Kalistan

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Chancellor announces new Round of Naval Construction
First Regular Navy and Regular Marines to be Aggrandized
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 7, 5687


Chancellor announces naval construction to begin in Kaliburg in August

The Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Ericka Donahue has finally announced the beginning of the newest round of naval construction. "Due to increased security demands on the 1st Regular Fleet in the Northern Anantonese Ocean, we are finally beginning naval construction," said the Chancellor before the National Assembly. "Her Highness, the Princess Regent has approved plans from Her Imperial Majesty's Defensse Ministry and KalMilInCo to either re-commission or newly construct a Surface Combat Group which will act as a rapid response force in the region, and will be stationed at the Luncasi Naval Logistics Center, when completed. This Surface Group will allow the Defense Ministry to better calibrate its resources throughout the rest of the Ocean, to better secure our portion of the world against external threats and better enhance the security of our neighboring nations."

The Chancellor laid out the plan in phases. "The new Group will consist of a new Kaliburg-C Class destroyer, 2 recommissioned and one new Luxon Class Guided Missile Cruisers and 3 Bekenial III Multipurpose Frigates, repurposed from the 2nd Fleet. A compliment of supply, patrol and logistics ships will also be attached to the surface group but will be responsible to assist with supply of the entire 1st Regular Fleet from Luncasi and Port Swedes. The Second Fleet will receive 2 recommissioned and 2 newly constructed Ontiveros Class Frigates to replace the Bekenial ships."

The Chancellor said that the recommissioned ships were part of the decommissioned 4th Expeditionary Fleet which was completed about 15 years ago. Many of the ships of the navy were sent to Port Elga where they awaited deconstruction, but the ships which will go to the new Surface Fleet are ones that were not dismantled, but held in reserve. "We do need to refit the ships we are recommissioning," said the Chancellor. "Their armaments, electronics and etc., were removed when they were sent to Port Elga to be stripped and dismantled, but rearming and refitting them for additional service will allow us to deploy them within six months rather than six years. Meanwhile, we will get busy with the new construction at Kaliburg Ship Yards. Each ship will take about 9 months to lay in and then another 15 to 18 months to finish construction, so we're looking at 2 years on the new Destroyer and new Frigates." The support and logistics ships will be built concurrently in Port Elga and at the Shipyards at Puerto Gaduri, in Ciudad de Gaduri. Once the compliment of the Surface Combat Group is launched completely, the replacement Frigates for the 2nd Regular Fleet stationed at Yoshimi Naval Station will be constructed.

"The Surface Combat group is meant to function as a rapid response unit," said the Chancellor. "It's not meant to fight pitched battles. It is instead designed to respond in an emergency to buy the rest of the fleet time to arrive in theater. It will also perform various activities in the Northern Anantonese Ocean such as recon and shadowing of movements in theater, escort operations, complement our on shore missile defense systems, and deterrence. The surface group itself isn't enough to take on an entire advancing navy, especially one with modern air on station from an aircraft carrier, by itself. But it does pack enough firepower to make engagement costly for whoever decides to try it. This is the essence of Kalistani Naval Doctrine: We may not win, but we definitely will make the loss as unnecessarily costly as possible, so the victory when obtained, will not be worth the cost in lives and materiel for the other side."

The Chancellor stated that the addition of the base lease in Luncasi made the expansion possible. "Of course the Luncasi base is not a permanent fixture for Kalistan in southern Kizenia. But in keeping with the general spirit of keeping the Southern Coast completely demilitarized, Luncasi was designated a Naval Logistics Center. The base itself possesses only two battalions of Imperial Marines as permanent personnel; While the Surface group is in port, they will be considered training personnel, and the only regularly stationed naval vessels will be the Logistics and Support ships. But Bozo River CAGTC, which serves as home to the 1st Fleet really cannot accept new ships, and Port Swedes it itself also a Logistics Port. Without Luncasi, the 1st Fleet would not be able to enlarge its mission in this fashion."

The Chancellor also announced that the Marine Corps will add two additional regiments of Naval Artillery. "One Battalion will be attached to the new Surface Group, while other Battalions will be spread across the various anti-ship batteries, OTH radar installations, in Ananto, and new Missile Defensive batteries planned across Ananto and Vrassa." The Chancellor said the new force size increases are necessary as a precaution. "We note the vigor that Lodamun adopted in Missile defense, and as we see that as the next hot theater in warfare, this is about Kalistan getting prepared, in the event that an unknown commodity comes into power somewhere in our neighborhood and decides to start firing either conventional, or heaven forbid, unconventional missiles at people."

The Chancellor concluded her speech on procurement and recommissioning of a significant portion of the old 4th Fleet: "Her Highness, the Princess Regent believes that it never hurts to be prepared, and as with the Navy, our goal is to make any attack on the Empire or Northern Seleya as painful to the attacker as we possibly can: the cost of war against Kalistan is now and always far more costly than any gain they will get from attacking, and the tactics must always be absolute demoralization of the enemy, through whatever means handy." She also announced that the Princess Regent will travel with the Chancellor of the Empire, and Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign and Defense Ministers to Lodamun in August of this year to renew talks about intelligence sharing and defense cooperation, and Northern Seleyan Security. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Collins will remain in Kaliburg during the trip, where she will be preparing for the coming school year.

"The Regent also doesn't want to take a chance travelling internationally with the Empress in Waiting at this point," said the Chancellor. "She is skeptical of air travel, but Lodamun and Kalistan are connected by passenger rail, so those concerns are alleviated."

@TheRepublic