NationStates Jolt Archive

Marshal Ó Loingsigh, the commanding marshal of the Arma na NFC (NTC), held a press conference today on the new military doctrine that the army was to assume. He has been criticized before for his "cold-heartedness" but responds to these critics by calling them "Commie pussy anti-patriots." He has been known to strike those journalists who speak out against him in public. Of interesting note was the presence of Minister of Defense Marshal Ua Tuathail. This demonstrates that this new shift has the backing of the Fianna Gael government. His speech was as follows:

This army will not be bound by any conventions or rules. Its job is to win victories in battle not hearts and minds. This is an army of soldiers, not diplomats. They will kill that which gets in its path, because that is what its soldiers are trained to do. This army's object is to destroy, either in defense or on the offensive. It is not a police service and it will not act in such a manner. Death is an eminent by-product of war, and war is a eminent process of mankind. Civilian casualties must be tolerated, as they are the fault of defending army not the offensive one. It was the defensive army who failed to successfully protect the civilians. In this event it falls upon the civilians to defend themselves or move out of the path of harm's way. As history has proven, conquered foreign nationals behind one's lines provide myriad problems. In many cases these problems (i.e. guerrilla warfare) are worse then the consequences of the international reaction to killing all of them off. Thus a Combat-Zone Police Service (CZPS) must be set up to keep these problems to a minimum.
The CZPS will operate independently of the military and the internal police services as its responsibilities cannot be compared to either of these organizations. Unlike the police it will have sweeping powers, unlike the military its object will be to work with the communities to provide a safe environment conducive to rebuilding a post-conflict society. The CZPS must have the confidence of the people, but the authority to maintain a civil society. The CZPS will be accountable to the law and thus the conquered people will be accountable to the law. This will be observed in a manner where the the conquered people will be made to understand the laws and the consequences of breaking them. By breaking a law the conquered people surrender their human rights, in-so-far as the law dictates. Thus, the police will not be held to account for the treatment of those they administer the law to, as the conquered people are the one's responsible for their own treatment, as they broke the law. The CZPS must work within the law as to gain the confidence of the people they police. Any breach of these laws will be met with a military style court-martial.

Ministry of Defence of the Free Republic of Kahanistan

We in Kahanistan have long suffered at the hands of what you would call commie pussy anti-patriots. My government will not agree with you, but I will.

Many of our former (and unfortunately, current) leaders have been more than willing to sacrifice victory to protect our nation's reputation.

While I have never been an advocate of imperialism or conquest, the unwillingness of our generals to take the first shot at an enemy or risk infliction of civilian casualties has led to the defiling of our original homeland by the Doomani and their Satanic allies.

In the Second Doomani War, the military leadership took control of the country, as it should do whenever an overwhelming military invasion threatens the state. However, it, too, sacrificed initiative for international sympathy by forming the defences of the nation far inland and allowing Northfordian and Doomani troops to mass unmolested at our border for fear of being seen as the aggressor, and allowing them to actually commence the invasion before responding aggressively to their presence.

Contempt for weak nations is not unique to the Doomani. Contempt for the weak is an aspect of the Nature of the Universe. The Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons were exterminated by Homo Sapiens, "inferior" indigenous human cultures were supplanted by larger and more advanced cultures from Europe, and in the animal and plant kingdoms those creatures that fail to adapt are mercilessly wiped out by the process of evolution as described by Charles Darwin. It is only the most enlightened cultures that see another way; most nations still hold this contempt for the weak, and therefore a strategy that emphasises one's weakness and passivity in an attempt to gain sympathy is fundamentally flawed, as roughly two billion dead and three billion enslaved can tell you.

It is in this spirit that I must applaud Marshal Ó Loingsigh and his brave doctrine and urge him to resist domestic and international criticism; what others see as cruelty I see as pragmatism, unfortunately a dirty word in Kahanistanian politics. What others call genocide, I call the horrors of war.

Signed,
General Xavier Phillippe,
Kahanistan Republic Marines

[Personal Letter]

Dear General Phillippe,

I greatly appreciate your support for the new strategy that our nation is endeavoring to adopt. I must urge you to realize that this is currently a defensive strategy, but as mentioned it gives us the option of offensive and aggressive action. I find that the conventions and politicizing of war has made our militaries weak and reduced them to mere police services. The NFC (NTC) has finally been brought to reason, and the armed service has won a great victory. It is with this in mind that I offer to invite you and any number of your men to come and train with us as we develop a "combat-effective" military. I am personally offering you a job as a "permanent liaison" in the Divine Hospices (special forces/presidential guard but on the crack Waffen SS side of guarding). Never let those anti-patriots take away your honor, never! There are two kinds of people in this world: soldiers and casualties. I prefer to be the former.

Sincerely,
Marshal Ó Loingsigh

Ministry of Defence of the Free Republic of Kahanistan

I, too, would rather be a soldier than a casualty. I accept your offer to train a number of staff and command officers alongside yours. While I am curious to know what you mean by a crack Waffen SS guard unit, it is something I will probably discover when I arrive.

While there will always be differences simply because I am limited by what the Senate and President will allow me to do with the troops, there will definitely be an improvement.

What is your nation's policy on female military personnel? We treat men and women equally and allow them the same opportunities and training; I have served with many female officers who I trust would be able to pound the most vicious Doomani soldier into the ground. I ask because this holds the potential to become a cultural powder keg if not discussed thoroughly.

Signed,
General Xavier Phillippe,
Kahanistan Republic Marines

[Personal Letter]

Dear General Phillippe,

Your arrival is most welcome and anticipated. As for females, we have women in our military. They serve in separate units, but are held to the same standards and assume the same roles as their male counter-parts. This is done to keep the majority of the soldiers mission oriented and focused.

Sincerely,
Marshal Ó Loingsigh

OOC: The Waffen SS was supposed to be an OOC aside, sorry about that.

Five days after the last letter arrived, a small transport plane took off from Kahanistan to the New True Cross, escorted by four Su-33 fighters used for long distance escort and a refueler.

The plane had six officers in it - two generals, including General Philippe, and four other combat command officers. Philippe believed that the officer corps had gone soft and needed to harden up the officers, rather than train the grunts harder; they just needed to abandon this human rights crap.

Outside territorial waters, the general asked permission to land...

"We have inbound traffic from Kahanistan on approach. They seek permission to land."
"Permission granted, have them land at Reagan Airbase, I will meet them there. Scramble a wing of fighters to great them."
"Inbound air convoy from Kahanistan you have permission to land in the NFC. You are clear to land at Reagan Airbase, runway 4A. We are scrambling a wing of fighters to escort you in and guide you to Reagan. Welcome to An Beannaight Cré na Nuá Fíor Croise."

Imperial Communication

Marshal Ó Loingsigh,

Romandeos wishes to state our distaste regarding this new doctrine. While it is true we do not obey the Geneva Convention and the Reformed Leiber Code is perhaps not as kind to civilians as the GC is, we can not condone any code in which conquered civilians are regarded as having no human rights even if it is for an ostensibly good reason.

If we should someday find ourselves in conflict we will expect you to treat all Imperial Citizens correctly.

~ Imperial Diplomatic Representative Charles Goodman

TO: Imperial Diplomatic Representative Charles Goodman
FROM: Marshal Ó Loingsigh
I shall set aside my distaste for the weaker militaries of the earth to point out the flaws of your perception. It is not that we disregard anyone's basic human rights per say, but rather that we hold the defending army responsible for them. Also in creating a CZPS that is better able to handle the policing end of conquered territory we are in fact giving the conquered citizens a better chance at assuming those basic rights then if it were left up to the military to police them, as is current common practice. We then leave it up to the conquered people as to whether or not they give up their rights by committing a crime. Therefore, we are not taking anyone's rights away, rather they are offering them to the CZPS. All of our soldiers and CZPS officers are completely accountable and responsible for their own actions and are dealt with harshly if they violate this new code. We are not a military based on impingement of rights, however we are ready to receive them at any time if those people decide to offer it to us.

Best,
Marshal Ó Loingsigh

The Su-33's broke off from the transport, as did the refueler. They had completed their assignment and were superfluous as long as the NTC didn't shoot at the transport; their assignment was merely to protect it on the way.

The transport, on the other hand, descended toward Reagan Airport in full compliance with the commands given by the fighter wing commander and the air traffic controllers, and its occupants prepared to exit.

General Xavier Philippe was a robust man of about 50 and almost completely bald, though whether from shaving his head or from male pattern baldness was left to speculation. He looked like he might have been a skinhead or something, if a bit old for that. He was accompanied by a two-star general, a thin Arab man of about the same age, and five other officers, including the pilot, who wasn't going to participate and in fact viewed Philippe as a dangerous extremist. The general awaited the personnel who were to meet him...

Imperial Communication


Marshal Ó Loingsigh,

Romandeos, of course, fully recognizes that you have the right to implement military policies as you see fit, but even so we advise you to use it cautiously if at all, as in some nations it would ony inspire new resistance.

Militarily conquered peoples have a duty to fight the conquerers and make life hard on them as much as possible.

~ Imperial Diplomatic Representative Charles Goodman

OOC:

Ironically enough, NTC, my nation is just getting started in a conflict where they will likely end up having to use some kind of policy not too unlike this one. For now, however, the policy is not to harm civilians.

@ Kahanistan

The tarmac was deserted. A sedan pulled up and Marshal Ó Loingsigh stepped out of the door after the adjunct had opened for him. He was an average looking Dubha (black), 6'2" muscular yet sinewy. "General Phillippe I presume? Marshal Ó Loingsigh." He received the stiff Kahanistani salute and returned the salute of the Horatii. As the formalities commenced three more sedans pulled up. Marshal Ó Loingsigh sensed the skepticism of his guests. "Let me assure you that there is no need to fret. The military is revered in the NTC and they armored, just in case." They got into the vehicles. The pilot was driven to the officers mess while they refueled the plane.

"General, as you know this shift is very new so you will be experiencing it first hand just as we are, in its first implementation. There is much still left to learn, thus any input will be gratefully excepted."

@ Romandeos
TO: Imperial Diplomatic Representative Charles Goodman
FROM: Marshal Ó Loingsigh
I thank you for your input. I wholeheartedly agree with your statement:
Militarily conquered peoples have a duty to fight the conquerers and make life hard on them as much as possible.
This is where our post conflict plan (i.e. CZPS) comes into play. It is expressed in the last paragraph that it is the responsibility of the CZPS to:
to work with the communities to provide a safe environment conducive to rebuilding a post-conflict society.
Surely there is no malicious intent in that aim! The intent is to create a society whereas the conquered people feel no need to put up resistance, and if they do, it will be made abundantly clear the consequences of their actions BEFORE any punitive action is taken. If a peoples lives are made better then they were before they would be silly to resist. The only thing that speaks louder and more clearly then ideology, to these people, is money which they will receive in abundance if they only submit.

Best,
Marshal Ó Loingsigh

One of the other officers, probably mid to late 30's and of distinctly Middle Eastern appearance, extended her hand to the Marshal. "Lieutenant Colonel Maryam Khuwayla," she said. "Is 'Ó' your actual given name, or is it part of your surname, like a lot of Irish people have an 'O' before their surnames?" The officer seemed to know little of the NTC beyond the fact that it seemed to have a lot of Celtic people in it.

General Philippe ignored her; maybe he knew little more than she did. "Marshal, I will not hesitate to give you my input when it comes time to discuss doctrine. In the meantime, your basic training is likely very different from the basic training of our soldiers, who are indoctrinated to consider civilian casualties a terrible tragedy to be avoided even at the cost of losing the war." He seemed to be quite cynical, perhaps because of the outcome of the more recent wars.

The marshal turned to the Lieutenant Colonel, "Ó or Ua is the true Gaelic spelling of O meaning the 'son of'. Mac means the 'grandson of'. Thus my full name is Seán Ó Loingsigh which in English translates to Jack Lynch, or Jack the son of Lynch. Enough with the etymology lesson!" Then turning to General Phillipe, "I trust that our armies are trained very differently, as you have mentioned. I have been criticized for some of my methods, but VICTORIES in the field will prove my perseverance in spite of those bastards will have paid off." They pulled out of the airbase and began to head north on the highway. "We are heading to Rinn na Mara military base, where our recruits are taken for the first steps on their journey to becoming soldiers. This is where they are stripped of their connection with the civilian world. They are hardened both mentally and physically. They instructed in the ways that they are different and superior to the average civilian. They undergo a paradigm shift that will shape their view of the world. They begin to see potential targets instead of people, but also how to interact politely and honorably with them. They learn both how to survive on their own, and how to rely on their squad." A few hours later they pulled into Rinn na Mara.

Upon entering the compound the guests were invited to look around. They noticed that all the men and women were Dubhaí (black), and that they were also around 6'2" like the marshal.

"My God," muttered Senior Colonel Amos Goldberg. "They're all niggers." Even a socially liberal, progressive state like Kahanistan still had its share of racists. "No wonder they can get them to see people as targets easily."

"Keep the racist crap to yourself," said Philippe. "Our own military is diverse, you should know that as an officer. Arabs, Jews, whites, blacks, Asians... you name it."

"It is certainly different," said Lt. Colonel Khuwayla. "For one, our troops are explicitly told that they aren't superior to the average civilian, and that they are to lay down their lives to protect civilians if necessary." She didn't much like the idea of working with these radicals, but Philippe had selected her for some reason or other. "You won't lay down your life for an inferior."

OOC: Careful with the language. I take no personal offense, but there are plenty of sad people who troll forums for stuff like this.
IC: Not knowing the meaning of the word, the Marshal let it pass. "That is precisely why the doctrine was created. When an army puts the conquered citizen before itself it becomes a police service, and that is not the mission of any army. It is in fact counter-intuitive to all that the soldiers have learned. Back to the base at hand. I am sure that you have noticed by now that their are no weapons on base, at least in the hands of the new recruits. Shall we go to see the weapons training? It is at another base. We do not let these recruits touch a gun until we think that they have been conditioned properly. Once they have the appropriate mindset then they 'graduate' to weapons school. Some recruits go through this camp in a matter of days and other in a few months. We had one recruit in for two years. She finally got it one day, it always clicks its just a matter of time."

"So, someone who didn't adopt this viewpoint?" asked General Philippe. "Seems quite stubborn. How did she end up?"

"Come to think of it... why would someone with that viewpoint join in the first place?" asked the other general, Major General Amir Mohammed. "To join a military with views opposite one's own like that... it would be like one of us joining the Doomani army."

"We Dubhaí are obligated to join either the military or the police. That is how the caste system in the NTC works. But is not that bad. We are the second tier from the top in the system so we enjoy many benefits. Our service gives us immense power and if one is frugal during their service they can amass a small fortune.
In response to your question. She joined the army because joining the police does not bring your family as much influence and money. Not every person is a born killer, but by the time are done with them, they know how to kill, and also when not to kill. I do not want you to get the impression that our army is a mad killing machine. It is, when it needs to be, and it is not when violence is inappropriate. We just give our soldiers the ability to cause maximum damage."

Caste system... oh, lord. Goldberg seemed to be even more shocked at that than he was on finding that all the soldiers were black. His expression changed from one of shock to disgust.

Philippe stepped in, expecting more racial slurs. "Another key difference... most of us join to defend our country these days, though most of the officers and higher ranks signed up to intervene against the most egregious violators of human rights. I did too, as a young man, but... seeing what acting as a police service does to the fighting force got to me."

"I did not get the idea you were murderous... more like you are more accepting of civilian casualties, not like the Doomani who intentionally target them as a means of terror or extermination, but... have more of a shikata ga nai* attitude toward them. Back home, I am... seen as a radical for embracing your ideas."

*"It can't be helped."

"I have no doubt. I see your LT. COL. was not impressed with the idea of a caste system. Think of it this way. Because the caste systems exists we are all very good at our jobs, it is in our blood. It is simple nova-eugenics, every race is better at somethings then the others. The Gaels are good at administering but terrible soldiers and workers. The Dubhaí are very good at fighting and keeping order, but their administrative skills and workmanship are found lacking. The Ruaí are the heads of industry and the private sector. They are well versed in administration but on a smaller scale. They make terrible warriors. The Oibrí Imeallchríches are the backbone on the labor force. They are not very smart and they are not tactically inclined, but they are much stronger then the rest of the castes and thus they are perfect laborers. We have been bred for our purpose, and every generation is stronger then the last. It is a beautiful thing because it works."

Philippe seemed skeptical - as much as he decried "liberals," he wasn't terribly fond of a caste system either. Unlike Goldberg, however, he wasn't willing to insult people over differences in belief when he stood a chance of indoctrinating his officers in a more combat-effective doctrine.

"Well... let's discuss doctrine, what exactly does an individual soldier come out believing?" He produced a pen and paper and readied to take notes.

"Save your notes General." The Marshal reached into his pocket and produced a sheet of glossy paper. "I had one of my adjuncts type this up for you."

Final Product of ARMA NA NFC Training
1. The soldier believes that they are first and foremost a soldier for the NFC
2. The soldier believes that they are responsible to act only as far as they were trained
3. The soldier believes that they are not intended to keep the peace
4. The soldier believes that they are to be cordial and kind to all civilians as long as they are not a perceived threat
5. The soldier believes that they are responsible for their own actions and decisions

"These are the basic tenets of our soldiers core beliefs and values. Essentially we are teaching them to know their job and how to be good at it."

"Thank you," said Philippe. He made a note to have copies made for the rest of his staff. He found much of the criticism leveled at his own nation's military had little to do with the average soldier, but every little bit helped. The vast majority of blame for defeat in battle was laid at the feet of the officer corps.

The officers were educated and intelligent people, but carried around this sick, liberal commie pussy idea that civilian lives were valuable, that the international community gave a crap about senseless unprovoked invasions, and that the good guys always won and that they were the good guys.

To him, this was all Hollywood bullshit. "How... are your officers trained?" he asked. All the staff he'd brought with him were officers of the rank of Lt. Colonel or higher. Few would absorb the ideals, but Philippe hoped that mere exposure might make them open to change.