Kalistan

[Doc]

Empress takes tour of Military facilities across Empire
Orders audit of Regular Air Force
Sulu AFB, Dahriel, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 10, 5698


Empress and Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Defense Cmdr. Jane Smith visit Sulu AFB

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto began a comprehensive tour of Kalistan's Military Installations this week after returning from her extended vacation in Athosia in May and June. She was accompanied by her spokeswoman, Lady Renee Houston and Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Defense, Naval Commander Jane Smith. The two started their tour in Kaliburg, where they visited the Kaliburg National Shipyards, the Port Davon Naval Recruit Training Center, and the Kaliburg Arsenal. They then went to Dahriel to visit Fort Henry Allen and Sulu AFB.

At Sulu AFB, Her Imperial Majesty announced her desire to begin Airforce modernization and redeployment to better adjust to imperatives of Fortress Kalistan. "We would like to see Sulu AFB's role in Ananto expanded," she said. "We rely on the Naval Air Station in Dulnerstaad primarily for early detection and interception, and we would like to dramatically increase the contingent here at Sulu in support of the NAS' role in threat detection and inception." The Empress announced her intention to relocate multiple AWACS units from the Mainland, who are stationed at Fort Bjorn NAS in Eshar to Sulu, along with multiple wings of multipurpose fighter/interceptors. "Dulnerstaad's mission will change from interception to purely early detection, and their will be supported over the Northern Anantonese Ocean from Fort Bjorn and Port Swedes Naval Air Station in Swedeport."

According to Lady Houston, Her Imperial Majesty has also ordered the Regular Airforce to conduct a full audit of Kalistani air assets, both in the Regular Air Force and in Naval Air. "Kalistan certainly has more shore-based air attached to the Navy than to the Air Force, whose primary mission is to conduct operations over land. It is Her Imperial Majesty's desire to increase the size of her Air Force to something closer to parity between the Air Force and the Navy. It is her belief that as other nations increase the sizes of their navies, not only should her Air Force prepare to provide an important second wave of air in and over Kalistan and Ananto, but also to prepare for much heavier air combat over our nation.

"To this end, Her Imperial Majesty felt that it is important that Kalistan take inventory to see what we have, what we need, and how it fits into Fortress Kalistan. We are still awaiting news of potential missile defense technology from Lodamun to complement the missile defense we have on board several of the joint Hutori-Kalistan built frigates known as Bekenial III, but meanwhile, she will also want to beef up air assets, to continue preponderance of force in our immediate neighborhood."

The tour will continue in Bozo River and Dulnerstad, before travelling to Vrassa for a tour of the major installations in Kalistan Proper. Her Imperial Majesty and her Defense Minister also intend to travel to Bentasur Naval Base in Gaduridos to tour the outpost which is home to the 3rd Regular Navy that guards the southern approaches to the Empire. "Her Imperial Majesty also wishes to visit the OTH radar sites on Marlingantos and will meet with Her Excellency, the Viceroy Lady Anantonia Alvarez-Urquizo to talk about Gaduri defense needs. It is possible that during the visit, the Empress will propose the addition of a small naval air contingent to Bentasur--At the moment, there is no Kalistani air in Gaduridos, and the Empire relies exclusively on wide ranging naval patrols in the central Anantonese Ocean. Any air contingent would be designed to simply delay until units could be deployed from Kalistan to respond to any threat, but it is also possible that Lady Alvarez may ask Her Imperial Majesty not to station air units in Gaduridos at all, and merely continue presence with the 3rd Fleet."

Lady Houston said that Her Imperial Majesty is pleased with the high level of professionalism in the Regular Force that she has reviewed so far. "These young men and women are among the most highly trained, more efficient fighting forces we have seen so far in this Empire. It is generations of attention to professionalization and technical proficiency that was stressed by Empress Mary, and Emperor Fredrick and Empress Jennifer that is now paying dividends for Kalistan. For what we are, an explicitly non-nuclear fighting force, which focuses on defense rather than the extremely expensive force projection, we are a premier defensive force in this region. Our ancestors who had to merely tolerate with the the incredibly disrespectful impunity of foreign states, would be very proud of what our Empire has accomplished in the way of national and regional defense, and Her Imperial Majesty acknowledges this with talking to the men and women of her Armed Forces."

@TheRepublic