NationStates Jolt Archive

The Universal News Enterprise
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[A DMG Corporation]

"Bringing you all of the national and international news information twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, all across the nation."

Director: John Cambelli
Editor in Chief: Melissa Starksvoy
Host: Tom Brokaw


We at UNE work to bring you full coverage of all breaking news stories when they happen and where they happen. We offer in-depth analysis, Pulitzer Prize winning journalism, and point of views that will make you think. We give you the cold hard facts with a non-biased analysis that helps you understand what is going on in your nation! While the majority of our attention is focused on the Dominion, whether it be internally or in its effect on the world, there are also several departments of UNE focusing on the international news in general.

UNE is constantly growing in size, coverage, and wealth. It currently employs over on hundred thousand staff, journalists, reporters, writers, commentators, pundits, and technicians, many of whom have high degrees in the topics they are covering. UNE consists of thirty-five television channels, twenty-eight radio channels, forty-two newspapers, thirty-one magazines, ninety-one online sections, and around the world coverage.


Stories:

The Marius Reforms (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11415175&postcount=2)
Hood Class Acquired (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11464175&postcount=3)
New Imperial Age? (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11537345&postcount=4)
Warless in a Conflict Driven World (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11647811&postcount=5)
Oil Independence (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=11653575&postcount=6)
Operation New Age (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12497593&postcount=7)
Best Sellers Review Edition (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12853734&postcount=8)
Military-Industrial Complex (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12854023&postcount=9)
The Marius Studies (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12926082&postcount=10)
An Inexplicable Shot (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12976840&postcount=11)
The Great Recession (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13685903&postcount=12)



Check out the new Universal News Enterprise venture, "Headlines (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=536896)"


[The Universal News Enterprise is an independent corporation and has no affiliation or bias towards the Government of the Dominion or DMG Military Industries.]


[OOC: Basically, just a place for me to post news and stories about the Dominion. Changes in policies, actions on the international stage, military reforms, social topics, etc. Also, seeing as this is just news about my nation, unless you TG me about something you want to write or post here, please Don't Post.]

Military Tract
The Marius Reforms


After a series of extensive studies headed by Lieutenant General Gaius Marius in which the current military organization, institution, and equipment was thoroughly tested and analyzed by a team of experts, it was decided that a sequence of reforms was in the best interest of the nation. In conjunction with a cycle of new military products from DMI, some of the existing equipment used by all three branches of the military was updated. In other areas, the reforms encompassed a change in configuration of military forces, sizes of different units, and overall readiness for military action.

Section 1: The Navy
Sub-Section A: Navy Equipment
Article I: After testing the Empire Class Aircraft Carrier's ability to store and deploy its forces inn the heat of battle and across the globe, it was decided by the panel of analysts that it remained a suitable ship for navy. Likewise, the Valkyrie Class Helicopter Assault Carrier was tested in its ability to operate without the support of a carrier group and in conjunction with land forces to provide air support and it passed. Its ability to transport troops across the battlefield or into the battle as well as its strike capabilities proved to be sufficient for the navy's needs. Overall the Empire is the heart of the navy and will continue to be the mainstay of the fleets for a long time.

Article II: The two battleships of the Dominion, the Lord Class Battleship and the Chieftain Class Pocket Battleship were both determined to be worthy of serving in the navy. Their power was measured to be sufficient in taking down foreign naval targets and their ability to work in tandem with other ships and autonomously was excellent. Likewise, their armor was sufficient to take a beating of the rating that their main guns could dole out. Especially outstanding was their ability to work in combination with landing forces to pound the shores allowing the forces to storm the beaches. Overall the ships are reliable and strong, but some time not too far in the future will need to be replaced.

Article III: The aging and underperforming Sukanya Class Patrol boat and Cyclone Class Patrol Boat were determined to be insufficient and unsatisfactory in their roles in guarding the shoreline of the island. Their main armaments were concluded to be underpowered, unextensive, and ill-prepared to deal with threats to the mainland. Smaller boats were easily able to outrun them and get past their line of defense right up the cliffs. In response to their failures, the navy introduced the new Sword Class Corvette. The Sword Class is a fast ship that can outrun larger ships and most smaller ones, as well as having an armament that can deal with thick armor or quick vessels that aim to dodge and outrun the patrol boat's guns. Its stealthy design keeps it off radar and thus is able to sneak up on its prey. As an added bonus, the Corvette was determined to be worthy of serving abroad in military actions against foreign vessels. Overall, the ship performed superbly and beyond expectations thanks to its excellent design. For these reasons the Sword Class Corvette was chosen to fully replace all Sukanya and Cyclone Class Patrol Boats. As of six months from these reforms, the Sword Class Corvette will be cutting through the choppy waters of the Antarctic Circle as they patrol the coasts of the Dominion. While the Sword will be the main patrol boat of the navy, it will also be helped out by the Sprint Class Powerboats and Shadow Class Stealth Ships, both of which passed their tests and will be kept in service. Just as the corvette was, the Shadow Class Stealth Ship was also determined to be capable of serving domestically and abroad against other vessels and land targets (more about it later). Overall the team of analysts was very pleased with the new craft designed by DMI and plans to see it in action for years to come.

Article IV: The LC-2 Intruder was hailed as one of the most useful and versatile ships in the fleet after being analyzed in a multitude of situations. Its ability to carry aircraft (airplanes as well as helicopters) extends the air superiority ability of a carrier battle group. The helicopters in question also proved useful in a variety of ways: they could be used to maintain air superiority over a given area; maintain sea and land patrols, scouting for submarines and advancing forces; supporting land forces; and transporting troops that the Intruder is carrying to the frontlines or an established beachhead. The landing craft it can carry were observed to be able to unload the entire force in less than two waves, and if used in conjunction with the helicopters, in only one wave. Finally, its ability to carry and transport armored vehicles up to and including tanks allows heavy land forces to be conveyed to the front. Overall it was seen to be doing a fabulous job and very unlikely to be replaced any time soon.

Article VI: The Hunter Class Submarines operated splendidly when put into a serious of naval games. It routinely outclassed and outmatched its naval counterparts, be they surface ships or other submarines, with ease. It was determined to be one of the most useful ships in the fleet, especially with its ability to work in carrier group, in combination with other submarines, in defense of the island, and by itself. It can launch military strikes, – tactical and strategic – attack surface ships and submarines, as well as recover and deploy small military squads. The Hunter's name serves it well as one of the deadliest ships in the world. It will be many decades before it is replaced by another ship and will most likely be upgraded before being replaced full out. Overall the Hunter submarine was so impressive that it was chosen to be the sole submarine of the military.

Article VII: When approaching the Thunder Class Guided Missile Cruiser, the panel new it was a fine ship with potential to be devastating in combat so long as it was well supported. The original design employed on the ship was perfect for a low radar cross section, small chance of being successfully pinged, and its ability to cut through the waters enhancing its speed. That is why, after a series of tests, it was decided upon upgrading the fine cruiser instead of all out replacing it. The new cruiser, upgraded by DMI, has enhanced speeds, more fully taking advantage of its sleek design, and an even lower RCS and ping result. The vast difference between the upgraded version and the original is that the new version has nearly triple the number of vertical launch system cells so that it can fire of a massive salvo of missiles at the enemy. After being upgraded it seemed only fit to rename the ship and so the Storm Class Guided Missile Cruiser was born. Overall the new missile cruiser seems like it will prove useful in smashing the enemy's defenses and navy with its hundreds of missiles.

Article VIII: The Search Class Destroyer, while not a poor ship, was not performing up to expectation in any of its tests and studies. Its armament was too weak, sparse, and non-versatile to deal with many other ships. Its air defense systems were incapable of dealing with large aerial threats and its design made it a large target for guns and radar. Thus a mission was undertaken to upgrade the Destroyer into a more suitable fighting force, and it was. The new destroyer was named the Vanguard Class in order to be the front guard of the fleet. However, a new destroyer was soon produced by DMI and it far exceeded any expectations the panel had for the original destroyer and its upgraded counterpart. The Dragon Class Destroyer was a beast of the ocean. Its armament was powerful, consisting of large guns, more VLS cells, a better torpedo configuration, and the new Firestorm Missile Launcher for all types of combat. It was designed with a beautiful geometry to limit its appearance on radar and its visible outline in the sea. The angles of the ship dispersed radar and sonar waves and its low deck level kept it blended in with the sea, making it hard to sea, especially at night. With the new Destroyer added to the fleet, a new idea was settled on so that it had a larger role in the navy. Overall the Dragon Class Destroy promises to be one of the most reliable, multi-purpose, useful and interesting ships in the fleet.

Sub-Section B: Navy Strategy
Article I: While the Carrier Battle Group will continue to be the foundation of the navy, a few modifications and changes were deemed necessary after seeing it perform in a simulation against a variety of other naval forces. With the arrival of new and upgraded ships into the fleet, the overall composition of the carrier battle group was brought into question.
Sub-Article 1:Originally, there were eight cruisers and six destroyers in order to launch a massive missile salvo and escort the fleet across the high seas. However, after further analysis it was decided to change the composition to eight destroyers and six cruisers. The new upgraded Storm Class Cruisers still allow for a missile volley over two times greater than before even with two less ships. Now that the Dragon Class Destroyer has replaced the earlier cruisers, it has been given a bigger role in the fleet as an all-purpose force. It can engage other naval ships, launch a Special Forces team into highly guarded areas, fire a missile barrage, and slip through the waters unnoticed by radar and the human eye. For all of these reasons the destroyer count was increased to eight over the earlier six.
Sub-Article 2:A new pair of ships was also added to the carrier battle group in order to increase the overall effectiveness and ability of the navy. Two Shadow Class [ultra] Stealth Ships were added for their ability to remain virtually invisible to machine and optical eyes alike. The vessel can slip into a harbor and fire off their missiles or launch a large personnel team onto land. While not terribly useful into major ship-to-ship combat, the Shadow Class proved its worth in other scenarios in which it was virtually the only ship capable of accomplishing what it did. They can be a good alternative to extreme force, and with a small crew and upkeep, their plusses outweigh their minuses enough to enter them into the Dominion fleets.
Sub-Article 3: While the remaining number of ships were deemed capable of completing the necessary tasks and taking on foreign forces, there was one more minor change - with a large effect - to the fleet. The aircraft carrier contingent (Three Empire Class Aircraft Carriers) used to carry a total of four hundred five fighters; however, after a little common sense was realized, the number was reduced to three hundred ninety in order to make room for five B-3 Nightriders. Now that each carrier battle group carries a mission of long range, stealth bombers their power is exponentially greater and their ability to deal damage, wider.


Article II: The ten secret submarine groups that have been operating unbeknownst across the world's oceans for years, were analyzed in a different matter from the rest. It was clear that their worth had long been proven by the various secret missions they had carried out across the globe, and so the only thing that changed was the composition of the submarines. Formally, two Dolphin Class [mini] Submarines and three Nautilus Class Submarines had escorted a lone Poseidon Class Submarine Carrier throughout its navigations, but after thinking about it, it was decided that the submarines should be replaced by the Hunter Class like they had been in the rest of the active fleet. Thus five Hunter Class Submarines were tasked to each of the ten Submarine Carrier Groups. They are scheduled to join the lone Poseidons when each force returns to the central naval base sometime within the next ten months. The aircraft composition onboard the Poseidon will remain the same as well as the marine compliment, which has faithfully served as a forward guard and covert force across the world.

Article III: The patrol boats that guard and protect the shores of the island have undergone the most minor of changes. The number of vessels in the force has been increased so as to better cover the hundreds of miles of coastline, but also the new Sword Class Corvette has been added. It was easily determined that the Sword Class outperformed the other patrol boats in their jobs while also maintaining a better defensive front against naval invasion. The Corvette has a better ability to run down its targets and won't be noticed on radar easily, so that its presence will be virtually unnoticed by those it is following. It, like its predecessors, will continue to be aided by the smaller Sprint Class Powerboat and invisible Shadow Class Stealth Ship, but it is to be the main patrol boat.

Article IV: Like the rest of the fleet's submarine assets, the independent and coastal defense vessels were upgraded with the introduction of the Hunter Class Submarine into a larger role. Unlike the rest of the fleet, the Dolphin Class and Nautilus Class will continue to serve in the waters around the world as they still have their uses in different situations. The Hunter Class Submarines will also be occasionally working in teams of three to hunt down enemy vessels as it was determined they work very well in conjunction with one another. The Hunter Class Submarines have easily proven to be one of the most useful and advanced vessels in the fleet when it comes to naval warfare and thus in time might replace the remaining other submarines (unless a new submarine is introduced, though it is not scheduled to).

Section 2: The Air Force
Sub-Section A: Air Force Equipment
Article I: Almost all of the aircraft in use in the Dominion's Navy and Air Force were performing exceptionally well in the studies. All except one. The MH-47 Chinook and its upgraded version, the MH-47 Chinook II, were underperforming in their speed and relative use in different situations. Therefore, the fine people at DMI invented the UH-48 Highwind, a vastly superior transport helicopter. While its payload in terms of soldiers is lower, the various situations in which it performs excellently is wider and its aerial performance has been enhanced by its sleeker frame and powerful engines. It can now be used to transport and deploy soldiers into the thicket of battle, in paratrooper missions, directly into the water, and in relative safety. It even has a pair of missiles and a pair of powerful Hell-Raiser machine guns to mow down the enemy has it arrives at the front lines to deploy its squadron. The UH-48 Highwind is expected to be in service for many years to come as it will only be replaced by a next generation helicopter which is far from conception.

Article II: The Air Force, being the smallest of the three branches of the military by far, never had a large force or budget. However, these reforms have changed that, albeit in a small way, by adding personnel and equipment to the existing Air Force. The total number of aircraft was nearly doubled by adding fighters for air defense, bombers for long range attacks, and special aircraft for communications, transport, and electronics. Over forty percent of the previous active personnel was added so that there were more active air force members than reserves for the first time since its inception. Especially added for the reason stated below (See Section 2:, Sub-Section B, Article I) were a large amount of UH-48 Highwinds and a massive amount of C-57 Galaxy lifters. All of these numbers are expected to rise in the future as the Air Force increases its size and role in the military.

Sub-Section B: Air Force Strategy
Article I: With the nine hundred percent increase in C-57 Galaxy Lifters, the Air Force has taken over lift and transport dealings of the Army. The one thousand plane fleet of heavy transports will be responsible (in part with the navy) for moving the Army's forces from the island to anywhere in the world in a moment's notice. With this sort of dealing, the Air Force is continually expected to increase in funding, equipment, and personnel as it more thoroughly takes over the Army's aerial needs. Eventually, the Air Force will likely take over all of the Army's aerial needs including helicopters deployments and ground support.

Article II: As stated above (see Section 2:, Sub-Section B, Article I), the Air Force is expected to take over all of the Army's aerial needs in the coming decade. This will encompass every type of aircraft that fly's through the air: Fighter planes, ground-attack planes, attack helicopters, transport helicopters, electronics planes, bombers, heavy transports, and possibly unmanned aerial vehicles, though the latter is not certain one way or another. However, while this plan is gaining support, it has not been determined to be the future of the Air Force yet.

Section 3: The Army
Sub-Section A: Army Equipment
Article I: The King Zeus Main Battle Tank, which is the bedrock of the Mechanized Divisions and the mainstay to any battle group, performed flawlessly in all of its tests and scenarios, defeating all of the enemies that were thrown its way even when outnumbered and outgunned. In all likelihood, the Zeus will just be upgraded and enhanced over the years rather than be replaced as it is just a powerful beast of the battlefield. It triumphed overall, proving once again that the years of work and research put into designing and creating this tank was well worth it, as is its name: the King of Gods.

Article II: In a series of tests, the Defender served well as a mobile aerial defense platform for taking down missiles and aircraft, and while it is not currently being replaced, the future may not bring the same news. The panel feels that its technology and armament could be upgraded in a newer or different version, but for the time being it is doing its job. Also, the new Firestorm Missile Launcher is being used so the burden on the Defender alone is not as great as it once was. Overall it is a reliable, highly-mobile, and cheap air defense platform that can do provide good air cover, especially when used in teams to blanket an area.

Article III: Artillery has long been a controversial issue in the Dominion's modern day military. With a military doctrine preferring fast and mobile land forces in conjunction with bombing air forces over flattening the enemy from a far with relatively stationary artillery, the M65/I Asteroid and the MH-67 Hulk were examined closely, but at the same time with disinterest. Both of the two artillery pieces performed up to expectations (not that they were extremely high), but not above them. They will likely remain in the military for the time being as it was decided not to spend much money on upgrading or replacing them. Overall they are powerful but average.

Article IV: The Legionnaire S-15 was easily the most impressive land vehicle next to the King Zeus MBT. This humvee again and again proved that it could take on larger and more heavily armored military vehicles as well as suppressing an infantry advance. With the ability to transport five soldiers it can easily operate independently with its weapon's cache and portable Stinger to deal with low flying aircraft such as pesky helicopters. It is versatile and useful - one of the mainstays of the Dominion's land forces. It has even gone so far as to replace every other kind of humvee that used to serve in the military. They are no longer useful as the Legionnaire has outperformed them in every category. It is faster, better armored, and more heavily armed while maintaining its carrying capacity and durability. Overall the Legionnaire is a marvelous vehicle that will only be upgraded for years and years to come.

Article V: The Behemoth II played a relatively small role in the army as it was low in numbers in the Mechanized Divisions and its effectiveness was not all that great. While larger than the average tank, it wasn't as big as a behemoth should be... it could get larger. And so it did. After various quick studies concluded that the Behemoth II was not worth its weight in effort, the Behemoth III was drawn up by DMI and put into production to replace its smaller brother. As the Behemoth II was a heavy battle tank, the much larger Behemoth III was named a super heavy battle tank, weighing in at over two million pounds. It is superior to its predecessor in everyway, but especially in armor and armament. The SHBT's armor is nearly double the thickness of its antecedent, which was already very thick and almost impenetrable. The new Behemoth sports twin three hundred millimeter guns that are capable of punching through or simply smashing any form of armor or structure in a single blow. Studies showed that it was now a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield and not one to be messed with. Overall it is truly a presence to behold and should now serve well in the army.

Article VI: Both the Bull Warrior Fighting Vehicle and Impact MLRS were faithful and well designed vehicles in their day. However, after scoring quite poorly (relatively) in the studies hosted by this panel, it was decided they needed to be replaced as upgrades simply wouldn't cut it. Particularly alarming was that their armaments just weren't strong enough to face the threats on the battlefield today. Hence the Blitz Fighting Vehicle and Wolverine MLRS were built by DMI and after analysis were found to be much more suitable for the army. The Blitz was faster and more maneuverable as well as having more weapons to do a variety of jobs. The Wolverine MLRS was also faster, but had an added for missile launcher cells over its precursor as well as having a better overall design to make it more deadly on the battlefield. Overall the panel was pleased with the new products which promise to battle well in the combat zone.

Sub-Section B: Army Strategy
Article I: By and large the size of a Mechanized Division was found to be acceptable as they are meant to be large forces (which can also break down into smaller battalions), though it was analyzed thoroughly and with some descent from the panel. However, the main focus was the composition and performance of the army as the two main parts (the mechanized divisions and the legions) worked together. For the most part, the MDs were found to be well composed of a variety of equipment, however minor changes were made. The FVs were not represented in nearly a large enough group and so over two thousand of the new Blitzs were added to each division. Also, analysis showed that the Elusion Class Vehicle could be useful in a variety of situations from urban warfare to internal transportation, so five hundred were added per division.

Article II: Because of the advanced systems installed on every piece of equipment used in the military, the need for mobile communications and command vehicles were not needed nor were useful. The tracked vehicles as well as vans were removed so that the onboard systems could do their jobs without the interference of a go-between. After the changes, the panel noticed notable improvement in communications and strategy as the leaders stayed back at the base and issued orders from a proper command post.

Article III: Other than the occasional Stinger Missile Launcher, it was noted by the study that the Legions seemed unprepared to counter an aircraft attack without the help of the Mechanized Divisions or another branch of the military. That is why five hundred of the new Firestorm Missile Launchers were added to each legion. They can be moved via the troop transports (M101 Advancer) and humvees (Legionnaire S-15s) which can also be made into makeshift mobile anti-aircraft and anti-missile platforms by notching a Firestorm to them. Though it is an extra piece of equipment to carry with them, it was shown that the legions could perform well and independently against a variety of land and air threats when they had the missile launchers.

Sub-Article 1: The new Cyclops Unmanned Land Vehicles have also been added in sparse amounts to the legions, but are not a consistent weapon yet and still in the trial period of their inception.


[Thus concluding the studies by a joint-panel of experts, the aforementioned reforms will be instated under the direction of General Gaius Marius by order of the Supreme Allied Commander Malcolm Granger III. The effects of this document are to be immediate and sweeping across the entire military and are to be followed to the letter.]

Breaking News ---Breaking News ---Breaking News ---Breaking News


"We interrupt your current broadcast to bring you the following news story," anchorman Tom Brokaw says as he sits behind his desk with a small stack of papers in his hand. "UNE has just been informed by the government that for the first time in eighty years, the military of the Dominion will be using something that is made by a foreign corporation. For more, we send it over to Trisha Takanawa on the scene. Trisha..."

The picture changes to a woman standing in front of the arctic sea with a massive boat behind her. "Thank you, Tom. As you can see behind me the Navy has purchased the famed Hood Class from the government of Questers. This colossal boat is nearly two kilometers long and has a crew of 28,200 sailors. The Dominion Government has stated that it is not likely to see action anytime soon, but it will be making trips across the oceans. The government has also released the following document that details this tremendous ship... Tom, back to you."

"Thank you for that report. We will have following coverage of this milestone over the coming days and weeks. Now back to your regular programming..."


‘Jesus… there’s more guns on this ship than whores in Southampton!’ – Fleet Admiral Riew

SERVICE HISTORY

February 2006: HMS Hood sunk at Gibraltar.

April 2006: After much internal debate and the suicide of First Sea Lord Meredydd Tonkin, the Admiralty put in a request for the design of another Hood sized vessel, which also culminated in the construction of Renown and Yamato classes, after the Prince of Wales classes were sold for scrap.

August 2007: QAE Marine puts in six designs for the Hood, labelled A-F (see attachment), of which E is chosen for its protection and firepower.

September 2007: Admiralty given go ahead for program, and funding begins.

April 2007: Hood laid down at John Brown and Company yards at Portsmouth.

October 2009: Reactors, boilers, and smokestacks fitted.

December 2009: Main guns installed. Three men are killed in the fitting of a barbette by falling into the barbette itself. John Brown and Company upgrades its Employee Health and Safety Program for the duration of the build.

April 2010: After a significantly expensive program to budge the Hood out of its build yard, which costs the life of eleven men and a small tugboat after the ship crushed them, Hood is towed down the Straits of Questers by a cruiser squadron consisting of Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Exeter, and Dorsetshire.

August 2010: Hood arrives in Southampton.

November 2010: Hood’s mainmast and conning towers fitted. Superstructure finished.

April 2011: Hood launched.

May 2011: Hood undergoes sea trials.

October 2011: After a problem with her number four boiler, Hood is sent back to Southampton. Further boiler problems kill four men when they are inspecting number two boiler. Hood spends another three months in dry-dock.

December 2011: Hood undertakes sea trials.

April 2012: Hood commissioned into Royal Navy as Her Majesty’s Ship Hood.

October 2013: Hood goes on a tour of the UK with Renown, covering 23,000 miles of water.

December 2013: Royal Family holds a Christmas Party onboard Hood. The Duke of Sussex, Roger Mountbatten, proposes to his girlfriend onboard the boat, ordering the crew to fire fireworks from the D/P guns that spell out ‘I love you’ in the night.

December 2013: Hood, accompanied by Renown, moors in London to celebrate New Year.
April 2014: Hood, Renown, Repulse, and Musashi form the Supercapital Squadron and conduct exercises and war-games with other fleet battleships, where they manage to sink forty two battleships before Renown takes a hit to the magazine and promptly explodes. Hood does not record any severe damage in the operation.

October 2014: The 21.5 inch naval shell is tested on Hood’s belt. Admiral Trotter is supposed to have famously said ‘Thank god paint is cheap!’ This is, however, not actually true, and the 21.5 inch shell did do some damage, a lot more than the rumor implies. However, it did not do any real penetrative damage to the belt, such was the thickness and strength of the amour.

December 2014: Hood ferries the Royal Family to South Africa. This is Princess Margaret’s first visit overseas; she was noted to have commented ‘It’s awfully big!’ when first seeing Hood sitting in harbour.

The Juumanistran War

May 2016: Hood is mobilized when it becomes apparent there may be conflict with Juumanistra.

June 2016: Hood leaves Port Hood and proceeds with its battlegroup south to cover Juumanistra. A sea search RADAR malfunction forces Hood to turn back for Port Hood – without any escorts. The Juumanistrans notice, and a force of 4-5,000 aircraft and a hundred ships are mobilized to engage Hood.

At 3:15 PM, the first wave of Juumanistran aircraft attacked. Hood resisted fiercely by putting up wave after wave of anti air shells, the IH/LF rounds, small caliber shells, and missiles. The first, second, and third waves of aircraft do little to Hood.

At 3:32 PM, the second attack is launched. Aircraft launching rocket-propelled torpedoes attack Hood and some damage is done; many hits are taken but the ship is still in working condition. It is steaming at full speed north: it will take Hood thirty hours to reach Port Hood.

At 3:55 PM, another wave is launched. Hood is essentially surrounded by aircraft and bombed, torpedoed, and missiled constantly for half an hour. The skies around Hood are filled with gunfire as the vessel begins its valiant resistance. Light damage is taken to the deck and some of the D/P guns are put out of commission.

At 5:15 PM, Hood is attacked by another wave of long range ‘torpedo bombers.’ Her AA and AAA is effective, but the torpedoes also make their mark on the ship. Finally, some of the watertight compartments break and Hood begins to flood. The pumping system however, counteracts any permanent damage.

Hood is left alone for a few hours. Juumanistran command is getting irritated at the lack of damage done by some two hours worth of aerial bombardment, and naturally they wish to sink the ship before it enters Port Hood and the safety of the close range SAM net. They mobilize eight battleships, armed with 20” guns, to attack Hood.

At 6:50 PM, with its sea search RADAR damaged by aircraft attack; Hood is unaware of the enemy battleships until they come into visual range and open fire. The first salvo misses, but Hood is a large target and explosions prance around the deck of the ship. However, Hood manages to escape the Juumanistran battleships temporarily after some ineffective retaliatory fire.

At 7:19 PM, darkness had already hit the theatre. Hood wheels around to engage the Juumanistran battleships bow-first, pinpointing the first with a first bracket of fire from it’s a turret guns and destroying it with the second from both B and C turrets. Questarian night fighting optics comes into play with devastating accuracy and hitting power, another battleship falls to a salvo of the 81cm guns. Retaliating fire hits B turret and a 20” shell hits the face, exploding and causing heavy damage but not penetrating. One gun is destroyed, however. The Juumanistrans retreat before Hood can swing around to bring its rear guns to bear.

At 8:13, after the Juumanistran battleships retreat, Hood was attacked by four more waves of aircraft using torpedoes, bombs, and missiles. She beats off the attack but fatigue, morale, and ammunition affects the crew.

At 10:00 PM, in complete darkness, Hood is attacked again by a further four waves. The rear superstructure is in flames and the Admiral’s Pinnace has been destroyed. The pumping and flooding, however, has done its job admirably and Hood still has 17 meters of freeboard remaining and a list of only six degrees.

Hood is left alone for some hours before being attacked by another three waves of aircraft, with twice the opposing planes as previous waves. The rear superstructure has been essentially demolished and X gun is a flaming wreck. A fire is almost ignited by safety methods flood X gun magazine before it explodes.

By the third wave, anything from X gun to the first funnel has been laid waste to, and Hood is beginning to look like scrap steel. Explosions dance around the forward superstructure and Hood loses another three meters of freeboard. She is reduced to 21 knots.

With a concentrated air attack at 4:30, which knocked out C gun, the Juumanistran battleships return to engage Hood. It is still dark, and once more the superior Questarian superheavy gunnery and excellent nightfighting know-how and optics knock out another battleship. 20” shells smack into Hood’s belt, which is almost intact throughout the entire engagement, whereas the deck was pounded into rubble. Some damage is done to the citadel but the Juumanistrans once more retreat, their 20” guns proving ineffective.

At 6 AM, Hood is attacked by more waves of aircraft, destroying Y gun entirely. The ship is now smoking black acrid smoke trailing from the back of the armored citadel where 8.3cm ammunition was set off, to the recently destroyed Y gun. By the end of the fourth wave at 7:22 AM, Hood ceases to be a useful anti air unit with all its VLS expended and the lack of any serious flak capabilities. CIWS and 50mm pompoms still rattle off into the night occasionally but Juumanistran aircraft are basically given free will to attack.

At 9 AM Hood is attacked by six Juumanistran submarines. A total of 48 torpedoes are fired at Hood, but the Juumanistran subs run out of torpedoes before they can do any appreciable damage. If Hood looks damaged from the outside, however, this is the attack that crippled its long overdue pumping system. Many crew members remember a great lurch in the ship when it was hit by eleven torpedoes simultaneously on the port, breaking and flooding the ship but not snapping the anti torpedo defense or doing any damage to the keel.

More and more aircraft bomb Hood between lunch and 2 PM. The last attack comes at 4 PM before Hood enters the SAM umbrella. The bridge is a mess, and 16,000 out of the ships complement of 28,250 have been killed. The freeboard remaining is 5.4 meters, the pumping system long overwhelmed. At 8:32, Hood limps into Port Hood escorted by corvettes and patrol boats and finally turns to a stop under an impressive SAM umbrella of one of Quester’s largest ports. Thousands of people turn out to wave flags to meet the embattled ship. She has been essentially mission killed, but she is still floating and moving at 8 knots.

Fleet Admiral Riew is decorated with six of the highest military medals and promoted to Grand Admiral.

GENERAL ARRANGEMETNS AND HULL STRUCTURE
image (http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f16/MattShipwrighter/Hood/Hoodfinal.png)
HMS Hood, a Heavily Armored Battleship of the Questarian Royal Navy, the largest warship in the world, as the Admiralty claims. Her final design draught stood Hood at 1,919 meters in length overall and 1904 at the waterline, 282 meters in beam, and 51 meters in draught. Her block coefficient is .635, astoundingly high for a warship. The hull itself weighs 19,833,520 tons – with a normal displacement of 21,275,700. The maximum displacement the hull can take before major structural damage is 21,958,220 tons.

All designs included a bulbous bow, however, the usefulness of this bulbous bow was limited through the different designs. The design chosen has a bulbous bow that reduced water resistance by 11%. Further streamlining added a further 3.3% in reduction, a figure designers and Admiralty staff alike were very pleased with. The ship itself handles extremely well – because of her freeboard of 33 meters, and the high beam figure, many waves simply bounce off the vessel and the weight/draught ratio allows it to stay steady among these. She has a rolling period of 17 seconds, which is an extremely steady figure. Coupled with the metacentric height of 2.9 meters, she was a very stable gunboat and a pleasure to serve on.

One of Hood’s most interesting features is her bow, which curves smoothly up and stops for a forecastle emplacement. It gives the vessel a rather graceful look, which is prevalent when silhouetted. Compared to Renown and Yamato, the two other RN supercapitals, which have pointed prows, it also gives her a distinct difference. It is said that one can point out the different RN supercapitals just with the shape of their eloquent bows. Right on the prow of the Hood, a shield with the ships badge endowed upon it, made entirely from tungsten. Since Hood is as much of a ceremonial vessel as it is a combat one, full detail was made to creating a conference room and a small area where up to 20 VIPs can stay in absolute luxury. Several conferences were held on Hood’s conference room, notably the extension of Hong Kong’s lease from China for a further 99 years.

Hood’s three command rooms are also important. The first command room is known as the ‘Ops Room’ is located deep within the center of the vessel and is virtually invincible. It is provided with a lift straight up to the Bridge, which is the uppermost observation point where the Admiral usually resides, his quarters being almost next to the Bridge. The Bridge is a box with a cylindrical top where the communication electronics is stored. The box was created as an armored box just like the main armor, and is 1100mm thick. The cylindrical part is 800mm thick. Both are constructed from PH type steel (see Protection). This lift draws its power from the ship’s main energy source but also has two auxiliary batteries. The third command room is located on the aft of the ship behind U turret and is a replica of the Bridge, and holds a lot of the electronic warfare equipment. There are a number of observation decks scattered throughout the vessel.

The first part of the superstructure, before the funnels, is comprised of five different pieces. One main tower, for the bridge, that extended down and was armored around the sides by 800mm of NPNC and 300mm PH Type. Behind that, the after part of the primary superstructure which covered around the main tower for the bridge and was armored by 900mm of again, NPNC and 200mm of PH Type. In front of that, on both sides, another citadel that covered the bridge tower and some of the after citadel, which was protected in a similar vein to the after citadel. Ahead of that, a forward citadel which was protected by 1,100mm of NPNC and 200mm of PH type. That meant that the bridge tower was protected by another piece of the citadel in every direction (which were all built in different parts and put together by gigantic cranes). The citadels extended a little way down into the main armor box so that the ops room could be located in the after tower, in its own armored box of 600mm HTNC. This meant the ops room was shielded by at least two different citadel parts, their armor, and the armor belt, which meant in some cases at least 5 meters worth of armor alone.

There are a grand total of 37,347 watertight compartments [WTC} that the hull divides itself into. Hood can maintain 17,356,254 tons of reserve buoyancy, which makes her extremely stable and naturally the battleship can take extremely high amounts of punishment. Estimates fell into 190,000 kg of ordnance before she dropped a meter in freeboard.

Protection
Originally, Hood was designed to resist only the 29.5” shell that the Praetonians used on Iron Duke – however, it was decided, with more and more 30” shells being used, that it would have to have higher resistance, and so specification was;

‘Resistance of a 31” shell hitting at 650 m/s on both deck and belt, and full resistance of 2,000-4,000kg bunker busters from enemy aerial assets.’

Hood’s main protection comes from three great armor boxes. The armor box method was chosen because it can provide greater hull strength and will keep the armor belt from snapping or simply falling off, which is actually a severe problem. Hood’s armor and damage control was the greatest researched part, and many thousands of hours of manpower and billions of pounds went into researching it. Secondly, the choice for three armor boxes over one was made for stability too; it was thought that Hood was too long for just one box. Six different types of armor plating were used on Hood.

[ARMOR TYPES] (http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f16/MattShipwrighter/Hood/hoodarmor.png)

The three boxes are labeled A,B, and C, and their locations on the ship can be seen on this diagram. [SEE DIAGRAM] The total length spanning the ship with the armor box is 64%, which at a glance does not sound much but is in fact a rather large number when in comparison to most battleships. Box C and A are equally armored, although box B has more armor because it covers the boilers. Between the boxes, armor plates of 900mm PH type act as ends to cover the joint inbetween.

[ARMOR BOXES] (http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f16/MattShipwrighter/Hood/Hoodarmorbox.png)

Each box is armored on its sides and its top, sides hereafter referred to as belt armor and top as deck armor. Anti-torpedo defenses and pumping/flooding will be covered later. Firstly, the front and the back of each box were protected by 600-750mm worth of HTNC and construction was assisted by titanium and tungsten rods from one side of a bulkhead to another behind the armor, and in-between the small space between the armor and the side of the ship to provide hull strengthening and armor strengthening. This was assisted by honeycomb steel rods as well as more tungsten reinforcements behind the honeycomb. The belt, the sides of the box, was protected by an armor scheme classified as ROGER WILLIAMS. It was not named after any historical character, just the first name of a random employee of John Brown and Co and the surname of a cousins first daughters husband of the design team leader.

The belt consisted of one layer of 650mm worth of PC type, backed by a further 650mm of PH type. In front of that, a layer of HTNC about 400mm strong with a higher tensile strength protects from direct attacks, with a layer of extremely low carbon steel about 100mm thick that protects from direct attacks. At this point the system can ‘bounce’ – Royal Navy slang for resist, 16inch shells with no damage whatsoever. This is the first layer of the belt armor. Behind that a small layer of more tungsten reinforcements with honeycomb steel rod supports and then two layers of 900mm plain NPNC steel. Armor Box B, in accordance with the boiler protection idea, had a further backing of 150mm of CCA and 450mm of HTNC. In total, this adds up to 390cm, 3900mm, or 3.9 meters worth of protection. Armor Box C tallies up to 450cm. In testing, Hood’s objectives where achieved. Whether it is capable of doing this under sustained fire in the field is arguable.

The deck armor pattern was known as the ‘RUSTY IJIKAWA’, the name of the design team leader’s German shepherd. Its first layer was a decapping layer of specialized HSLA steel boxed and 350mm thick underneath the cypress decking. This specialized steel’s low tensile strength allowed it to act better as a decapper, essentially robbing shell’s armor piercing values and its kinetic strength by the time it had penetrated (if it had) the decapper. It was thought that the decapper could effectively carry this out from anything up to as large as an 18 inch gun or a 1000 kg bomb. Behind the deck armor, a layering of 600mm PC Type steel and a further 400mm of PH Type. 550mm of CCA layered thinly between 500mm of HTNC type was the last layer after 500mm of NPNC. The honeycomb method used for the belt armor was also applied for the deck armor. This provides, in total, 250cm, 2500mm, or 2.5meters of armor.

[DECAPPING LAYER] ( http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f16/MattShipwrighter/Hood/Hoodsdecap.png )

Further plating of 215mm of CCA steel over the fore and aft parts around the VLS and up to the armored citadel, and in fact, ontop of the armored citadel (underneath fittings like AA guns) this CCA plating could resist a 1000kg bomb. The deck is planked with hinoki cypress wood in some parts.

At Kure Naval Yard’s (the leading armor company in Questers) primary testing basin at Southampton, the deck and belt were tested. A section of the belt was put into the ground, and a 30” gun from HMS Warspite that was being used by John Brown and Co was shipped over by the company to be used. A piece of deck armor was covered on a steel building and Kure even went to such lengths as to charter a monitor, HMS Thiosulphate, to fire at the armor with its 30” gun. Both belt and deck resisted the 8,953kg armor piercing shell fired by Thiosulphate’s B gun.

Ijikawa’s team did not disregard the idea of a missile being shot down the funnel, or a bomb being dropped down it. In fact, they put a lot of effort into stopping this. Research showed that perforated armor was lighter than grating armor, and that significant amount would be needed to stop the missiles or bombs; three perforated plates with 800mm plating and 350mm armored holes. This was known to be extremely effective in its task. Furthermore, 150mm HTNC Plating was extended around the funnels which were also armored with two 800mm plates of PH and PC Type (PC Type coming first, as usual). The funnels could resist heavy missiles and 25” shells. Furthermore, the design also gave the funnels considerable anti air armament, so the chance of a missile actually going down the funnel was greatly reduced by a number of CIWS and Pom-Poms covering the entrances. This was something Ijikawa himself was greatly concerned about.

Anti torpedo defense was also extremely important. As well as certain CIWS systems (mentioned later), there was considerable thought gone in to defending Hood from underwater attack. Below the armor belt, special reinforcements had been emplaced to defend from torpedoes and mines. Firstly, honeycombing with titanium rods was done 900mm into the ship, followed by a 350mm layer of NPNC armor. Teak planking backed both sides of this NPNC armor. Further structural supports were added behind this for a meter, and then pressurised void space was built in watertight and airtight compartments. Behind that, a further 600mm layer of NPNC, again backed by teak planking. More void space, then behind that another 600mm layer of NPNC which was also backed by teak planking. Teak was used to improve buoyancy and because it is an extremely strong wood. The keel is supported by horizontal framing; tungsten carbides and titanium rods make up most of the bottom of this framing, and the upper frames are made from 750mm rods of HTNC and NPNC steel. A ‘second keel’ was fitted below the original keel, which was more of a support keel, which was made from HSLA steel and with armored HTNC supports.

MACHINERY

The decision was straight away made to use nuclear power for Hood’s propulsion. A total of eight reactors was chosen, to be provided by Questarian Atomix Plc, providing 8,000,000 shaft horsepower, and two smokestacks with six boilers, three per smokestack arranged along the breadth of the ship. Special care was taken to have the right amount of SHP, as the engines would be unalterable – they were completely covered by Armor Box C. The main rudder housing was provided with its own armor box, which was 700mm thick – the PH type steel (see Protection) was chosen for this purpose. The rudder was 30m x 25m in dimensions and two auxiliary rudders half that size were also put in place. As per tradition, the rudder was made from steel, filled with teak planks, and then coated over with more steel.

Twelve shafts and six waterjets were also chosen. In sea trials, Hood generated 8,434,219 SHP and accelerated at 26.36 knots. This overachieved expectations and to this day Questarian Atomix uses this as one of their great victories.

ACCOMMODATION

Hood was a fairly pleasant ship to serve on, for the 28,110 ratings and 140 officers. She was fully equipped with air conditioning and proper ventilation systems, central heating, and many toilets for the crew. Each man was provided with 4 square meters living space (average), and there were two recreational rooms, each the size of a football pitch. Two messes, also each the size of a football pitch were situated above the rec rooms, which also had full wireless Internet access so crew members could contact friends and family. Several full five star hotel-esque suites were provided for VIPs around the Officers quarters, which indeed is where the Royal Family stayed for their duration onboard the ship. Considerable thought was gone in to making the ship comfortable for the complement, and Hood had a reputation for being a comfortable ship to serve on.

There was food store space for eighteen months of stores, which was not usually loaded unless the ship was ferrying supplies, and Hood could act as a makeshift supply ship.

Complement is as follows:
27,500 Ratings
135 Officers
5 High Tier Commanders
30 pilots
570 aircrew

ARMAMENT

Mark V RP12 81.0cm 92 caliber guns. These guns were tested at John Brown and Co Testing Facility in North Wolverhampton, providing further range, greater accuracy, and harder hitting power than the 76.25cm guns and the 68.7cm guns mounted on previous super-battleships of the Royal Navy. After the sinking of the Hood in 2006, three calibers had been put forward to the RN for evaluation for the new Hood – the 68.7cm gun, the 76.25cm gun, and the 81.0cm guns. The 81.0cm was chosen for the its better accuracy and hitting power and range, as opposed to the 76.25cm and the 68.7 which had better range and reload respectively.

The design team from John Brown and Co under Richard J Wilkinson was given a significant amount of resources and the first test gun was produced in August 2007. The testing stopped in September and the guns were modified with a higher caliber in September. In October 2007, they were again modified to fire at 52 degrees. This was the last modification to the Mk V RP12. The gun fires at a velocity of 882ms with a striking velocity of 540ms.

The weight of these guns was 1000 tons per gun and 8000 tons per quintuple turret. The gun itself is 74.520 meters long. Six of the turrets were mounted on Hood – three aft and three stern, classified as A, B, C, and X, Y, Z.

The number of projectiles per gun was 120 rounds, with 30 stored in the turret, making for 150 shells stored in each turret. Therefore, altogether 4,800 shells are stored in the ship.

Each turret is equipped with four 1800 hp hydraulic motors for the training of the turret, one motor for each turning gear. This achieved 3 degrees per second rotation rate. Maximum elevation for each gun is 45 degrees and the minimum -3 degrees. A rate of 8 degrees a second was achieved for elevation of the guns. Hydraulic valves in assistance with the pumping system could flood the magazine within 16 minutes, and sprinklers and automatic fire extinguishers were added in each turret and magazine for auxiliary fire defense.

The turret itself consisted of seven boxes, two for equipment and crew support and five for each gun. The equipment compartment stretches out the length of the turret to accommodate the 45m rangefinders and the crew compartment is behind that with a pair of entrance hatches above and two behind.

A pair of 600mm HTNC and PH Type plates protected the face of the turret , providing 1200mm of face protection. The sides and back of the turret were protected by 900mm of HTNC and the top was given even more protection with two 800mm plates of HTNC and PH Type. A mock turret, without any fittings or guns, was created at Southampton Testing Basin and the turret was successful in halting Tomahawk, Harpoon, Exocet, Sunburn, Yakhont, Moskit, and several international missiles, although this design will not specify which ones. In fact, the turret also ‘bounced’ the Questarian main VLS anti shipping missile.

Projectiles
The 81.0cm guns supported two offensive projectile types. The Mark II APCBC – Armor Piercing Capped + Ballistic Cap projectile was the primary projectile used by the RP12 Mk V 81.0cm. This round weighed 9500 kg and was designed to shoot into the water just short of the target and hit the belt ends / torpedo defense were the armor was weakest .The shell was specially made for this purpose and is hydrodynamic in shape – the Royal Navy was highly impressed with testing results. These shells were designed to be used against other superbattleships were standard hits against the strongest part of the armor would prove useless.

The second projectile type was the Mark IIV 8 crh superheavy shell. This shell weighed 10100 tons and contained 2500 kg of tri-nitro anisole (TNA). It was used against smaller battleships were the sheer power of the shell would be enough to annihilate the armor of the vessels completely.

In addition, Hood’s main guns were provided with the Mk II IHF [Incendiary, Heavy Flak) round. This round was specially designed to put up a giant wall of flame to knock down incoming waves of missiles. It was used on the first Hood to good effect and the second variant was tested at John Brown and Co’s testing yard at North Wolverhampton in Spring of 2012 and loaded on Hood and her sister ships in the following year. Renown already had the Mk I.

The IHF weighed 10,150 kg and could achieve the same range as the previous shells. It was filled with 6,000 incendiary tubes and a fuse sets the shell off approximately 60km after firing. Steel and magnesium stays are packed into the warhead and when it explodes, shrapnel and flame are propelled in a 22 degrees cone. A millisecond or so later the incendiary tubes are ignited, burning at 3000 degrees centigrade making a flame about 15 meters long for as long as ten seconds.

The longest range achieved from these projectiles was 142,000 meters at 42 degrees.

Missile Armament
The main missile armament for Hood was four giant vertical launch boxes. Each box contained 5,000 cells and the missiles were launched in opposite order; for example, one missile from the first cell, the next from the last cell. Each cell was 11 meters deep and 1 meter wide and long; they were used for mounting anti air and light anti shipping missiles, and some anti submarine missiles.

The Horizontal Launch System was the main anti shipping armament for the vessel. It was formed from thirty horizontal cells in the after superstructure, fifteen port and fifteen starboard, that were eight meters in diameter and twenty meters deep. The area around them was given further armor with the box they were all mounted in together armored with 600mm NPNC. These could not be reloaded, but they could mount the most potent of anti shipping missiles in the Questarian arsenal, including nuclear weapons.

HIGH ANGLE GUNS

Hood is equipped with two calibers of High Angle Guns; the Mk XI RP10 twin 13.3cm 70 cal and the Mk XX QF10 twin 8.3cm 70 cal. Both are fitted in shield-covered emplacements around the ship.

Mk XI RP10 twin 13.3cm 70 cal: 22 of the turrets were mounted on Hood. Each gun is capable of 7 RPM and shoots to a range of 29,500meters. The guns originally mounted on Hood were Mk X twin 13.3cm guns but these were replaced with the newer model for a faster rate of fire. The Mk XI has a crew of six, and can use both armor piercing, AHEAD, and the Mk II ILF (Incendiary, Light Flak) rounds. The ILF rounds are identical in construction to the ones used in the Mk V RP12 main guns except proportionally smaller.

Mk XX QF10 twin 8.3cm 70 cal: 78 of the turrets were mounted on Hood. Each gun is capable of 20 RPM and shoots to a range of 15,640meters. These guns were only considered for Hood in two of the designs set forward; the others used purely 13.3cm guns. The 8.3cm was chosen for its rate of fire. The Mk XI has a crew of four, and can use both armor piercing, AHEAD, and the Mk II ILF (Incendiary, Light Flak) rounds. The ILF rounds are identical in construction to the ones used in the Mk V RP12 main guns except proportionally smaller.

LIGHT ANTI AIRCRAFT WEAPONRY

Machine Guns
The vessel, which is essentially a ‘fast’ floating fortress, is covered with machine guns and high caliber AA guns. In fact, wherever there was a space the designers put in a machine gun, which actually led to some wide scale inefficiencies. Hood is equipped with 600 quad 15.5mm anti air machine guns, totaling 2,400 15.5mm MG barrels. The Mk 4 L6A2 long barreled anti air machine gun is a fully automatic weapon that fires 15.5x132mm 80 cal anti air shells. The weapon’s barrel is 1,240mm long and four barrels are attached to one aiming piece, each barrel with a RPM of approximately 900. The range is 7,300 meters horizontal and 5,500m vertical. Each gun has a crew of three and enough ammunition for four minutes burst, although the gun cannot achieve that (it would break down after one minutes continuous burst).

This means that Hood can in theory put out 2,160,000 15.5x132mm AA shells per minute. In practice of course this is much lower due to ammunition restraints, however this is still a formidable number.

The second type of AA gun mounted on Hood was the Mk 5 45mm 65 cal ‘Pom-pom’, of which 230 installations were mounted. The pom-pom is an incredibly effective anti aircraft platform. The system consists of an aiming system, a traversing system, a loading system, and eight barrels. The weapon effectively acts as a chaingun and is controlled by a crew of two by remote control. It is manually reloaded. Each barrel is 3250mm long and the weapon can achieve a range of 9,000m with a maximum elevation of 80 degrees. It effectively acts as a secondary CIWS system that is capable of taking down missile waves. The shell is 45x250mm and the weapon operates at 500 RPM.

The weapons are installed in protected mounts for the crew, mostly. As the designers fitted the weapons wherever there was space, the inefficiencies that plagued earlier Hood’s were not fixed. Such problems like ammunition handling and the hard-to-reach areas where the guns were mounted were addressed in later vessels by cutting down the number of MG’s and pom-poms installed. Both Mk 5s and MGs are aimed via the Mk X Fire Director. More Mk X were installed in following refits and sister ships to give the small caliber weapons better fire control.

CLOSE IN WEAPON SYSTEMS AND ROLLING AIRFRAME MISSILES

Hood is well endowed with RADAR guided point defense, as a ship her size should be. The main CIWS system used is the 35mm ‘Sea Guardian’ CIWS. This six barreled, RADAR guided point defense weapon can fire at 1,300 RPM per barrel, giving a total RPM of 7,800 35x221mm shells. The RADAR can track up to thirty incoming targets and prioritize them in order of engagement within split seconds and coordinate with the Mk XI PD Fire Director to either lump with other CIWS or manage targets more effectively. The range is 11km. There are a total of 104 Sea Guardian units installed on the vessel.

The ‘Sea Goalkeeper’ Rolling Airframe Missile System provides AMM support. The Sea Goalkeeper is a four-barreled point defense missile launcher that uses its own RADAR to seek out targets of a certain size, leaving the CIWS to hit the smaller missiles. The Sea Goalkeeper’s missile is designed specially to take out larger missiles, such as ICCMs, SLBMs, or light ICBMs. The ‘Sea Goalkeeper’ can detect its target using the main ships RADAR and engage it from up to 45km out. It may need to fire off all four missiles to achieve a kill. There are a total of 40 Sea Goalkeeper’s and they may not be reloaded at sea.

The ‘Sea Stallion’ Anti Submarine and Torpedo defense system [AST] provides the ASROC support for the vessel. Four launchers are mounted fore and four launchers stern, and each is wired to its own powerful SONAR; four different SONARs, two port and two stern. If the SONAR detects a mine, a torpedo, or a midget submarine, it will inform the missile which will then destroy the target.

The missile section of the Sea Stallion is a rolling airframe missile with six barrels that can rotate and fire its missile extremely fast. It has a heavy warhead that can knock out the heaviest torpedoes and mines and the SONAR can sweep to at least 11,000m underneath the water to ultimate precision.

SENSORS AND FIRE CONTROL

Fire Control
The primary fire control system mounted for the main battery was the Mark III Supercapital Low Angle Fire Director. The main parts of the installation were the rangefinders, which are in the following positions:

Two 60m rangefinders in the after superstructure and one in the main tower, and six 45m rangefinders, one in each turret. The tower bridge rangefinder was stereoscopic. These rangefinders could bracket their targets within several salvos, with notably high accuracy for the caliber chosen. Nightfighting gear was excellent, as was all optics employed in the Questarian arsenal, a speciality somewhat countering the quality of Questarian sensors. The fire directors sent information to the extremely powerful computers in the main bridge and it was relayed back again. A large number of Mk V High Angle Fire Directors were mounted for the 13.3cm guns and the 8.3cm guns. The Mk VIII MG Directors were used for the MGs and Pompoms. The CIWS and RAM had their own RADARs.

Sensors
The Mk 313 Air Search RADAR was mounted in Hood in the largest radome visible on the port drawing. It was able to scan out to 511km for incoming aircraft and could receive up to 11,000 targets, missiles or planes. It had IR, LADAR, and LIDAR backup mounted behind the aft bridge. The RADAR’s wave length was 5m with a 25 gW power source.

The Mk 404 Surface Search RADAR was mounted in the main bridge and received its IR, LADAR, and LIDAR support from the RADAR mounting and from a radome behind the second funnel, and another radome below the main bridge. It had a detection range of 93km for similar sized ships and around 60km for destroyers. A pair of ladder type antennas were fitted on the Fire Directors for assistance and relaying of information for the anti shipping role of the Surface Search RADAR.

The Mk 237 Sea Search RADAR was added to augment the anti aircraft capability of the Mk 404. It was located in the same ‘radome’ and allowed for better accuracy of the RADAR and pinpointing of the targets.

The Mk 999 Missile Guidance Sensor was linked to both the Mk 313, the Mk 404, and later the Mk 237 for assistance in guiding the VLS and HLS missiles.

The Mk 44 A2 C4I suite provided complete Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence support for warships within 30 km of the ship, able to direct attacks, relay information, coordinate attacks and information, encrypt and decrypt orders, interact with satellites.

AIRCRAFT AND BOAT ARRANGEMENTS

Aviation
Hood had scout seaplanes equipped with air and sea search RADARs for ASW, ASAC, and AWACs work. There were 20 seaplanes, all stored in the stern and raised from elevators. There were ten turntables and different tracks leading to either other turntables or the six ramps that launched the seaplanes. They could either be collected by taxiing next to the ship and being picked up by crane, or they could land on a steel mat that was unfurled from the ships stern that the planes could temporarily rest on, allowing them to land and be loaded back on the plane.

Boats
Hood had a considerable number of boats that were stored in the stern with the aircraft and lowered down the sides from opening blast doors. There were fourty fifty-man boats stored in the stern, ten hundred man boats, and a pair of extremely large two hundred man boats that took considerable time to drop. Also, behind X turret was the Admiral’s Pinnace, a converted light frigate that took twenty minutes to deploy, and had enough fuel for 2,000 miles steaming. It was designed specially for an Admiral, or VIPs to travel in. This was located on the port side; on the starboard side were two two hundred man boats. Carley rafts and lifejacket were stocked all around the ship, giving every man a lifeboat, a raft, or a jacket in theory.

The Dominion Chronicle

A New Imperial Age?
By Richard Grashioni

With the announcement only a few days ago that the Dominion has found and established a territorial hold on its fourth island colony in as many months, the budding question arises: It this a new Imperial Age for the Dominion? School children can tell you that the Imperial Era of yore lasted nearly two and a half centuries from 1284 C.E. to 1528, but how much do we actually remember about that period in time. Is history repeating itself?

There is a fairly simple answer to be had through a series of comparisons and analysis. The Imperial Era arose out of time of great turmoil. A little more than a century after its founding, the people of the Dominion began arguing about little things like possession of land and resources, but soon their tempers rose and boiled over. Little disagreements became quarrels, which became grudges and feuds, and finally blood was spilled on a horrendous scale. Starting in 1351 and continuing for five long years, Shaelk Brinthormer led the bloody Clorik'Ean revolt against the Dominion which led to more than a million deaths. For a nation in that day and time, one million deaths was monstrous, especially when they occurred as a result of one's own people. Prior to and then again in response to the rebellion, the Supreme Ruler began tightening security and upping the military's budget and recruitment so that such a rebellion could not rise again. Nor did it...

However, with the new heightened security and military reforms that led to a powerful and large army, ambitions began to take hold and drive the nation in a very new direction. The army was sent across the sea and a series of nameless battles was fought over the following two centuries. The battles were fought against less sophisticated and powerful peoples that the Dominion was able to crush and then walk all over. They were turned into colonies and exploited for the benefit of the government and people. In hindsight, it is considered to be a dark time for this otherwise glorious nation, but people eventually realized that mistakes were made. Ultimately new ideas in domestic and foreign policy began gaining support during the late stages of the Imperial Era when all of the Dominion's overseas holdings were solidified. Then came the Conversion Era and the enlightened ideas were taken up by the majority of the citizens. The colonies were freed from Dominion control and the rest is history...

So how is the Common Era different? The single biggest and most recognizable difference is that the Dominion has not wrested any land away from native inhabitants. The four colonies that have been established this year were devoid of any natural human occupants. Also, though the military has had the leading role or at least some role in the colonization of the islands, they have not been used to fight or take aggressive maneuvers. They have simply been there to protect the civilians and to safeguard the territory. While the military of the old Imperial Era was ever present and used without discretion, in the new age the military has taken a diplomatic route first and combative second. And while military spending is at an all time high to produce and research new equipment and to train the best soldiers in the world, the overall enrollment in the military is just over 1% and the active personnel is just under 1%.

This is not the same as the old imperialist regime that ruled the Dominion for over two hundred years. However, that is not to say that the government is not gaining a slight imperialist edge. We must remember that Imperialism is not a dirty word. It simply means a policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition, which is what this government is doing by colonizing unclaimed and uninhabited lands.

In short, is this a new Imperial Age? No. However, it may be an era with a slight new age imperialist policy.

The Crescent Star

Warless in a Conflict Driven World
By Brandon Zuckaby

Viscount-ania, Dominion (AP) -- In this day and age, the headlines of nearly every major newspaper, network, Blog, and news source in the world are plagued by horrid stories of war and destruction. They do not discriminate in their encompassment, range, or brutality. They extend from the rogue states to the alliances of the world to the waking giant. However, the one thing they have not included for hundreds of years was this... The Dominion. Pundits and historians, professors and students, children and adults all have different opinions, explanations, or reasons for why the Dominion has remained without serious international war in centuries. Hidden in a recent document released by the government is half of the reason why and as a historian and writer I have the other half.

The first part is what many historians and analysts have been arguing for years, but it should now be known as only part of the reason. Not since the end of the seventeenth century and the Contention Era has there been serious civil or international war. The reason for this is political. Seeing the devastation, both physical and emotional, the series of wars brought on the populace, the government, headed by the Supreme Ruler, changed their international policy to respect the rights of other sovereign nations and people and not to interfere except in the direst of situations involving Demogades or Allies. However, luckily that exception has not been necessary and the few times it was possible, the situation was settled diplomatically or through unknown (read: special operations) means. The Dominion decided not to mettle in others affairs and leave the nations of the world to war amongst themselves.

Another reason was that the Dominion, unlike so many other ruthless nations, did not see any benefit in invading another nation. There was nothing to be gained. The populace is content to remain on the island and are free to move if they so wish. National pride is not something that needs to be solved through dominance but by excellence. Resources had been secured through trade and expeditions. And quite simply, nobody wanted war. The majority of the population never wanted to send our young off, hundreds of miles across the open sea, to fight a war that did not concern us. These are the two reasons that historians and political analysts have pushed at for years; however, there is the third reason published in the depths of a public military document.

Excerpts from a Military Document
(ooc: Invader's Guide)
Public Map of DMG (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/DMG2005/DMG-1.jpg)

Some useful Facts
1) Physical: Obviously, if you look at the map you will notice the Dominion is an island. Each side is roughly three hundred [300] miles in length. The ground is completely frozen over with ice and snow. Lastly, the island is actually a plateau, five hundred meters high at every point and flat on top. There are no beaches or landing points (and don't try calling god-mod; if you don't like it, then you don't invade me).

2) Climate: This is the Antarctic, so it is extremely cold. The average temperature throughout the year is -4 degrees Celsius with a high of 4.4 degrees and a low of -34.4 degrees Celsius. Needless to say, it is frigid. The arctic winds don't help either, creating a wind-chill of deadly proportions. The ground is frozen ice and snow, making traction hard for vehicles and creating the perfect situation to get stuck in the snow. Rain (or rather snow) isn't overly common, but a quick and thick blanket of snow has been known to fall... so be prepared to get dug in. The waters around the island are frigid, easily giving someone hypothermia even if well protected. They have also been known to freeze over, but the swarm of ships in the Dominion's Navy keeps them broken up and passable.

3) Subterranean: All of the people of the Dominion live in one city (the capital), Viscount-ania. However, it is actually underground (buried into the plateau), so there is no bombing the city, infrastructure or people. In fact, the military bases are also underground (except the ports and naval base which are built into the side of the plateau). There is only one entrance to the city and it’s guarded year round by a legion of soldiers and even more during wartime. Again, if you don't like this, don't cry god-mod, just don't damn invade us.


What you Could know
Now, you don't necessarily have to know these things, but they are the ones that you are permitted to know.
1) The useful Facts: Duh. You are allowed to know all of the stuff I pointed out above.

2) Military Bases: There are four military bases in the Dominion. In the north-northwest are the combined ports of the Dominion and Trimian Naval Base. In the northeast is Xaro Air Force Base. In the southwest is the special forces base, Ft Fir'Eth. And in the south is the Army's base, Ft. Blane.

3) Coastal Defenses: The perimeter of the entire island is dotted with numerous defensive measures. There are thousands of cameras watching every piece of coastal (though raised above the water) land and air. There are Firestorm Missile Launchers and 500mm Railguns that lined the coast and prevent aerial and naval incursion. It is a very strong network of defense that is hard to break.


What you Don't know
Unreleased Material


Some numbers for you to take in. The military has a total of nearly
twenty-three [23] million active soldiers and four point five [4.5] million
reservists. However, in times of war the Dominion can raise another forty
million or so, low-trained soldiers from the civilian populace.

Navy
Total Soldiers: 4,000,000
--Active Soldiers: 3,150,000
--Reserves: 850,000
Total Vessels: 4185
Total Aircraft: 71,500

200x DMI Carrier Battle Groups
10x Submarine Carrier Groups
385x Patrol Craft
240x Submarines

Surface Ships: 3085
Submarines: 1100
Fighter Planes: 42,400
Helicopters: 28,600
Bombers: 500

DMI Carrier Battle Group
3x Empire Class Battle Carrier
-390x F-90 Guardian Angel
-90x AH-12 Phoenix
-5x B-3 Nightrider
2x Valkyrie Class Helicopter Assault Carrier
-120x AH-12 Phoenix
3x LC-2 Intruder Class
-30x F-90 Guardian Angel
-50x UH-48 Highwind
-25x MHX-20 Zenith
8x Hunter Class Submarine
6x Storm Class Guided Missile Cruiser
8x Dragon Class Destroyer
2x Lord Class Heavy Battleship
1x Chieftain Class Pocket Battleship
2x Shadow Class Stealth Ship

Total Aircraft: 710
Total Ships: 35
Total Personnel: 31,000

Submarine Carrier Group
1x Poseidon Class Submarine Carrier
-40x F-90 Guardian Angels
-10x AH-12 Phoenix
5x Hunter Class Submarine

Total Men: 1050


Air Force
Total Soldiers: 50,000
--Active Soldiers: 27,000
--Reserves: 23,000
Total Aircraft: 15,880

Fighters: 10,000
Helicopters: 6000
Bombers: 5000
Special Aircraft: 1400
Other Aircraft: 1000


Army
Total Soldiers: 4,950,000
--Active Soldiers: 4,345,000
--Reserves: 605,000

100x Special Forces Teams
10x Mechanized Divisions
800x Legions

Mechanized Division
250x Behemoth III Super Heavy Battle Tank
4000x King Zeus Main Battle Tank
1000x Wolverine MLRS
3000x Blitz Fighting Vehicle
3000x Legionnaire S-15
500x Elusion Class Vehicle
100x M101 Advancer
300x Defender
200x MH-67 Hulk
200x M65/l Asteroid

Total Vehicles: 12550
Total Men: 34,000

Legions
5,000x Fully Equipped Foot Soldiers
1000x Legionnaire S-15
200x M101 Advancer
500x Firestorm Missile Launcher

Total Men: 5000

More Details Here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=10327856&postcount=8)



Strengths
The Military. Everything. From the Navy, to the Air Force, to the Army, to the Special Forces. There is no doubt that the Dominion spends trillions on the defense of the nation. The Defense Budget is one of the largest with the Law&Order Budget. Along with the budget, the Private Defense sector is the largest private sector in the nation in terms of employment, expenses, and profit. As a result, the Dominion maintains a rigidly trained, highly intelligent, well equipped, and extremely powerful military. Before even being able to invade you will first have to get by the multi-thousand ship navy and onto the island before facing the multi-million man army.

Axiom #1 If you are going to attempt to invade, you better bring it. Nothing short of an all out invasion is going to do it.

The Terrain. As the defenders, terrain is always in your favor; however, this is even more true with the Dominion. As an island, it already requires an invasion force to be transported via ships, which means either you are going to need a massive fleet of transport ships or you are going to stupidly attempt to invade with a small force. Either way, rough deal. On top of that is the fact that it is a plateau, which means even if you can transport your army to the island, you will need to figure out how to land it, which can only be done by aircraft. Even further, the climate is harsh and foreign to many peoples; you will need to be very well prepared or you are going to face Mother Nature and lose.

Axiom #2 Expect some problems with the terrain and nature. Defenders know their land best. Be flexible.

Foresight. While it might not seem like the biggest advantage, being able to see that your enemy is going to launch an invasion on you days and weeks before it actually happens is huge. Because of the Dominion's location in the Antarctic Circle away from most other nations, an invasion force will have to navigate hundreds and thousands of miles to arrive at the island. When a navy and transport fleet is heading at the island, it is pretty obvious what is about to happen. This extra time gives the military enough time to prepare, set up extra defenses, and ready their forces. Reservists can be called up, equipped, and reminded of their training in enough time to boost the military. The economy can begin switching over to a wartime economy and the population can get all nationalistic and roused up about the coming conflict.

Axiom #3 Some things there are no ways around. Time and timing are key to conflict. You just have to accept it.

Corporation? Yep, corporations will in an odd sense be a huge advantage. In reality, it is only one corporation: DMG Military Industries - but in many ways. The military receives their equipment at a cheap rate and can replace it fairly quickly. The equipment they do receive is very advanced, even more so than the public equipment DMI sells to the world. Hordes of money, something DMI definitely has, can always be useful. However, one of the most advantageous effects of DMI is not based on products or military but on politics. Many nations rely or have relied on DMG Military Industries for their equipment needs; this does two things: One, it alienates the attacker from any of its allies that are customers (because all hostile nations to the Dominion are banned from DMI forever); and Two, has created a strong international backing for the Dominion. If the Dominion is invaded, taken over, or destroyed... DMI will be on more and many nations to not want to see that happen. If the Dominion needs to, we will call on those loyal to DMI to aid in our defense.

Axiom #4 Don't underestimate the uncommon or unnatural.


Weaknesses
Unreleased Material


So, with the above in mind, it is pretty clear why nobody wishes or has attacked the Dominion in over three hundred years. This new understanding combined with our old ideas of why the Dominion has not been involved in conflict driven international affairs gives us the complete view of why the Dominion has remained warless since the end of the seventeenth century.

Article from www.TheNewsLantern.org

Oil Independence
By Margaret Thatcher

Slicksville, West Liberty Island (SP) -- Only hours ago, spokesperson John Wriles for the Office of the Secretary of State revealed that as of 9:17 Dominion Time, the nation as reached oil independence for the first time in history. There has been a combined effort in numerous fields over the past decade in order to reduce the consumption of oil in the Dominion in order to lessen dependence on foreign powers. This push proved beneficial to new fields of research as well as the economy, which in turn pushed harder for a solution. Now, in the year 2015, we have arrived...

Only eight years ago, oil constituted 15% of the cash flow lost to foreign markets and roughly 49% of all imports to the nation. Needless to say, the situation required a major turn around. The two most obvious ways to reduce the dependence on foreign markets are to reduce the need for oil and to find nationally claimed oil deposits. The solution incorporated both...

Domestically, the cut was drastic and quick. All power plants that used oil or fossil fuels were converted or demolished in favor of nuclear plants capable of supplying vastly greater quantities of energy while reducing the need for oil and replacing it with a material abundant in the Dominion: uranium. (As well, heating homes and buildings was changed from gas to electric.) However, that is not where it stopped. All vehicles save aircrafts were required to be converted to the use of hydrogen fuel cells, which had many benefits including severely slashing the need for oil. Currently, the national public need for oil is down to nearly zero.

Now, the largest importer of oil in the Dominion is the military, though they too have taken steps to insure the decrease in need for oil. Nearly every ship (save those that are too small) has been designed to use nuclear power plants, which have the dual benefit of not needing to refuel as well as lessening our dependence on oil. Even some vehicles that the military uses are using solar power and hydrogen fuel cells. However, the considerable air power of the Navy and Air Force still, and will likely continue to, run on oil.

However, that should no longer be a problem thanks to places like where I am now: Slicksville, West Liberty Island. In response to the need for domestic oil fields, the Dominion expanded its territory to newly found islands as well as ice shelves of the Antarctic. One of those islands that the Dominion colonized in particular has helped our domestic production by increasing it tenfold. West Liberty Island. Colonized solely for the rumor that it had large and abundant oil fields, West Liberty Island has become the Dominion's biggest producer of crude oil pumping millions of gallons per day.

With the slash in the need for oil combined with the new find in the vastness of the world, the Dominion has finally and forever become Oil Independent.

Operation New Age

Reports



http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/DMG2005/GMT.jpg
Directive of the Supreme Allied Commander

Viscount-ania, DMG (January 12, 2000) - With the dawning of the new millennium, this office will be pursuing a new avenue of war machines. One with a great cost, but an even greater test of our moral fiber. For what we speak of is not made of titanium; it is not powered by oil or propelled by the greatest of engines. This deadly project will bring forth life... only to take it. We seek to create a new class of warriors of our very own flesh and blood. I speak of a new genetically produced class of warriors cloned from the finest soldiers the Dominion has to offer!

We are gathering the finest scientists, researchers, and military analysts that this nation has to offer - experts in their respective fields and the leaders of this new era for the Dominion. So dedicated are we to the task of procuring a new race of soldiers, this office is putting forth what amounts to a black budget for this task. Estimates by this office state that roughly fifteen trillion dollars from the defense budget (roughly fifty percent) will be put into a special fund for every cost relative to this project. However, the leaders of the project expect that the first few years will only cost in the hundreds of billions as research and planning commences, while the later years when the plans are put into action will cost in the tens if not hundreds of trillions of dollars.

The Chief Scientist, overseeing the entire operation, is Dr. Bernard King - an expert geneticist and head of experimental science at the leading Dominion institute for scientific research. He will report directly to this office and the Supreme Ruler. Due to the nature of this project, no further communication beyond this point will be allowed between the Doctor King and any other person not related to the project. A top-secret facility has been constructed for this project and the majority of those involved will be housed and work there, though some contribution will be made from other institutions and locations.

As this project has just begun days before this notice was released to the public, there is no official timeline or expectations yet. However, Dr. King has expressed good outlooks for beginning the true project in full within three years and fully operational within five. Early estimates are pointing to a date around the year 2025 when the first series of genetically produced soldiers will step onto the battlefield and begin replacing the current military class. Eventually, the plan is to replace every current active soldier with clones, though citizens who wish to serve in the military can join what will be an upgraded and more powerful reservist force. After the military has been filled with this new force of soldiers, the plan is to continue producing a certain quantity each year for the soldiers that have become too old to actively serve. Furthermore, it is this office's intention to keep only install the new class of soldiers in the lower ranks - all officers, Master Sergeant (Army/Air Force compared to Chief Petty Office, Navy) or higher, will retain their positions and continue serving; as well, graduates from military academy can enter the service as officers at a rank of Master Sergeant.

At this point, nothing further is known or has been planned.

By official authorization of the Office of the Supreme Allied Commander, I hereby sanction and approve for establishment of the Genetic Military Taskforce.

----------------------------

The year is 2000; a new millennium has dawned and many look to a bright future. The office of the Supreme Allied Commander, the head of the Dominion Combined Military, has announced its multi-trillion dollar plan to begin researching into the potential replacement of ordinary soldiers with genetically produced, military-raised, clones. The Genetic Military Taskforce has been established and charged with carrying out these goals.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Viscount-ania, DMG (January 12, 2010) - One decade ago to this very day, the Supreme Allied Commander, Malcolm Granger III, announced the creation of a new and highly classified department into the exploration and development of genetically enhanced clones for use in the Dominion Armed Forces. That Official Executive Directive culminated in the creation of this very organization, the Genetic Military Taskforce, led by Chief Scientist Dr. Bernard King. For the last decade, this taskforce has worked extensively and without rest towards the goals of the Dominion.

After ten years of work on decoding the human genome and working to manipulate the very genetic material that determines life and is the quintessential "nature" part of the human experience, the code has been fully unlocked and we have the keys. Needless to say our work remains highly classified and under the tightest of security, thus we cannot reveal it to the public. However, we are now confirming that Phase I of Operation New Age was completed two weeks ago and Phase 2 will begin at the end of this message today. All construction and preparation for the facility as well as the plan for the future has been dealt with and will soon come into constant use. All other information remains classified to the upper echelons of the military until a later date.

----------------------------

Classified Report

During the intervening years between the present and the formation of the Genetic Military Taskforce (GMT) in 2000, the military has gathered the finest minds from various fields to work on the project. In early 2005, the human genome was one-hundred-percent encoded. GMT then worked to manipulate and isolate different genes to create a stronger, healthier, and better overall soldier. Working for the next four and a half years on working out which parts they needed to manipulate to get the desired results, they witnessed many failures, but eventually found success. Genes that would later precipitate into disease and natural defects, dictate natural muscle mass and ability to grow, control the power of the mind (it's absorbance, retention, connections, speed, size, etc.), and most importantly maturation were isolated and broken down until complete understanding and manipulation of them was possible.

Once the genome was solved to completion, a joint staff of military and scientific minds was assembled to select nine genetic templates for the future clones. The templates were mandated to be volunteer only and had to take an extra six months to decide after their initial inclination so as to better absorb what it would mean to be the chassis for more than a million men. However, volunteers still had to pass certain standards that would result in only strong templates. Eventually, nine members (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/DMG2005/Template.jpg) from various ranks and divisions of the military were selected and moved in secret to the research facility. They were given a million dollar compensation apiece, but were sworn to eternal secrecy under penalty of death. They were codenamed Alpha-1 through Alpha-9.

After various tests on Alpha Group, genetic material was taken from them and reproduced in greater quantity to be used for the final experimentations on the manipulation of their specific genomes. Natural defects like poor eyesight, sensitive skin, weak immune system (though these templates had none of them), and the like, as well as future vulnerability to disease were stricken from the genetic material. Certain "keys" were turned so that the soldiers would be able to have increased intelligence, strength, endurance, and ability on the field in all forms. However, one of the most drastic changes made to the future clones was that their maturation process was sped up by a factor of two. That is to say that after ten years, they will have reached the maturity in both body and mind of a normal human of the age of twenty. However, at the same time, this only affects maturation and not aging, so that they will not expire at half the age of the average healthy human (thus the only difference is that they effectively live through their twenties twice). As the first decade of the 21st century came to a close, the tests were finished, the program was finished, the facility was finished, and Phase 2 was ready to begin.

The facility where the Genetic Military Taskforce is located and the entire growth and training process will take place has been codenamed Enigma (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/DMG2005/Enigma.jpg), though it remains a classified military facility. It is a small island with a state-of-the-art building built into a rock facade that offers it natural protection. Though it appears that one could simply sail up to the facility, it is highly protected: a massive gate is buried in the seafloor below (thirty feet down) that can shoot up at a moment's notice and close off the pier, cameras of every variety watching every inch of the island, and a division of troops that will be stationed there until the first revolution of clones has been finished (then the facility will be producing its defense force). However, because the main facility is actually beneath the surface of the island, it can be closed off by a forty-foot thick metal door, which is in turn guarded by remote controlled machine guns. As stated, the massive facility extends beneath the surface one hundred floors (and expands outwards) and is capable of housing over twenty million people. The bottom five floors are devoted to the fifty thousand man staff of the facility, allowing them to live relatively comfortable and private lives. The five floors above them are where the six-month incubation period before birth and the first six months of life where they are cared for diligently takes place. Afterwards, they graduate to the ten floors above where they begin their indoctrination and training (both military and some academic). Every subsequent year, as the clones grow and progress, they graduate another ten floors. Finally, after the tenth year, they are ready to leave the facility and join the armed forces.

The care-program that raises, trains, and cares for the clones as they grow from egg to muscle-bound instrument of war, has been studied and produced over ten years. It includes every type of military training from tactical, to CQC, to use of all equipment, and intelligent thinking in the field. They also learn some academic studies, though subjects like history are left to the indoctrination board. The indoctrination takes place across all ten years of their growth, instilling in them the greatest loyalty and nationalist sentiment possible. When they emerge from their training, they have been working with their unit already for two years and will continue to for the next twenty years of their military career (the extent of it). Upon joining the normal military, they are full-fledged members of the armed forces.

As of today, one million clones will be produced every six months, thus filling the necessary twenty million soldiers in twenty years. The first clone soldiers will enter the armed forces on this very date in the year 2020, and the final-initial grouping will enter in 2030. Upon completion of the first million troops in 2020, the number produced will be downgraded to five hundred thousand in order to alleviate discomfort in conditions and maintain the active military force of clones at twenty million. Every twenty years - at the age of 30 - clones will be removed from the military and active duty to be replaced by the newest wave.

This concludes the report.

----------------------------

Ten years have passed since the start of the program and the Genetic Military Taskforce is now unveiling that they have completed Phase I, in which the preparation and construction for the program has been completed. A classified report document exactly where and how the clones will be created and raised, though much information remains unapparent. It is shown that just as much of the project will be genetic manipulation as will be how the soldiers are raised. In the year 2010, the first clones will be produced at a rate of two million a year (one million per half year). They will take ten years to raise to military service acceptability, followed by a twenty-year stint in the armed forces. After the first million has entered service, the facility will only produce five hundred thousand per half year (so that eventually twenty million clones will be maintained by half a million entering and exiting each year). Thus begins the New Age of Soldiers.

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Viscount-ania, DMG (January 12, 2020) - Ten years ago, as has become ritual on this day every decade, we announced the beginning of Phase II of Operation New Age. Now we announce that this operation has born fruit in the form of its first graduating class. One million clone soldiers of equal template distribution have finished their training today after ten grueling years that shaped them into the world's finest military fighting force. As we speak the first legions are being shipping to their bases where they will replace the standard human soldiers.

Upon hearing many soldiers' complaints that they were being put out of the only job they knew, the Supreme Allied Commander, Malcolm Granger III, has passed a decree issuing each soldier replaced over the next ten years with a one million dollar severance package, to be paid in full immediately. Upon accepting the package, each soldier relinquishes his right to file a grievance and comment on the issue at all - not that many have said they will refuse. Alternatively, a soldier has the option of attending officer's school free of charge as well as a fifty thousand dollar package. They must choose one or the other, else they be terminated for poor performance and dishonorably discharged. On a similar note, all soldiers who take the advanced severance package are given first opportunity at the spots in the reservist forces (that have been vacated by the civilian populace by official mandate), though only the necessary number are expected.

Today officially begins a new era of military might in the Dominion. Hopefully no nation will need feel the brute force with which we may now strike, but the option is now on the table. Thus begins the days of military power.

----------------------------

Classified Report

The multi-trillion dollar military project, the largest in the history of the Dominion, has finally come into fruition with the emergence of the first wave of clone troops. The majority of the graduating one million soldiers will be transferred to the three main military bases - Xaro Air Force Base, Ft. Blane, and Trimian Naval Base - where they will begin replacing the rank and file soldiers from the bottom up. The first normal human soldiers to be replaced will be the Recruits followed by the Private/Airman/Seaman and so on up the ladder. When the next wave enters, the first wave will be promoted up the rank system and the new wave of clone soldiers will enter as Recruits and the like. This will thus create a rotating system where the most experienced [read: longest serving] soldiers will be the highest ranks (below the ranks maintained by normal humans).

However, though most of the first clone soldiers for the first eight or nine years will go to replacing soldiers in the three main bases, a small unit, pre-determined during training, of some forty clones will join Sierra Air Base in the Klondike mountains - a secret base not listed or acknowledged by the Dominion. At first, this will be a test to see if we are ready to have them serve in secret abroad, but if all goes well, every year a new unit will join one of the Dominion's secret bases around the world. While the clones are no doubt more than capable of serving in these classified bases that require something "extra" from soldiers, the upper echelons of the military command do not wish to risk revealing the bases to foreign powers (or Dominion citizens) nor the specifics or extent of Operation New Age.

For the past nine years, since the first group of clones entered the second rank of floors at the age of one, there have been sparse complaints, growing each year, of overcrowding and cramped conditions, especially as the soldiers grew. In the planning of Enigma base on a remote and fortified, yet small, island, the executives of this Genetic Military Taskforce were well aware of the problems. However, no better location with more space could be attained and the fact that twenty million plus souls were able to fit into the base is remarkable at the very least. Again though, Dr. Bernard King, the Chief Scientist in charge of the operation and taskforce as well as having executive oversight in the construction of the facility, noted the cramped space when producing two million more souls per year. He thus designed the program so that after ten years of initial production, the level of clones created would halve to only one million per year (five hundred thousand every half year), severely reducing any issue of lack of space. That begins today. As of now the new class of soldiers will number half that of their earlier brethren and will eventually become the first class to replace other clones as opposed to normal human soldiers as the first ten years worth of soldiers are doing.

This concludes the report.

----------------------------

Today the first class of clone soldiers is entering service to replace their normal human counterparts. Those replaced can either choose a one million dollar buyout from the government or enroll in officer's school with a smaller buyout. A win-win. While most of the million soldier graduating class will serve in the main military bases, a unit of forty clones has been sent to the secret Sierra Air Base to serve as a test of whether the clones can serve in these secret military installations around the world without threat or damage. As of now, only half as many soldiers will be produced in each class.

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Viscount-ania, DMG (January 12, 2030) - Today, at five fifteen Dominion Standard Time, the final unit of the initial twenty million clones entered a transport and left Enigma base. However, today does not mark the end of a program, but the dawn of a new day in the armed forces. Instead it reaffirms the excellence with which this operation was designed and executed, allowing it to enter the Dominion now as part of the status quo in the military. The Genetic Military Taskforce has been officially sanctioned by the Supreme Allied Commander as an office of the Ministry, confirming that Operation New Age is now a normal function of the military force.

As previously noted, the final batch of soldiers from the two million per year level has exited the program and will soon enter the active military force. However, as mentioned in years past, all graduating classes will now be one million soldiers in order to maintain the level of twenty million clones in the active force. However, instead of graduating two classes per year of half the annual amount, they will be grown and trained in a single group of one million (as opposed to two half million groups). Thus the first ten annual bands will be replaced before their service time is up. Until natural levels of twenty million clones are maintained at a rate in which every class reaches its optimal performance time before being replaced, replaced units will be kept under military pay and tutelage in a reservist force.

This is the last [scheduled] briefing by the Genetic Military Taskforce on the subject matter. All further questions and inquiries should be directed to the office of the Supreme Allied Commander and the Ministry.

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Classified Report

The Sierra Incident in the heights of the Klondike mountain range caused a serious rift in the minds of the military executives. In actuality, it was only the Supreme Allied Commander who was concerned by the event as he was the sole officer who knew of the event. When he ordered Rogue Force to the classified Sierra Air Base, nobody was sure what they would find. However, what they encountered held a potentially deadly secret for Operation New Age. The small unit of clone soldiers who had been sent there on a test enlistment had turned against their fellow [normal] soldiers, slaying them brutally in their sleep. Their location in a foreign nation's sovereign territory provided a dangerous backdrop and the potential for both a national and international issue, but luckily the expertise of the special forces were able to take down the traitors before they exposed themselves, the base, the technology, and the program.

However, the incident was not yet over. The deadliest question of them all remained unanswered: Why did the clones turn against their brothers and nation? After an investigation led by Chief Scientist of the Genetic Military Taskforce Dr. Bernard King, the result was determined to be a combination of brain damage during training and an infection of toxic chemicals directly into the digestive system (and subsequently into the blood stream and brain). Though the issue was studied and recognized not to be affecting any other soldiers, both those in service and those in training, SAC Malcolm Granger III ordered a major precaution be taken so that no serious issue could be taken again. A colonel with the GMT was the chief proponent behind the solution that was eventually settled upon and implemented: a micro-bomb implanted directly into the brain matter of the clones at birth and tagged with individual identity and corresponding signal. The detonators were connected to a master computer in Central Command where only the highest ranking official had the keys to initiate the termination of even a single soldier (and even then he needs the confirmation code of one of his subordinate officers). The codes and computer are kept under the strictest security, and neither the computer nor the micro-bombs are kept online - only activated when detonation is mandated. Along with the bombs, Dr. Bernard King suggested implanting a high-tech microchip to monitor every aspect of the clone soldiers life, health, and status in every meaning of the word.

With that final secret alteration to the program, never to be revealed to the public or even the lower ranks of the military, the program was deemed acceptable to continue and become the normality in clone soldier affairs.

This concludes the final report.

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In the year 2030 the program was publicly deemed to be "excellent" in all aspects, and it was thus transferred from being an operation to a normal office and program of the Ministry. However, beneath the calm there was a dangerous threat that lurked. Rogue Force was tasked by the Supreme Allied Commander to put down a clone revolt in a secret Dominion base. After an investigation it was determined that the clones in question suffered brain damage and chemical poisoning, leading to the change in mindset and the subsequent killings of their comrades. After a small micro-bomb and microchip was instituted into the program and inserted directly into the brain of every clone soldier, the operation and programmed were deemed acceptable and safe. It now continues as a normal function of the military, churning out one million clone soldiers a year from Enigma base.

The Dominion Literary TimesBest Sellers Review Edition
The Dominion Literary Times is a Universal News Enterprise publication circulated daily across the nation; it is the foremost publication on all things written in the Dominion. On Sundays the Times publishes a "Best Sellers Edition" that lists the highest selling books and literary works from the previous week and ranks them according to the volume sold. Once a month the Sunday "Best Sellers Edition" is supplemented by the special "Best Sellers Review Edition" that gives an in-depth report and review on a couple of the best sellers.

Non-Fiction
Title: The Rise and Fall of Empires
Subtitle: The History of the Known World
Author: Rupert E. Kingsley
Subject: Historical Analysis
Length: Ten Volumes (I-X), 20,000 pages
Sellers Rank: #1 Non-Fiction, #3 Overall

Review
By Johan Wollers

The Rise and Fall of Empires, A History of the Known World is ten thousand years of human history dating back to the first instances of developed, intelligent life. Kingsley's basic view on the history of the world is that it is divided into epochs by the various empires residing throughout the centuries. As such, the major history of the world can be told by telling of those empires and their interactions throughout the world. From the mighty Romans to the imperialist British, empires have always grabbed at the very corners of the globe, influencing everything in their path for better or worse. But in the end, the only thing is certain is that when an empire rises, it must eventually fall.

Rupert E. Kingsley's work of a lifetime, which has taken him from a young tenured professor to the feebleness of old age, is to be considered as much a work of art as the subject he so brilliantly reports on. His analysis is powerful in any realm of academia, and yet it is to be understood by even those whose minds are less than that of Kingsley. For fifty years he investigated, studied, and worked on the history that was so dear to him, and in the end he produced the preeminent work on history that the world has ever known. His ability to fluidly tell the story of mankind's development over the centuries and millennia is second to none, but it takes nothing away from the level of detail and grandeur that he presents. The Rise and Fall of Empires is truly one of the greatest works of literary genius and Kingsley shall go down as a peerless writer and historian.

Fiction
Title: The Realm of Alleria
Subtitle: The Complete Text
Author: Samantha Haile
Subject: High Fantasy
Length: Four Books, 3800 pages
Sellers Rank: #1 Fiction, #1 Overall

Review
By J.M. Erson

The Realm of Alleria is the great tale of a land of fantasy and magic where elves dwell in the forest, a mighty human empire erects castles, and dark demons bang at the gates. Originally written in four individual books that were to be published, Samantha Haile combined them into a collection that tells the tales and histories of the entire land. It is a land where magic is common, politics is dense, and technology is a mix of medieval and modern. Individual characters come alive off the pages as armies roam the fields and clash in epic battles that shape the world.

The Realm is one that will inspire great interest and hours of entertaining reading for readers both young and old. Children will be enthralled by the fantasy nature of the stories while adults will understand the deeper stories and meanings. It is hard to believe that a single person could imagine a world so different from our own, and yet Haile manages to subtly bring in hidden instances of our culture, our technology, and our attitudes. Her mastery of languages created for different races as well as the separation of races in terms of culture, knowledge, attitude, and style is unique even for someone in their own work. It is as if she was merely writing down the stories of a real land.

A Treatise on the Military-Industrial Complex
By General Drako Mickoy (Ret.)

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."
~Dwight D. Eisenhower

The term military-industrial complex (MIC) refers to a close and symbiotic relationship among a nation's armed forces, its private industry, and associated political and commercial interests. In such a system, the military is dependent on industry to supply material and other support, while the defense industry depends on government for revenue. The "iron triangle" is formed; the military relies on the defense industry for equipment and supplies, the defense industry relies on the government for contracts, and the basis of government power relies on the strength of the military. There are few nations in this world where the term is more fitting than the Dominion where the private military industry is the largest and most powerful of any, the nation's armed forces are strong, and the political power rests, at least in part, in the hands of the nation's military leaders.

No doubt that there is in fact a military-industrial complex in the Dominion as there is a very strong relationship between the military, industry, and governing forces; however, in colloquial use it is most generally a pejorative term for a collusion of forces attempting to use this complex for profit rather than in the best interest of the country and its people. The question then becomes whether the MIC in existence in the Dominion is for good or profit and where that line is drawn. To determine the nature of the relationship, one must explore the organization and history of the separate entities involved.

DMG Military Industries is the only and de facto largest private military industry in the nation. In fact, it is the single largest industry or corporation in the Dominion in all meanings of the word: employees, profit, production, value, etc. While DMI has filled thousands of international requests for military products, the Dominion has remained the single largest customer and user of DMI equipment. Since its beginning in 1980, DMI has received tens of trillions of dollars in exclusive contracts from the government. All defense contracting including the construction of bases and the such goes to DMI. However, even though it has received a lot of funds from the Dominion, DMI is in no part completely dependent on the Dominion's contracts to survive financially as they consist of nowhere near the majority of revenue. Thus, while there is definitely a symbiotic relationship with at least some reliance on the government, it is not a controlling one.

The military has exclusively used DMI products for decades now. All systems and equipment used for training and combat are produced within the nation's military industry and bought at a discounted rate. However, that being said, the military is not beholden to DMI. In a highly militarized world with many large and powerful international arms dealers, the Dominion could, if it ever needed to, buy products from foreign corporations. With the War Chest providing a minimum of one hundred trillion USDs in emergency aid, the entire military could be switched over to foreign equipment in as short as a time as it takes to produce and ship that equipment. Thus, while there is a true and beneficial relationship between the military and the defense industry, the military is not in the position to be manipulated by the industry.

While the government provides trillions in funds to DMI, it has trillions more to spend elsewhere. Furthermore, while the military defends the island from foreign incursion, the government itself does not derive its power from the military, but rather from those who it justly governs. However, the military itself does have a considerable amount of control over the government and nation as its leader, the Supreme Allied Commander, represents one third of the highest governing body, the Cabinet, of the Dominion. As such, though, the other two members could easily override almost any decision he attempted to make that was designed to garner a profit rather than benefit the country and people.

In conclusion, while there is most definitely a military-industrial complex imbedded into the very nature and organization of the Dominion, it is not necessarily a harmful element; it is not the same as is known by the pejorative term. In fact, a closer study would show that it is actually beneficial to the nation and people. As the largest industry it feeds the economy by employing millions of people and pumping trillions of dollars into it from both foreign and domestic sources. The MIC is most definitely in existence and a powerful and useful force for this nation.

Military Tract
The Marius Studies


In the years following the original Marius Reforms - the set of studies headed by then Lieutenant General Gaius Marius in order to determine the state of the military - such massive inquiries have become commonplace. Constant performance and equipment tests are done and eventually compiled into a larger directive that the highest echelons of the government review. Upon acceptance of this military directive, the recommended actions are carried out and new products are brought in to replace the older ones or are commissioned for a future date. This is the second of such major overhauls. In conjunction with a cycle of new military products from DMI, some of the existing equipment used by all three branches of the military was updated. In other areas, the reforms encompassed a change in configuration of military forces, sizes of different units, and overall readiness for military action.

Section 1: The Navy
Sub-Section A: Navy Equipment
Article I: After testing the Empire Class Aircraft Carrier's ability to store and deploy its forces inn the heat of battle and across the globe, it was decided by the panel of analysts that it still remained a workhorse of a ship for the navy. However, certain aspects no longer pleased the commission and thus DMI was asked to make adjustments to its design and role in the fleet. Its aircraft compliment was increased considerably by widening the ship to improve storage space. However, more drastically, the backside of the ship was redesigned into a landing ship deployment area with a total marine detachment of some two thousand soldiers. This upgrade increased the total number of soldiers deployable by a fleet as well as the increased role of the aircraft carrier. Overall the Empire is the heart of the navy and will continue to be the mainstay of the fleets for a very long time. Future developments not withstanding, the Empire is more likely to be adjusted than scrapped and replaced.

Article II: The Valkyrie Class Helicopter Carrier was no longer cutting in the new navy. While a venerable workhorse that persisted for many years, its design and use have been outdated for some time and were in dire need of replacing. Thus, with a growing focus on air power projected by the fleets, they were replaced by the new, high-tech Pulse Class Stealth Carriers. These carriers, capable of operating independently or within the fleet, are highly unique and unusual, but can carry a good number of VTOL, STOL, and helicopters. After battle performance tests, it was determined that if crewed by a top notch crew they could be devastating in combat, launching their flights in no time and remaining relatively hidden on the water to protect against retaliation. The Officers' Corp has expressed great interest and delight in having the ability to command these ships and their abilities.

Article III: The two battleships of the Dominion, the Lord Class Battleship and the Chieftain Class Pocket Battleship were both determined to be worthy of their continued service in the navy. Their power was measured to be sufficient in taking down foreign naval targets and their ability to work in tandem with other ships and autonomously was excellent. Likewise, their armor was sufficient to take a beating of the rating that their main guns could dole out. Especially outstanding was their ability to work in combination with landing forces to pound the shores allowing the forces to storm the beaches. Overall the ships are reliable and strong, but some time not too far in the future will need to be replaced.

Article IV: The LC-2 Intruder was hailed as one of the most useful and versatile ships in the fleet after being analyzed in a multitude of situations; however, after various tests and analysis of its combat rating, the need to replace it with a newer craft became clear. Though only a few years old, the Intruders' design did not sufficiently optimize its potential capabilities. Though maintaining a marine detachment of one thousand soldiers like its predecessor, the Invader's increased size goes to increasing the air compliment whether it be planes or helicopters. It has a sleeker design and more interior space to make voyages with a full compliment more comfortable for all involved. The helicopters in question also proved useful in a variety of ways: they could be used to maintain air superiority over a given area; maintain sea and land patrols, scouting for submarines and advancing forces; supporting land forces; and transporting troops that the Invader is carrying to the frontlines or an established beachhead. The landing craft and helicopters have the ability to carry a large enough load to be able to transport the entire force in only one wave. Finally, its ability to carry and transport armored vehicles up to and including tanks allows heavy land forces to be conveyed to the front.

Article V: The Hunter Class Submarines operated splendidly when put into a serious of naval games. It routinely outclassed and outmatched its naval counterparts, be they surface ships or other submarines, with ease. It was determined to be one of the most useful ships in the fleet, especially with its ability to work in carrier group. It can launch military strikes, – tactical and strategic – attack surface ships and submarines, as well as recover and deploy small military squads. The Hunter's name serves it well as one of the deadliest ships in the world. It will be many decades before it is replaced by another ship and will most likely be upgraded before being replaced full out. It has been so impressive that all other submarines have been scrapped regardless of unique roles they may have filled in order to maximize the number of Hunters in the fleet. Overall the Hunter submarine was so impressive that it was chosen to be the sole submarine of the military.

Article VI: The Dragon Class Destroyer and Storm Class Guided Missile Cruiser performed excellently and were beyond reproach. This report feels no need to comment on those excellent pieces of military equipment.

Sub-Section B: Navy Strategy
Article I: While the Carrier Battle Group will continue to be the foundation of the navy, a few modifications and changes were deemed necessary after seeing it perform in a simulation against a variety of other naval forces. With the arrival of new and upgraded ships into the fleet, the overall composition of the carrier battle group was brought into question.
Sub-Article 1: With an increasing focus on the fleet's ability to project air power across the seas in overwhelming numbers, the changes in the fleet's composition reflected this, increasing the number of carriers to fourteen, including six Empire Class Battle Carriers. This is followed by eight submarines guarding the oceans beneath and twenty eight surface combatants, eight the gun based Lord and Chieftain Class Battleships, while the other twenty are split evenly between the Dragons and the Storms.
Sub-Article 2: While previous reforms have increased the diversity of the fleet by adding smaller ships such as patrol ships, these new reforms sought to cut back on that by removing those ships from the fleet and leaving only an increased number of standard carriers, destroyers, cruisers, submarines, and battleships. The distribution between the types changed, but the mainstays of the fleet remain the mainstays of the fleet.
Sub-Article 3: With the continuing and advancing focus on air power, the number of aircraft in the fleet was increased. The new numbers are one thousand fighters, nine hundred eighty helicopters (three hundred battle helicopters, six hundred eighty transport and utility based helicopters), and now six times as many bombers with thirty split between the Empire Class Battle Carriers. All of the ships capable of carrying aircraft save the Chieftain Class Pocket Battleship have been outfitted accordingly to distribute the types of aircraft across the fleet.
Sub-Article 4: In order to make land based operations, especially initial invasions and the establishment of beachheads, a greater success, some of the ships - namely the Empire Class Battle Carrier and the Invader Class Landing Craft - were outfitted to carry a marine detachment. Now, the fleet can carry fifteen thousand marines for incursions as well as over five hundred humvees carried on standard LCACs.


Article II: The ten secret submarine groups that have been operating unbeknownst across the world's oceans for years, were analyzed in a different matter from the rest. It was clear that their worth had long been proven by the various secret missions they had carried out across the globe, and so the only thing that changed was the composition of the submarines. The number of Hunter Class Submarines escorting each submarine carrier was reduced by one so that each group has only four Hunters. However, more importantly, the Poseidon, the first submarine carrier conceived and developed in the Dominion, was replaced by its successor the larger and better-designed Derelict Class Submarine Carrier. The Derelict can carry fifty aircraft and launch them anywhere in the world for quick military strikes before disappearing back into the vastness of the sea. This new carrier, while remaining controversial and debatable, is expected to have a long life in the service of the fleet.

Article III: The original Marius Reforms ushered in a new age of patrol boats to replace aging and standard ones that were ill equipped and poorly designed. Three different classes - the Sword, the Sprint, and the Shadow - were introduced by the dozens to fill in gaps in the Dominion's shore defenses and protect them from a different kind of enemy. However, deep speculation and actual practice of this idea has shown that it was wrong. Their need is non-existent as the fleets that regularly surround the shore leave almost no space for a ship to fit through with multiple guarding each mile of shore length. In fact, they could nearly surround the shore touching each other end to end. So, with no need for the patrol boats, they were scrapped.

Article IV: While the fleets and battle groups had already done away with the non-Hunter Class submarines, the Dolphin and Nautilus classes still remained in the independent operating group that served in varying capacities. However, that time has come to an end. More though, then just removing the non-Hunter Class submarines, it has been decided to fully eliminate all of the independent submarines. The eight hundred fifty submarines in the other capacities can fill the roles just fine.

Section 2: The Air Force
Sub-Section A: Air Force Equipment
While the number and types of the different types of aircrafts are expected to fluctuate over time based on varying factors, this round of reforms introduced only three new aircraft.
Article I: The joint use of the MHX-20 Zenith and the venerable Black Hawk helicopters has come to an abrupt end with the development and deployment of the sleek and highly useful UH-65 Rogue. Built based on the Black Hawk, the Rogue can take on many rolls with its technology suite, cargo space, powerful engines, and variable interior. It can lift vehicles and crews of soldiers, land or rope-dropping in hostile areas, med-evac the wounded off the battlefield, search and rescue on land or at sea, hunt for submarines, serve as mobile forward headquarters and coordination posts, and many more jobs. While its large cargo bay comes from the black hawk so that it can transport a unit into a mission, it can also double as cargo container and workspace. It is truly mulit-role helicopter that is not likely to be replaced for years to come.

Article II: The SR-72 Aurora, reclassified from the SR-75, the successor to the SR-71 Blackbird, met its predecessor's fate as it was replaced by the new SR-73 Vortex. The Vortex has increased reconnaissance ability, defensive capabilities, maximum speed, and survivability on missions. While the world is increasingly turning to spy satellites for its reconnaissance missions, one can never underestimate the ability of a good old-fashioned spy plane. If not for the advanced B-4 bomber, this fast-flying aircraft would be the lone most expensive aircraft ever construction in the Dominion.

Article III: While at the time of this study compilation the nation's new bomber has yet to be revealed to the public or international world by DMG Military Industries, it has been tested by the Air Force's pilots and in simulations and been determined to be one of the greatest leaps in technology and ability that the aircraft industry has ever seen. While maintaining its roots as a mach, high-speed stealth bomber, the new B-4 had jumped into a low space orbit to make leapfrog jumps across the earth's atmosphere. With this ability it can travel unheard of distances at ridiculous speeds and launch nearly unstoppable attacks anywhere in the world in record time. Further information at this time may be limited or restricted, but it is fair to say that this is one of the most advanced pieces of equipment in the new arsenal.

Sub-Section B: Air Force Strategy
Article I: As predicted in the earlier reforms, the Air Force has completely taken over the Army's transport needs with its fleet of C-57 Galaxy Lifters and helicopter transports (both the UH-48 Highwind and UH-65 Rogue). Nothing else in the Air Force's strategy has changed.

Section 3: The Army
Sub-Section A: Army Equipment
Article I: As predicted in the earlier reforms, the Defender mobile air defender, while being suitable for the current time, was destined to be replaced eventually for its lack of technology and power. Thus came the more physically impressive Watchman mobile air defense platform with four dual chain guns, close in weapon systems, and missiles all contained in an armored body. It has been determined that the Watchman is at least three times as good in battle as its predecessor, bringing does 340% of the threats that the Defender could before being overcome.

Article III:While the M65/I Asteroid and the MH-67 Hulk had performed up to expectations in previous studies and tests, with a new standard of performance, the artillery pieces failed miserably. The two were scrapped and deemed to be poor pieces of equipment in both design and technological armament. A new artillery piece was commissioned and quickly designed - the MH-1 Annihilator performed, as expected, amazingly. Its new technology suite, compact design, and high performance armament makes it a devastating piece of equipment on the battlefield, perhaps even challenging the notions of "fast over slow" army divisions.

Article III: The Legionnaire S-15 was easily the most impressive land vehicle next to the King Zeus MBT. This humvee again and again proved that it could take on larger and more heavily armored military vehicles as well as suppressing an infantry advance. With the ability to transport five soldiers it can easily operate independently with its weapon's cache and portable Stinger to deal with low flying aircraft such as pesky helicopters. It is versatile and useful - one of the mainstays of the Dominion's land forces. It has even gone so far as to replace every other kind of humvee that used to serve in the military. They are no longer useful as the Legionnaire has outperformed them in every category. It is faster, better armored, and more heavily armed while maintaining its carrying capacity and durability. Overall the Legionnaire is a marvelous vehicle that will only be upgraded for years and years to come. Unfortunately, that time has come and the Legionnaire is need of a great deal of retooling and upgrading before it can return to its former glory - that advancement is expected to follow this study as it has been planned for some time.

Sub-Section B: Army Strategy
Article I: As always, while the exact numbers of vehicles fluctuate up and down based on current ideologies, there was only one true change to the mechanized divisions and legions. The M101 Advancer was completely scrapped, deemed useless with the pervasiveness of the Blitz Fighting Vehicle and particular the S-15 Legionnaire. Each legion was outfitted with enough Legionnaires to carry its entire detachment of soldiers, meaning that a legion can travel very fast as is the strategy of the army.



[Thus concluding the studies by a joint-panel of experts, the aforementioned reforms will be instated under the direction of General Gaius Marius by order of the Supreme Allied Commander Malcolm Granger III. The effects of this document are to be immediate and sweeping across the entire military and are to be followed to the letter.]

An Inexplicable Shot
Associated Press Wire

Royal Colony of Eborall, Dominion -- Only hours ago, at four sixteen post meridiem Zulu time, a sniper's bullet pierced the chest of the Crown Prince Ali. Although thought impossible, the assassin struck the Prince whilst he was in the safety of the Royal Compound, sending up a flurry of alarms and nerves. As the Prince was rushed to the Royal Hospital only moments away, security forces rushed from the complex and surrounding military bases. When they reached the would-be assassin in the fields of the Messeanic Plains, faced with gun helicopters and amassing foot soldiers, the assassin took his own life with a single shot to the head.

Before the assassin struck, the Prince was enjoying some quiet time in the one of the Royal Palace's numerous gardens. Though the entire complex is secure beyond a doubt - numerous security measures, a legion of troops guarding it, massive stonewalls, and an elevated position - the Prince is regularly shadowed by a four-man team of his personal security force. Suddenly, according to eyewitness reports, the Prince grasped his chest and fell back into a shallow reflecting pool. His guards ran to him, pulling him from the water as they sought to determine what had happened and called for a medical transport to the complex's medical facilities. As they quickly examined him, it became apparent from a forming bloodstain that the Prince had been shot - (the bullet in question, having exited the body, was later recovered from a nearby wall).

In no time at all the medical transport arrived and rushed him less than half a mile away to the hospital. The awaiting staff of doctors, which services purely the Royal Family, rushed him to the emergency room where they began emergency surgery to save the Prince's life. The bullet had been shown to have entered the chest through the fourth and fifth ribs on the left side. It just narrowly missed the Prince's heart by less than three millimeters, but did in fact fully puncture his left lung, leaving him gasping for air and filling his lung with fluids.

As the doctors rushed to save the Prince's life, security officials joined by soldiers from the three military bases (two Air Force, one Army) that create a triangle around the area began a rapid manhunt for the assassin. Converging on his position with helicopters, tanks, and foot soldiers, they had him surrounded and began moving in carefully. However, not allowing himself to be taken alive, the assassin stood up on the hill from where he had taken the shot and was then hiding and raised a pistol to his chin - a single shot sent his lifeless body crumpling down the small hill. When security forces arrived, he was determined to be dead despite efforts to keep him alive. Any information on the assassination attempt - who he was, why he had shot the Prince, who he was working for if any - was lost. Later (within the hour) research from the Dominion's combined intelligence database revealed limited data about him and only showed him to be an online investor in Eborall. However, a ballistics inspection of the shot taken shows without question that he was no ordinary man out for a psychotic kill...

The Prince's massive complex has everything he would ever need and everywhere he would ever want to go so that he doesn't have to leave. More importantly, however, the complex is surrounded by giant walls and it sits upon the highest point on the plains so that any shot into the compound would be impossible. Thus investigators were quite confused by how the assassin made the shot from outside the complex. Upon inspection of the outer complex wall, a small broken hole, no larger than a small coin's diameter, seemed to have been the entryway for the bullet, though not made by it. Though there is no proof or evidence (neither from video recordings or groovings in the stone), it would appear that the hole had been made at a previous time so that a shot could be taken from the hill to the very spot where the Prince fell. Otherwise there would be way too many coincidences and unexplained things.

However, with little evidence to go on, the investigation quickly hit a wall. Although it will continue forever forward, little is expected to come to light unless revealed through foreign sources (or spies). The Crown Prince Ali, thanks to the quick and talented work of his doctors, is expected to make a full recovery within three months time. In a brief statement made after coming out of surgery he stated that he would, "... live no differently, fear no more, or be changed in anyway by this attack upon my life." This was the first assassination attempt on Ali's life.

The Great Recession
A Special Report by the Financial Times


The Heist of the Millennium
Though it is true that the Great Recession began on March 10th, 2013, few even now remember that the troubles that have plagued the Dominion for nearly two years began two days earlier on March 8th. It was a normal Saturday, followed like any other by a normal Sunday, but the sinister plot of "Thief X" (as the mastermind of the "Heist of the Millennium" as become to be known) was working its way through the systems of our nation's most secure vault. For two days nobody noticed anything wrong and life continued as per usual. However, whence Monday rolled along and the markets began opening, calls from foreign account holders revealed the tragedy. Vice President Mike Stanton disappeared, though soon to be found dead, as was everything else hidden beneath 1 Vault Plaza.

The number, though rarely reported, is 136,483,834,053,580 USDs. Yes, that is tens of trillions of dollars, more than you or I will ever see in literally a million lifetimes. Roughly thirty-six trillion dollars from various accounts were reported to be insured by the bank, so when the 30-Day recovery period had ended fruitless, the insurance payments were due. Any normal or even extra-ordinary insurance company, because it was on such vast sums, would not cover the insurance,, so the bank took it upon itself. In the short-run, it viewed it as an easy way to make money, and in the long-run, if something ever happened to an account that required an insurance payment, they could shuffle money around from other accounts. Quite plainly, they never planned for what happened. Why should they have? They had the most secure banking system in half the world and a breach of this magnitude would mean a lot worse than having to fork over the money for insurance payments.

But it did happen and thirty-six trillion dollars needed to be paid. The bank attempted to acquire as much money as possible whether it be from previous profits, calling in loans, or raising private capital. However, even after all means possible were tracked down, the total came in a massive seven trillion dollars short. Luckily, so as to maintain amicable relations with the foreign nations that expected their insurance payments, the laissez-faire government, on orders of the Chancellor, stepped in and paid off the dues. As a result, the bank, without a single penny, account holder, or shred of dignity was bankrupt and forced to indefinitely close its doors.

Rise of the Recession
In understanding how the heist contributed to the economic downturn of the past two years - beyond the basics that any ten year old could point - we need to first understand how the bank was involved in the economy. The background, if you will. The theory behind the bank was that it would offer high-interest accounts to foreign nationals and nations with conditions of anonymity and the world's best security in order to entice account holders to deposit great sums of money. The plan worked. Over the years, trillions of dollars flowed in. Now, of course, as basic math shows us, when trillions of dollars flow in and high interest is in effect, then trillions will eventually flow from the bank to the account holders. However, the accounts were generally long term, extremely low activity, savings accounts so adding interest payments monthly or annually amounted to changing a number in a computer database (essentially - obviously, there had to be funds somewhere to balance it out). On the other end, with trillions of dollars in the vaults and it not going anywhere, the bank could hand out low interest and high-risk loans to national interests. An understanding of Economics 101 shows us that foreign nations were effectively pooling their money in the bank so that the bank could invest domestically and increase production all across the board.

Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where this goes bad. When the heist removed all of those funds, the money dried up and it caused a chain of events that would severely damage the economy. The first effect was that the bank called in all of its loans. It needed money to pay back the insured accounts, thus all the loans it could call in, it did, causing trillions of dollars in investments to be sucked out of the economy overnight. Some people defaulted and were foreclosed on, others cancelled their investment and returned the money they could. If one could imagine a building under construction being stopped halfway through and then condemned, that was the effect. In some cases, the loans were to other smaller banks (which every bank was), so when the International Bank called in its loans, the smaller banks did too, creating the same effect on a wider and more personal scale. Another effect was that when money is drawn out of economy, interest rates rise. With less capital around to be lent, the rent on the money, or interest, increases until a balance is met. Needless to say, trillions of dollars disappearing causes a large spike in the interest rate, so it would be hard to get an affordable loan from even other banks. People wishing to take out a loan to pay for a house or something else, simply could not, creating a ripple effect through the housing market and everywhere else.

A third, more psychological effect, was the government getting involved in the economy. For centuries, the government has remained supremely laissez-faire when it came to direct interaction with the economy. Of course it oversaw regulation and enforced laws, but for the most part, the market ran its course in directing the way the economy ran. So when the government stepped in to pay of the bank's seven trillion dollar debt ($7,000,000,000,000), the market went haywire. Everyone saw it as a sign of economic disaster, and as things go, when we perceive them as bad, we make them bad. Investors and even average citizens began holing like a recession was coming, and thus a recession came: the Great Recession - the first recession in nearly one hundred forty years. Even now, two years later, the economy is still slumping, interest rates are high, the government is working to rebuilds its image, and lost confidence may never be regained.

The Fat Get Fatter
As hard times go, the rich can afford to make themselves richer and the poor get poorer. This time is no different. Those who are secure in their wealth and economic futures can afford to use their capital to acquire cheap capital elsewhere, but those that are not as secure are the ones selling their capital at a cheap price. However, the magnitude of the Great Recession has not just affected millionaires and paupers, but also the big companies and baby companies.

The first victims of the economic collapse were the small companies operating on the margin that nobody saw had a viable future. The Security Corp of Merika (SCM), which had provided part of the security system that failed so miserably in the protection of the International Bank, was an obvious casualty as consumer confidence dropped like a stone through a vacuum. Geminus Syndicate & Lobby (GSL), a genetic research and cloning laboratory and lobby syndicate came under closer scrutiny when it was revealed that under new laws only the government could deal with the sensitive material. Finally, Space Hops (OS), has just recently collapse in recent days due to speculation about a rebirth of the national space program and flights to space without any private or personal costs.

However, once the proverbial underbrush had been cleared out, the mega-deals got underway.

First to "conglomerize" were the energy companies. Infra-Utile (IUD), which gained its reputation for establishing the groundwork and frame for Viscount-ania centuries ago, bought out the much smaller ALL-E (NRG), which dabbles in all kinds of energy sources, for a measly fifty billion ($50,000,000,000). However, only a few months later, the asset-rich company of Millennium Oil (MO), sitting on its mountains of oil reserves, offered a bid for Infra-Utile and then forcefully bought it out for an undisclosed sum of money (presumably somewhere in the area of a trillion dollars). After the three energy companies were joined, Millennium Oil, which was the true heart of the company, chose to rename the conglomerate ALL-E for marketing and stylistic reasons.

The multi-trillion dollar business of Digital Enterprises (DE), one of the hottest and most promising companies in the Dominion if not the world, led by its fearless Founder & CEO, Matthew Diamond, participated in a series of acquisitions and business ventures. For just ten billion ($10,000,000,000) he snatched up Interactive Games (IG), which published popular video games of all genres, but was most reputed - negative and positive alike - for its "God: The Game" experimental venture. Next, it grabbed NanoTech (NTR), the premier institute and company in nanotechnology research. Though little has come of the field and especially the company yet, it has now become a subdivision of Digital Enterprises, where many assume its role will swell and be a vital part of the business's future. Finally, Diamond created a new subsidiary known as "Enthrall" (unlisted), for which he plans to create an entertainment empire. From sports, to television, to movies, to games... he wants all of it under Enthrall and with his savvy, he'll most likely get it. Already, Enthrall, as a subdivision of Digital Enterprises, has bought the National Sporting Alliance (NSA) for some $1500 per share or roughly $250 less than what it is valued. In the takeover, Diamond acquired the Alliance for what many estimates put at nearly one hundred billion dollars ($100,000,000,000) less than its market value. Already, this genius has made a profit.

In a mostly trivial and unnoteworthy move, Universal News Enterprises (UNE) bought up the Securities Exchange Market (SEM) for three and a half billion ($3,500,000,000). It was reported that the SEM will remain inoperable for the time being and the acquisition was mainly made for the information and analytical tools that the market valuing company possesses. However, the news in the story came a short while after when the Cabinet announced a new lad had been passed for the security of information. Already the government has supreme authority over information should it chose to use it and can essentially break up UNE at will; however, the new law forbade UNE from ever being bought by anyone (and corporations, foreign and domestic, are considered persons under the law). Unlike most businesses, while UNE wishes to make profits, it seems that it need not worry about the consequences of failing to do so for the government will always be there to ensure it lives on and prospers to bring the news to the people.

Frosties (FOB), the chain responsible for much of the nation's food distribution, bought the island born company of Gima Juice (GJS) for a paltry fifty million dollars ($50,000,000). The juice company, while small, has an appeal to it beyond its delicious drinks. The island inspired decor of the stalls and friendly attitude of all the clerks only adds to the great flavor and refreshing taste. Frosties says it plans to expand the small business by a thousand fold over the next year alone. Where there were twenty, there will soon be twenty thousand.

Wolf Lands Incorporated (WLI), in a surprise bid, put up around one hundred eighty billion ($180,000,000,000) of its own money for FineWine (FW) in a season where it was already buying up land as quick as it could. It is said that the Board of Directors saw the purchase as natural because much of FineWine's value comes directly from its position of ownership over vital growing lands. Wolf Lands has assured the market that it will be changing grapevine laden lands at all and it fully intends to keep the wine business up and operational to supplement its primary revenue stream. Reportedly, the deal included two hundred bottles of the finest wine in season for the Board of Directors of Wolf Lands, twenty a head.

DMG Military Industries (DMI), one of two Ticron Titans as the business world refers to them, surprisingly bought out the long-respected Luxe, Bain & Co. law firm. To those that have followed recent news of a pending lawsuit against the company by a foreign aircraft designer, it may not come as a surprise. Mar'ki has announced that the law firm is being "permanently retained" for all DMI legal matters. However, the CEO has reassured nervous clients of the mega-firm that when its vast assets are not needed in service of DMI or its subsidiaries, they will be able to perform outside jobs. Obviously, all DMI matters would take precedence, changing the landscape somewhat if a legal issue were to arise in the middle of another of the law firm's tasks.

Finally, WorldCorp. (DWC) was on a surprisingly hesitant streak in terms of acquiring other companies, down from past years despite the economic turmoil of the nation and relative health of the company. It bought out long time fashion stores À La Mode (ALM) for a mere fifty million ($50,000,000) because of struggling sales and imminent bankruptcy. The fashion store will be incorporated into standard displays and clothing shopping facilities, but is done in its days as a headliner of the fashionable windows. Also, WorldCorp. finally laid claim for four billion dollars ($4,000,000,000) to the company that virtually every analyst said they eventually would: International Online (IO). This may be the first step in reaching out to a global market to sell its wears. Presently, DWC products are available elsewhere, but integrating the IO system with the company's database and warehouses will significantly reduce the difficulty and boost sales.

Endgame
The vast market of the Dominion and companies to boot has been whittled down in recent months to a handful that every citizen will no doubt soon be able to recite. Ironically, while the top five are multi-trillion dollar companies and the next four are well on their way, number ten - Executive Motors - is not a major company in the slightest. It is a small company with few employees and a market value of only a couple billion dollars. However, its name is well known and it has weathered the storm with the behemoths of the world and thus it is part of the Endgame.


DMG Military Industries
The World Corporation
Digital Enterprises
Wolf Lands Inc.
ALL-E
Eagle Airways
Frosties
Universal News Enterprises
Lifa Pharmaceuticals
Executive Motors

The economy is still in flux, the average consumer is still reeling, and the disaster brought on by the International Bank's collapse will take time to heal unless a miracle is to come along. But these companies have survived and strengthened and there is light at the end of the tunnel.