Kalistan

[Doc]

[

Major Summer Exercises take place in Ananto
Lodamun and Dolgava join Kalistani Regulars and Militia to simulate Invasion of Island
Bozo River CAGTC, Bozo River, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 14, 5688


Lodamese and Dolgavan Mechanized Infantry "Invade" Ananto as part of Operation Emerald exercises this month

Ananto is being invaded!

Not really, but this month, Kalistan hosts Lodamun and the Kingdom of Dolgava for what Her Imperial Majesty's Defense Ministry is calling "Operation Emerald", a series of war games designed to simulate a coordinated and sustained invasion effort by a determined and superior foreign force. The games are designed to help Kalistani planners identify and learn how to counter an array of regular tactical programs that Kalistan could theoretically face in the near future, as well as give both Lodamese and Dolgavan forces practical experience in beach operations, military operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) tactics and Air-Ground-Sea coordination.

"This is a school environment," said Defense Ministry spokeswoman Commander Lauren Noe. "Bozo River CAGTC is the Anantonese region's greatest training facility. We offer a range of different terrains here that Regulars both at home and in allied nations will encounter in modern warfare, from the beach to the mountainside, rural and more developed areas, and arguably the largest free fire impact area in the world for artillery, naval bombardment, aerial bombing ranges, and large arms. It is Kalistan's primary training and maneuver area, and it serves us now as host to Operation Emerald.

During the month long exercise, which is half over, naval units took the spotlight for the first week and a half, as elements of the Kalistani Regular Navy and Amphibious element of the Militia attempted to stop the advancing Lodamese Navy at sea. Kalistani subs faced off against Lodamun underwater in a two day event, while several surface battles were simulated, including naval boarding and capture. "Well, in a sense the events were scripted, in that Lodamun was supposed to win these exercises. It's kind of the only way to get to the second part of the operation, which is invasion. But the drills we had scheduled were much more like detection and tracking, developing firing solutions with new technology, intercepting dummy missiles, that kind of stuff. So the wargames at sea had more to do with developing and practicing the capacity of our respective navies than they were about facing off and scoring points."

Reports were that Kalistan was able to deploy its surfaced based anti-missile technology native to the joint Kalistani-hutori developed and Hutorian built Bekenial III Frigates to great effect, allowing the systems to intercept rates to crawl above 90%. Of the 48 dummy cruise missiles fired at Kalistani ships, Kalistan was able to intercept 44 of them, giving them a success rate of 91.6%. "That's an excellent number," said Noe. "That system will save a lot of lives against conventional weaponry." A quasi-combat environment for Kalistani operators to test the anti-missile technology in the field was one of the primary impetuses of these exercises.

Lodamese and Dolgavan AAVs at the established beachhead at Bozo River

Phase 2, which began three days, also included Dolgavan marine forces from the 2nd and 5th Armored divisions, which joined Lodamese Mechanized infantry and assorted amphibious assault forces for an invasion of Ananto. Simultaneous bombing and naval artillery operations were carried out in advance, including a spectacular display of barrage techniques that impressed the Kalistani Observers. "When you get those guns roaring, its like a constant thrum that permeates all matter in the area," said Commander Noe. "A full Naval barrage is really something to experience."

As part of the phase, more dummy missiles were fired at the Kalistani coast for coastal batteries to attempt to shoot down. The land based installations slightly outperformed their naval counterparts, with a successful intercept rate of 92.1%. "Its unlikely that we will intercept every missile that comes our way," said Commander Noe. "There are a number of reasons for that, which are systemic and out of human control. Delayed triggering, failure to acquire the target, targeting malfunction or misidentification... Etc. The point is, however that if we can prevent more than 90% of these missiles from ever reaching their target, we virtually eliminate more technologically advanced nations who put exponentially inordinate sums of money into these systems."

The Commander continued, saying that neutralizing other nations' advantages, specifically those designed to separate their fighting men and women from combat, is part of Kalistan's defensive doctrine. "When all the technological bells and whistles are rendered useless, and its just a man with a weapon and a clean shot on an enemy, you know, the fundamentals of war which have been with man since the dawn of war, which is, incidentally, a feature you are gonna find in asymmetric battles, Kalistan can win on those terms. We can create infinite rifles and infinite bullets with the money they spend on one missile system. The funniest thing is, most modern nations rely, we may say, over rely on that kind of stuff, and they think it helps them win wars. Maybe against other conventional forces, but Kalistan wants to fight unconventionally, and regular forces have a difficult time dealing with that. War ain't supposed to be safe, but we want them to come here and fight here: we're gonna make sure we do everything we can to make war unsafe for invaders, and we're training to murder any sons of a b--ch invader who steps foot on Kalistani National Soil by the boatload, as viciously and without quarter as we possibly can."

The initial part of Phase 2 allowed Lodamun and Dolgava to practice their beach assault tactics, as wave after wave of Loadmese and Dolgavan forces brought LAVs, troop carriers, supplies and bodies ashore from Lodamese Amphibious Assault Ships off Ananto's Coast. Kalistani observers coordinated naval artillery fire with the Lodamese, and got to observe amphibious tactics with the Lodamese Navy. "These guys are hardcore," said Commander Noe. "They don't play around. Very professional, very mission oriented, very efficient. It really was a treat to see how well their get all this equipment and supplies and people onto these landing craft. The Lodamese Regulars were in high spirits, and it just looked like they were having fun out there, but I think its a kind of fun, so to speak, that comes with a high level of confidence in your own ability and systems, which made it a real treat to get to observe."

Kalistani Regulars marching to the "front" on Bozo River last week

Beachhead being set up, the next two weeks will be the "battle" so to speak where the joint forces will discuss different tactics for engagement. Kalistan will be on defense, while Lodamun and Dolgava take offense. There will be a "city battle" at the MOUT course which will involve house to house battle similar to the kind of combat Kalistan and Lodamun saw during the invasion of Likatonia. "Kalistanis earned a bad reputation during that whole affair," said Commander Noe. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Lodamese and Dolgavans employed some of Kalistan's tactics from that battle on this battlefield." Maneuver, ambush, civilian infrastructure demolition, and stress combat will also be explored over the next two week.

"We'll be 'enemies' over the next two weeks," said Commander Noe, "but when operations for the day are over, the Lodamese, Dolgavans and Kalistanis all agreed that fraternization between our forces should be encouraged. Part of this exercise is also to encourage our men and women under arms to get to meet our allies, and genuinely see them as allies. We can do this through inspiring competition on the battlefield, and in encouraging them to billet together, probably drink together, and get to know one another not as that Dolgavan or Lodamese over there, but as Corporal so and so, Lieutenant so and so, because we are all fighting on the same team here."

The culmination of the wargames will come in two weeks in a large, multi unit, multi front pitched battle. "It will be a veritable Combined Arms showcase, with air on station, being directed by artillery FOs, around tank and infantry maneuver, with naval units in support. The whole thing will involve Lodamese needing to locate, close with and defeat the Kalistanis, and the Kalistanis being required to hold a specified part of the training center that includes the MOUT course, the Forest Partisan training center, and the Bozo Mountains High Altitude Maneuver center. Points will be awarded for control of specific hardpoints in the battlefield, and the 'winners' will be decided based on the number of hardpoints controlled when the exercise is called. The focus will be on maneuver and employment of both conventional and unconventional tactics."

Commander Noe said that Kalistan greatly appreciates the participation of both Lodamun and Dolgava in the exercises. "These are nations we can trust: they are both very professional fighting forces, on par with anyone who Kalistan would consider rivals, and their willingness to participate helps our military learn and practice for when one of those rivals decides to threaten Kalistani interests at home or abroad. If we can do well here against the combined force of Lodamun and Dolgava, even if we narrowly lose the exercises, we will gain the confidence in our own armed forces that will bot only allow us to adjust, but also to signal to the world that Kalistan can at least hold its own. And at the end of the day, that's the only credible thing we can put on the table in any international negotiation where we desire to avoid war all together."

@TheRepublic