make sure that the new missle programs could be turned online easlily. It was tolate to warn them any further. The NNS Junsvok then exploded and began to sink. Several more ships were hit. After several minutes one battleship The NNS Viper got out of port. The NNS Viper is a suppoir battleship with the second largest guns Nitoms navy had to offer. It was a veteran of the first and second Nitomian-Gibet wars and was used to taking heavy damage. Soon to follow was the remainder of the fleet that was stationed with it. Seven air craft carriers, nine cruisers, three battleships, ten frigates, five submarines, and five transport ships survived the attack and began to set sail for the closest Nitomian naval base. The other ships that survived that couldnt make the trip remained in port to help with damage control and to protect the base.

Losses:
Dead: 24,000
Wounded 1,698
MIA: 2,073
Sunk: 8
Beached: 2
Damaged: 5

[Alexiandra]

Officials rejoiced as they heard the news that 8 Nitomian vessels had been sunk by the prototype missiles. But that was not enough for them. Miles to the south of the first base lay a second, larger one. It was loaded with more missiles and more personnel than the first. Two hours after the first launch, a further thirteen missiles shot into the night sky, propelling themselves to extreme speed with their glowing orange booster tanks. Other than a low rumbling noise, there was no indication to the nearby locals that anything had happened, and they simply carried on sleeping as normal. This time, the missiles were bound for the ships that had escaped the first strike... particularly the NNS Viper. Sinking this huge vessel would be a great blow to Nitom, and a gloating point for Alexiandra. The war was really intensifying now, as Salzland engaged Nitomian forces even in space, and Alexiandra launched super long range anti-shipping missiles at the enemy navy. With the huge array of nations against Nitom, one could not help but wonder why the Holy Empire kept trying to fight. It was simply a matter of stubborn pride, Sevra had concluded. Nitom had not lost a war for as long as Sevra could remember, which was a considerably long time. the government would obviously do whatever it took to avoid public humiliation, even dooming their own nation to a future of occupation and disarmament. Missile strikes would not be the only action Alexiandra conducted though. Seeing the deteriorating strength of both sides in the war for Nitomian Gibet, Alexiandra's government could not help but comply with the urge to deal a crushing blow to Nitom. At 23:00 Alexiandran time, six flights of heavy, long range stealth bombers known as YB-49s packed with high yield, heavy impact explosive bombs, began their journey towards the Nitomian fleet in Nitomian Gibet. This attack was simply a shock and awe strike - the aircraft had been given to Alexiandra a year previously by Hardenburgh, and now they would see use once again. They were carrying so much explosive that it had to be activated during flight, as doing so on the ground could cause a catastrophic explosion that would wipe out an entire city. The bombers would be flying particularly high in an attempt to avoid enemy fighters, although they were already stealthed, and were escorted by some of the RAF's best F22 Raptor pilots. The planes began crossing into Nitomian fleetspace at 0300 hours, and as they closed on their targets, the pilots began to sweat, their fingers tightening on their controls.

[Nitom]

Remains of The 91st Nitomian Fleet

Upon recieving word of several more missles the remains of the fleet brought their weapons systems online including the HFLMS's(Hell Fire Land Missle Systems) and the HVICBMS's(High Velocity Inter-Continental Ballistic Missle Systems) along with its successer the SSICBM(Super-Sonic Inter-Continental Ballistic Missle Systems). All of which were offencive weapons but could be used for an counter-attack. Along with those several defense systems were brought online including the patriot missle system. If the missles were coming they would have to face Nitomian missles. A request was also sent to the CNWWIA (Central Nitomian World-Wide Intellegence Agency) to track where the missles came from. If they found out where they came from they would be able to strike back depending on range.

[Katonazag]

To: The Foreign Relations Ministry of Reformed Britannis
CC: The Foreign Relations Ministries of Etoile Arcture, Katonazag, Kirav, Novikov, Allies of Reformed Britannia, et al.
From: Office of the Minister for Foreign Relations, Salzland
Subject: Operation Kingfisher

Greetings,

Please find attached a copy of what is currently being designated Operation Kingfisher. Our government would eagerly welcome your assistance in mounting offensive operations against the Holy Empire of Nitom.

Sincerely,

J. Marcus Davis
Minister for Foreign Relations

OOC: Consider the attachment to contain all of the above details regarding Kingfisher Phases One, Two and Three. I am unwilling to re-write the details, or edit a cut and paste to make it presentable. For a tl;dr version, Phase One will be knocking out Nitom's navy, Phase Two will be putting ground troops into Gibet and Alexiandra, and if necessary Phase Three will be the sustained air and cruise missile strikes at Nitom's air and naval defense grids and military-related infrastructure. The landing sites in Gibet for my forces may be considered retroactively included in this statement, once I have a map to work from and pick my targets. If any details need to be filled in, feel free to TG me.

TO: OFFICE OF THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN RELATIONS, REPUBLIC OF SLAZLAND
FROM: DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HCSK
SUBJECT: RE: OPERATION KINGFISHER
CLASSIFICATION: INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC SECRET

Most Esteemed Foreign Minister Davis,

The Holy Empire of Nitom has made a critical error in launching orbital strikes into our corner of Nova. Since it is often difficult to discern the nature of these weapons until their impact, the HCSK supports the Armed Republic of Salzland in it's efforts to remove these capabilities from the arsenal of Nitom. The utilization of space is a privilege to those who will use it responsibly, not a sovereign right or a territory to occupy. It is furthermore the duty of responsible nations to remove that privilege from those who seek to abuse it, to safeguard it for, and from being used against peaceful peoples of the world.

The HCSK will contribute to Operation: Kingfisher in support of destruction of Nitomian space assets. In light of the events that have already transpired, it goes without saying that HCSKAF SATCOM and FURRFDC assets hosted in the HCSK are on high alert, as is KRNOS in the Kingdom of Krommindy. Surface and orbital assets are being moved into defensive postures to counter further ballistic vehicle/missile and orbital assaults, which I'm sure you well realize have a high degree of geographical overlap with Salzland. With SATCOM's focus on orbital anti-strategic solutions and KRNOS's robust surface components, they should serve well to greatly augment your own domestic capabilities. Offensively speaking, SATCOM and ISOC are already conducting their own operations to aid in gathering intelligence and various sundry and covert operations. This will include deployment of Carrion satellites over Nitom to interdict launches of new space assets, observation satellites and mesolites to collect real-time data, and dedication of intelligence operatives in Nitomian held territories.

As you can probably imagine, this information will need to remain quite confidential. Open support of Salzland military actions against Nitom will be limited to vocal support by public officials, to include the President. Operational support will be covert, at least at this time. The matter is being transferred to the War Department, and they're requesting a liaison officer and staff be sent from their counterparts in Salzland for the duration of Operation: Kingfisher. However, as always, please feel free to contact me at any time about this or any other matter you wish to discuss.

Sincerely,

Mátyás Széchenyi
Secretary of Foreign Affairs, HCSK

OOC:

I don't plan on OOCly monitoring this situation too closely. Please TG me if there's anything you need me to look at or address. Since Nitom opened up the Pandora's Box with strategic weapons into Nova, it's game-on until he doesn't have any anymore.

[Salzland]

OOC: Nitom, if you begin firing off ICBMs I'm going to nuke you. I don't want to do it, but ICly my government has no way of knowing where those ICBMs of yours would be going, and whether they have conventional warheads, nuclear warheads, chemical warheads or biological warheads. Nor does my government trust yours even one iota to use anything other than WMDs, given your history of flattening cities. I held off once when the space planes went up, purely because I (admittedly) meta-gamed and honored RB's and Alexiandra's OOC requests not to. I will not do so twice. I will ensure that I only use low-yield, "clean" weapons in order to prevent fallout from blanketing your region.

This totally feels like a deja vu conversation, but there it is.

IC:

The Defense Intelligence Agency
Rostgard, Salzland

Given the Nitomians' tradition of using theater ballistic missiles to launch large-scale attacks against civilians, the Defense Intelligence Agency had assigned an entire desk to pour over photographic, infrared and radar images of Occupied Gibet. Those analysts had one, and only one purpose for the duration of the conflict: to identify and track Nitom's ballistic missile launchers and the munitions stockpiles supplying their ammunition in Occupied Gibet. The Minister of Defense wanted those launchers, and their munitions dumps flattened as soon as they were discovered.

Since the Nitomians' traditional tactic was to simply blanket cities with ballistic missiles, tracking the launchers and the missiles was fairly easy to accomplish. One could only cover so many hundreds of missiles with camoflauge netting after all. In order to keep up the rates of fire that were the standard for their assaults, the Nitomians would need tens of thousands of missiles stockpiled in close proximity to their launchers. Those missiles could only be left out in the open, so that the crews could have unimpeeded access to the launchers. Missiles left out in the open in massive quantities could easily be identified, tracked and targeted.

The Nitomians' very tactic of launching massed missile barrages against fixed targets, in short, would be their undoing.

Hunter-Killer teams of 'Firefly' satellites, with Brilliant Pebble, 'OTIS' and 'Sentinel' escorts, were tasked to engage the Nitomians' "HFLMS" launchers, and their respective munitions dumps. In order to keep their launchers firing at a steady pace the Nitomians had to use prepared positions, with their missile stockpiles close to hand. Prepared positions meant that the launchers would essentially be sitting ducks, even as they were preparing to fire upon civilians in Gibet.

While it was unknown precisely how many "HFLMS" launchers were scattered throughout Occupied Gibet, it was much easier to target the munitions stockpiles needed to reload the weapons. Kilotons of high explosives would be stacked up at each munitions dump, along with the missiles' internal fuel and other combustibles on-site. When struck, each Nitomian missile dump would explode with the cumulative force of an atomic bomb, likely on a scale with the devices used over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In other words, even if every "HFLMS" launcher in a battery had not been identified and targeted for a 'Firefly' strike, the resulting explosion from the munitions dumps would likely incinerate the surviving "HFLMS" batteries, and a good portion of any Nitomian forces within a half-mile or so of the blast zone.

The Nitomians had apparently managed to get away with launching terror campaigns against the Gibetans in two previous wars. There would not be a third time.

*********************

Low Earth Orbit
Over Occupied Gibet

Upon receiving a command from the Strategic Defense Command, over two dozen 'Firefly' satellites began firing upon known Nitomian "HFLMS" positions, as well as their accompanying munitions dumps. Follow-on strikes were already being prepared, with additional satellites being moved into orbital paths that would bring them over Gibet over the next few hours. In the mean time, the Strategic Defense Command wanted to land a knock-out blow with their first strike against the Nitomian terror weapons.

Dozens of re-entry vehicles began dropping off of the 'Firefly' satellites, before the munitions' rocket motors began firing and speeding the weapons toward their "HFLMS" targets below. Redundancies were built into the target list to ensure that the largets munitions dumps were targeted by multiple re-entry vehicles in the event of one or more weapons being intercepted by local air defenses. While knocking out the "HFLMS" launchers would be icing on the proverbial cake, the real prize would be to knock out the munitions stockpiles. With allied naval forces poised to cut off the sea route between Nitom and Gibet, it would be impossible for the destroyed missiles to be replaced.

Information regarding the known "HFLMS" positions was also transmitted to the Gibetans, in the event that any survived the initial strike. It was certain that Gibetan artillery personnel and pilots would welcome the opportunity to repay the Nitomians responsible for raining death down upon their cities. This time, the shoe would be on the other foots and the Nitomian "HFLMS" crews would be the target of massed assaults.

*************

To: DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HCSK, Care of Secretary Mátyás Széchenyi
From: Office of the Minister for Foreign Relations, Salzland
Subject: RE: RE: OPERATION KINGFISHER

Greetings Secretary Széchenyi,

On behalf of the Armed Republic, and the President, I wish to convey our gratitude to you and your nation, as well as the Kingdom of Krommindy for standing by us in this time of need. The assistance that your nation is providing, including intelligence support and further anti-ballistic missile/anti-space weapon defenses are most welcome as we continue our attempts to combat the Holy Empire of Nitom's acts of aggression across the globe. I have forwarded your message to the Ministry of Defense, and have been informed that a liason team is already en route to your nation, to ensure the rapid coordination of our nations' intelligence and operational services during Operation Kingfisher.

Once again, you personally, your government, your nation and the Kingdom of Krommindy have our thanks for their assistance during this crisis. We understand and will fully honor your government's desire to keep its involvement limited to covert support, and welcome any and all assistance that will be provided for the duration of this conflict. The open hand of friendship extended once again by your nation will not be forgotten or treated lightly by the government of the Armed Republic. We will keep the channels of communication between our nations open, and will immediately convey any new information regarding the crisis through our liasons to your nation as soon as humanly possible.

Sincerely,

J. Marcus Davis
Minister for Foreign Relations

OOC: Will do, Kat. Thanks!

[Etoile Arcture]

Note Diplomatique

DIPLOMATIC DIRECTORATE
LAKE CONDORDIA, NEW CORINTH

Re: Operation Kingfisher
TOP SECRET

Excellency:

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency's Note of today's date, which reads as follows:

To: The Foreign Relations Ministry of Reformed Britannis
CC: The Foreign Relations Ministries of Etoile Arcture, Katonazag, Kirav, Novikov, Allies of Reformed Britannia, et al.
From: Office of the Minister for Foreign Relations, Salzland
Subject: Operation Kingfisher

Greetings,

Please find attached a copy of what is currently being designated Operation Kingfisher. Our government would eagerly welcome your assistance in mounting offensive operations against the Holy Empire of Nitom.

Sincerely,

J. Marcus Davis
Minister for Foreign Relations

The Unitary Technocracy has observed with increasing concern the ongoing conflict between the Armed Republic, the Commonwealth of Reformed Britannia, Imperial Kingdom of Alexiandra and the Seventh Reich of Gibet with the Holy Empire of Nitom. The Technocracy especially wishes to express both its concern and alarm at the recent orbital attack launched by the Holy Empire against the Armed Republic.

As such, the Unitary Technocracy in accordance with provisions of the ODECON Charter and the Dagora Doctrine and its mutual defence pact between itself and the Armed Republic, has placed its own armed forces on high alert, including those of its nuclear retaliatory forces. As per the emergency request of the Salzlander government we will also now operate an open bases policy going beyond our current obligations under the ODECON bases agreement, to include the hosting and resupply from our air bases and shore installations Salzland military forces undertaking active operations against Nitom. Further to these matters, the Unitary Technocracy will waive all visa restrictions and open all ports of entry to Salzlander citizens for the duration of the present conflict with Nitom.

We note that the Holy Empire of Nitom has established in our view a reputation for the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of weapons of mass destruction in a number of prior conflicts over a period of many years. This aspect, especially in light of the recent attack launched against Salzland, raises the very real prospect that the Holy Empire may at some juncture decide to settle this conflict by means of a nuclear first strike against one or more of its enemies. Such a possibility where it represents a direct threat to the lives of both ours and ours allies citizens is neither tolerable or acceptable. Consequently, the General Secretariat has sought and been granted permission from the Assembly of Representatives to commence pre-deployment of our forces in case of a wider conflict. Further to this, the Unitary Technocracy will place twenty divisions of the Rapid Deployment Forces on twelve hour deployment notice and move two naval fleets towards the Alliance of Grand Powers region.

While not a party to the war against the Holy Empire of Nitom, the Unitary Technocracy will lend all possible assistance to the coalition against Nitom short of an open declaration of war against the Holy Empire. It is the belief of the Unitary Technocracy that ours or other parties entry into the conflict at this point may only act to further escalate matters towards a nuclear exchange. Therefore our support will be limited to the following areas:

1. Increased anti-ballistic missile defence patrols of our warships to help safeguard the near space zone around the Armed Republic;
2. Deployment of aerial refuelling tankers, AWACS aircraft and fighter escorts within Novan airspace, and provision of military air traffic control facilities to support Operation Kingfisher;
3. The direct transfer of arms and other material to assist the Salzland war effort, including authorisation to deploy supersonic cruise missiles and anti-satellite weapons from our own arsenal and placed under the operational control of the Salzland armed forces. For operational capabilities please refer to Annex A attached to this Note;
4. Sharing of all of reconnaissance, surveillance and other intelligence assets of the Unitary Technocracy with the Armed Republic and other nations of the coalition against Nitom for the duration of Operation Kingfisher;
5. Other support to military and civilian authorities that may be requested by the Salzland government as the situation develops.

If the foregoing proposals are acceptable to the Armed Republic, I have further the honour to propose that this Note and Your Excellency's Note in reply to that effect shall constitute an agreement between our two Governments.

Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration.

(signed) Dr. Michiko Flax
Director General, Diplomatic Directorate
Unitary Technocracy of Etoile Arcture

His Excellency
J. Marcus Davis
Minister for Foreign Relations
Armed Republic of Salzland

Attachments:

Annex A

The following contains specifications and capabilities for supersonic cruise missiles and anti-satellite weapons in service with the Etoile Arcture Defence Forces:

http://s4.zetaboards.com/Sequoia_Dynami ... m/3219168/

[Reformed Britannia]

"And so, the cookie begins to crumble," Air Marshal Urquhart muttered whilst reading some of the initial reports regarding Kingfisher's success in attacking Nitomian targets. The Britannian strike force had released its weapons and was currently heading back to base; reports regarding the amount of damage done to the Nitomian fleet indicated substantial damage caused, but Urquhart knew that destroying the Nitomian navy's grip on the seas around Gibet was only one phase of the operation that would hopefully lead to the freedom of northern Gibet.

The next logical step in an attack against the Nitomian-held lands was initiating SEAD missions. If the Nitomian air defence network was still intact by the time that the Britannians began launching air superiority missions, it would mean that the defending Nitomians would wind up with quite an edge over their Britannian counterparts in the Royal Air Force. Waiting for the one hundred Dauntless bombers to return to Britannia-and then refueling and rearming them-would take quite a bit of time, and Urquhart was well aware that the timetable for Operation Kingfisher-at least, from the Britannian standpoint-was quite small.

From overseas bases in Hardenburgh, Gathustria, and Cyrupe, an additional seventy-five Dauntless bombers-loaded with the same Hellion cruise missiles that the other force had been using-were hastily sent up into the air after a lengthy period of preparation, alongside a wide assortment of other planes including escorts, tankers and AWACS. This force would fly to a somewhat closer range-around 2,300 kilometres-before launching their weapons and returning to base.

The Hellion cruise missile-luckily for the Britannians-was capable of locking onto RF radiation that woud be emitted by either the Nitomian SAM sites or the radar stations that served as the eyes of said sites. Launching a Hellion strike against the sites would hopefully cripple the Nitomian air defence network in Gibet, allowing the Britannians to fly air superiority missions over the country without too much risk from ground-based air defence assets.

In the meantime, the combined naval-land task force was beginning final preparations, ready to set off for Gibet for yet another time. This time, however, the Britannians would not be trying to defeat the Gibetans-they would be fighting to liberate them from the yoke of Nitomian tyranny. The BEF's commanders had spent weeks analysing Nitomian battle tactics, referencing from intelligence that had been gathered during the previous war between Nitom and Gibet. This knowledge would hopefully ensure that both the officers and the troops of the Expeditionary Force knew what to expect from an enemy that they'd never encountered before-and, more importantly, allow them to defeat said enemy on the field of battle.

The force to be deployed was going to be massive, but keeping it supplied would require an even bigger logistics detachment. The concentration of military resources into depots in the opening weeks of the war greatly facilitated gathering supplies for the force before it went overseas, but once the Britannians were in the thick of it, things were going to get messy fast. Even with the Gibetans fighting the Nitomians on another front, the commanders were estimating that the Britannians would be outnumbered significantly. Flexibility and force concentration would be key in achieving victory, and that would require a smooth logistics chain.

[Alexiandra]

It was the perfect time to strike. The Alexiandran YB-49 IIs glided above the ocean, preparing their payloads for use. With half the enemy fleet destroyed and whatever defences said fleet had left focused on deflecting the oncoming missile barrage, the aircraft moved in for the kill. They accelerated to their impressive supersonic maximum speed, and lowered their altitudes slightly, keeping a perfect wedge formation for the duration of the manoeuvres. As a small warning button began to chime ominously in the cockpits, the wedge transformed into more of a closed triangle, smoothly closing the gap between wingspans. "All call-signs this is Alpha One Two, prepare your payloads for delivery, over.", spoke the lead pilot as he tipped his plane slightly to the left, directing the others towards where the Nitomian fleet would soon appear on the horizon. Immediately afterwards, he pinned the throttle onto full and began his climb into the thick belt of clouds that had settled over the area. Once all the pilots had transmitted their "ready" status over the shared status updater built into the HUDs of the helmets the pilots wore, he saw several plumes of smoke rising on the edge of his vision. Gripping his release controls tightly, he prepared for the run, which would commence in just a few seconds. He was disappointed. Only a few ships remained, including the NNS Viper, but even she was grievously damaged by both the Alexiandran and Salzland aerial assaults. "Three...two...one... RELEASE RELEASE RELEASE!" he shouted over the radio, before dropping his own hold full of high yield bombs and banking a sharp left to avoid the oncoming explosion.

Meanwhile, Phase 2 of Alexiandra's own plan, Operation Redsteel, commenced. Alexiandran fast flying jet fighters like the F35 Lightning and the F18 Hornet began strafing Nitomian oil rigs in the ocean that the two nations shared. Before the war, all this information had been conveniently shared as part of the Alliance of Grand Powers membership process. With their oil supplies gone, the Nitomians would not be able to continue a major offensive, at least with any sort of flying or ground based vehicle, and the war effort would grind to a halt. Magnificent explosions were reported by the news agencies, with towers of smoke rising hundreds of feet into the air. Marines were mobilizing all over the country in case of action or invasion, and the main military bases at Saltsburg, Gatville and Hungar Bay were buzzing with activity. Satellites and men who technically didn't exist were gathering detailed information on Nitomian troop positions and movements, and using these were trying to work out the enemy's war plan. Arms manufacturing exploded, gaining more money in the week alone than it had all year so far. This in turn created a boom in available jobs, so the war was good for something at least. It also took the minds of the citizens off of watching countless boring terrorist attacks and civil wars all around the globe. This war was against great evil, and it could really be felt in the atmosphere on the streets.

[Itailian Maifias]

Border near Nitom controlled Northern Gibet


It was slightly ironic that three years ago Italians fought to the last man to defend Guttenberg, Hamburg and the surroudning regions. Now they were fighting to the last man to liberate them from the evil clutches of Nitom. The 43rd, 44th and 45th Legios were ready, the men stood on the GIbet side of the border awaiting for the signal from the LY9 Dire Wolf tanks, whose opening barrage would be the signal to get ready and then they would move in with the tanks when they came rushing down to the infantry.
Miles away, at the port city where the Expeditionary Force landed, a squadron of twenty five F-26A's was flying in an arrowhead formation as they were cruising towards the city of Hamburg, the first target ripe for Liberation. The let out the screams of angels as they thundered overheard of the Legions below them thousands of feet waiting for them to uphold their part of Operation MacArthur. As they neared the city, they broke off into groups of fives, their deadly munitions were fired at military installations, City Hall, factories, anything to cripple the city. Outside of the Nitom controlled area, eighty LY300 Manticore systems opened fire, their missiles flew into the sky dragging a curtain of white smoke behind them as if it was attached to their tails. The cannons on the Dire Wolf's opened fire, their deadly shells crashing into buildings, roads or clusters of men. The barrage lasted for half an hour, the infantrry men thanking the Maker that they had earplugs in so their ears weren't ripped off with the shells and missiles being expended at the enemy city. Soon, it was quiet and men pulled out the small foam inserts that acted as earplugs and cohort commanders were screaming to move out, the veins in their neck showing as the skin turned red from the blood rush to amplify the barking of orders. The fourty five thousand men moved out, one hundred and fifty tanks going with each Legion as they moved in on a three way pincer, one Legion assaulting the city on the left, one on the right and one straight up the gut.
It was time for Nitom to face the full wrath of the Regale Empire and her Legions of Hell

43rd Arlin Legion
15,000 infantry
150 LY9 Dire Wolfs
75 LY300's
90 LAT-10(Attack Helicopter)

44th Talmar Legion
15,000 infantry
150 LY9 Dire Wolfs'
90 LY300 Manticores
45 F-38B Sentinels
25 A-10D's

45th Drakkan Legion
15,000 infantry
150 LY9 Dire Wolf's
160 LY4A2 Wolfhound's
120 LY300 Manticores
75 LAT-10's
50 A-10D's

Ontop of various medical and logisitcal units