NationStates Jolt Archive

International Armed Forces Journal
Kahanistani-Macabee Agree to Expand Military Relations

- Jonach Tíer'lom


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42958000/jpg/_42958437_troops_afp416.jpg
[Kahanistani soldiers undergoing a training exercise]

The Kahanistani Army has gone through hell, and it has come back. Battered during the Freek and Doomani invasions, it found itself admist a reconstruction as a large portion of the Kahanistani population fled, with the aid of Allanean ships, to a 'new country'. At the time, the army was the least of the government's worries, as it had to rebuild an infrastructure from the ground up. Although the country is far from 'first-world', in the sense that it can't compete with the markets of other nations in Greater Díenstad or the Western Atalntic, it has certainly improved under the economic guidance of Praetonia. Since the 'liberation' of the Kahanistani market foreign capital has flooded the local market, given the sheer number of reconstruction contracts open for the taking and the lack of local industry to bid. As a result, although the majority of the Kahanistani market is 'foreign owned', it has allowed the government to focus on other important issues, including its defense. Although the Kahanistani Armed Forces are still in their infancy, the government has secured a number of crucial contracts which will ensure the proper growth of the Kahanistani military. One of these contracts was signed yesterday, when a top Kahanistani military official and Macabee Minister of Defense (Field Marshal) Derek Vandertíek released information in a press release on the future of Kahanistani and Macabee military cooperation.

'The Second Empire has decided to take on the important role of being the personal trainer of the Kahanistani land forces. Although expensive, the costs will be shared by both the Second Empire and Kahanistan, and the program will guarantee that the Kahanistani soldier is prepared for the war of tomorrow. The technological level of the Kahanistani army, at this point, is not of our concern and Kahanistani military procurement will continue to be independent, but an army without training can have all the technology it wants, but it will still lose the war. Ejermacht personnel will give it the training required to meet it foes in battle and defeat them, guaranteeing the sovereignty of Kahanistan in the face of continued danger.'

Military sources indicate that the Ejermacht will be setting up a permanent base twenty-five kilometers West of Greendale, using the nearby geography for largescale manuevers. Around two hundred Ejermacht personnel will call 'Aurillac Castle' home, and will be rotated every twelve months. In the near future, there are plans to increase the training compliment to one thousand soldiers. The number of training personnel will depend entirely on the success of the program and the amount of Kahanistani soldiers going through the training. As of now, Aurillac Castle will only be a 'minor' training area, with Kahanistani personnel only attending courses there after basic training. In the future, Aurillac Castle may be made into a basic training area, but for now it remains an advanced military operational specialty course network, including advanced courses for infantry, armor crewmen, cavalry scouts, et cetera. It should be noted that the Minister of Defense underscored what the fort is not:

'Aurillac Castle is not a base for a Macabee defense force, nor does it suggest any defensive pact between Kahanistan and the Second Empire of the Golden Throne. Any such agreements [i]may or may not come separately at a later date, and will have little to do with this.'

Having just come out of the War of Golden Succession (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=485475), the Ejermacht is one of the most adept militaries to carry out this type of training. Furthermore, only sixteen years earlier the Second Empire was formed out of the rubble of the Great Civil War, which lasted over one hundred years and cost hundreds of millions of lives. The Empire's army continues to operate in countries such as Theohuanacu (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=547674), where the Second Empire is occupying the island to decontaminate it and industrialize it. Most officers have gone through extensive combat experience, and even some younger general officers have experienced every war the Second Empire has been in. The common infantryman goes through a five-year contract, and so the majority of the Ejermacht is slated to remain in service between 2016 and 2021, given that the majority are conscripts. The post-2021 Ejermacht will be entirely professional, as conscription has ended with the end of the War of Golden Succession. However, due to the sheer amount of personnel and the lack of sufficient high-paying jobs outside the armed forces, it's expected that the overwhelming majority of soldiers remain in service and sign a contract for a second term. Pay for a basic soldier is fairly good, being at Ŗ1,500 per month [around $3,000]. In any case, the Ejermacht's reputation as a brutally efficient force preceeds its presence. The Ejermacht will also likely partake in the upcoming Fedala Accord (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=554863) joint-training programs, if these take-off the ground.

This latter point is interesting, given that Kahanistan operates Sumerian tanks and Sumer is a member of the Fedala Accord. These Kahanistani-Macabee agrements may be part of a larger package for Fedala Accord military assistance, in the form of training and funding, although no Fedala Accord spokesman has suggested that this may be a reality. Neither has any country suggested that it may happen or even that it should happen. Although this is pure speculation, it would be an interesting development. It would also have a positive impact on the image of the Fedala Accord, and would help the accord develop positive relations with nations that already have a military presence in Kahanistan. In the 'far future' [the word far should remain undefined, as it could mean anything] Kahanistan may be interested in applying for membership, with good prospects of being accepted - but, this would be a future ambition and would have some prerequisites attached; some prerequisites which Kahanistan may not be interested in taking. Irregardless, the prospects for both exist.

In the future there may be Macabee naval and aerial missions to Kahanistan, and the training program may extend to these aspects of warfare. Although the Fuermak's most infamous branch remains the Ejermacht, the Kriermada and Laerihans are nothing to scoff at either. The Kriermada successfully cornered and destroyed the Havenic [Safehaven2] fleet at the Siege of Targul Frumos, during the War of Golden Succession, managed to bloody the Stevidian and Hitmen fleet at Otium Aqua, and currently operates against pirates around Theohuanacu and Holy Panooly (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=556951). The Laerihans is a very large service, containing hundreds of thousands of aircraft, and operated extensively during the War of Golden Succession, and continues to operate in Theohuanacu, along with the naval air arm of the Kriermada. However, no specifications of any potential program in the future with these branches has been declared by military officials of either country.

It's interesting to note that this news comes simultaneously with a press release by the Kriegzimmer spokesman at Fedala. Kriegzimmer has declared intentions of construction a large armaments factory north of New Masada. This factory will have a portion [about a fourth of the factory's production] committed towards the production of products for the Kahanistani military, whether or not they are Macabee-designed [in other words, Kriegzimmer will be the subcontractor for production and assembly]. The rest will focus on the production of Kriegzimmer-partner goods [the companies which used to make up Kriegzimmer, which is now just an export and manufacturing company]. This factory will take around twelve monthst o complete, and production is expected to begin as early as sixteen months from now, when the tooling for production is complete. Although not one of the largest factories in use by Kriegzimmer, it will certainly have extensive construction capabilities and will be the main armaments producer inside of Kahanistan. This will open the door for dozens of Macabee companies looking for their share of the 'Kahanistani economic pie', offering lucrative dividends. It may be true that the training package had much to do with Kriegzimmer's decision, although nobody has confirmed this rumor.

In any case, both are hopeful promises for Kahanistan ... which needs both.

As soon as the base at Aurillac Castle was opened, Lieutenant General Shimon Hertz, a long-standing advocate of more practical and less theoretical military training for the officer corps, ordered that thousands of tons of military hardware be sent to the base for advanced training of an entire division of soldiers. This military hardware consisted mainly of massive Sumerian-designed tanks, artillery and IFV's, as well as long-range Lyran-designed surface-to-air missile launchers and trucks for troop transports. For short-range missile defence the M1097 Avenger was being used as a stopgap measure until something better could be produced or designed.

Lieutenant General Hertz drove to the base wearing a hands-free mobile phone as he spoke to his superior. "What, only two hundred?" he asked, clearly irritated. "How am I going to get an entire division trained?" Even if all 200 of the Macabean soldiers were instructors, the division size of 25,000 meant there was something like a 125:1 student-instructor ratio. No training facility in the world could work like that.

"Sorry," said the Defence Minister on the other end. "They're going to expand to fit a thousand, but you'll have to tone down the numbers. There's no way around it - there just aren't enough troops. I'd recommend sending in a brigade of mechanised infantry. The infantry are going to be our backbone, and you might want to send in a SAM battery commander or two. The ground pounders can't do shit where the enemy has control of the sky."

"Very well," said Hertz. "I'll send in the 41st Mechanised, and a couple of SAM battery commanders to the base. Hopefully we can get the Macabeans to send enough troops that we can wargame with them... give the recruits a taste of semi-actual combat without getting them killed."

"That's ideal," said the Defence Minister as the general pulled into the base. "I trust you'll do well." He hung up as the general entered.

"I am Lieutenant General Shimon Hertz, Commander of the 18th Corps, Kahanistanian Army. I'm here to meet with the base commander," said Hertz to the Macabean soldier at the base entrance. "I wish to discuss the forms of training that will take place here, and hopefully arrange some form of wargames to take place on the ground."

The soldier at the gate stood at attention while the Kahanistani general spoke to him. Although the Lieutenant General Shimon Hertz was not in the Ejermacht, and as a consequence a Macabee soldier was not under obligation to salute or stand at attention, it was common practice for all Macabee personnel to treat all officers - regardless of the military they servied - with respect. When the general had finished, the soldier looked straight ahead and replied, 'Sir, I have orders to call an escort for your vehicle. You will be escorted to the base commander's quarters.'

With that said, he did an about face and marched to the guardhouse, which divided the base from Kahanistani civilian territory. The private's wide shoulders almost hit the edges of the guardhouse's door frame, but the young man was used to it. Even in his fatigues, you could see the ripples in the arm marking his muscles, and he was fairly tall - at least over two meters. In any case, upon entering the room he walked over to the phone and pressed one of the many buttons on the touch pad, which digitally dialed the number for him. Since this was usual, the number to 'escort services', as the armed guard unit's was named on base, was on 'hotline', so to speak. Somebody picked up over the line and the private said, 'This is Private Moris. General Hertz is waiting at the West gate and he needs an escort.' The private heard a confirmation over the line and he replied, 'Thank you, out.' With that, he put the phone back on its hinges and walked back out to tell the waiting general, 'They are arriving.'

It didn't take long, and the escorts came in a brand-new, shiny HIM-TAC. They escorted the general's car through the base, until reaching some finer construction in the center - obviously, where the officer corps resided. A taller building marked the base's headquarters, and it was plainly visible after rounding a few corners. Although the base's permament personnel were small in quantity, the base was built to hold around three thousand, with enough space to expand construction to allow multiple divisions. Besides, barracks were built to house commissioned personnel undergoing training, similar to what they had experienced during basic training. In fact, except for non-comissioned officers and officers - who had some rights - everyone else would think of it as the same, or worse [although shorter]. The training lasted two months for those under the rank of sergeant, and it was mostly to due with small unit tactics for infantry, and other tactics for other specialties. The second month was a full month manuever, and the Ejermacht itself was funding a wage increase for the soldiers undergoing the manuever - half of their current wage, added to it [so, if a soldier makes $1,000, he would now make $1,500 for this month]. This was to avoid a large number of absents without leave, and to persuade them to take the training seriously. Of course, they had rights to internet, phone calls and free nights whenever they were at the barracks, but they would still be treated like subhumans by their officers and sergeants.

In any case, General Shimon Heretz was brought to the base command. This was non-other than Brigadier General Alain Tenebral, who was promoted after the War of Golden Succession. He had served with distinction during the war, commanding a regiment for its entire length, and served in Zarbia, Weigar and Safehaven. After the war he was posted in Guffingford, commanding a mechanized infantry brigade in the north, near a small town which he was supposed to keep control of. With no issues in Guffingford, and the demilitarization of the new Stevidian-Macabee border, he was sent to Kahanistan for his current mission. The man was tall and fit - at least, for his age [forty-three] - and he came out to greet the Kahanistani general. Stretching out his right arm, he caught the other man's right arm at the forearm, in usual Macabee fashion, and said, 'Welcome brother! We have much to discuss!'

He led the other man into the building and escorted him through the various twisting hallways, and then to an elevator which took them to the third floor, and finally through more twisting hallways. All of this neverending bussiness finally planted them in a well organized office, complete with a full model set of the Battle of Mosnoi Bor before the Macabee counterstroke. It even had a Morrigan ultra heavy battle tank, and it was interesting to note the scale when one compared the Morrigan to a nearby infantryman. Those were the glory days; the the Ejermacht proved itself invincible. Post-war, there wasn't much a man like General Tenebral could do to prove himself; except in Theohuanacu, he supposed.

In any case, he turned his attention towards the other man...

Official Announcement of the United States President

For years and years, Kahanistan has undergone unfair and unjust treatment by its neighbor states. For years and years, their people have been mistreated by whoever chanced by – the Doomani, the Freeks, and whoever else. Now there are fools – many in number, bigoted, hateful, and sharing the IQ of a garden snail – that claim that all this violence is the fault of the Kahanistani. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Visualize a woman who is attacked by, say, a gang of ten rapists. She draws her revolver and Mozambiques two of them. Then, naturally, she gets horribly abused. Do we now mock the lady for not packing more heat? Do we blame her for what should naturally fall upon her lot as the men overpower her, force her to a cot, and then humiliate and torture her in whatever way comes across their minds? Would a gentleman do that? Or would a gentleman draw his Equinox or his Colt, and rush to the lady's defense?

Thus it is with fair Kahanistan. Those who mock her suffering, or those who insult her, are not true gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen, Allanea's budget is huge. Despite my vetoes, the Democrats and their political allies have managed to divert 5% of our budget to welfare of various kinds, and 18% to 'corporate welfare' – something possibly even more disgusting.

But today I suggest to you that we do something we are already doing to some extent. Let us take at least part of our bloated welfare funding, let us turn evil to good. Let us be gentlemen, and divert this money we are blessed with to noble means. Let us aid the Fair Lady Kahanistan in every which way we can.

Let us subcontract to Kahanistani companies the building of infrastructure in both Allanea and Kahanistan – to the tune of 100 billion dollars of Strategic Highways in Allanea, and an equal amount in new road and rail in Kahanistan.

Let us purchase more weaponry for Project Minuteman from the Kahanistani, to a tune of a mere billion dollars per year.

But most importantly, let us train the Kahanistani military to a new standard. Let it become a mighty fist, outstretched to defeat the foes of liberty – the foes that Praetonia, Allanea, and Kahanistan share.

For this purpose, I hereby issue Executive Order EO-5678-9-K. What it will do is beyond simple.

I will divert 15,000 instructors from Allanea's boot camps and training installations, from her firing ranges and from her tank schools. I do not need the authority of Congress to do such things, as I am the Commander in Chief of the Armies of Allanea, so empowered under the Constitution and the Protection of Liberty Act. It will be their job to train hundreds of thousands of Kahanistani troops – to aid their allies in Praetonia, in Allanea, and elsewhere to crush, defeat, and destroy the slaver, where-ever he is found.

They will train the Kahanistani to drive the mighty MCA-7 battle tanks, so they may chase down the slaver, and crush him under their tracks.

They will train the Kahanistani to use the weapons systems of the Indestructible aircraft carriers, and to fly aircraft from their decks, so they may burn the slaver's aircraft in the sky, and confine his sailors to a watery grave.

They will train the Kahanistani to use the rifle and the bayonet, so that for every round a Kahanistani soldier fires, a slaver falls to the ground, and so they may oil their bayonets in the black blood of the slaver.

They will train the Kahanistani so they may spit out the sour fruit of defeat, and taste the sweet taste of victory.

Ladies and gentlemen, the task of the Allanean soldier has always been to protect freedom where-ever it comes under threat. In the smoke-filled skies of Yurka, on the shores of Antanjyl, in the bloody plains of Iragia, in Auman and in the streets of Progressi-City. Allaneans. Fight. For freedom.

Ask the inmates that Allaneans freed from Torontonian slavery, ask the men who walked out of Antanjyli prisons, ask the women who first took off the veil when the Allaneans forced the collapse of the Aoogan regime. And they will tell you one thing above all else: Allaneans are the champions of liberty world-wide.

Others may take their marching orders from Marx and Engels' Manifesto, or from the ramblings of an insane 'prophet', or from the spoutings of a maniacal king. We take our marching orders from the Constitution, and from the values expressed therein.

Ladies and gentlemen, I urge you to vote for the Protection of Kahanistan and Global Liberty Act 2008, introduced by Congressman William J. Jones of the Republican party. These 201 billion are nothing compared to the money we spend every year on welfare for those who refuse to work. They are nothing compared to the cost of even one superdreadnaught.

But we are Allaneans. And we must defend a lady in distress. Gentlemen, the Fair Lady Kahanistan demands your protection! Hear you not her cries of pain and suffering? Are not her hands outrstretched even now for your mercy? Hear you not her cry - “Freemen, rescue me! Freemen, protect me! Freemen, help!”

Ladies and gentlemen, is this Knootoss? Is this Ariddia? Or is this Allanea, where men are men? Are we the same people who fought in a dozen wars for freedom? Will we now not spend a small dime for the defense of liberty abroad, where we had previously spent thousands of lives?

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Allanea. Allanea is the knight-errant of the world, going out forever with his sword and spear, to defend freedom, to right wrongs, to trample upon the red banner of Communism and the black banner of Slavery. And knight-errants never abandon a lady in distress.

I know it.

And you know it as well.

And this is why you will vote for Representative Jones' bill.

That is all.

May God bless Kahanistan.

May God bless Allanea.

General Hertz was a tall man himself by the standards of his country, though shorter than Moris by about ten centimetres, and about the same age as Tenebral. This was by no means unusual in Kahanistan, where most of the elderly were killed in the numerous wars and the current President was a 33-year-old woman. While Hertz had never experienced a Macabee handshake before, he did know what to expect from having read up on Macabee culture beforehand.

When he saw the Morrigan it reminded him of Kahanistan's own plans for a super-heavy tank, currently known as Project Betar. This was to be essentially a mobile bunker with a freakishly huge cannon and numerous other weapons, but the engineers had trouble agreeing on how freakishly huge - it was intended to be twelve hundred tons but prototypes were getting awfully close to four times that. He'd have to see what, if anything, the Morrigan was selling for; maybe importing would be cheaper than the tens of billions that could end up going down the crapper into Project Betar.

The two generals entered the room and sat down. Hertz spoke after a brief silence.

"General Tenebral, while I do not pretend to be familiar with details of the War of Golden Succession, I am aware of the superior skills of the Ejermacht to our own troops. I had hoped that I would be able to arrange a wargame between a brigade of my own mechanised infantry and a similar force of your own. Gives some of our younger officers experience with combined arms tactics at that unit size, trains up our ground forces - and gets some much-needed morale boosts around here."

After a few major defeats, radical nationalism - rare before the Doomani Wars - was beginning to infect certain segments of Kahanistan. Things had gotten so bad that there was actually a political party whose platform openly advocated the expulsion of all Catholics from Kahanistan and insisted on referring to their mortal enemy as the "Doomani Catholic Nazis." There were more extremists now than there had been only two years ago, and many of them were in the military. A few had even become high-ranking officers; one of the major commanders of the Battle of North Freetown during the Second Doomani War had been such a man. Improvements in morale, Hertz reasoned, might stem the tide of extremism before the military went off and did something stupid.

As the two men sat down and General Shimon Hertz began to speak, General Tenebral signaled a guard outside his door for two bottles of water. One could hear the faint signal of this guard ordering a private, which made the mistake of passing through the hallway at this precise moment, to get two glasses of water 'before his ass got smoked', but for the most part Hertz and Tenebral were too interested in what they had to say to hear the yelling outside. Regardless, Tenebral listened with interest. The Macabee general knew exactly what Fedala was interested in and exactly what he had to say. The other general spoke of wargames, and this was within the Empire's scope of interests, given that any amount of Macabee personnel in the country would give it a political advantage compared to other nations. Of course, one could not be so direct when actually speaking, but Macabee ambitions were not difficult to decipher. Almost everyone knew what everyone else wanted; it was the Empire's hope that their ambition and consequent offer was more appealing, since it held the interests of Kahanistan much higher than other's own goals. In any case, Tenebral knew that two mechanized infantry divisions were preparing to fly to Kahanistan, with their equipment being shipped by sea. It would take some weeks for it all to arrive, but soon enough there would be around thirty thousand Macabee personnel in Kahanistan, plus another ten thousand personnel for maintenance and whatnot inside Aurillac Castle - around forty-one thousand personnel total.

General Tenebral looked at General Hertz as this man finished his sentence. He then replied, 'It's better to not know of the dimension of human tragedy that was the War of Golden Succession. It is an interesting war to study and has filled our books with new 'textbook strategies', if you will, but the amount of dead is horrendous. Of course, your own nation has its own experiences with the definition of human tragedy, so perhaps I cannot compare. In any case, your officers will certainly be receiving much information on the War of Golden Succession as they go through our advanced officer training course - most of our examples will be from our own personal experiences, especially the War of Golden Succession. But, alas, let me focus on the priority of this conversation.' He grinned, paused and then continued, 'So, wargames.'

He grabbed some papers from his desk and gave them to General Hertz so he could take a look at them himself. Then he explained them, 'That's the time table for the movement of two mechanized infantry divisions. Equipment is being brought in by the Kriermada, and will have to be 'shipped' to us by rail. The men will fly in. They will be prepared by the end of the month, which is when the 'first segment' of training should be done for the troops here. Therefore, the second month will just be one huge manuever - a long wargame. The Ejermacht is lending ALTM [advanced laser training for manuevers] equipment for both the two divisions coming in, and for the Kahanistani personnel at Aurillac Castle. The government has placed orders for ALTM equipment for the Kahanistani army, giving the potential for full scale 'live fire' manuevers without the actual threat of live fire. It's the closest one can get to the real deal. I have used it before, and I was impressed.'

Advanced Laser Training for Manuevers was combined software and hardware which allowed digitalized training. It used 'real-life' geography, as in mock cities [such as in the image in the opening post] and manuevering fields, but it took into account death-blowing shots and made manuevers more realistic, since there were kills and whatnot - and it was safer, since there was no lifefire. Blanks were used to simulate the noise of the rifle and to help traing with magazine changes and whatnot, but the actual 'bullet' was an eye-safe laser emitted by a device which was either mounted on a rail on the rifle, near the muzzle, or strapped with duct tape. This equipment could also be mounted on tanks and even aircraft. The software could be editted for different scenarios and different uses, making ALTM very flexible in terms of its capabilities. It was top-of-the-line, expensive equipment, but it was worth every penny. The first pieces of equipment for the Kahanistani army would be paid for by the Empire, but the majority would probably be paid for by Allanea - who was heavily subsidizing the Kahanistani military procurement bill; it fitted the Empire perfectly. Direct imperial economic aid would only come after Kahanistan had made a move to enter the Fedala Accord. If that happened, Kahanistan would find the entire accord paying for its economic growth (although, the money returned from the investment would be much greater, over a long period of time).

General Alain Tenebral finished off, to allow his partner to speak, 'This training as a whole will help increase troop morale. We have found that troop morale increases substantially with 'large wages'; that is, one that allows them to support themselves and have enough for extraneous things, like alcohol and women. It may sound a bit unprofessional, but these type of things make a soldier happy. Furthermore, once your armed forces begin procuring more equipment, the new equipment will help increase morale - especially if it's 'shiny'. But, nobody should worry much - this will not be the same Kahanistani armed forces that fought and lost valiantly against their foes. It will be almost the same, but instead they will win!'

Everyone needed a morale boost, whether it was a general or the common footsoldier. After the losses endured by Kahanistan everyone was angry at the government, at themselves and at each other. Now Kahanistan was a political vassal of several nations, and it was obvious that most Kahanistanis were looking forward to the day they broke free of the shackels 'liberty'. Liberty was only true if the people of that country themselves felt free, and it was obvious that the majority of the Kahanistani population was looking for more. Besides, the tenuous political situation in the 'new Kahanistan' allowed for many to blatantly parade around their nationalistic ideals, causing an uproar of unecessary nationalism inside the country. What the country needed was the restoration of the education system and the reconstruction of its economy and industry. Otherwise, it would fall into the category of a country full of zealots. The Macabee aid would do its part, and if the Kahanistani government chose to apply for membership in the Fedala Accord it could possibly be one of the best decisions they would make since the movement to their new homeland. Unlike other alliances, the entire raison d'etre of the Fedala Accord was to improve the economic situation of the member states and allow for a network of self-defense and defense of the trade routes.

But, instead of looking at the picture as a whole and the ultimate result, one should take things stone by stone ...

"This... A.L.T.M. is something most interesting," said Hertz. "It certainly appears superior to the blanks we've been using in fire exercises. Safer, too - a lot of people don't know that at close range a blank can kill. As for the wages..."

The general took a long drink from his glass. "We've never been what most nations would call professional. For many of us outside elite units, we're used to training in air-conditioned gymnasia for physical fitness, soldiers drinking and taking drugs at any occasion other than guard duty or prior to battle, co-ed showers and the accompanying mingling... you name it. Even the elite troops drink a lot. I personally am an old fart. I blame this lax attitude for a lot of what's wrong with the military today."

"We are currently in the process of designing another attack submarine, a pretty big S.S.K. Also, a heavy missile cruiser, sort of like the Lyran Longsword in concept, but way, way smaller. I think the prototype displaced seventy-six thousand tons. That's a little more controversial, half the navy saying it's too expensive and impractical, the other half saying we could use a new heavy surface combatant. In the meantime, I'm interested in, if it's possible, including the Air Force and Navy in later wargames."

General Tenebral listened attently, and then responded at each consequtive point individually. It should be said that he had a particular interest in the ALTM equipment, given that he had been one of the proponents. His interest in giving troops the best training possible is what gave him the opportunity to go to Kahanistan in the first place. Those who knew him also knew that he would be one of the few men to put everything he had in making sure that he could give the best possible training program with the money on hand - the fortunate thing about Kahanistan is that with foreign aid, the money was almost unlimited. 'Yes, yes, you will like the ALTM equipment. I'm obsessed with it myself! It's quite fun, and will make soldiers like what they're doing. Not many soldiers like returning to being smoked, when they have already passed initial basic training. But, this will think it's worth the effort. We use it for advanced training, as well, once the soldier has entered the unit. As ALTM starts to enter widespread service within the Kahanistani army then Kahanistani units will be able to train at a similar level. It helps maintain readiness for combat. It's a remarkable tool.'

He moved on to the topic on wages and professionalism, 'Although we like to make our men happy, we don't pamper them!' He grinned and the continued, 'Our men work out under the hot sun. We force them to sweat, bleed and cry. As we all have heard, pain is simply weakness leaving the body. It is not rare for one of our privates to get beat by their non-commissioned-officers. We hold rank with respect in the Ejermacht, and discipline is regarded with the upmost of importance. Wage will be difficult to deal with a conscript army. Even the Ejermacht has this issue. After the war every man was turned 'professional', even if his 'contract' started as conscription. Therefore, the amount necessary to pay for wages increased magnifold - however, increases in the defense budget hav allowed for us to cover these costs. Although I see no reason to pay conscripts professional wages, perhaps the military should offer them high enlistment bonuses to give them a reason to enlist after their conscription term ends? In any case, I would suggest a bonus for the two months worth of 'advanced training', even if the money comes from foreign sources.' By this he clearly meant Allanea. He went on, 'Regardless, the choice is up to the Kahanistani government - neither you nor I. Although I suppose you can transfer them my opinions, although my opinions may not be regarded as important enough.'

What he said was true, however. The Second Empire's Fuermak standard wage for a conscript during the War had been around 300 Ríokmark, 600 dollars, while one's basic wage increased to 3,000 after the war - a tenfold increase! The aim was to demobilize at least one third of the armed forces, bringing active manpower down from almost one hundred million soldiers, to just over sixty-five million. The money in keeping those men active was necessary to put into the reconstruction of several imperial provinces gravely affected by the war, including Ruska, Weigar, Sarcanza and parts of Díenstad. But, the invasion of Theohuanacu had thrown things off track, especially as it became obvious more people were necessary to take the country by force and succeed. Furthermore, the threat of looming war with Indras was increasing, and that itself would require at least a million men. This foreign policy was not lending itself to the previous economic policies that the Empire had in mind, after the War of Golden Succession. To make up for it, the Empire had decided to embark on a campaign of economic 'conquest', expanding vioently into other foreign markets. But, in any case ...

... the general went on, 'For other wargames, we should have a larger meeting in the near future with someone representing the Laerihans and the Kriermada. The latter will present itself as it escorts the task force carrying the equipment for the two divisions flying in. The battle group protecting them will be fairly large, although mostly made up of smaller ships, with one or two carriers. I am not a navy man myself, so I don't really know the details. Nevertheless, I am sure that we can think something up. The Empire is flexible, and with the chances of actual naval combat being relatively low these days, it has gained an interest in wargames to maintain its high level of readiness. Besides, new ships being introduced into the fleet will need experience, especially if there will be no naval wars in the foreseeable future.'

He also saw a chance to give some references to naval equipment sold by Kriegzimmer, 'As I said, I am no naval man, but perhaps you could pressure the Kahanistani government to take a look at the Type A advanced diesel-electric submarine. I know that we have been procuring a large number for local protection of sealanes, using their quiet nature to ambush opponents - although nuclear submarines make up a bulk of our submarine force, of course. The naval representatives for Kriegzimmer will know more than I do, however.'

Hertz nodded. "The soldiers who have already been through basic will... have difficulty re-adapting to being treated like subhumans. Our sergeants are not allowed to even strike a recruit, and now these soldiers who are used to co-ed showers and air conditioning and booze... well, it isn't exactly what they expected when they signed up for our army. This seems like what a Doomani unit might do."

He pulled out a large cigar and offered it to Tenebral. Hertz was one of the few Kahanistanian officers who smoked - smoking was banned in most public places and smokers were usually relegated to their homes and outside buildings. He thought maybe the Macabees were more lenient on that issue. Hertz continued to speak.

"Our conscription policy is very controversial. We realise that most people don't want to die for this country. What our programme is, essentially, is two years of national service for men and women upon completion of secondary school, deferrable until the completion of university. The first four months are just basic training, so we have a crop of reservists we can call on, but during their service they're paid the standard wage of a private, or a corporal if they've completed university. Since trainees aren't sent into combat except in extreme emergencies, they actually serve twenty months after their training that they're actually on active duty. Upon the completion of their two-year enlistment, we offer them a promotion to stay. I will forward your suggestion of a bonus to the Defence Minister; it's really his decision."

"I have heard that the standard pay for a Macabee soldier is... three thousand riokmarks, is this per month or per year?" Per month would mean that privates were making 36,000 riokmarks - 72,000 USD a year. For comparison, a Kahanistanian general or admiral could expect to make about 60,000 USD a year. Per year would mean they were living below subsistence levels.

"I will look at the Type A, but I still think my government will be more interested in its own design. I could arrange to obtain a few dozen Type A's until we get our own production at a level that we can defend our own shores."

General Tenebral accepted the other man's cigar, which seemed a strange offer given Kahanistani laws on smoking. Then again, their laws did not apply to Aurillac Castle. He opened the draw, while the Kahanistani general was still speaking, sure to make it clear that he respectfully listening, and grabbed a set of special clippers for cigars, cutting the end. There was a model of the Nakíl 1A2 on the table, and suprisingly it had a lighter built into it, and General Tenebral used it to light his cigar. He then put his attetion back fully on General Hertz. He was a bit surprised to hear about the lack of discipline in the Kahanistani army, given all that they had gone through. He would have expected a service much more difficult, in terms of physical requirements, than those of the Ejermacht. He would have to take steps in order to correct this; the one month worth of advanced training Kahanistani enlisted personnel would go through was not going to be easy. They were, for all intents and purposes, in the Empire and not in Kahanistan for their training. The general had the feeling that Kahanistan was attempting to formulate a large standing army, when they should have been focused on the creation of a smaller, elite army, outside of the conscripted army. Conscripts were great, but they could not defeat a professional force of equal size.

He formulated his thoughts as a response, 'Please do. An enlistment bonus will persuade a great many of conscripts to enlist after their term of conscription, putting them into the professional corps. The creation of a professional nucleus will be key to the defense of this nation, given that this will be what will face the brunt of any invasion. This nucleus is also the most likely body of men to actually be deployed. Hopefully, the men that will go through this training course will be professional, because it is lost training for a conscript.'

Although a better trained conscript was superior to a lesser trained conscript - that much could not be denied - the fact of the matter remained that there were limited funds. Conscription required the mobilization of huge bodies of men and it was difficult to pay for enhanced training and enhanced pay, which is why conscripts were normally rated as second tier soldiers. It would be a far more sane idea for the Kahanistani Army to put its professional soldiers through the course first, as to make sure that these groups of men were definately ready for an invasion, and then put conscripts in if there was the time and the money. During the War of Golden Succession the nucleus of around two hundred thousand men in the Ejermacht had to be expanded rapidly to millions of men by even as early as August of that year. Fedor I began only fighting Weigar, but the fronts quickly grew in the south and to the east. As a result, the majority of the Imperial army at the end of the war was made of conscripts. Their contracts were relabelled 'professional' and their pay augmented, and most were mechanized and went through advanced training after the war, but during the war conscript unit's advanced training consisted of direct experience on the battlefield. It was usual for a soldier go straight from basic training to the front, as there was little time to waste - basic training was reduced from twelve weeks to seven, just to get men out to the front at a faster pace. Of course, as the war progressed and they were given more up to date equipment these units became professional in their own sense. But, the fact still stood that conscripts were conscripts.

The general asked the other's question, 'Yes, that is per month. It's as much propaganda as it is necessity, given that after the war there was a feeling that the common soldier had won the war. As a consequence, Fedor promoted the idea of increasing the wage. It's expensive and it has cut into funding that would otherwise had gone to mechanizing some units at a faster pace, although much more money has been taken out of welfare and reconstruction, but if His Imperial Majesty feels it is the correct thing to do, then I will not critisize the decision. Take in mind, however, that there is not a dramatic increase in monthly pay as rank increases. Although generals do tend to make double, the incriment for enlisted personnel is quite low. We consider that a soldier should make more than a common white collar worker, but we do not exaggerate the soldier's importance either!'

He went on to the Type A, 'Like I said, it would be better to speak to a man who knows what he's speaking about. In any case, these companies do offer indigenous building programs for their ordnance, so it may be worth a look. Although it would not be designed by Kahanistani engineers, it would be built in Kahanistan, offering the nation employment and the expertise to build their own diesel-electric submarines in the future. It is difficult to design something, after all, if you have never done it before. But, this is out of my category. I put it in your trust.'

Fedala International -> Politics
Macabee Force Deploys to Kahanistan

- Tar Joblis


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/327554532_eaa2c1d238_o.jpg
[Aircraft carrier deploying to Kahanistan]


In a press release, the Minister of Defense has declared that the Second Empire has come to an agreement with the Kahanistani government over the deployment of two full mechanized infantry divisions and an armored division to Kahanistan. This means air defense equipment and artillery included. As a result, a new base in Kahanistan - Terk'tíar Castle - has been set up north of New Masada, to accomodate one infantry division and the armor division. The other infantry division will be stationed at Aurillac Castle. In other words, there will be around forty-five to fifty thousand Macabee Ejermacht personnel in Kahanistan. Along with these three divisions, who's equipment will be shipped by sea, a sizeable fleet is also deploying to Kahanistani waters, using harbors to the south of the country to repose. This fleet includes a number of aircraft carriers and battlecruisers, meaning it is quite heavy in tonnage and in numbers. This is an important step in the development of military ties between the Second Empire and Kahanistan, an will probably lead to further cooperation between the two countries in regards to military defense policy and whatnot. This news comes even after the Kahanistani government pledged its support for the Kingston Pact.

The government's stated purposes was for war games between Kahanistani personnel going through the advanced training program at Aurillac Castle and these deploying units. Wargames, or so called 'manuevers', will take place on the second month during the initial training program. It's not clear whether or not this will be continued for subsequent 'classes', when it's more likely that classes will be split to train against each other, or they will use existing Kahanistani units for subsequent training wargames and manuevers. Regardless, this will be a fairly largescale manuever, if there will be around fifty thousand Macabee soldiers involved. However, the Minister of Defense mentioned that this deployment was limited to the stated purpose, and the amount of personnel in Kahanistan would not extend beyond what was already being sent. Regardless, forty five thousand men, three hundred tanks and hundreds of artillery pieces is no small force. When compared to Kahanistan's defense forces, they are a capable asset to the defense of the country. However, neither country has suggested anything relatig to a defense agreement.

In any case, this also comes with news of a large military contract between the Kahanistani Army and Teknóbit, a large electronics company based in the Empire. Although Macabee companies have been seemingly unable to score contracts with Kahanistan, this one does not come as a surprise. The Kahanistani Army will be equipped with Advanced Laser Training for Manuevers [ALTM] equipment for training purposes. This is a multi-million dollar deal and is an entry into the country's military procurement network, which is especially important as Kriegzimmer set ups its factory in said nation. The economic opportunities are presenting themselves, and in the end this will strengthen ties between the Kahanistani Government and Fedala. This is something which is probably sought by both sides, and many others - including the Fedala Accord. Sisnaval, a company which exports through Kriegzimmer but is based in Castilla y Belmonte, has offered its Type A advanced diesel-electric submarine to the Kahanistani forces, but there is no news on its possible implimentation. This submarine is used by four navies in the world, and has seen close to over a thousand units exported.

In regards to the three divisions being shipped, the men will arrive in three days and will be set up in the barracks in their respective bases. Their equipment is scheduled to arrive, with the departing fleet, in two or so weeks - in time for the second month worth of 'advanced training' for some units in the Kahanistani Army.

"I intend for the soldiers we train here to be that nucleus," said General Hertz. "I would like to know when these wargames can be started." He lit a cigar for himself after the general accepted his and took a puff.

"I believe our goal for the immediate future is a standing army of two to three million, and a total military strength of five million including the Air Force and Navy. It is large, but still not as large as, say, the Doomani or Praetonian militaries... and after the wars more likely a larger percentage of our population than we would normally consider. I would start with a nucleus of some one hundred thousand volunteer soldiers who want to be elite, and work from there... it would probably entail forming several divisions and training them to elite Macabee standards, as long as they know what they're getting into."

He still had a hard time grasping the fact that the average Macabean private made much more money than he did, but swallowed it. "For now... I can see talking with a few other generals, getting promising and willing recruits sent to the Macabean camps, and being told exactly what's in store for them there."