NationStates Jolt Archive

Croft Air Force Base, Vanaheim, Aequatius Secundus

The base and the surrounding city of Vanaheim itself had become a massive hub for the movement of military personnel, not only because of the actions being undertaken for Operation Iron Butterfly around Valla Verde, but also for the coming exercise to Cravan by the IV Airborne Corps as part of a new strategy for the Aequatian Republic to respond to hostile invasions of other G.A.S.N. member nations by outside forces. Both the Army and Air Force had come together in order to complete the massive exercise, which included three combat divisions, a Special Combat Applications Regiment, Cavalry Regiment and numerous combat support and combat service support brigades. The massive C-181A Starlifter II and C-5M Galaxy II transports were loaded with the vehicles and equipment of the 9th Infantry Division (Mechanized) while the 1st and 3rd Airborne Divisions were also prepared, the latter being an air assault formation with a large number of organic helicopters, including the new UH-96A Jaguar.

The exercise would also evaluate the new wave of equipment that had been adopted by the Army in the past month, including the upgraded M20A2 Mackall main battle tank, the M4A5 Spartan mechanized combat vehicle, the M343 155mm field howitzer and new M190 Freyr 155mm self-propelled howitzer along with the new Century-series rifles, including the G100 rifle and G101 carbine. Captain Harold "Pan" Fife taxied his C-181A aircraft onto the runway and pushed the throttle forward as it made its run down the tarmac and into the air, its cargo now en route to Reddingford Imperial Air Force Base in the Eastern Cravanian province of Weatherby. The massive airlift would deploy the entire 1st Airborne Division within sixty four hours and allow for them to aid in the deployment of the follow-on forces such as the 3rd Airborne and eventually the 9th Mechanized Divisions.

Reddington Air Force Base
Weatherby, Cravan

Lieutenant Alfred Plonsky watched as his commander, an aging man by the name of Peter Griffiths and of the rank of Major General, poured over maps of the surrounding area of Weatherby. Plans were in progress to simulate an invasion of Cravan from the east, with landings on the Weatherby coastline.

Space was being cleared at the airbase for the arrival of the Aequatian forces, who would be participating in the event as an experiment to test the new ideology which would make Aequatio, being one of the larger members of GASN, be the nation to assist in the defense of besieged member states. They were scheduled to have the first waves arrive in just a few hours, and nothing could be out of place to disrupt the massive inflow of allied troops.

"Now, the scenario calls for landings on three beaches on the coastline, codenamed Gold, Silver, and Bronze, in order from north to south. If I remember correctly we're using three or four reservist divisions as the OPFOR units, with older equipment to simulate variety among the enemy."

Plonsky watched as the general's hands moved about the sand table set before him, talking to himself and his staff while doing so. The briefing was going quite smoothly so far.

"Our main objective is to see exactly how this would work out, and how effectively we would be able to hold the coastline. We're also in the process of testing new equipment, such as the CR20A2 and the CRV20A2, along with whatever else needs testing. If required we might also get a chance to test one or two of the ISF-24 UCAVs based here, if we get the okay to run some CAS ops for the ground troops. The ISF-24 is one thing Cravna's really wanted to get more field time with."

All in all Exercise: Able Vigil would be used to try out several new ideas for the Global Alliance, and more specifically Aequatian-Cravanian relations.

Reddington Air Force Base, Weatherby, Cravan

Captain Fife eased back on the massive transport's throttle as he dropped in altitude and started his approach, directed by the Cravanian air traffic controllers at the base's tower, the exercise would test the logistical capability of both the Aequatians and the Cravanians in for the reason of evaluation and improvement. The landing gear touched down as the four engines were set to full reverse and the brakes applied as the large airplane crawled to a halt on the runway and started to taxi off towards one of the unloading zones as a second C-181A started its own approach towards the base with the other initial aircraft following in a suit which would allow for minimal orbit time over the airbase combined with the quick disembarking of equipment and personnel, who would be arriving on passenger aircraft alongside the materiel transports.

The rumble of the engines had set Private Carl Moon to sleep in the comfortable seats of the Air Force C-767A airliner. The paratroopers were used to being transported aboard the military liners, although much preferred the expedient mode of chartering civilian airlines for the attractive female flight attendants, as they were much more common than being deployed by parachute to an area of operations. Private Moon awoke and rose to use the restroom when his feet failed to move as desired, fell to the carpet floor of the liner to the entertainment of his squadmates, who had lashed his bootlaces in a knot during his slumber. Grumbling and jokingly cursing revenge on his comrades, he undid the knot and continued onto the aircraft's restroom, within forty five minutes, they would be the first Aequatian soldiers on the ground in Cravan for Able Vigil.

Plonsky stood in his navy blue pea coat, hands in his pockets and a cigarette between his lips as he stood one the tarmac. Watching as the first Aequatian aircraft came in, he took a slow drag on his cigarette, expelling smoke through his nostrils and relishing in the taste. A light wind picked up, rustling the leaves on a nearby tree as clouds drew in overhead ominously. A spring shower was coming soon.

"Lieutenant.", he heard from behind him. Turning he found General Griffiths there, and immediately snapped to attention. "At ease, lieutenant."
"Thank you, sir.", Plonsky said as he loosened his posture. "What's the good news, sir?"
"In forty-five minutes the first Aequatian paratroopers'll be touchin' down. I'd like it if you could fish out some of the officers and direct them towards the briefing area while their grunts get their shit together and head to the barracks."
"Fine by me, sir. I'll keep an eye out."
"Good, Plonsky. Thank you."
"Thank you, sir."

Plonsky gave the general a casual salute while taking a drag from his cigarette, and was put at ease by a quickly and sloppily returned salute.

"See you back in the office in a bit, Ell-Tee."

Griffiths turned back towards the large concrete structure behind the two men, briskly walking back to the central building. Plonsky turned his attention back to the airfield, watching as the next flight taxied into the offloading area and another plane touched down. It was all working like a finely tuned and oiled machine.

"Let's see if they hold up when we finally get the exercise going.", the Lieutenant said with a snort as he turned to lean against the nearby tree.

The Cravanian logistics personnel were quick to help in the unloading process, taking the lightweight airborne equipment such as the M343 field howitzer and M300 command launch units for the FIM-270A "Aquila" surface-to-air missile. They were stored aside in their unit sets as the first C-767 landed on the auxiliary runways, allowing the larger tarmacs to be used for the ferrying transports as Captain Fife, once receiving the "All Clear" order from his staff sergeant loadmaster, taxied into position and lifted off from the runway, only having a short while to enjoy the Cravanian landscape from his cockpit before he was in the air again on his return sortie to Aequatio.

The paratrooper officers were already briefing their soldiers about the mobilization procedures over the C-767 public address system before the mobile stairs pulled up to the aircraft and they started to disembark and assembled with their personal kit and weapons while the officers spoke with their allied counterparts, however, even with the converted airliners, only companies at a time would be arriving. Higher ups would be coming in more executive aircraft and would be able to discuss deployment from the airbase once they arrived. Private Moon moved quickly with his squad, his unloaded G101 carbine hung over his shoulder as he hefted his large rucksack filled with personal gear while the entire company moved to the assembly area.

Plonsky tossed his cigarette aside, and rose from his resting position against the tree.

"Welcome to Cravan, gentlemen.", he shouted to the crowd of Aequatian servicemen and women who had gathered at the assembly area. "I'm Lieutenant Plonsky, and if y'all will please follow me I'll help you get settled in. Afterwards, I'll need to speak with your officers and get them in for a meeting with the general. If we can get this done and over quickly that'd be swell. Now, as you can probably see, it's starting to rain, so I'll get you all in quickly to keep your shit from getting wet. This way."

He began the brisk walk to the barracks that had been set up for the arriving troops, rows upon rows of quonset huts which lined the dirt paths in the base. The base itself was enormous, and was a central part of the defense web for Cravanian forces in the southeast. Plonsky was already thankful they were coming in fairly small groups, since it was much easier to herd them together.

"The huts have been organized by unit, pick your own bunks at your leisure. Any officers here, dump your shit and come back outside to have our little shindig in the main building. If I understand correctly the big shots are headed in later by executive transport, and when they get here the big plans will be made, but a meeting would be absolutely fucking swell."

While waiting outside, Plonsky drew another cigarette from the box which sat in the interior pocket of his coat.

"Gonna be a long fuckin' day."

The company commander and platoon leaders, the only officers currently present until the arrival of the high echelon command units, immediately moved their hundred or so troop towards the barracks as they marched in a forced manner due to the "urgent" atmosphere of the mock invasion. The paratroopers were quick to settle into their accommodations, although they were weary to unpack, prepared for the immediate deployment order unless informed otherwise as the officers were sent to meet with the Cravanian officials, the company commander, Captain Marcus Richmond, led his entourage of platoon commanders and executive and operations officer to the main building where the allied officers were said to be waiting, "I can only hope they are a little more well-mannered than that lieutenant," He thought as he pushed through the door, his G102 carbine over his back.

The small Gulfstream C-37A executive jet arrived on one of the smaller runways as it taxied to a halt and let its stairs down, a detachment of Aequatian-uniformd soldiers were there to greet the aircraft as the stairs descended and an officer emerged, his field cap pinned with a pair of low-visibility ranking insignia of two stars, equal to that of a Division commanding officer, Major-General Hans "Eagle" Redeker, one of the Aequatian Republic's finest airborne operations tacticians. He was followed by his chief of staff, Colonel Gary Carling, as they were led from the aircraft by the security force to a waiting vehicle which would take them to a makeshift command hub built by the troops that had already arrived, as Redeker was uncomfortable with assembling all of the command officers of the allied forces on the ground in a single building, which during a real conflict, would become a high-priority target for enemy strike aircraft or guided weapons.

As the troops began to arrive in regular intervals, the transports started functioning on a workable schedule with the Cravanian logisticians on the ground, with no transport spending more than twenty minutes in the air orbiting the airbase. Alongside the equipment transports also arrived the infantry and other personnel by the militarized airliners, one of those arriving carrying many of the Aequatian logistics personnel themselves from the 1st Airborne Division's Support Command, Lieutenant Brenda March exited the C-767 along with her team as they prepared to meet with their Cravanian counterparts on the procedures for not only storing the arriving forces, but also preparing them for mobilization into the field to combat the invading OPFOR.

"Greetings, gentlemen.", a Major Richard Kingston said with a smile and a nod as the Aequatian company staff arrived. "This'll only be a minute, as I'm sure your commanders'll have your orders typed and ready for you before you deploy."

The Major passed around a number of folders to each of the men, which contained maps and intelligence on the surrounding area and expected enemy movements.

"The contents of these folders is all of the information your units will require to begin operations in the area immediately. The brass have been given much more detailed materials to work with, however for the moment this is all you will really need. All projected enemy movements are marked down, however they are of course only estimated as per whatever intelligence we've gathered."

Kingston checked his wrist watch quickly, and glanced at the clock on the wall to confirm the time.

"I would quickly do a once-over of the materials, but I'm afraid I'm running short on time at the moment, gentlemen. General Redeker should be arriving any moment now, or he's perhaps already in his command post. General Griffiths specifically instructed me to be with him when he met with General Redeker as his intelligence aide. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask about it. The plans and maps and such are quite straightforward, so they shouldn't need much explanation, if any. I apologize for this, gentlemen. Before I'm dragged out the door, are there any specific questions after going through the intelligence?"

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

Private Molly Anthers walked with her patrol, her tried and true M2 Carbine slung over her shoulder. She and her group were dressed in standard Cravanian battle dress, however the uniforms were in an older Russian-styled pattern rather than the Cravanian Disruptive Digital Pattern. Two M55 Black Tigers, brought up to a standard on par with the Mackall, stormed down the country road.

Private Anthers was a member of the Cravanian Reserves, professionally trained and equipped soldiers who worked part-time in the armed services. She and her unit had been summoned to participate in the coming exercise as the OPFOR, and had been given the appropriate equipment to fit the part. Although reserves, these troops were not to be underestimated in the prowess in combat by any means.

"Sarge, how long till we hit the rendezvous point?"
"Just a few klicks ahead, Moll. The exercise is due to start sometime today or tomorrow, but I've not been given when exactly.", her fireteam leader replied. "We'll be at the meeting place in time, though."

The exercise was to begin in a worst-case scenario, where enemy troops had already gained a foothold on one beach towards the southeast and were beginning an inland push while Cravanian and Aequatian forces reinforced the lines and attempted to push the OPFOR back to the sea. Although a landing in Weatherby was rather unlikely, it was the only true area where foreign forces could possibly land troops with as little resistance as possible, thanks to the placement of allied countries in the surrounding area.

"Well, least I'm getting paid for this.", Anthers said to herself as she trudged on through the mud on the unpaved country road.

"None at all, sir," Said Captain Richmond as the Cravanian major exited and he turned to his lieutenants as they left to return to their waiting company. The officers examined the intelligence they had been given, and although appreciative of the efforts of the Cravanians, they still wished to have Aequatian intelligence officials be giving them maps and deployment orders. It was this thinking, however, that Able Vigil was meant to quash, Able Vigil was more than simply deploying the Republic's forces overseas, but to also build confidence in the capabilities of her allies as well, creating a greater atmosphere for joint operations. Private Moon and the rest of his platoon were hurriedly preparing their personal equipment, RNBC protection equipment at hand as per protocol against an enemy pre-emptive chemical strike while in living quarters, while the platoon sergeants organized the units into sentries for security watch as the returning officers met with the other company and their battalion commanders and outlined the coming operations.

While many of the arriving aircraft were on the ground shortly before taking off once again, however, a flight of larger Air Force E-14A Capricorn aircraft arrived and were taxied into shelters. The aircraft would soon be launched from the base to start monitoring the enemy forces, providing all ground forces with an almost real-time picture of the enemy units and their positions and movements.

General Griffiths and his senior intelligence staff stepped out of the lone HMMWV as it pulled to a halt before the makeshift Aequatian command hub, to begin planning for the impending exercise. Cravanian forces had already begun to move out as the exercise was about to commence, and Aequatian forces would soon be deploying behind them to bolster the lines and do exactly as the exercise intended: promote further cooperation between the allied forces.

A pair of F-2 Abaddons thundered over the countryside, streaking across the sky over Griffiths's head. They were not visible through the thick cloud cover, however they were clearly audible. Their flyover was merely one of many which would happen in the coming days and weeks, which would be used to establish an umbrella of air-superiority over the allied positions. Although the exercise concentrated on land warfare for the most part, the skies could not be left neglected. According to the exercise, enemy forces had already managed to capture numerous anti-air defense sites along the eastern coastline, as well as an airfield capable of servicing fighter aircraft. There were two possibilities for the aircraft deployed there: downgraded Tocrowkian Ravens used as trainers or fully operational SuF-6 Wraiths used by the OPFOR and reserves.

The latter were far more likely, and the use of the latter would also outline exactly what improvements would be required for the F-1 Thanatos/Banshee. The data recorded during any aerial exercises would then be transferred to the teams working on the new joint fighter program, to fill in any gaps which may exist in the current data collected. The pilots and troops participating of course did not know about this, considering the project was still confidential.

As all this circled through Griffiths's head, he approached Aequatian guards posted outside the command post.

"General Griffiths, Imperial Cravanian Army, requesting permission to see your commanding officer.", he said in a gruff voice as he remained rigid in his posture.

The lance corporal at guard greeted the general and checked his identification before allowing him entrance to the large, rectangle-shaped tent covered in camouflage netting. Once inside, General Griffiths would be greeted by one of Major-General Redeker's aide-de-camps, a young lieutenant in battlefield utilities and her dark auburn hair tied back in a small bun, "Greetings, General Griffiths, Major-General Redeker will be with you shortly."

Pulled away from examining the map boards, Redeker greeted General Griffiths, "Hello, general, I must compliment you on your nation's weather, it reminds me much of home," He said, "My three maneuver brigades should be ready soon to join the line, although my aviation and DISCOM commanders tell me they're ready for action at the moment."

Captain Richmond and his company started their march with their light vehicles and trucks, when not air-deployed, Aequatian paratroopers acted as motorized infantry from trucks and received the nickname "Wheel-borne Infantry" from other units. The captain sat in the passenger seat of an M1250 Cougar humvee while his company was brought along in six troop carrier M38 2.5-ton trucks, their weapons platoon divided among the units with their heavier weapons. The division's entire first brigade would be joining the line under Cravanian command, the other two being prepared by the DISCOM personnel to join the line as soon as they were ready to move.