NationStates Jolt Archive

Comorostani News-Violence continues in the nation of Giellun, as the government continues its genocide of its minority Sahen population. Premier General Cyrano Jones today called for a Coalition of the Willing to join him in his quest to end this genocide. In a press conference today, Premier General Jones has said: "The destruction of these people has to stop. I am ordering a carrier battle group to the coast of Giellun, where it will stay until either the genocide stops or Giellun has a new government. We would prefer to operate with a Coalition, but if we have to, then we will go in alone."

Off the Coast of Giellun
The 3rd Carrier Battle Group, led by the Keefer-class carrier Asana, was on exercise when the call came through. It quickly formed up and headed off towards the coast. Now it was there, just outside Giellun's national waters, waiting for the ground assault element to arrive. Then Comorostan would attack, with a Coalition or not.

To All Nations
For to long, the leader of Giellun, President Akira Rubin, has been allowed to continue his campaign of genocide and oppression. We say to all nations: let us band together. "President" Rubin will be helpless in the face of a Coalition of the Willing. Together, we shall stop this terror and extermination, and create a better future for these people.
-Premier General Cyrano Jones

OOC-I'll be RPing the Gielluns. I need allies,of course. But also people who oppose the Coaltion, but don't send aid to the Gielluns, and people who aid the Gielluns. This is based off Iraq, 2003, so no direct intervention on the side of Gielluns. But you can make statements of support, send aid, try to derail the Coalition, whatever.

Colonel Thomas Mombota read over the reports from his troops in the field. The campaign against the Sahan was going well. It was estimated that over 1/3 of the Sahen in Giellun were now dead. As he looked over the reports, he saw one about the leader of Comorostan sending a carrier group over here. He dismissed the report. The group would stay in international waters for a few days, then withdraw when it became obvious that it was having no effect. And if this Premier got cocky enough to launch airstrikes, then the international community would descend on them like wild dogs. Nothing to worry about.

Prince Johannes de Vaar was the only prince in Vaar history to ascend to power twice. Elected in the emergency Royal Election after the assassanation of his predecessor, he was soon overthrown by Communists, upset that the left-leaning country just wasn't left enough. He, along with his cabinet and Parliament, had fled and only returned after the Communist leadership was taken out by a covert military operation. Johannes had always been toward the center of the spectrum, but this event nudged him farther to the right than any previous Vaar leader.

He made the decision then that force was necessary. If you saw injustice in the world, only being forceful- through diplomacy or through war- could get you anywhere. Johannes would make sure there would be no more coups in Vaarshire, by making sure that he appeared forceful, like he had power and knew what to do with it. It made him sound like some sort of villain, he thought.

The genocide in Giellun was apalling the Vaar people. Prince Johannes saw his opportunity to act, and try out his new policy of "force" without him seeming like some megalomaniac. The genocide needed to end- Johannes and Vaarshire all knew it. Johannes decided to send a message to the Premier General of Comorostan.

PRINCIPALITY OF VAARSHIRE
OFFICAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION

Dear Premier General,

The genocide in Giellun is a tragic, horrible event that is shattering lives and tearing apart familes. Their President must not be allowed to continue his reign of murder and denial of the basic rights all people deserve. The Coalition of the Willing your nation is leading must be a sign to the world that such activities must not be allowed to go on.

A law passed by the Vaar Parliament recently allows me to move troops into a location without declaration of war for ninety days. I have decided that my nation will join this Coalition of the Willing. I will be sending a naval squadron, an aircraft carrier and a special ops group from His Majesty's Guard. After 90 days- if the conflict is not resolved- I will ask Parliament for a declaration of war. If approved, these forces will remain and reinforcements will arrive. If Parliament votes down the declaration, Vaarshire will continue to support the Coalition financially.

You have an ally in Vaarshire.

Signed,
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g232/BLJ_422/johannes.png
Johannes de Vaar
18th Prince of Vaarshire

TRepublic of the Battlehawk
Department of State

The Battlehawk condems all forms of Genocide, and as such will dispactch a Carrier group to the Area.

RBS Flash Carrier Group

The Excelsior Class Aircraft Carrier and her taskforce had been diverted to the area as soon as they orders came through and they had steamed at full. On Deck Aircraft were being prepared

Official Militry Message
FROM: CO, RBS Flash Carrier Group
TO: Comorsotoron Command

RBS Flash Battlegroup is entering the War zone at this time. We are here to join the Coalition of the Willing. Tell us where you need us.

Signed

Admiral Ryan Murry

The arrival of allies was a boon to the Premier. While he had been intent on going in regardless, with allies the job would be much easier.

Official Communique
To President Akira Rubin and the Nation of Giellun
From the Democratic Republic of Comorostan
This is your final warning. You have 90 days to end all acts of genocide and oppression against the Sahen, or the Coalition will take military action. In the meantime, the Coalition will now enforce a total blockade of your nation. Again, you have 90 days.
-Premier General Cyrano Jones

From: Andras Lasarkis, Secretary to the Crown.
To: His Royal Highness, Johannes de Vaar, Prince of Vaarshire.
Cc: Premier-General Cyrano Jones, Head of State for Comorostan.
Re: Coalition of the Willing.

Your Highness,

Whilst we of the Empire of New Chalcedon can certainly appreciate the need to create justice as we see it, and whilst we fully agree that the actions of the Government of Giellun are horrific, we must point out this: How would you, as the Prince of Vaarshire, feel if another nation ordered you how to act in your own lands, under threat of invasion?

This issue speaks to the very heart of the nation-state as we know it: the matter of sovereignty. We believe that any direct military action taken against the regime of President Rubin will undermine the foundation of the nation-state as we know it, and therefore cannot support this invasion, despite our hostility toward the Giellun government.

We urge the nation of Vaarshire to show restraint, and likewise urge Comorostan to show restraint.

[signed]

Andras Lasarkis,
Secretary to the Crown.

From the Desk of Generalissimo Steven Phillip Grimmeberger;

To Premier-General Cyrano Jones, Head of State, Comorostan

We have reviewed the situation that has brought on the formation of your 'Coalition of the Willing', and are, quite frankly, appalled by the actions of the government of Giellun. For this reason, we would be interested in joining this coalition to end the humanitarian crisis in Giellun. We will dispatch one Air Corps and two divisions: the 21st Armored Division (Erwin Rommel) and 22nd Armoured Division (Belisarius) to assist in any combat operations necessary. They will be under the command of Col.General Markus von Bayern, a trusted general from the Federation. Should anything more be required, we shall do what we can, do not hesitate to inquire.

Sincerely,
Generalissimo Steven P. Grimmeberger,
Head of State, Fanboyist Federation of North Atlantic Territories (FFNAT)
Commander-in-Chief, Federal Armed Forces (FAF)

To: Generalissimo Steven Phillip Grimmeberger
Thank you for your support. We are currently waiting off the coast of Giellun, and will remain there until the 90-day deadline has expired.

Off the Coast of Giellun
The 3rd Carrier Battle Group was now joined by the 2nd Carrier Battle Group, as well as the amphibious assault ships carrying the 32nd and 24th Mechanized Divisions and the 47th Armored Division. These would form the core of Comorostan's land forces. Another armored division and a marine brigade were en route.

Official Announcement
From Premier General Cyrano Jones
As of today, I have ordered our naval forces, in cooperation with those of our allies, to enforce a total blockade of Giellun's ports. Also, the deadline has been fixed at 90 days for President Akira Rubin to end the genocide in his country. If, at the end of those 90 days, Rubin has not ended his government's campaign of extermination, the Coalition of the Willing will use military force to bring about an end to the violence, as well as insuring that President Rubin's regime is removed from power, and replaced by a government representative of the people.
-Premier General Cyrano Jones

The Battlehawk CArrier Group approached the Comorostan fleet, cautioasly and slowly.

As the Battlehawk fleet approached, the commander of the fleet, Admiral Zachary Brackman, hailed them:
To the Battlehawk Fleet:
This is Comorostani Admiral Zachary Brackman. We wish to thank you and your nation for your support against this genocidal maniac. We are currently setting up a blockade of Giellun's ports. We require your ships, as we do not have adequate forces to control the coast. I would like to meet with the leader of your fleet, to hash out the details.

OOC-map of Giellun coming soon, probably when the deadline runs out

TO: Comorostan Fleet
FROM, Admiral Ryan Murry, CO Flash Carrier Group

Our ships shall spread out along the coast, the RBS Flash shall come alongside your flagship and I shall come aboard.

To: Admiral Ryan Murry
Very well. My flagship is the carrier Asana.

To: Andras Lasarkis, Secretary to the Crown, New Chalcedon
Re: Re: "Coalition of the Willing"

Dear Secretary,

A government should not have the sovereign right to destroy its own people. Vaarshire firmly believes that a government exists to serve its people, and once a government begins to act against its people- especially in a manner as horrible as this- it is no longer a government deserving of non-intervention. Did Adolf Hitler's Third Reich have the sovereign right to institute the Holocaust? Would it have been right for the Allies to not intervene because it would have been "wrong" to invade Hitler's sovereign nation? The fact of the matter is that genocide in an action that simply must stopped as soon as possible.

Signed,
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g232/BLJ_422/johannes.png
Johannes de Vaar
18th Prince of Vaarshire
-----
The ZMVS Prince Henri, an aircraft carrier with the 7th Naval Air Squadron on board, and the ZMVS Kingsburgh, the Navy's premier cruiser, led the way for the Vaar Naval Force for Giellun, which consisted of several destroyers. On board the Kingsburgh was Rear Admiral Tyler van Nuys, who was in charge of the Vaar Naval Force for Giellun. The ships got into their positions in the blockade, and just like that, Vaarshire's first external military operation had begun.

As the Battlehawk Fleet spread out along the coast line, the Excelsior Class CVN, RBS Flash headed for the flagship. A Seahawk Heli took off and flew towards the other ship

As the heli landed, Admiral Brackman came out on the helipad and waited for the Battlehawk admiral to exit.

Meanwhile, the rest of the forces arrived. The Comorostani land forces were now made up of 2 mechanized and 2 armored divisions, as well as the 4th Marine Brigade. Additional forces would follow if-when-the ground war began.

The deadline was now at the 45-day point. Giellun's army was hastily preparing to meet the invaders as best it could, but it was hampered by lack of modern equipment. It was armed with T-54/55s and MiG-21s. They would not be able to fight off the Coalition. But they could make it a costly victory. Already, various government militias were being set up, to resist the Coalition after the regular army was defeated.

bump

OOC: What is the ethnic/political make up of Giellun?

http://triton.imageshack.us/Himg214/scaled.php?server=214&filename=stabistanseal2.png&xsize=640&ysize=480

Stabistan would gladly assist the coalition. A good deal of our navy is currently engaged, but we will be happy to send another portion to cease the genocide in Giellun.

We will send several ships to contribute to the fleets, one Broadsword-class battleship, three Scythe-class destroyers, and two Colichemarde-class cruisers, and one Arit-class medium carrier, and three Handguard-class support ships.

If needed, we will also send three infantry and one armored batallions, along with close air support.

Yours,

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/2608/nssig.png

William Cullin
President of Stabistan

OOC: What is the ethnic/political make up of Giellun?

OOC-The government is a Iraq-style dictatorship, headed by President Akira Rubin. The Sahen (the group getting genocided) comprise about 10% of the population, though that number is falling as the genocide continues. The country is strongly nationalist, and anti-communist, even though all major industries are state run. Think pre-war Iraq, 2003, except only two ethnic groups, and an active genocide.

Stabistan would gladly assist the coalition. A good deal of our navy is currently engaged, but we will be happy to send another portion to cease the genocide in Giellun.

We will send several ships to contribute to the fleets, one Broadsword-class battleship, three Scythe-class destroyers, and two Colichemarde-class cruisers, and one Arit-class medium carrier, and three Handguard-class support ships.

If needed, we will also send three infantry and one armored batallions, along with close air support.

The nation of Comorostan thanks you for your support. The naval forces are appreciated and if you wish to contribute land forces that would be appreciated. Ground combat operations will start in approximately 40 days.

Office of the Director
National Directorate of Intelligence Headquarters
Brayton, Tolvanic Home Islands

"Coalition of the Willing? Sounds like some shitty garage band doesn't it?" Sir Edwin Santiago, Deputy Director of Operations, smirked as the rest of the small group of NDI officials laughed at his joke. "Rather pretentious of these Comorostani blokes, but the more important question is what do we do."

Director Scott Moore looked up from the file on his desk and spoke, "I talked to the PM at breakfast and he informed me that His Majesty has no interest in taking an official stand. However, he didn't rule out more clandestine courses of action."

Henry Jackson, the NDI's lead military analyst spoke next. "President Rubin is bastard of the highest order and I'd just as soon shoot him as look at him, but he is a staunch anticommunist and we've had some productive ties in the past. We still have some underground supply lines into Giellun, we could easily run in some AK clones and some ATGMs and SAMs to the locals. Nothing that'll turn the tide of any conflict, but enough to make things harder on any invaders."

Santiago looked paused reading over his own files to respond. "We have some assets in the area and I think we can have the first shipment in country within ten days, and of course no one will be able to tie anything back to us."

OOC: Is there a general staging ground for coalition forces? (outside of the blockade, I mean?)

OOC-not really. Right now my troops are still on their ships.

IC-Colonel Thomas Mombota was very happy. At its present state, the Giellun army couldn't fight off its neighbors, much less a Coalition that looked to be getting serious. But a new source of arms had just been opened up. It wouldn't be war-winning, but it sure would cause some casualties. Meanwhile, the militia training, focused on guerilla resistance techniques, continued.

(Slight Flashback)
80 days until Ultimatum Expires

Col.General Markus von Bayern watched with pride as his two armored divisions went through with their parade before embarking. No one was stupid enough to think that Armored Divisions Erwin Rommel and Belisarius would be anything less than successful. They were the elite after all...

"Sir," said an aide to the Rear Admiral. "I have reports that there have been shipments of weapons to the forces in Giellun."

"What kind of weapons are we talking here?" The Rear Admiral asked.

"Nothing that will drastically change the outcome of the war. They're still outnumbered and outgunned."

"It's not a war. Yet," said the Admiral. "Something tells me it will be. The Prince seems to be... itchy... to flex his military muscle. Which, I must admit, is a first in Vaarshire. First this, and then he says we're going to the Moon... what's next? Lasers in space?"

"Somehow I doubt the Prince would ever put something like a laser in space. I don't think we're a strong enough nation to back that up," said the aide. "Anyway, sir, that's all I have to report."

"Anything on how the training excercizes are going? Or on troop movements in Giellun?" The Rear Admiral asked.

"I don't have anything, sir," said the aide.

"There is a real communication problem in this military. We're not used to actually needing to communicate," said the Admiral. "I'll see if I can get in contact with the guy in charge of the Comorostani forces. They seem to be running this coalition. Dismissed," he said.

The Rear Admiral pulled out his military-issued satellite phone and dialed a number Comorostan had given to the Vaar government. He assumed no numbers had gotten jumbled along the journey from there to him and when someone picked up, he said "This is Rear Admiral Tyler van Nuys, I'm in charge of the Vaar Naval Force for Giellun. I was wondering if it was possible if we could share some intel on troop movements and other information involving Giellun."

OOC: Fluid time FTW.

Fifteen miles inside the Giellunian border

The man standing near the small convoy of trucks called himself Ben, that wasn't his true name of course, but he hadn't gone by his birth name in nearly twelve years. Ben was the the very image of the mercenary cliche from cheesy action movies. He had an assumed name, he had no family, few friends, and he worked for anyone who could pay his consierable fee. Ben wasn't even sure who he worked for most of the time and this op was no different, all he knew was his employer was paying him well to transport weapons to the local militias and provide them with some limited training.

Ben checked his watch again, the militia leader he was was supposed to meet was already fifteen minutes late and Ben was not fond of tardiness.

The Rear Admiral pulled out his military-issued satellite phone and dialed a number Comorostan had given to the Vaar government. He assumed no numbers had gotten jumbled along the journey from there to him and when someone picked up, he said "This is Rear Admiral Tyler van Nuys, I'm in charge of the Vaar Naval Force for Giellun. I was wondering if it was possible if we could share some intel on troop movements and other information involving Giellun."

The number linked Admiral Nuys to the carrier Asana. Vice Admiral (2nd in Command) Taylor Black picked up the phone and listened. As the Admiral finished, she spoke. "Yes, Rear Admiral, this is Vice Admiral Taylor Black. We are perfectly willing to share information on the Giellun situation."

OOC: Fluid time FTW.

Fifteen miles inside the Giellunian border

The man standing near the small convoy of trucks called himself Ben, that wasn't his true name of course, but he hadn't gone by his birth name in nearly twelve years. Ben was the the very image of the mercenary cliche from cheesy action movies. He had an assumed name, he had no family, few friends, and he worked for anyone who could pay his consierable fee. Ben wasn't even sure who he worked for most of the time and this op was no different, all he knew was his employer was paying him well to transport weapons to the local militias and provide them with some limited training.

Ben checked his watch again, the militia leader he was was supposed to meet was already fifteen minutes late and Ben was not fond of tardiness.

The militia leader drove up in a WWII jeep, armed with a .50 cal machine gun. Two other jeeps, filled with militiamen, followed. The leader got out and extended a hand to the merc. "I am Jonas Kenmar, the leader of the local militia. You are the mercenary we were expecting, yes?"

"Great," said the Rear Admiral. "Could we discuss it in person, though? The taxpayers are paying for this cell phone and satellite phones don't run cheap." He looked at his aide and mouthed the word "Helicopter".

"Of course. The commanders of the other Coalition nations are meeting here, on the carrier Asana. We will send coordinates to you."

Fifteen miles inside the Giellunian border

"Yes, my name is Ben. My employers have contracted me to deliver this equipment and show your men a few "tricks" on how to best employ it to maximize its effectiveness. I have a complete inventory here if you'd like."

"Ah, thank you. I will look over the inventory on our way back." He gestured to a reasonably large town a bit back. "There is where our headquarters is, as well as our training area. You can teach us these "tricks" there."

Fifteen minutes later, a helicopter landed on the Asana. Rear Admiral Van Nuys and his trusty aide stepped out, both dressed in their white naval uniforms. "This ship makes our Navy look like a pile of very expensive junk with large guns," the Admiral said to his aide in Dutch.

As the Vaar group exited, Vice Admiral Black went up to greet them. "Hello gentlemen." she said. "If you could follow me to the briefing room, you can meet the other Coalition commanders."

Message to All Coalition Ships
From the Comorostani Carrier Asana
We would like to hold a joint planning meeting to finalize details of the plan for the invasion of Giellun. All Coalition members please send their commanders to our carrier for the meeting. [Coordinates]
-Admiral Zachary Brackman

OOC: I'm going to jump from my last post to my transports being in the blockade and everything, is that ok? If it isn't I'll delete this post.

IC:
Col.General Von Bayern strode confidently into the corridor to the conference room. Well, it would have been 'confident' if he didn't have a slight green tinge to his face. The weeks at sea and the helecopter ride over to the carrier had not been kind to him.
"Dammit," he groaned to his aide-de-camp Andrik Oakes. "This is why I'm in the armor."
Oakes nodded sympathetically. He wasn't feeling too much better, but at least he hadn't needed to throw up yet. He looked appreciatively around the corridor of the carrier.
"I wish we had shit like this," Andrik stated. "Our navy can't hold a candle to this."
The fact that the carrier wasn't pitching as much as the battlecruiser escort for the Federal transports was having a good effect on Bayern. He was looking less peaked. He smoothed the shoulder on his khaki field "battle dress (http://www.geocities.com/lairofthesith/MACO_analysis/MACO_uniform_trace3.jpg)" uniform, and rubbed the stubbly black/brown beard that was filling in on his face. The diminuitive, stocky Bavarian (he was only 5'6" full-grown, and weighed 210 pounds, very little of which was fat) gave a chuckle.
"I could almost transfer to Navy if our ships were this nice," he chuckled.
"Where do you suppose the Grand Poobah of this whole she-bang is?" asked Master-Sergeant Oakes.
"Couldn't tell ya. Guess we just gotta wait," Markus stated simply.

Fifteen miles inside the Giellunian border

Ben nodded and reached to hand the man a manilla envelope. "You'll find the inventory in there, as well as some satellite photos of the Coalition fleets. My employers thought your military might be interested in those."

Ben nodded to the two other men he'd hired to help smuggle the the cargo in and headed back to his own SUV to follow the miltia to their base. Once they were on the road the two five-ton trucks fell in behind him.

On the Asana
Admiral Brackmen walked in with the Battlehawk group just as the Federation group entered. "Ah, General Bayern. Welcome to the Asana. This is Admiral Murray, of the Republic of the Battlehawk. Our friends from Vaarshire should be here momentarily. We are still waiting on Stabistan, but we might have to start without them." Then the Vaar group, headed by Vice Admiral Black, entered. "And here they are," announced Brackman, "Admiral Nuys and the Vaar group. We will begin shortly."

Fifteen miles inside the Giellunian border

Ben nodded and reached to hand the man a manilla envelope. "You'll find the inventory in there, as well as some satellite photos of the Coalition fleets. My employers thought your military might be interested in those."

Ben nodded to the two other men he'd hired to help smuggle the the cargo in and headed back to his own SUV to follow the miltia to their base. Once they were on the road the two five-ton trucks fell in behind him.

Jonas looked through the inventory. "This will be a large help," he said to no one in particular. As they approached the barracks, he handed the envelope, now containing only the pictures of the fleet, to one of the jeep drivers. "See that this gets to Col. Mombota," he told the driver. The driver nodded and sped off.

On the Asana
Admiral Brackmen walked in with the Battlehawk group just as the Federation group entered. "Ah, General Bayern. Welcome to the Asana. This is Admiral Murray, of the Republic of the Battlehawk. Our friends from Vaarshire should be here momentarily. We are still waiting on Stabistan, but we might have to start without them." Then the Vaar group, headed by Vice Admiral Black, entered. "And here they are," announced Brackman, "Admiral Nuys and the Vaar group. We will begin shortly."

"Thank you. Excellent. We were wondering where the meeting was to take place." He gestured to a second man accompanying him. "This is Commander Valentinian Camillo. He commands the main escort of our transports, battlecruiser FNS Tuscaloosa, and is in overall command of our rather limited naval assests in this..." he paused, thinking of the right word. "...campaign."
Camillio nodded. "Indeed. Myself and my fleet are at your disposal for any campaign embarked upon by this coalition."
General von Bayern nodded to the man next to him. "And this is my aide-de-camp, Master-Sergeant Andrik Oakes."

"Good to meet you. Now, as for the campaign. Here is a map of Giellun."
http://www.usea.org/Programs/EPP/Images/Kenya-map.gif
(OOC-yes, this is a map of kenya, but my paint function crashes my computer. If anyone wants to make a better map go right ahead, until then just use this one, including all city names)
"Our current idea is landings along the coast, centered around taking the ports of Mombassa and Malindi. Then, an armored drive up to seize Nairobi. After that, we seize the remaining cities, and help keep peace until a democratic government can be put in place."

Captain Shane Roe took a smooth step from the bay of the Knifehawk transport helicopter as it hovered expertly a few inches above the deck, hands clasped behind his back in a formal manner, and was quickly followed by a gaggle of Lieutenants and Ensigns who were not quite as graceful and stumbled out, the helicopter gaining altitude and flying off.

They strode through the halls and arrived at the meeting room.

"Apologies for being late, gentlemen. Captain Shane Roe, pleased to meet you."

One of the Ensigns placed a case on the table with several small blocks for representing the Stabistani ships on old-style tactical maps and a small disc containing statistics for digital ones.

The troop transports had finally traveled the Suez and caught up with the rest of the fleet, with one armored and three infantry battalions, and a pocket carrier with additional close air support craft and a few fighter-bombers to supplement what was on the Arit-class.

"We have several troops transports, a battleship, two cruisers, three destroyers, two oilers, and two carries, one medium and one light, at our command, not to mention our troops aboard their ships. One of your aides told me the plan on my way here, so is there anything else I should know?"

"Good to meet you. Now, as for the campaign. Here is a map of Giellun."
http://www.usea.org/Programs/EPP/Images/Kenya-map.gif
(OOC-yes, this is a map of kenya, but my paint function crashes my computer. If anyone wants to make a better map go right ahead, until then just use this one, including all city names)
"Our current idea is landings along the coast, centered around taking the ports of Mombassa and Malindi. Then, an armored drive up to seize Nairobi. After that, we seize the remaining cities, and help keep peace until a democratic government can be put in place."

Von Bayern glanced at the map.
"How large are their field forces supposed to be?"
He listened to the plan.
"Perhaps, if we outnumber them by enough, it may be to our advantage to spread out our assaults and overload them, with concentrated assaults (though smaller) in multiple locations along a given axis," he suggested.

"According to our intelligence, their army numbers about 150,000 men and 130 tanks." Admiral Brackman paused while he pondered the General's plan. "General, your idea holds merit. But the main objective is to take the cities. I suggest large landings at the ports, with smaller landings along the coast. We have adequate manpower to accomplish this."

He scratched his head. "It would seem though, in my professional opinon - tell me if you think differently - that it would be easier to take the inland cities once their army is out of action. My forces can easily wipe out their armored forces. My troops are mostly armoured, so urban fighting will be a nightmare, as I would rather not risk my panzers in an area where they are unsuited. I could dispatch some of my panzergrenadiers to help with the securing of cities, though."

"Air forces could bomb their main cities without having to eliminate their ground forces. I can't imagine Giellun having much going for them, air-wise," said Admiral Van Nuys. "We have about a dozen or so fighter jets on our aircraft carrier. As for the seizing-the-port-cities idea, I like it."

Unnamed Giellunian Town

Ben approached Kenmar once the small convoy reached the town. "Mr. Kenmar, I recommend you push these supplies closer to the coast as quickly as possible. They're likely to concentrate their assaults on your coastal cities. They need control of deep water ports to bring their heavy armour in any real quanities. Given your manpower, they need that armor because if they bogged down in urban fighting they'll take heavy losses. If your forces can inflict enough losses on their helos and armour early in the conflict, you have a shot to force them to reconsider this "liberation mission" of theirs. In my experience most civilians lack the little stomach for extended counterinsurgency operations. If you kill enough of their soldiers the people will force an end to the war."

Master-Sergeant Oakes had gone outside to take a call from high command back home, even as the debate about strategy went on. After about eight minutes, he found his way back in, and let out some of the best news that von Bayern had heard in a while.

"Hey, guess what?"
"Amaze me, what?" Markus asked semi-sarcastically.
"We got two more divisions."
Markus did a double take. "We're going to butt-rape their forces as it is. Its not like we need more!"
Oakes shook his head. "Remember what Federal infantry's specialty is...?"
"...counter-insurgency? (OOC: This is a longstanding specialty of Federal Infantry. Just chekc the factbook.) Why the hell would we need that here?"
"Poorer countries like this thrive on guerilla warfare, remember?"
"Oh, good." And with that, they turned back to the debate at large.

OOC: Bump.

Unnamed Giellunian Town

Ben approached Kenmar once the small convoy reached the town. "Mr. Kenmar, I recommend you push these supplies closer to the coast as quickly as possible. They're likely to concentrate their assaults on your coastal cities. They need control of deep water ports to bring their heavy armour in any real quanities. Given your manpower, they need that armor because if they bogged down in urban fighting they'll take heavy losses. If your forces can inflict enough losses on their helos and armour early in the conflict, you have a shot to force them to reconsider this "liberation mission" of theirs. In my experience most civilians lack the little stomach for extended counterinsurgency operations. If you kill enough of their soldiers the people will force an end to the war."

"This is wise advice. I will take it."

OOC: Bumppity bump bump.