20/12/10
National Herald - Lysferis Helentyr, Anemos Rei
Early this afternoon, the Anemonian Holy Office of War announced their decision to allocate funding to the Imperial Arsenal, more commonly known as the Directorate of Strategic Arms Command. The Marshal of the Arsenal, Cylatei Telmovien, outlined a five year overhaul plan widely perceived as a direct response to the resurgence of belligerence on the international stage and the outdated nature of the Anemonian nuclear deterrent.
The Arsenal's plan focused on the acquisition of improved delivery methods rather than the increase in size of the Arsenal's nuclear stockpile itself, with the Marshal reassuring the public that "The Anemonian Armed Forces are not pursuing an expansion of our nuclear assets; rather, we are streamlining and modernizing the current stockpile so as to provide our nation with a credible, 21st century first and last line of defence."
The plan's details included the full replacement of existing land-based ICBM systems with the ArBE 277 'Eterskratyr' FOBS ICBM system, the deployment of the Constellatyr Moldonei Early Warning Satellite Network to replace the older Constellatyr Olmonei systems, the redesign and possibly replacement of existing warhead designs, the complete replacement of the Typhoon-class SSBN units in the possession of the Imperial Fleet of Anemos Major with a domestically produced class of modern vessels, the development and deployment of an orbital targeting system to augment the Arsenal's existing nuclear targeting capabilities and the replacement of the Rafale N2 and its current delivery systems as the Air component of the nuclear deterrent.
These announcements have met with controversy due to the suggestion by many peace advocates throughout Anemos Major that this is a sign of the re-militarisation of the Anemonian state and the potential growth of hostility towards Anemos on the international stage. The Arsenal itself maintains that this is in no way an indication that these systems will be used haphazardly; a later statement stressed that existing rules of deployment will be maintained, and that these measures are simply meant to dissuade potential bellicose actions against the Anemonian state.
Further controversy was met with early this year as the Arsenal suggested that it was looking into orbital weapons platforms as a potential supplement to the nuclear deterrent. Further information concerning this plan has not yet been released, and it is widely believed that the Arsenal has abandoned this project in the face of public discomfort.
Many suggest that this radical step is an indication of the Anemonian Crown's adoption of a more aggressive foreign policy following the passive policy taken up in the later years of the reign of the late High Lord Ilfir Erenthi III. The Pronged Crown has not released an official response to this claim.