www.News-Herald.et.comOverseas:
NMAA Expansion:
Palmyrion, Timocratic Republic Join PactIn a joint signing in the City of Aragon and Statesboro, the Royal Commonwealth of Palmyrion and The Timocratic Republic of Patrick O'Connor have joined Eitoan and Relica as members of the Northwest Mutual Assistance Agreement. The signing was viewed online at the Department of Foreign Affairs, where Secretary Randall Field hosted the ambassadors of both new members. It had been announced last fall that negotiations between the NMAA and Timocratic Republic President General Marai Overhill were underway, but the accession of the Royal Commonwealth to the pact came as a surprise to most observers in Vladarsik, both in defense and diplomatic circles. Commenting briefly to the press at the end of the ceremony, Secretary Field told reporters “The membership of both states into the NMAA adds a great strengthening of maritime capabilities, providing added security to the northern continental democracies. While land and air and aerospace forces have proven adequate for defense of Eitoan and Relica, the additional capabilities of the Timocratic fleet and strategic addition of the Royal Commonwealth provide an added dimension to defensive capabilities throughout western Greater Dienstad. Planners from current NMAA militaries will soon meet with their Timocratic and Palmyrian counterparts for the purpose of integration planning.”
The accession of The Timocratic Republic to the NMAA had been widely anticipated, and public acceptance was a given during the period of negotiations. It is one of the “Big 5” trading partners of Eitoan, and as such has a well established pattern of commercial and intellectual exchange with Eitoan. It also has traditionally been viewed favorably among the general public, dating back to the first days of independence when ethnic Eitoans that were expatriated during the Ralkovian-Merican wars of the late 1800’s found their way back to their homeland to contribute to definition of the legal system and establishing many of the modern enterprises in Eitoan. The contributions of the expatriates are credited with setting the nation along the path of democracy and free enterprise after the colonial period. By contrast, although Palmyrion has long been a popular vacation destination among well-heeled Eitoans, there has not been an in-depth relationship between the two states. A lot of this has to do with the average Eitoan’s reticence to become involved off-continent, buttressed by wariness over involvement in the south. Much of this wariness can be attributed to the turbulent nature of conflicts in the unsettled Bay of Chains region, but analysts point out that this turbulence is not the case further south, and that the palace in Aragon has reached out for opportunities to contain the perceived Ralkovian threat, a common interest in Vladarsik.
Critics in academia have posted concerns on popular social media over being drawn into conflicts in the Bay of Chains since the announcement. Most of the complaints point to the current NMAA’s meager naval capacity, and the need to safeguard the Northern Vanguat Sea east of Eitoan. This was promptly countered online with the reminder that the NMAA is backed by The Golden Throne, and that the TGT Kríerflot’s backing of the pact already provides naval dominance in the bay and adjacent waters. Further, nothing in the pact requires Eitoan or Relican land or air-based involvement either in the former Ashia or Barjaanistan, as neither bush conflict represents an actual aggression on a NMAA member state.
Expanding on his comments, Secretary Field pointed out that “As I have indicated, last year’s crisis has proven that on-continent land, territorial, and air defense are adequate for member states. In that respect we don’t see major expansion of these forces to meet NMAA needs, although coordination with the new member’s militaries will be forthcoming. But currently the naval capabilities of the on-continent pact members extend only as far as the eastern entrance of The Jesheoda Channel. The expansion of the NMAA will not delay our planned naval upgrade. Indeed, the expansion will allow us to work in synergy with the Timocratic Navy to provide in-depth deterrence and defense throughout the Northern Vanguat. This capability will also relieve requirements on the Krierflot in western waters, allowing The Golden Throne greater flexibility at lower cost to respond to sudden crises in the south, or elsewhere. In this way, Eitoan will be contributing both to it’s own territorial defense and shouldering it’s fair share of the naval requirements of the NMAA.”
Analysts following the announcement have echoed Secretary Field’s remarks, but have emphasized that the most immediate relief on Macabéan resources are the addition of Timocratic and Palmyrian capabilities to available naval forces in the west. The two regional powers will contribute more payload in the immediate future as the Eitoan Navy undergoes what amounts to a major overhaul in the next four years. Although a major geographic expansion for the pact, naval planners indicate that the current deployment of the new members’ fleets can be seen as bracketing, or containing conflicts in the Bay of Chains, and will likely help isolate the current mayhem endemic to the area without requiring actual entry of forces into the bay.
NFPC Details Naval Expansion PlansThe Naval Force Planning Commission (NFPC) tasked with a review of Eitoan maritime defense capabilities in light of recent events in the Northern Vanguat Sea and the advent of the Northwest Mutual Assistance Agreement (NMAA) has submitted it’s findings in a 675 page report to Secretary of Defense and External Security Major General Eugene Maska. The objective of the fleet expansion is pegged to provide 77% of the firepower of the Zolofan Armada in terms of ordnance delivery capabilities in each of the surface, undersea, and aviation categories. It posits a Area of Operational Effectiveness (AOE) for the navy covering the Northern Vanguat to within 650 nautical miles of landfall in The Timocratic Republic, and southward through The Jesheoda Channel.
The report envisions the presence of two major Antisubmarine/Surface/Aviation strongpoints: one operating in the open Northern Vanguat, the other immediately due east of the Jesheoda Channel and providing capability for a major presence in the Channel. Each presence would be flagshipped by one or more major anchor vessels providing substantial aviation capability. Given the state of the Eitoan shipbuilding industry, these would most likely require purchase from foreign suppliers. One likely candidate for this requirement would be Dienstad class Strategic Projection Vessels or Kristik Class ships from The Golden Throne. The report did not identify bidders that would be eligible to submit a Request for Proposal to Navy procurement, but it is believed that the requirements of NMAA force integration would weigh heavily in favor of Macabean suppliers.
The report indicated that Eitoan suppliers should be capable of building the remainder of the fleet, although a competition will be undertaken between all domestic and approved foreign designers for ships in each category, including submarines. It stipulates that where possible components should be Eitoan manufactured, but each major system should be designed through a rigorous "best of breed" competition including both domestic and foreign designs. An addendum stipulates changes needed to the naval Request for Proposal requirements to accommodate evaluation of engineering and technical designs.
The report calls for a major increase in the current submarine fleet, most likely based on TGT’s Tipo A’, diesel attack submarine (SSK) design. Such a major and rapid expansion will also require enhanced and intensified training, both at the officer and enlisted level. The panel outlined in general terms leveraging incoming classes of the Navy during their mandatory service, commonly recognized as attracting the most intelligent among all uniformed services, through a combined officer candidate/college degree incentive. To ensure that enlisted and officer quality standards remain high, a special Division of Advanced Training is proposed for the Navy, to be staffed largely by recent Engineering and Mathematics graduates enlisted as Warrant Officers to be employed in curriculum development and instruction across the Navy’s Operational Specialty Schools. The staffing recommendations raised hackles among Army staff officers with the recommendation that naval service choice should be more heavily promoted throughout high school for students identified possessing greater mechanical aptitude, as well as those with B grade academic records in mathematics. The personnel requirements for the naval buildup are expected to place a high demand for mechanical proficiency and a greater number of enlisted seamen that can handle basic modern communications, electronics, and computer features of on-ship hardware and software. This draw-up of talent for the Navy is at the expense of the active Army would be mitigated under the manpower and staffing plan through incentives for High School graduates that are on the fence to join the active Army in lieu of longer service in the National Guard.
Health:
Harvel In Throes of Squirrel FeverThe City of Harvel Public Health Department has declared a Public Health Emergency, closing all middle schools in the district for the next two weeks and issuing quarantine orders for families of students afflicted by an outbreak of Squirrel Fever. The city's Commissioner of Public Health indicated the emergency rules were triggered by last week's 15% absence rate among 10 to 12 year olds in the Harvel City School District, covering all of the city as well as most of the adjacent cities of Sorento and Martinsville. The emergency is the fourth one declared in Macomb Territory in the last month. Symptoms of Squirrel Fever include hacking cough, copious expulsion of green phlegm, a stabbing stomach ache, and stomach cramps. The major vector for the ailment is the Ground Red Squirrel, and the Public Health Department has advised against hunting, skinning and eating Squirrel until at least three months after the emergency is lifted. Macomb Territory has initiated an extensive extermination program for the Ground Red Squirrel in afflicted areas to extend over the next 6 months. The Territory has warned that poisoning will be employed as well as shooting, and that eating road kill during the extermination program is highly discouraged. Homeowners in Harvel have also been advised to securely store their nuts and sweep up and dispose through burning all acorns to avoid attracting the vermin.
Parents of children displaying symptoms are advised to keep them indoors, and make sure they get plenty of rest and clear fluids. Public Health clinics in the city are fully supplied with antibiotics for Squirrel Fever, and parents are urged to bring victims in for inoculation within 72 hours of the first symptoms.
Cabinet:
Petro to Replace Schactman at Posts, Broadcasting and National Standards President Shrdlu has nominated Jon Petro, Board Chairman of S&U Holdings to succeed Secretary of Posts, Broadcasting and National Standards Timothy Schactman. The nomination came in the traditional manner of a Presidential Letter to the Chair of the Ghastak Louis A. Herb. The move has been expected for the last several weeks as several candidates fell under scrutiny, with several from both the public and private sector declining any consideration. Action in the Ghastak is expected early next week, with a discharge for consideration to the Dashez likely after preliminary hearings and a vote shortly after. Hearings in the Dashez by the full Committee on Communications and National Standards likely to run from two to four days at the most. Mr. Petro is expected to have easy sailing through both houses of the legislature, although any issues surfacing during hearings in either body could bring delays during floor debate before a final vote in the Ghastak after approval in the Dashez. Cabinet nominees from the private sector have come under fire from Communist and Socialist legislatures, and it is believed that Mr. Petro will not be an exception.
Mr. Petro is seen as a good fit for President Shrdlu's cabinet, continuing the trend of non-political managers applying technical and business expertise to management of their departments. After service in the Air Force, Mr. Petro joined S&U Holdings as a junior engineer in the company's East Kelso Hydraulic Cylinder plant, rising rapidly to head the facility's production engineering department, then as plant manager for two years. Inducted into the firm's Financial Management Program, Mr. Petro cycled through assignments in Filers Separators and Purifiers, Aerospace Valves and Fittings, and Process Control Systems. His later career moved him up the ladder in Corporate Accounting, culminating in appointment as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Auditing. He attained Chairmanship of the Board of Directors three years ago. S&U Holdings is one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Eitoan, and a leader in motion control technologies, including aerospace, climate control, electromechanical, filtration, fluid and gas handling, hydraulics, pneumatics, process control, and sealing and shielding in continental western Greater Dienstad. It maintains extensive research and development facilities throughout Eitoan, and works closely with leading universities in the areas of mechanical, systems, and electrical engineering.
The outgoing Secretary, Mr. Schactman was seen as uncomfortable in his cabinet role. He had served as the third longest member of the Dashez's Free Democrat contingent, leaving that post to join Mr. Shrdlu's cabinet after 21 years. His appointment was widely viewed as a concession to the party's old guard. His tenure was spent largely bracing up the declining Postal Delivery Service after many years when package delivery was largely privatized to logistics providers, independent contractors, and for-hire drone services. While Mr. Schactman was praised for improving postal delivery in remote and rural areas, he was roundly criticized for neglecting radio frequency band management, and turning a deaf ear to concerns of internet service providers. Mr. Petro is expected to address those concerns upon his approval, and has expressed an interest in streamlining operations at the Department's Patent and Trademark Office.