Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

As with most things, it must all come to an end. The Lodamese Air Force and the Commonwealth Air Guard capped off Exercise Afterburner 4 yesterday, ending the month-long exercise that brought together the advanced equipment, training and combat prowess of nations such as Egelion, Hutori, Istalia and Kalistan as part of a series of simulated and practical aerial combat exercises which sought to push these nations and their pilots to their limits. The exercise’s principal coordinator, Lt. Gen. Jerome Miklaszewski, stated that the exercise had placed interesting and dynamic scenarios at the feet of the participants, who in their respective trials, had ‘outdone themselves’. Pointing to these successes, Lt. Gen. Miklaszewski stated that it was further evidence of the importance and usefulness of exercises such as Afterburner in providing combat formations with the means by which they can put the tactics and strategies they have developed over the years into practice. “I think the success of this exercise is evidence of the fact that theory has to be put into practice to determine its worth. A lot of nations place significant effort and energy behind developing unique strategies and tactics, which in turn become the very doctrine by which these formations operate. I think that Afterburner provide the perfect conduit through which those strategies and tactics can be stress tested and, if needed, reformed,” Lt. Gen. Miklaszewski explained. The exercise saw the Lodamese contingent, comprised of the Lodamese Air Force, the Lodamese Navy Naval Air Forces and the St. Christopher and Millford State Air Guard, pitted against the likes of the BLUFOR: Royal Hutorian Air Force, the Royal Eglian Air Force, the Istalian Imperial Air Force, the Imperial Air Force and the Kalistani Air Force, as no nation had been cleared to act as aggressors/REDFOR. The following is a recap of the individual sub-exercises conducted by the participating nations. 

Men Plan, God Laughs

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Scenario 1: Pista Denegada (Runway Denied) - Royal Egelian Air Force

A Royal Egelian Air Force Rafale R5 on an apron at Alford Air Force Base for Afterburner 4

The scenario, according to its principal architect Col. Keith Murphy, began with a simulated attack on the Alford Air Force Base, which rendered much of its facilities, including its runways, inoperable. As a result, their combat operations would have to be conducted from unconventional locations. According to Col. Murphy, his prior meetings with the leader of the Egelian contingent, Divisional General Iker Hernan de Leon, revealed that Egelion had been aiming to enhance its early warning and rapid response capabilities. He noted that although it would have been to the benefit of the Egelian pilots to design a scenario which would have likely entailed a simple “scramble and intercept”, it was believed that the pilots would have benefited from an additional layer of complexity. As part of the scenario, the Egelian pilots would have had to conduct take-offs and landings on designated strips of the highway alongside conducting turnarounds (the period between an aircraft's arrival and its departure, where it refuels and rearms) on the same highways. “It was certainly a very nerve-wrecking experience. For many of us, landing on a highway was not something we had done before. There’s so much to consider, especially with weight; you have to know what the aircraft can do because too much ordinance and the aircraft can’t take off from the highway. But we were nonetheless capable of doing it with assistance from our instructors from the Millford State Air Guard,” Cpt. Juan Francisco Conejero, an egelian Rafale R5 pilot, explained. Beyond the highway turnarounds, the egelian contingent was tasked with intercepting ‘fast-movers’, acting on intelligence from their Centenario-2 AWACS. Unionfighters and Rafales would take off from the highway and, via coordination from the AWACS, which provided a real-time picture of the aerospace environment, seek out and either escort or eliminate the ‘fast-movers’. These fast-movers were LF-16s of the Lodamese Air Force who had been specifically tasked to ignore all attempts at establishing communication between themselves and the AWACS aircraft. “We wanted the egelian pilots to get up close and personal and experience the pressures of identifying and engaging non-compliant aircraft. What we’re attempting to do here is to demonstrate that it shouldn’t be about speed, but the way in which they do things. To control how these very real situations are resolved peacefully,” Col. Murphy explained. According to Murphy, the egelian AWACS crew stood out as they demonstrated a degree of tactical and operational awareness well beyond LAF (Lodamese Air Force) standards.

Scenario 2: Ghost Train - Royal Hutorian Air Force

A Royal Hutorian Air Force HF-0 Stealth Bomber 

The RHAF scenario, according to its creator Col. Benjamin “Ben” Haley, was designed to draw on the experiences of the pilots’ combat experience, given that most of the Hutorian contingent were reportedly ‘veterans’ of the Second Kundrati War. At the very basic level, the scenario assumed that an opposing force had established a complex anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) network, comprised of a layered air defence net complemented by fixed air wings. It began with a deep reconnaissance flight by the HF-0 Ghost, which relied on its sensor suite to designate targets and map out the battlefield. Col. Haley stated that an additional layer of difficulty was ultimately thrown into the scenario with the absence of a dedicated AWACS component. “You had the HF-0 gathering intelligence, but there was no AWACS to coordinate and share that real-time information with the other aircraft. Pilots ought not to become too dependent on overwhelming support, because there will be instances where they will have little to no support and will be expected to complete the mission against all odds,” Col. Haley explained. Owing to the aircraft’s datalink and networking capabilities, one of the HF-35s acts as a standing-in AWACS command node, sharing information from the HF-0’s initial reconnaissance sweep with a planned sanitisation strike. At the scenario’s perimeter, HF-19 electronic combat/reconnaissance aircraft were primarily tasked with mapping out and actively jamming the ‘enemy’s’ air defence and communication array. Col. Haley stated that the use of the Guardian-air defence batteries was a last-minute addition, which had been requested by the Hutorian commander, Maj. Gen. Liam Pendergast. The sanitisation strike occurred approximately two hours after the HF-0 had ‘left’ the area of operations (and landed at Alford Air Force Base). It was primarily led by numerous flights of HF-35s, who were specifically tasked with engaging and defeating the enemy’s (REDFOR) combat air patrols. St. Christopher State Air Guard LF-15s and Lodamese Air Force LF-35s formed the backbone of these enemy combat aircraft. “The LF-15s have a radar cross section the size of a metal barn, so they were certainly easy pickings. The LF-35s, however, did prove to be difficult, given that we were basically fighting against ourselves. But that provided a unique opportunity for us to exploit: we were aware of what these planes could do,” Cpt. Elliot Lambton, an HF-35 pilot, explained. HF-13AS capped the scenario off with a coordinated close air support campaign against the jammed air defence network and the command and control (C2) centre.

Scenario 3: Aquila Silenziosa (Silent Eagle) - Istalian Imperial Air Force

An Istalian Imperial Air Force F-43 parked next to a Lodamese XF-43 during an expo on the sidelines of Afterburner 4

The Istalian scenario took on a shape similar to that of the Hutorian scenario, albeit with the absence of a dedicated strike against a command centre. According to its designer, Col. Irving Fischer, the scenario had been designed to test whether the IIAF was capable of utilising its broad spectrum of equipment to execute an otherwise complex strike. The scenario placed the IIAF at the edge of a complex web of air defence systems supported by electronic warfare platforms and dared the nation’s pilots to execute a logistics strike against a major hub behind this air defence “wall”. The Ajace AASC-5400 stood out as a major asset in the scenario, having proved its value in mapping out the simulated air defence network and, similar to the Hutorian HF-0, provided real-time intelligence to the subsequent strike force. The scenario truly came into its own when the Ajace F-50 penetrated the air defence net, utilising their stealth capabilities to avoid combat air patrols led by LF-15s and LF-18s. According to Col. Fischer, although the Istalian fighter did not remain undetectable, it was nonetheless difficult for Lodamese pilots to acquire a comfortable enough solution to fire test missiles. “It was a bit frustrating because you can tell when you’re being actively jammed. We didn’t have the coordinated cueing as we’d usually have, which would have allowed us to hone in on these threats. So we had to depend on IRST pods on the LF-15s,” Capt. Andrew Holder, an LF-16 pilot with the Millford State Air Guard. Despite these early successes, the scenario experienced a series of unfortunate circumstances which ultimately prompted its premature conclusion. In the first instance, the Ajace F-43s and the Magistro-Leonardi G-21s, which formed the backbone of the broader strike package, struggled to make meaningful progress in the lead-up to the strike itself. Pilots reported a litany of issues, including radar blackouts and navigation drift, which resulted in the strike missing its target by several kilometres. Additionally, the SHB-450 stealth bomber, which had been attached to the scenario, had to be grounded as a flaw related to its stealth plates prevented the aircraft from taking off. Lt. Gen. Miklaszewski stated that both he and Col. Fischer had met with the head of the Istalian contingent, Air Brigade General Magno Palmeri, where they explained how the nation’s shortcomings with respect to the state of its equipment had ultimately tainted an otherwise positive opener.

Scenario 4: Fort William Behind Us - Imperial Air Force

Unionfighters with the Luthorian Imperial Air Force on one of the aprons of the Alford Air Force Base

The Luthorian exercise established an interesting reversal for both BLUFOR and REDFOR. Whereas most scenarios up to this point had primarily begun with BLUFOR operating for a disadvantaged position, it placed the Imperial Air Force at the helm of a “well-oiled machine”. Col. Howard Caldwell, the scenarios architect, stated that it had been primarily designed to stress test the IAF’s experiences in the 2nd Kundrati War. As part of the exercise, REDFOR, which had been comprised of a mixed wing of Lodamese Navy Jump Jets and Millford and St. Christopher State Air Guard LF-15s and LF-16s, operated under the Commonwealth Air Guard’s dispersed base doctrine. In contrast, BLUFOR, which comprised the IAF’s Unionfighters, XF-43s and JF-40s, operated under their standard doctrine in the Alford Air Force Base. According to Col. Caldwell, the scenario called the IAF to attempt to disrupt REDFOR’s operations and thus reduce its operational capacity. Part of the challenge which the IAF had to overcome was, in the first instance, finding the bases. It was reported that the IAF’s four XF-43s played a major role in this section, utilising their powerful sensor package to develop a picture of the dispersed REDFOR formations. According to some IAF pilots, they had caught some of REDFOR’s aircraft in their turnaround when they were refuelling. “You could look at the targeting pod and see these faint heat signatures between trees, and while you might dismiss it as something other than an aircraft whose engine is cooling off,” Cpt. Liam Hunt, an IAF Unionfighter pilot, explained. “The scenario wasn’t aimed at determining whether they could strike targets effectively. It was more focused on whether they [the IAF’s pilots] could utilise the equipment at their possession to develop a comprehensive picture of the battlefield,” Col. Caldwell explained.

Scenario 5: Night Boat to Ananto - Kalistani Air Force

Kalistani AH-64 Jahs on the deck of the LCS-Pinsonto Amphibious Assault Ship

Although the exercise had been largely held in the highlands of southern Millford, Afterburner made an interesting detour to the Southern Mad Dog Ocean, where the scenario designed for the Kalistani contingent would have played out. Unlike the previous scenarios which had been designed and conceptualised by air force commanders from the wartime college, this exercise had been principally designed by a naval commander of the same institute, Captain Shelia Byers. According to Cpt. Byers, the exercise had been designed to place significant emphasis on the unconventional use of the Kalistani Air Force. In its regular operations, the Kalistani Air Force differs from its other regional contemporaries in that very little emphasis is placed on disciplines such as air superiority. Instead, the nation’s aerospace assets are primarily oriented towards supporting its maritime objectives. “I’ve maintained constant communications with Captain Davon Cole [the commanding officer of the Kalistani Contingent], who has played a central role in how this scenario played out for the Kalistani pilots,” Cpt. Byer said. The exercise saw AH-64s deployed on the LCS-Pinsonto, a Lodamese Navy amphibious assault ship alongside KF-25s and F/A-10 deployed from Chathill Naval Air Station in Portswood, and was primarily centred around a tiered, simultaneous naval action involving a strike against two ships and the recapture of an oil platform. The lower-tier action, the oil platform seizure, had been primarily carried out by a flight of AH-64s in tandem with rhib-borne detachments of the irregular navy. The irregular navy RHIBs were specifically tasked with boarding and recapturing the platform, whilst the AH-64s were to aid in defending the platform from incoming small oceancraft. The higher-tier action, the naval strike against the two vessels, had been carried out by a mixed flight of F/A-10s and KF-25s. Cpt. Byers noted that any realistic engagement, especially against an enemy warship, would be extremely difficult for aircraft to get ‘close enough’ to drop guided bombs. Thus, the scenario envisioned a simultaneous long-range standoff anti-ship missile-led engagement alongside a precision-guided munition strike. “The coordinated anti-ship missile strike was particularly devastating, especially given that it had virtually saturated the ship’s CIWS (close-in weapon system),” Cpt. Byer noted. She later confirmed that the two ships involved in the exercise, the LCS-Tommy Mason and the LCS-Nathan Hunt, reported that via the simulation, some 10 anti-ship cruise missiles had been fired at the vessels.

[imperialpearl]

As far as trends go, Lodamun has, for the better half of five centuries, maintained an extremely stable wildfire season, with the vast majority of “wildfires” being contained to minor blazes in often easy-to-access areas. Yet, as climate change and drier conditions continue to plague the Lodamese interior, particularly within the Kregon Plateau, some are expressing concern as to the nation’s preparedness for potentially disastrous wildfires in the future. The Lodamese Meteorological Service notes that drought conditions in South-Western Barrington, as well as above-average temperatures throughout the Kregon Plateau and central to south-eastern Millford, were part of an evolving climatic trend sweeping through the nation. “Dryer conditions are usually of particular interest during the harvest season for their implications for agricultural yield; however, we’re looking at this as we move into the wildfire season, which should be a cause for concern,” Samuel West, a meteorologist working with the LMS, suggested. He noted that although the interior had seen reasonable amounts of rain in the previous year around the same time, precipitation stands at 15% less than it was previously. According to the LMS, “Although precipitation is averaging, when coupled with above-average temperatures and drought conditions in certain patches of the interior, this could compound an already stressed situation.” At a joint press conference alongside the Director of the Rural Fire Service, Secretary of the Interior Jane Ross declared that, having reviewed the data as presented by the LMS, the wildfire season would start earlier than expected. She noted that although historically, the Lodamese wildfire season around summer, early spring had brought near-unprecedented temperatures, which led many, including the LMS, to predict that the coming summer would be considerably hotter and thus the likelihood of wildfires would undoubtedly increase. Seeking not to cause a nationwide panic amidst the shift in schedule, Secretary Ross confirmed that the Lodamese Rural Fire Service would remain the national agency responsible for coordinating wildfires throughout the nation, especially those which grow/expand beyond the capabilities of local fire and rescue services.

Although the LRFS paints itself as supposedly ready to respond to potentially disastrous wildfires, some have raised the alarm on the agency’s unpreparedness. Although tremendous amounts of money had been poured into enhancing the capabilities of the wildfire teams of the LRFS, their lack of experience in containing major wildfires has caused some to call on the Department of the Interior to expand the number of exercises conducted by the respective crews. “Lodamun has never experienced major wildfires before, especially those which have the potential of becoming uncontrollable. I would doubt the capabilities of the rescue crews given their new, fancy equipment, but when they stand in the literal heat of the moment and realise the hopelessness of their lack of experience, it would be too late,” warned veteran fireman Sebastian Baxter. Baxter is the former Commissioner of the Harrington Fire Department, the largest fire and rescue agency in Lodamun, as well as the former General Secretary of the Rescue Services Union of Lodamun. Baxter has been a longtime proponent of better national preparedness for wildfires ever since the Baltusian wildfires, which followed a devastating terror attack in that nation’s political heartland. Deputy Director of the LRFS, Bradley Hawkins, stated that whilst he recognised Baxter’s well-intentioned criticisms, it was important to differentiate between fighting regular city fires and fighting wildland fires. “Whilst I recognise the constructive nature of Mr Baxter’s statements, it should be noted that there is a clear difference between what he believes we do here and what we actually do. These are not city or suburban fires where you could bring a lot of specialised equipment to bear; these are wildfires,” Hawkins responded. Hawkins noted that he was not interested in an argument with Baxter, whom he personally respected as both men served together at the National Academy, although Hawkins went on to specialise in wildfires and Baxter focused on “regular” city/suburban fires.

[imperialpearl]

Below-average humidity and seasonal winds have sparked a series of brushfires throughout North-Eastern and South-Western Barrington, prompting the Department of the Interior to issue both air quality warnings of advisories urging potential campers and vacationers to exercise caution whilst moving through the area. For the better part of the past three years, the South-Western portions of Barrington have been experiencing a record-breaking drought, which, when coupled with increasingly dry conditions, has increased both the frequency and scale of brushfires throughout the sub-region. According to local authorities, firefighters are currently responding to more than 80 fires throughout the Mosgroves, a region categorised by a “wooded, mountainous topography”. It notes that of said fires, only five (5) have been identified by its crews as being of particular concern. The agency notes that it is common to see “spots” of brushfires throughout various regions of the country, particularly throughout the nation’s national parks and rural areas. “Much of these areas are predominantly woodland and thus susceptible to brushfires as temperatures become dry throughout the year,” a spokesperson for the LRFS explained.

With the vast majority of the brushfires currently under watch being largely concentrated within the Mosgroves, the LRFS has held off on advising local communities to evacuate. Air quality tests conducted by the Department of the Interior place levels as being slightly above the threshold, which would constitute caution. According to the DoI, whilst it continues to monitor air quality throughout the region, it nonetheless urged persons transiting through the area to move accordingly. “Notwithstanding our updated air quality data, which points to caution, we nonetheless urge the public to exercise caution whilst traversing through this region,” a statement from the Department of the Interior read. A popular tourist route, the lone route (route 13), which cuts through the Mosgroves, connects the towns of Amesford and Brewster. Forming mining and logging towns respectively, deindustrialisation in the 4800s and the shifting of much of Millford’s manufacturing activity to the northern regions of the state triggered a major economic collapse in the towns. The now derelict mines and logging mills have become museums, offering tourists but a peep into the history of industrial/economic development in Lodamun.

Owing to the region’s mountainous topography, alongside the fact that the vast majority of the fires (both minor and of concern) are either off-route or areas largely inaccessible by conventional equipment, crews have had to make the arduous treks into these areas to extinguish small brushfires. “We often have to park our equipment at the side of the highway or on these dirt sideroads and make the trek across to where we either see smoke or get reported in the helicopters,” Hudson Miranda, a volunteer with the Amesford Fire Department, said. “Our trucks simply can’t make it to where the fire is because of the lack of roads, and there is only so far they can go off-road. These are conventional Type 1 firetrucks; these aren’t the firetrucks with the lifted chassis that those LRFS boys have.” As coordination over these matters remains firmly in the hands of the Rural Fire Service, local authorities have been tasked with extinguishing the minor, more accessible (albeit by foot) fires throughout the region as the LRFS tackles the much more serious blazes.

Winds blowing in a south-eastern direction are intensifying five (5) brushfire clusters, which are becoming of great concern to the LRFS. According to the agency, although the five brushfires are manageable in their own right, the prevailing winds are pushing the clusters closer to eachother, thus increasing the potential for the formation of an uncontrollable wildfire. “We have crews out there right now positioning themselves between these fires to prevent them from merging. They’re clearing vegetation to the best of their ability in an attempt to sort of box off these things like sheep pens so we could tackle them one by one.” Regional Information Officer Hiram Sinkler explained. Sinkler stated that he hoped the coming days would lend themselves to more favourable conditions, notably calmer winds and potentially rain. “Might have to do a little rain dance, but we’re hoping to see some improved conditions, we could cap this thing out before it gets worse,” he said. The Lodamese Meteorological Service paints an otherwise gloomy picture. It notes that its predictions point to continued low humidity and moderate to strong winds, all of which can compound to create the very environment the LRFS’ firefighters are seeking to avoid. Secretary of the Interior Mary Eaton has confirmed that she had briefed President Whitmore on various brushfires and notes that Whitehall continues to monitor the situation alongside the Department of the Interior.

[imperialpearl]

Pierson County officials, on the advice of the Lodamese Rural Fire Service and the Millford Department of Forestry, have ordered the evacuation of some 10,000 persons as a wildfire once believed to have been contained to the Mosgroves is reportedly spreading rapidly. Previously warned dryer conditions alongside strong winds from the SE have drawn two brushfires together, combining them into a massive blaze which is gaining in both size and intensity. The evacuation order had been called after it became clear to both the LRFS and the Millford Department of Forestry that if not contained, the fire could potentially spread to the main road running through the county, which would trap the more than 10,000+ residents and visitors in an ever-growing cauldron of heat and asphyxiating smoke. To some long-time residents, the evacuation orders were as shocking as they were unexpected. “I’ve lived here for 20+ years and we’ve never been asked to evacuate from our town, let alone the County. It’s just a lot to process right now, you know? We’ve always heard about wildfires elsewhere, but having one directly threaten your safety and wellbeing is really world-altering,” Sofia White, a resident of Bridgewater, one of the many towns being evacuated.

LRFS crews initially deployed to the area have since drawn back, expanding their perimeter around the area where they believe the fire could potentially build mass. “The teams we initially sent in to contain the fire have since been withdrawn and they’ve spent the better half of this morning building new firelines along the perimeter of the forest line that leads directly into towns like Bridgewater and Peterson,” Hiram Sinkler, the LRFS’ Regional Information Officer for Millford, explained. Liberal estimates by crews place the fires’ current devastation at around 3,630 km2, with cost estimates inconclusive owing to the fact that crews are unable to assess the damage with greater/finer detail. In Brightmore, which is adjacent to Pierson County, officials have placed some residents on alert should the fire grow in intensity. “Right now, we continue to monitor the situation in Pierson County; however, we have put residents in the townships of Elmvern, Windsted and Townsend on alert for potential evacuation,” Sinker added. “The sky is literally turning orange. All that dust, mixed in with the smoke from the fires, the air is becoming so unbreathable here,” one resident in Elmvern commented.

Although teams continue to battle the main fire in Pierson County, minor fires are still being contained or extinguished. To the immediate east of the Pierson County wildfire, officials are battling a minor bushfire, which they warn could either grow into a wildfire the size of that in Pierson County or potentially combine with said wildfire, thus transforming into an uncontrollable “mess”. Unlike the Pierson Wildfire, the origins of this brushfire are known. Officials from the LRFS and the Cowen Fire Department noted that a series of lightning strikes combined with dry conditions of the era sparked the initial flame, with temperamental winds blowing in a northwestern direction, giving the flames the energy needed to increase in surface area. Similar to the Pierson wildfire, however, the brushfire remains tucked against the break of a minor mountain range at the eastern limits of the Kregon Plateau. LRFS firefighters have seen success in containing the fire to a 30-acre plot, with specialised brushfire trucks being sent to the fire’s perimeter. “We’ve seen some success in containing this brushfire, and now it’s a matter of extinguishing it before it breaches the perimeters or the winds pick up and draw it closer to the Pierson fire,” a crew chief with the LRFS commented.

Additional crews from other states are reportedly being called in to assist in containing the Pierson wildfire, with LRFS firefighters from Berkwaki, Millford and St. Christopher reportedly preparing to be deployed to the area. Helicopters are also being dispatched as the wildfire continues to march into increasingly difficult terrain. The Lodamese Meteorological Service has noted that with winds now moving in a south-eastern direction, smoke from the wildfire could soon blanket parts of South-Eastern Lodamun and North-Western Kalistan, as numerous air quality monitors within the Nasahatchie region are pointing to ever-decreasing values. “Right now, we’re focused on ensuring we have enough hands on deck to contain this fire. However, the LMS has noted that continued dry conditions alongside stronger winds would ultimately mean that this wildfire could spread dramatically. With smoke beginning to drift into Kalistan, we’ve already begun to brief officials there related to the circumstances of the fires. However, at this point we believe that it is within our means to contain the fire and are not, at this time, making appeals for international assistance.” James Richardson, Regional Manager for LRFS in Barrington, said.

[imperialpearl]

Smoke from the Pierson County wildfire alongside the hundreds of small brushfires currently burning in the Barrington interior has covered parts of Millford in a persistent haze, which has prompted state and local authorities to issue warnings of elevated air pollution alongside disrupted air travel throughout the state. Parts of Millford have been described as ‘hell’ as the orange tint of the smoke’s glow blots out the sun, casting a fiery summons, like nature screaming out in rage. At a press conference with the Lodamese Meteorological Service, Governor of Millford Mark Cameron noted that the wildfire in Barrington had plunged the state’s air quality index into the hazardous zone, with some parts of the state, particularly those in the north-eastern reaches, reporting the worst pollution levels in the state’s history. “The largely uncontained fires in Barrington are blanketing the state in some of the worst levels of pollution we’ve ever seen since we’ve been keeping record, I’ve been told,” Governor Cameron said. State officials have warned against strenuous outdoor activity, urging persons with serious respiratory illnesses to remain within their homes and wear protective masks. The Millford Department of Health has noted that hospitals and clinics throughout the state were reporting heightened cases of asthma attacks and other respiratory issues, stating that public health lines have been inundated with calls for persons reporting shortness of breath, coughing fits and chest pain. “Our community clinics are reporting increased instances of the symptoms of smoke inhalation, a clear factor of the wildfires,” Dr. Charles Rowland, the State’s Secretary of Health, explained.

The Lodamese Civil Aviation Commission (LCAC) has issued warnings for numerous airports throughout the state and has even grounded aircraft at Scofield Regional Airport, as smoke is reportedly hindering the visibility of pilots flying in and out of the state’s most north-eastern airport. “By the time the advisories went out, we had already left Isaac’s Peak [an alpine runway in southern millford] and were too far along our flight plan to turn around or land at an alternative airport. You see, we were flying a bizjet, a small, privately owned aircraft, so we’re not like those massive commercial airliners with large fuselages. I knew that we’d be flying via the instruments as we approached the airport. It was truly a sight. Everything was this orange-red smoke. It felt like we were flying through a cloud with no end,”  Kieran John, a pilot who flew into Scofield Regional, notwithstanding the blinding smoke. Although the wildfires have resulted in numerous domestic flights being cancelled, Secretary of Infrastructure and Transport Henry Bishop confirmed that the Department would be opening a digital platform from which persons who were directly impacted by potential flight cancellations related to the wildfires could potentially claim refunds and other benefits from their respective airline. “I think, given the impact these wildfires have had on some travellers, it would be worthwhile for us to reopen our compensation platform so that persons can claim refunds or alternative arrangements with their respective airlines,” Secretary Bishop said, speaking to reporters briefly in Kensington.

With the Rural Fire Service still battling numerous fires throughout the Barrington interior, the agency has noted that it has approached Secretary of the Interior Glenn Foster on sourcing international support. In a press release dated earlier this morning, the LRFS confirmed that it had called up additional crews from other detachments of the LRFS throughout the country alongside their equipment. It noted that it had also engaged both the Secretary of the Interior and the President on allowing the wildfire to continue burning until it is extinguished naturally, noting, however, that the damage could potentially reach in the hundreds of millions. “We have thankfully been able to rotate our singular supertanker (in the service of the Berkwaki Rural Fire Service) to Pierson County alongside another airtanker (in the service of the St. Christopher State Air Guard). We have engaged both the Secretary of the Interior and the President on letting this fire extinguish itself naturally; however, the damages could be in the hundreds of millions should it be allowed to do so,” the LRFS statement read. Secretary Foster has stated that he has called for assistance from Luthori, Hutori, Kalistan, Valruzia, Baltusia, Dolgava and Egelion, noting that the question of whether the Pierson Country wildfire would be extinguished was now a matter of manpower.

[imperialpearl]

The devastating wildfire, which tore through the Barrington interior, engulfed numerous parts of Pierson County and covered parts of Barrington and Millford in a blanket of smoke, has been finally contained, according to officials from the Lodamese Rural Fire Service. At a press conference held alongside the Governor of Barrington, Mathew Wolfe, the Director of the LRFS, Milton O'Donnell, confirmed that the wildfire’s perimeter had been finally brought under control and crews had made significant progress in extinguishing some fires within the zone. Although the announcement had undoubtedly been a major cause for celebration after citizens and emergency personnel have battled against the wildfire and its effects for the better part of a month, jubilation was nonetheless the less tempered as the County Medical Officer revealed that some 80 persons had died from numerous reasons as a result of the wildifre; be it as a result of burns or asphyxiation. Thousands of residents have been displaced as emergency shelters throughout the state have recorded heightened numbers, with reports from Kalistan pointing to hundreds of individuals and families fleeing to the Kalistani interior. Although investigations are ongoing, liberal estimates as to the damage inflicted by the wildfire hover around 5 billion LOD as the wildfire tore through numerous homes, office buildings and tens of thousands of acres of land (both public and private).

The Rural Fire Service has confirmed that the wildfire had most likely been triggered when a series of lightning storms sparked several minor fires in the county’s mostly dry forested regions. O'Donnell noted that the agency was unable to determine the exact reason as the supposed “ground-zero” site had been unreachable to investigators. He noted that the agency’s tenured and volunteer firefighters had demonstrated immense courage in battling what was once considered an “uncontrollable” wildfire. “Our firefighters have set themselves apart from all others. First one in, last one out,” O'Donnell proclaimed. He also noted the significant international assistance that had been rendered to Lodamun and the LRFS from nations such as Kalistan, Egelion, Baltusia, Hutori, Luthori, Dolgava and Valruzia. “It is in times like these that we can truly see the nations who are in our corner. Those nations that, notwithstanding their own internal struggles, answered our desperate calls for help. We are forever indebted to our partners in Kalistan, Eglion, Baltusia, Hutori, Luthori, Dolgava and Valruzia.” O'Donnell added. Helicopters and other associated equipment from foreign countries are working alongside the LRFS, local and out-of-state rescue teams and the State Air Guard in search and rescue operations. Governor Wolfe has noted that the discussions with both President George Menkyn and Secretary of the Interior Glenn Foster culminated in a guarantee that the Lodamese Army would be deployed to augment the efforts of the state and local emergency officials. “President Menkyn has assured me that the army will be deployed to augment search and rescue and general recovery efforts.”

LRFS supertankers have been conducting numerous low-flying passes throughout the county, dropping thousands of gallons of water to extinguish fires within the zone. Prior to now, much of their efforts have been geared towards containing the wildfire’s spread by dropping thousands of gallons of phos-chek, a fire retardant, along the wildfire’s perimeter. “It was really an amazing sight watching those planes make such dramatic dives, and then they dump the water on the fire. Sent chills down my spine,” one onlooker recalled. Another citizen recalled her rescue by Kalistani firefighters. “I was trapped with my two kids, and the smoke felt like it was coming from everywhere. I was screaming at the top of my lungs for help. My kids were crying…I didn’t know what to do. I think I passed out…All I could remember was seeing “Nevaran Fire and Rescue” on the firefighters’ vests as they pulled me and my children out. I owe them my life and the lives of my kids,” she recalled. Another citizen recalled watching an Egelian fire and rescue helicopter use his pool to collect water. “I was standing in my backyard when I heard this loud thumping sound. Next thing I know, there’s a helicopter hovering right above my pool. I could tell it wasn’t Lodamese cause on the side I could make out “Bombers”. They lowered the bucket, scooped up the water, the pilot waved at me, I waved back in sort of a stunned way, and they left.”

Despite their yeoman efforts, the LRFS has not escaped criticism. Some conservative county officials have stated that the wildfire would have been prevented had the agency made adequate preparations. “The Lodamese Rural Fire Service is supposed to be one of the premier firefighting agencies in the world, and you’re telling me that it was seemingly incapable of preparing for the well-anticipated drought conditions?” Oliver Ashley, a county official, questioned. Director O’Donnell rebuffed statements related to the agency’s unpreparedness, stating that the agency had been unfunded and under-resourced for decades but had nonetheless performed above and beyond its weight. He noted that it would be a disrespect to the agency’s crews to watch how long they toiled and then call it “not good enough”. With the wildfires on the backdrop of the upcoming Presidential election, DPL candidate Dr. William Stedman, an environmental scientist, has stated that if elected, he would commit to a dramatic increase in the agency’s funding and would not, unlike his opponents, commit to surrendering the agency’s obligations to private-sector entities.

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The Lodamese Navy and Marine Corps have long staked their claim to an enduring capacity for expeditionary warfare, as evidenced in the procurement of landing platform docks, amphibious assault ships, and aircraft carriers, yet both services believe that is nonetheless room for improvement. With work currently being done in designing and developing a new series of ships from lower-intensity conflict in otherwise difficult to reach parts of the world, the Lodamese Navy believes that the deployment of amphibious assault ships and LHDs, are in some instances risky owing to the considerable risk these ships are exposed to in said unnavigable parts of the world. In sending out a request for proposals, the Defence Procurement Administration (DPA) on behalf of the Lodamese Navy and Marine Corps highlighted the importance of the need for an adaptable, persistent, and less vulnerable platform for operations in challenging environments where the deployment of larger ships may be at undue risk or considered ‘overkill’ for the mission at hand. Cowgill-Masterson Maritime Engineering (CMME), the nation’s largest shipbuilding firm, won the DPA bid, with its ‘Expeditionary Support Ship (ESS)’ concept, which boasts of a ‘scalable’ option for expeditionary operations. According to a press release from the company, the ESS establishes a new sub-class of vessel which provides the Navy and Marine Corps in particular, with the capacity to bring firepower similar to an amphibious assault ship on station alongside the flexibility to be a forward base for other, independent operations.
 
The Lodamese Navy and Marine Corps have ordered a total of four (4) vessels, which they note will form the backbone of the nation’s expeditionary operations in the often difficult to navigate parts of Dovani, the White Ocean and the Migrant’s Pass. Interestingly, CMME confirmed that the vessel had garnered interest from Kalistan. As was demonstrated during the recent Afterburner Exercise, wherein Kalistani pilots conducted a series of at-sea scenarios wherein they demonstrated the lethality of attack helicopters in low intensity surface warfare action, the ESS provided the nation with a unique opportunity to leverage this advantage against would-be adversaries in the Anantonese Ocean. “Similar to an AAS, the ESS would provide the Kalistanis with a platform capable of hosting helicopters for at-sea action. Beyond that, the ESS is capable of acting as a quasi-command and control node for other ships in the area, particularly smaller vessels, recognising the historic tactics of the nation’s irregular navy,” CMME notes. For the Lodamese Navy, the ESS is primarily being advanced as a platform capable of being a major command and control node for unmanned drones. Being the first nation to leverage the potential of drones at scale, the Lodamese Navy is gradually moving towards being developing and deploying increased numbers of unmanned drones in otherwise contentious areas of the world. Rumours surrounding the development of an autonomous underwater vehicle ultimately align with the Navy’s intentions for the ESS as it believes that it can be the platform responsible for the launch and recovery of such AUVs.

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In a stunning political victory, Dr William Stedman has been elected President of Lodamun, dashing the pre-election polling predictions of his opponent, Richard Perkins’s success. Dr Stedman’s electoral victory represents a major turn around for the Democratic Party of Lodamun (DPL) which had been trailing behind Perkin’s ‘Progressive Independent Coalition (PIC)’, who rode on the waves of broad dissatisfaction of the previous Menkyn Administration’s domestic economic policies and the nation’s standing in the global community amidst its unceremonious withdrawal from the Anantonese Empire. Perkins, a popular lawyer and television personality, had branded himself a “disruptor”, a self-described consequence of the nation’s single-party dominant political system’s roosters coming home to hatch. He gained significant notoriety at the latter end of President George Menkyn’s final term, as he railed against the administration’s failures to ‘lift the national spirit’ and ‘point the people to something, anything better’. 

Menkyn, uncertain of the prospects of his re-electability, had announced via a televised address that he would not seek re-election and that he would not ‘stand in the way of up-and-coming persons in the party with the energy and the ideas needed to move the nation into a new era.’ During the Democratic presidential primaries, Dr Stedman set himself apart from other candidates, including veteran political and senator Travis Hodge and Vice-President Aaron Thompson, by placing his experience as an academic, being an environmental scientist, at the forefront of much of his campaigning and messaging. Emerging victorious from the primaries as the DPL’s presidential nominee, Dr Stedman’s political messaging ultimately placed him in direct conflict with Perkins, who campaigned on the idea that substantive change was needed in Lodamun and that the long-standing DPL could not be trusted to effect that change. “That party has governed this nation for decades, if not centuries,” Perkins declared at a rally in Portswood. “And what do we have to show for it beyond stagnation and a people starved of vision? Mr. Stedman may cloak himself in the veneer of the ‘New Democrats’, but he still flies the old banner. If it is change that we want in Lodamun, it won’t come from the Stedman and DPL.”

President Menkyn’s decision to retire from professional politics and Stedman’s ascension as the party’s likely candidate for the Presidency did not immediately boost voter confidence in the DPL’s electoral prospects. Stedman, who was largely an unfamiliar face, was ultimately set against the more popular and recognisable Perkins. Although he had set a clear distance between himself and Menkyn, pre-election polling noted that it was simply not enough to sway those voters who had left the DPL in favour of Perkins’ new Independent Coalition, comprised of numerous predominantly centrist independent politicians. It was only through Stedman’s decision to announce former Merchant-General Hank Wexler as his Vice-President did the party’s polling began to close the gap. Wexler, who had branded himself a non-nonsense politician, had etched a segment of the political voting base, focusing on those Lodamese citizens who were primarily concerned with the nation’s foreign standing, especially amidst Lodamun’s withdrawal from the Anantonese Empire. Voters resoundingly handed the victory to Dr Stedman and the DPL after it was announced that he had swept all five states and the Native Territories, securing the popular vote against Perkins by a margin of around 4 million votes. 

In post-election polls, many voters attributed Stedman’s victory and Perkins’ rejection to both the former’s academic, near-technocratic campaign strategy and numerous gaffes from the Perkins camp, which soured his image as a serious contender. Among the most damaging of these missteps was a leaked recording meeting Perkins and members of his campaign team wherein he referred to undecided voters as “asleep at the wheel of destiny,” a comment that drew broad criticism from across the political spectrum, even garnering a rebuking from President George Menkyn, who had largely remained in the background during much of the campaigning. Additionally, Perkins’ refusal to release a detailed policy platform on areas such as the economy, crime, defence, social welfare, education and foreign policy until late in the campaign led to many accusing him of being more showman than statesman. “I mean, he puts on that greatest showman act, but when it comes down to it, he really isn’t ready to govern this country,” one voter noted.

In front of thousands of well-wishers at the party’s headquarters in Kensington, President-elect Stedman stated that he had no intention of ‘letting the Lodamese people down’, and that his administration would work to fundamentally transform Lodamun in the same spirit of renewal seen under the Neilson, Carver and Hanlon Administrations. One of the centre-pieces of his electoral campaign had been a revitalisation of Lodamese infrastructure, with a unique focus on returning the Civil Projects Administration (CPA) to its original mandate of constructing major infrastructure projects. Stedman noted that the Lodamese economy had ultimately suffered from a lack of core infrastructure investment and that the CPA ought to lead a revolution in infrastructure development from roads, bridges, airports and seaports. Owing to his background in environmental science, he also proposed that the Research Projects Administration broaden the scale and scope of research categories such that the entity becomes more involved in areas such as climate change adaptation, renewable energy technologies, and sustainable resource management, in addition to its existing work. He proposed a major restructuring of federal administration, favouring the establishment of a Department of Civic Services to ‘modernise government’, from the local to federal level. 

Wexler, who campaigned on strengthening the Harrington Company’s presence on the world stage, has argued for the company to abandon most of, if not all of its ‘corporate’ venture such as its cruise ship line in favour of remaining strictly involved in international oceanic trade alongside expanding the company’s charter to include the possibility of it maintaining a full-time, private and regulated militia/army. Beyond these keynote issues, Stedman also campaigned on a re-industrialisation effort for Lodamun, focusing on providing broad government subsidies for new and existing industries, including the automotive sector, heavy industry, petrochemicals, green technology, and semiconductors.

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Against the backdrop of the nation’s otherwise deteriorating relationship with its closest neighbour, the assessment of Baltusia’s role on the Seleyan continent, according to the ovations of Kalistani media, primarily surrounds its enabling of interlopers. Its signing of a trade agreement with the putsch regime in the eastern Artanian peninsula has drawn considerable ire from the Kalistani heartland, as they draw parallels between Johnston’s actions and a broader pattern of foreign powers legitimising what those in Kaliburg regard as an illegal and destabilising regime. For Kensington, there is a degree of concurrence, yet in stark contrast to Kaliburg, both the previous Menkyn Administration and the incumbent Stedman Administration have opted to ignore the situation entirely, having refrained from commentary on Kaliburg’s grievances for the better part of decades. The political and economic fallout between Kalistan and Baltusia has proven difficult for the administration to sidestep as a growing chorus of opposition and independent lawmakers has accused Stedman’s government of complacency, warning that the nation’s inaction, notwithstanding its tacit approval, was becoming increasingly indistinguishable from complicity. At Kalistani ports, Baltusian products have been the subject of increased scrutiny, which in turn has caused significant disruptions despite reassurance from the local authorities. Remarkably, President Stedman expressed his administration’s intent to redefine its relationship with Baltusia, seemingly using the current impasse between Johnston and Kaliburg to reset the two nations’ decades-long relationship.

Merchant-General Carolyn Makinen has reportedly been dispatched to Johnston, where she will sign a new trade agreement with the Baltusian Government. While careful not to frame the visit as a rebuke of Baltusia’s foreign policy engagements, some have noted that the inference to be drawn from Kaliburg is likely one of affirmation in its conviction that a growing number of nations appear willing to place economic expedience over the collective principle of condemning the presence of interlopers. In a statement prior to her departure, MG Makinen outlined the parameters for her forthcoming dialogue with Baltusian officials, affirming that whilst the Lodamese Government would not seek to make a pariah out of a nation it has shared decades, if not centuries of positive relations with, a new series of “red lines” would not be crossed. She specified that any Baltusian products or services, with a direct connection to the putsch regime in the eastern Artanian peninsula, or involving manpower sources from said state, would be excluded from any prospective agreement. “These aspects are non-negotiables and will extend to capital and people. The Harrington Company is not interested in enabling the laundering of what we [the HC] consider illicit trade through legitimate channels,” the statement read. At the substantive press conference, President Stedman noted that the success of a re-defined relationship between Lodamun and Baltusia was incumbent on the latter, emphasising that adherence to the administration’s “red lines” would be crucial to positive engagement between the two countries. “It would be disheartening to apply our Likatonian policy to Baltusia,” Stedman warned, referencing Lodamun’s rejection of cross-border trade between Likatonia and Lodamun and the erection of a border fence between the two states.

MG Makinen is reportedly being accompanied by numerous members of the business community, particularly those involved in mining operations. Despite the visit’s intensity, many within the Lodamese mining sector have viewed the visit as an opportunity to “break in” to a sector which they have historically been “locked out of”. Cranston Bay Propriety (CBP), one of Lodamun’s largest mining firms, has stated that Baltusia’s rich copper reserves could prove extremely beneficial for Lodamese semiconductor manufacturers. The company’s CEO, Sylvester Barrera, who is accompanying MG Makinen on the visit, stated that although the firm had traditionally operated in the iron ore and bauxite business, it would be “a new experience” to become involved in copper mining. President and CEO of Digital Instruments, the world’s largest and oldest semiconductor manufacturing company, Orville Hansen, confirmed that the company had its eyes on potentially establishing a fabrication plant within the country, likely acting through its Gaduridos-based subsidiary FEM (Fabricantes Electrónicos Málalona). According to Hansen, a fabrication plant in Baltusia would provide Digital Instruments with a unique opportunity to “friendshore”, that being to centre much of its foreign manufacturing around/within nations it considers “friendly” to Lodamese business and Lodamun as a whole. As the nation’s foremost export and import credit agency, the Harrington Company has noted that within the framework of the Stedman Administration’s red lines, the company would support Lodamese businesses seeking to expand to Baltusia and vice versa to the tune of around 5 billion LOD over the very long term. Officials from the Harrington Company have noted that should the trade agreement be signed and ratified a compliance board is likely to be established as a means of ensuring Lodamese goods do not enter that putsch state on the eastern artanian peninsula, however some trade analysts have noted that the success of such a compliance board would be dubious at best.

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It would not be irregular, nor unsubstantiated, for one to conclude that in an era marked by technological advancement and an increasingly homogenised world, that indigenous knowledge systems, be they folklore, language or medical practice/experience, are now at risk of being completely erased from human memory. The pitfalls of society’s insatiable hunger for more have exposed these otherwise intimate relations with one’s land, community and tradition to the red-hot heat of modernisation. Those practices which had once guided communities of people through drought, ceremony, conflict, and harvest are now too often being dismissed as anecdotal, unscientific and/or irrelevant. Indigenous healing techniques such as prayer, chants, drumming, singing, storytelling, and the use of sacred objects are now being placed alongside the likes of crystal healing as ‘pseudoscience’ as some scientists have noted the lack of empiricism behind much of the practices found within indigenous medical tradition. 

It was this wave of scepticism that initially prompted the Sovereign University of the Native Territories to establish its Centre for Indigenous Research, squarely aimed at adding empiricism to long-held indigenous knowledge. By applying ethnopharmacology, archaeoastronomy, etc, the centre would primarily aim to boost the efficacy of indigenous science, thereby enabling it to be considered as serious as, say, chemistry, physics and biology. “What we wanted to do with the CIR was to remove doubt related to our traditions. It is my firm belief that much of the skepticism held by some of my ‘collegues’ in other universities throughout the country is steeped in racism and that we are attempting to do here is to add that scientific rigour what centuries of testimonials have spoken to: indigenous practices work,” Dr. Atsila Woodpar, an ethnopharmacologist and the Director of the CIR.

Dr. Woodpar stated that one of the Centre’s first initiatives would be both the development of an encyclopaedia of indigenous medicine alongside a dictionary of indigenous language. On the former, she explained that the CIR’s Department of Indigenous Health & Healing Practices, led by Dr. Sinopa Hobbs, would engage shamans from across the various tribal communities, including the Ilutat, Inuwatu, Mirowak, Paasat, Paluk and Sarnaaq. Much of the initiative’s work would be primarily focused on documenting the various ethnopharmacological make-up of various indigenous medicinal plants and herbs. Dr Hobbs noted that her team, which comprised both undergraduate and postgraduate students alongside tenured researchers, would conduct interviews and build out the encyclopedia. It is expected to take on the shape of both a physical and digital database wherein persons can insert questions and the database would produce information on the various herbal treatments related to the question. 

“We want it such that when someone asks the database a question, it spits out three things: (1) detailed but digestible information on the various indigenous medicinal remedies, (2) the science behind how the remedy works and (3) detailed videographic guides on how to prepare the medical treatment. So for example someone has a headache and queries the database, it produces information on (1) a decoction of willow bark; (2) a description of willow bark’s anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties and (3) a detailed video guide (performed by a saman) on how to prepare the willow bark for consumption. That is the extent of what we want to do with this encyclopaedia,” Dr. Hobbs explained. Dr. Hobbs noted that the encyclopaedia would not replace the community shaman as it would not provide individual (specific) consultation and diagnosis as one would have with a shaman or tribal doctor.

On the tribal dictionary, Dr. Woodpar stated that the initiative is expected to be the largest of its kind as it would be the first attempt by any entity to formally document an indigenous language. She noted that the existence of the various aforementioned tribal communities is such that each community speaks its own language, albeit with a commonality in certain words, phrases and dialects. The initiative, according to Dr. Woodpar, is likely to draw the CIR’s Departments of: Language Revitalisation & Linguistics; Historical Memory & Decolonial Archives; Indigenous Arts, Storytelling & Material Culture; and Indigenous Education & Pedagogical Practices together to document indigenous linguistics and storytelling. Dr. Nastas Moss, the head of the Department of Language Revitalisation & Linguistics and the initiative’s principal coordinator, noted that the dictionary would likely mirror the Tropican dictionary with respect to its scope and usability. 

He noted that much of the inputs would primarily come from interviews with tribal leaders and historians as he explained that the creation of an indigenous dictionary was not as simply as asking the meaning of certain words, but understanding the context through which the words were developed and giving the user/reader a greater understanding of its use. “A dictionary of this scale isn’t as simple as asking what the Sarnaaq word for meeting is, or what the Ilutat word is for river. It goes beyond that to show the etymology of these words, to show how they ought to be used in context and more importantly, how to pronounce them. Part of that process is listening and recording the history of our communities,” Dr Moss said. The Bureau of Native Affairs has expressed interest in collaborating with the SUNT on providing manpower and modern transcribing technology, recognising that, similar to the encyclopaedia, much of the personnel behind the dictionary initiatives would likely be students, researchers and other volunteers.