How Do You Solve a Problem Like a Rogue State? (Closed)

[Astoria]

THE GILAN PROBLEM – A TIMELINE

1990 – Soviet Reform Crisis: The brief Chairmanship of Aleksander Kalonovich sees the General Union of Revolutionary Proletarian Soviets lurch suddenly towards openness and reform. As part of his program, the G.U.R.P.S. ceases military aid to the “People’s Republic” of Gilan

1990 – President al-Fulani Seizes Power: Capitalizing on the sudden chaos in the wake of the Soviet abandonment, Yasir al-Fulani seizes power in a military-backed takeover

1992 – Gulf War Begins: After provoking a crisis over disputed border territory, President Al-Fulani invades neighboring Shamar in an attempt to make Gilan the regional power in the Gulf of Tijara

1995 – Astorian Military Presence Begins: To protect neutral oil tankers and other shipping in the Gulf, Astorian warships begin operating out of ports in Haasa. Astoria eventually leases out space for air and ground force bases as well

1998 – Gulf War Ends: After six years of fighting that swings back and forth across the border regions of the two countries, Gilan and Shamar agree to a Savoien-mediated peace agreement that restores the pre-war border

2003 – Qadha Crisis Begins: Gilan begins saber-rattling in an effort to coerce the small state of Qadha to forgive Gilani debts accrued during the Gulf War. Gilan announces that records from the 7th century Islamic empire identifies Qadha as a part of the Gilan Province, thus making Qadha a rightful province of modern Gilan

2005 – Terror group Junud al-Jihad al-Islami (Soldiers of the Islamic Jihad, JJI) begins operating in the Gulf, targeting “corrupt” local governments and foreign economic and military presence

2006 – Gilan Begins Sponsoring Terror: President al-Fulani directs his intelligence service to begin providing covert aid to Junud al-Jihad al-Islami in order to divert them from targeting Gilan or foreign assets in Gilan

2009 – Gilan Invades Qadha: Gilani forces blitz across the border and seize Qadha. The international community reacts with sanctions and Astoria boosts its military presence in Haasa

Now – Second Gulf War Looms: After JJI terror attacks hit an Astorian warship and barracks in Haasa, Astoria and its allies begin building up military forces to eject Gilan from Qadha and destroy JJI bases in Gilan

MAP

The War Room
Presidential Residence
Columbia, Astoria

President Berzelius Windrip motioned for his cabinet to be seated as he walked through the door, taking his own seat at the head of the long table. Across from him on the wall was a massive display screen, showing the military situation in Gilan.

A small pile of blue icons representing Astorian military forces, numbering some 500,000 soldiers and hundreds of aircraft, were clustered in the territory between Kund and the border. More icons representing ships sat in the water of the Gulf of Tijara. Green icons representing allied forces were mixed in with the blue.

North of that was the known Gilani military disposition. The elite troops of the Revolutionary Guards had been moving south steadily since the crisis had begun, fortifying positions in occupied Qadha. Gilani airbases were marked, as were the few vessels of the “People’s Revolutionary Navy” that weren’t stuck in port with mechanical issues or shortages.

And sitting among those red icons, Windrip knew, were foreign advisers, helping prepare those forces to receive and attempt to repel his coalition. The World Assembly had finally approved a total arms embargo and blockade, so now Gilan’s backers would have to ship their arms in more circuitous routes. The Soviets were sending supplies through Qarastan, and his intelligence services suspected Altpeak and Vymar were offloading their weapons in the Mediterranean ports of the tinpot dictatorship of Dulkadir and sending them overland through the desert into Gilan.

“Gentlemen,” Windrip said finally, “It is time to begin considering that this conflict will be more difficult than originally envisioned.”

Sitting back, the president let his military chiefs begin running through the options.

Gulf of Tijara

“RPG on the deck!”

Specialist Albert Horn winced as the information was shouted out into the whipping winds of the Gulf, hoping whoever had the launcher was pointing it at someone else. The rigid boat he was bouncing along the water in could withstand a few bullets without immediately sinking, but a rocket grenade would turn him and everyone else into chum. He could feel the engine revving into overdrive as the pilot attempted to close the distance between them and the suspected—or now confirmed, Horn supposed—submarine tender.

While checking his assault rifle for the third time, Horn could see the other boat out of the corner of his eye. There were 12 Marines inbound, with a helicopter loaded with another squad a ways back, coming off one of the amphibious assault ships. He knew there were allied craft, helicopters, also being vectored in on the boat. Albert Horn didn’t like wishing people ill, especially allies, but he hoped the bad guys on the boat were pointing the RPG at the Panamanians and not him.

Snapping him out of his reverie was the staccato sound of the forward-mounted twin .50-caliber machine guns opening up, spraying the fishing boat with armor-piercing rounds in an attempt at suppressing fire.

“Fifteen seconds!” The co-pilot of the boat shouted back towards the Marines. “This is gonna be a hot boarding!”

“No shit,” Horn muttered to himself.

[Vymar]

GILAN
COLONEL QUINCY BIGGS

The "freedom fighter" picked up his AK and aimed down the 200 meter long targeting range. Sand covering his AK, sand covering his turban, his shirt and his hands. As he squeezed the trigger, the sand shook off, leaving a mist of small, sand particles left behind the fighter's wake. Then a quick, small clap of a bullet smacking into wood shot out from the target a little less than 200 meters down. Colonel Quincy, a man of tall stature and tan complexion let out a deep sigh of relief. The freedom fighter prior to his rundown of basic gun handling had aimed from the hip and had been firing in semi-auto, making him lose control of the gun, and ended up nearly hitting another Vymarian soldier giving another fighter the same education.

The Colonel patted the man on his back, and with a smile, the man ran back with his group of buddies, all playing a card game underneath a tent. The sun, setting, giving the desert a purple sky, with around the sun, an orange encirclement. It was funny. When Quincy had been ordered to meet the newly labeled "freedom fighters" they acted like they did in the tent. Like a bunch of young men, almost as if the war had not been going on.

But when he had go with them on a trip to a Gilanian town to simply pick up a pound of lamb, they had pillaged the store owner. Threatening him, stealing 5 times the amount they needed, then proceeding by trampling over a child, running into their old Toyota and driving off.

The Colonel was given strict orders not to get involved with the duties of the belligerents. He was there to instruct, and to fight if the need arise. Despite this, it didn't stop him from wanting to stop the lot of them. It would have been easy. His Humvee was right in front of the shop, .50 caliber primed and ready, and 3 other men in the vehicle to detain them.

The Colonel shook his head. "Stupid kid".

[Altpeak]

Madiah, Gilan

Colonel Egor Konevich watched as the train set off south to Markaz Albilad, the last major transport hub before Qadha city. In Markaz Albilad, the cargo would be transferred onto a train bound for Qadha city, from where the cargo could be shipped out to its final destination. In this case, the cargo was Merkava IV tanks for the Gilani 1st Armoured Corps. As the armoured element of Gilan’s Republican Guards, the 1st Armoured Corps was an elite unit, meaning that it was one of the few land units that Altpeak was willing to invest significant amounts of time and effort into equipping and training. Instructors were already in place to oversee the training of the 1st Armoured Corps and as an officer of the Altpeakian Logistics Corps, it was Egor’s job to see that the equipment earmarked for the 1st Armoured Corps arrived at its destination. Or rather, he was one link in the chain of individuals deployed across Gilan and Qarastan who oversaw the transportation of the equipment. Because of both the political problems with Qarastan being seen as anything more than an intermediary between Altpeak and Gilan and the corruption within Qarastan’s own civil service and armed forces, meaning that members of Altpeak’s logistics corps had needed to take over the administration involved with moving missiles, aircraft and tanks across the deserts of Qarastan into Gilan, where Gilani members of Gilan’s own logistics corps took over.

Looking down from the train, Egor looked at the information he had received regarding this particular shipment. 40 tanks. $180 million of worth of work by the proletariat of Altpeak being sent east, not to mention the costs of actually moving it. And this was just one shipment of the dozens of shipments of Altpeakian equipment that had been made to Gilan.

Qadha

Georgy Androvich watched with concern as the troops of the 3rd Republican Guard armoured division performed maneuvers in the open desert terrain that were universal across all of the Gilani frontline. Despite his initial doubts, the rank and file Gilani troops, or of the Republican Guards at least, had proved perfectly willing and able to learn and execute what he and the other Altpeakian instructors had been teaching them and by now they were easily the equal of any Altpeakian or Astorian armoured division. The real problem was the senior officers. Despite the recommendation of the Altpeakian instructors, many still had not been transferred to units in the rear or promoted up out of areas where they could directly influence the course of the war with their incompetence.

The Gilani officials in charge claimed administrative difficulties but Georgy knew the truth just like everyone else. The whole organization was corrupt and so some officers payed their way into staying in their posts, others had relatives who could help keep them there. It was frustrating. Georgy only hoped he and the others could solve such problems before the Gilani forces were actually called upon to fight, otherwise it would be a massacre.

[Panama Coalition]

THE GILAN PROBLEM – A TIMELINE

1990 – Soviet Reform Crisis: The brief Chairmanship of Aleksander Kalonovich sees the General Union of Revolutionary Proletarian Soviets lurch suddenly towards openness and reform. As part of his program, the G.U.R.P.S. ceases military aid to the “People’s Republic” of Gilan

1990 – President al-Fulani Seizes Power: Capitalizing on the sudden chaos in the wake of the Soviet abandonment, Yasir al-Fulani seizes power in a military-backed takeover

1992 – Gulf War Begins: After provoking a crisis over disputed border territory, President Al-Fulani invades neighboring Shamar in an attempt to make Gilan the regional power in the Gulf of Tijara

1995 – Astorian Military Presence Begins: To protect neutral oil tankers and other shipping in the Gulf, Astorian warships begin operating out of ports in Haasa. Astoria eventually leases out space for air and ground force bases as well

1998 – Gulf War Ends: After six years of fighting that swings back and forth across the border regions of the two countries, Gilan and Shamar agree to a Savoien-mediated peace agreement that restores the pre-war border

2003 – Qadha Crisis Begins: Gilan begins saber-rattling in an effort to coerce the small state of Qadha to forgive Gilani debts accrued during the Gulf War. Gilan announces that records from the 7th century Islamic empire identifies Qadha as a part of the Gilan Province, thus making Qadha a rightful province of modern Gilan

2005 – Terror group Junud al-Jihad al-Islami (Soldiers of the Islamic Jihad, JJI) begins operating in the Gulf, targeting “corrupt” local governments and foreign economic and military presence

2006 – Gilan Begins Sponsoring Terror: President al-Fulani directs his intelligence service to begin providing covert aid to Junud al-Jihad al-Islami in order to divert them from targeting Gilan or foreign assets in Gilan

2009 – Gilan Invades Qadha: Gilani forces blitz across the border and seize Qadha. The international community reacts with sanctions and Astoria boosts its military presence in Haasa

Now – Second Gulf War Looms: After JJI terror attacks hit an Astorian warship and barracks in Haasa, Astoria and its allies begin building up military forces to eject Gilan from Qadha and destroy JJI bases in Gilan

MAP

The War Room
Presidential Residence
Columbia, Astoria

President Berzelius Windrip motioned for his cabinet to be seated as he walked through the door, taking his own seat at the head of the long table. Across from him on the wall was a massive display screen, showing the military situation in Gilan.

A small pile of blue icons representing Astorian military forces, numbering some 500,000 soldiers and hundreds of aircraft, were clustered in the territory between Kund and the border. More icons representing ships sat in the water of the Gulf of Tijara. Green icons representing allied forces were mixed in with the blue.

North of that was the known Gilani military disposition. The elite troops of the Revolutionary Guards had been moving south steadily since the crisis had begun, fortifying positions in occupied Qadha. Gilani airbases were marked, as were the few vessels of the “People’s Revolutionary Navy” that weren’t stuck in port with mechanical issues or shortages.

And sitting among those red icons, Windrip knew, were foreign advisers, helping prepare those forces to receive and attempt to repel his coalition. The World Assembly had finally approved a total arms embargo and blockade, so now Gilan’s backers would have to ship their arms in more circuitous routes. The Soviets were sending supplies through Qarastan, and his intelligence services suspected Altpeak and Vymar were offloading their weapons in the Mediterranean ports of the tinpot dictatorship of Dulkadir and sending them overland through the desert into Gilan.

“Gentlemen,” Windrip said finally, “It is time to begin considering that this conflict will be more difficult than originally envisioned.”

Sitting back, the president let his military chiefs begin running through the options.

Gulf of Tijara

“RPG on the deck!”

Specialist Albert Horn winced as the information was shouted out into the whipping winds of the Gulf, hoping whoever had the launcher was pointing it at someone else. The rigid boat he was bouncing along the water in could withstand a few bullets without immediately sinking, but a rocket grenade would turn him and everyone else into chum. He could feel the engine revving into overdrive as the pilot attempted to close the distance between them and the suspected—or now confirmed, Horn supposed—submarine tender.

While checking his assault rifle for the third time, Horn could see the other boat out of the corner of his eye. There were 12 Marines inbound, with a helicopter loaded with another squad a ways back, coming off one of the amphibious assault ships. He knew there were allied craft, helicopters, also being vectored in on the boat. Albert Horn didn’t like wishing people ill, especially allies, but he hoped the bad guys on the boat were pointing the RPG at the Panamanians and not him.

Snapping him out of his reverie was the staccato sound of the forward-mounted twin .50-caliber machine guns opening up, spraying the fishing boat with armor-piercing rounds in an attempt at suppressing fire.

“Fifteen seconds!” The co-pilot of the boat shouted back towards the Marines. “This is gonna be a hot boarding!”

“No shit,” Horn muttered to himself.

From the deck of the fishing boat, a self-propelled grenade RPG was fired toward the steadily advancing helicopter supporting the Astorian Marines' assault boats. Lieutenant Commander Phillips, the helicopter pilot, a SH-90 of the Panama Coalition navy assigned to the PCS Porras Frigate, barely had time to react to the attack. The helicopter computer detected the missile and in response, automatically launched chaff and flares to divert the course of the rocket, which exploded a few meters from the helicopter. However, the explosion caused considerable damage to the aircraft: the left engine, the radar and the weapon system and navigation were damaged, and the copilot and two crew members were injured by the shrapnel. As the boats advanced, the helicopter slowly spun and fuming from the damaged engine, returned to its mother ship, while Phillips tried to keep up and made an emergency call on the radio.

The second helicopter under Lieutenant Arnold, already in the air, moved quickly to meet Phillips's helicopter in case a rescue had to be made at sea. Unlike the other aircraft, it carried a squadron of SEAL of 5 men, 7 marines besides the crew of the helicopter, that were 4, and still had capacity to transport to 6 more. However, its anti-submarine weaponry had been replaced by short-range Spike-type antitank air-surface missiles. Originally Phillips would provide radar and air support with its machine guns to the Astorians fast boats, and Arnold's helicopter would support the assault on the ship. Now they would have to turn aside for a rescue mission. However, Phillips managed to control his aircraft, and managed to land it on the deck of the Panama Coalition frigate. Then Arnold, seeing his chief landing on the ship, turned his helicopter at full power, and headed toward the fishing vessel at full speed.

"I'm taking course to support the Astorian Assault Boats. Resuming mission. I request permission to activate and use Spike missiles. " Arnold said on the radio.

From PCS Porras, the ship's captain replied: "authorized".

Meanwhile, the soldier sniper of the Panamanians SEALS aboard the helicopter was preparing to shoot, and was not going to wait to land to fulfill his mission.

[Inzunza]

As armor piercing rounds tore through the hull of the unarmored fishing vessel, several crew members began to fall back to positions with adequate concealment. The ship's captain held his position near the helm, issuing orders on a handheld radio. He paused shortly when the helmsman was shot by a stray round, ripping through his torso and breaking the man's body nearly in half while spraying the bridge with a wave of crimson. Scowling, the captain drew his sidearm, an outdated TT-30 pistol, and fired upon the helicopter with little effect.

Another RPG-7 is brought to the deck, targeting the helicopter once more. Small arms fire from the crew continued to fire upon the helicopter as well. One crew member equipped with an old bolt action rifle took aim, the wooden stock of the rifle resting against the ship's railing. Carefully aiming, the rifle's sights are fixed upon the helicopter pilot and the improvised sniper waits for his chance to get the perfect shot.

[Panama Coalition]

Vice Admiral Ahmed Chang, on board the PCS Zeus, simultaneously analyzed information from the PCS Hammerhead submarine and the PCS Porras frigate and the E-2D Hawkeye AWACS and drones flying over the two hostile ships. The naval intelligence officer Herbert Gonzalez and the CIS (Coalition Intelligence Service) liaison agent Laura Reynolds were with Chang in the aircraft carrier CIC.

"There is no doubt now, Admiral. They are hostile ships. They opened fire on our helicopter. Astorians marines are approaching several RIHBs, and our support helicopter has already started the attack against the ship " said Gonzalez.

"We hope to capture the boat. We must send a helicopter with Coalition Intelligence Service agents and naval intelligence to the ship once we capture it. " Reynolds responded.

 "Ahead. Start the assault" Chang ordered.

Two CH-47s of the PCMC (Panama Coalition Marines Corps), who were waiting for the command to go with the engines on, took off from an LHD vessel, and took course towards the enemy submarine. In just 10 minutes, being 3 thousand meters away, two RIHB boats were launched into the water, each with 8 marines.

While that was happening, a SEAL team was already on the deck of the enemy submarine. Silently they had been inserted from a second submarine in front of the bow of the boat, and had arrived swimming and with underwater scooters until they climbed on their deck. By means of tools adapted for this purpose, they introduced fast a colorless and odorless anesthetic gas into the submarine through the air intakes indicated by naval intelligence. The gas would only take a few seconds to effect.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The SH-90 helicopter approached in random zigzag movements to prevent it from happening to the same thing as Captain Phillips's aircraft. Then it flew away and when it was one thousand and five hundred meters away, turned around and the gunner activated the missiles Spike-ER antitank. The target was the men armed on the deck, who at that distance were no threat to the aircraft. Commander Arnold was aware of that: Phillips had come too reliant on the enemy ship, which allowed him to be impacted by an RPG at a distance of 700 meters. However, the Spike ER had a range of 8,000 meters. This would allow his electronic-artillery operator to make precision shots at that distance. In addition, the Marines operated two 0.50 caliber machine guns and a SEAL sniper was firing at dangerous targets.

The gunner through the video camera of the prow located, selected and set the targets, and fired two anti-tank Spike missiles towards the ship's deck. The two spike missiles were fired at deck level. The intention was not to destroy the suspect ship, but they exploded on the deck, penetrating the sides well above the waterline. The points chosen for the impact were those that had more enemy troops concentrated. Behind the tail of smoke from the missiles, the helicopter was approaching faster and faster, then turned and began a circular approach around the ship, making it much more difficult to aim it with any missiles, hidden by the smoke of the explosions. Then in the final approach, he began to fly in circles a thousand meters from the rogue ship the machine gun opened fire, and while the helicopter received multiple shots from the few who were still defending the deck of the ship, the sniper chose with his rifle Barrett M82 The targets and began firing them accurately from the inside of the helicopter killing the enemy sailors who were still shooting him, which thanks to his computerized navigation was extremely stable and ideal for that type of mission. In one of the approaches, he remained suspended on the deck, threw multiple grenades of smoke and from the rear ramp and the side doors, the SEAL team went down first, then the Marines, 10 assault troops in total, while the fire of the machine guns protected them.

[Altpeak]

BREAKING NEWS: Sanctions brought to bear by Altpeak's against Coalition

Today, the First Worker of Altpeak announced that henceforth, Altpeak would freeze all exports of "goods of strategic value" to nations who are part of the coalition against Gilan. However, Altpeak's has had a longstanding embargo on trading military goods with noncommunist nations, meaning that Altpeak's large and well developed arms manufacturing sector is unaffected by this new measure. Instead, the main sector of Altpeak's economy that will be affected by this new ban is the agricultural sector. Every year, Altpeak exports an estimated $87.133bn worth of agricultural goods to an assortment of nations who are currently part of the anti-Gilan coalition. How the loss of this source of agricultural goods will affect the position of the Coalition has yet to be seen.

However, just as it freezes agricultural exports to the nations of the anti-Gilan coalition, Altpeak has opened up a new aid link with both Gilan and Qarastan. For a long time, both regimes have struggled to feed their own people, with their own domestic agricultural production being insufficient and with many nations being reluctant to trade with them. In Gilan, this situation has only been made worse by the sanctions put in place by the National Assembly, which have cut Gilan off from most of the trading partners it had managed to maintain. In response to this need, Altpeak has put into place what its leadership is calling a "Grant in kind", with a portion of the produce that was previously earmarked for export to coalition nations now being rerouted to Qarastan and Gilan in order to feed their populations for free. As a result, the sanctions placed on Gilan are now having a far less severe affect than previously, giving the Gilani government more freedom to deal with the Coalition as it chooses.

As for Qarastan, the Grant seems to be a precursor to more serious negotiations between the Proletarian Republic and Qarastan. It seems that these negotiations will begin soon or are already underway, judging from the fact that Altpeak's Commissar for International Affairs is currently in the Qarastani capital of Kolina.