Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

The Lodamese Armed Forces opened an assault on Likatonia earlier this morning with a series of coordinated attacks against military targets and associated infrastructure in what the Department of Defence (DoD) has called a “disruption strike”. As the war against Kundrati continues and amidst Likatonia’s broadening role in the conflict, the DoD had long concluded that the nation constituted a grave threat to regional security owing to both continued presence of Kundrati troops in Likatonia and the nation’s fervent support of the putsch regime in Kasaema. Consent for broad and open hostilities between Likatonia and Lodamun had been gradually built and had been largely precipitated by the latter’s inherent suspicion of the former’s change in step away from the Luthorian Commonwealth and into the arms of the otherwise uncertain Kundrati Legionary State. Via a specially convened jointed session of the National Congress, President William Tabner stated that it was imperative that Lodamun “severe fascism’s foothold on the Seleyan continent,” adding that the nation could no longer sit idly and support its allies against Kundrati from the sidelines. 

“Fascism and its supporters must be stomped out of the Seleyan continent as it has no place nor role in our modern space. Thus, we can no longer sit idly and support our allies from the sidelines, but we must meet these clear threats to regional and global security with our strength,” President Tabner proclaimed. Intelligence reports suggested that although Likatonia’s role in the conflict thus far had been largely limited to augmenting the efforts of the Kundrati Navy in its engagements against the Kalistani Regular Navy in the Artanian Sea, their presence nonetheless poses a serious challenge to Kalistani defence planners as they adjust to the reality of waging a conflict against two nations, given the otherwise professional acumen of Kalistani sailors. President Tabner pointed to this as further causation for Lodamese offensive action against Likatonia. “It is clear that Likatonia’s support for Kundrati, although minimal and largely contained to naval engagements with the Kalistani Regular Navy, has undoubtedly tipped the scales in favour of Kasaema. The enabling hand Likatonia has had in advancing Kundrati’s efforts against our allies must be checked,” Tabner concluded.

At a press conference held at the Department of Defence building in Kensington, Secretary of Defence Andrew Jordan alongside Chairman of the Combined Chiefs General Steve Bradford and the Commander of SELCOM (Seleyan Command) Lt. General Dave Sullivan, Secretary Jordan established that the aforementioned air attack had been aimed at crippling Likatonia’s ability to pose a serious threat to Lodamese operations going forward. Here he noted that the recently assembled Defence Council had been deliberating what an opening strike against Likatonia would look like, with some of the proposals ranging from an amassed artillery barrage across the country to an indiscriminate aerial bombing campaign. It was ultimately decided that a disruption strike against the Likatonian Air Force and key strategic military targets would be the backbone of Lodamun’s “opening volley” in the war. Electronic warfare aircraft from the Lodamese Air Force took off from numerous airfields throughout Lodamun with the intent of establishing a screen for F-16s and F-15s from the Commonwealth Air Guard and the Lodamese Air Force to begin their sorties. 

Lt. General Sullivan, as the designated Commander of the Lodamese Armed Forces’ operations against Likatonia, noted that the involvement of electronic warfare aircraft as the spearhead of the attack was essential as the close proximity of Lodamun to Likatonia made it such that Likatonian radar could, in some instances look directly into Lodamun. With this reach into Lodamun proper, radar crews could ultimately see the Lodamese air offensive being formed. “We wanted to ensure that we could blind and confuse the Likatonian Command and Control (C2) centres. Not wanting to give away the fact that we were about to launch such an ambitious opening strike against the nation, it was imperative that electronic warfare aircraft went to work in disrupting the ability of those radar stations to provide real-time information on our airborne movements,” Lt. Gen. Sullivan explained. The strikes had been organised in layers with numerous targets rationalised on a hierarchy of “importance to kill”. Likatonian airports (civilian and military), anti-air batteries, radar stations, aircraft bunkers and the aircraft themselves, command and control centres were all recognised as priority targets, with minor civilian infrastructure such as government buildings being designated as secondary or third-echelon targets.

Some of the pilots involved in the strikes recalled their experiences. “I mean, it was really different from the exercises. You’d think to yourself: “I wonder when this exercise is going to end”, but then you’d come to the realisation that this is the real thing. That we are in open hostilities with our neighbour and the threat of being shot down and killed is now real,” Cpt. Thomas Owen, an F-16 pilot attached to the St. Christopher State Air Guard explained. “We’ve been trained to fly night-time missions, to fly in otherwise horrendous conditions, but something happens in that cockpit that I can’t really explain beyond you take time to process what’s happening.” Although the strikes came as a surprise to the Likatonian Air Force, some Lodamese crews did report extended engagements with Likatonian Air Force which were already airborne whilst others contended with Likatonian air defences. “It was a humbling experience to get notched on the radar by the Likatonian jet. He was attempting to paint me on radar but my ECM pod wouldn’t allow for him to lock onto me so that this air-to-air missiles could get a proper solution on me,” Cpt. Patrick Robinson explained. “By the time I had gotten myself into that engagement, I had long expended most of my munitions on other targets [we were tasked with dropping GBU-8s on cargo planes parked on an air base apron]. With him being unable to get a proper lock and me not being able to fire any BVR air-to-air missiles, I knew that we’d have to settle it in a dogfight. I had information coming in from AWACS that the aircraft I was unfortunately matched with was an LF-15 Red Deer. I know you might want me to tell you that I got him but actually, he bested me. I had too much speed and failed to get him in the closure. He rolled, took out my engines and I had to punch out over Eastern Bolton.” Cpt. Robinson was subsequently rescued by a combat search and rescue team. Lt. Gen. Sullivan confirmed that of the 200 Lodamese Air Force involved in the strikes, 30 had been shot down either by Likatonia air defences or in aerial engagements and some 67 airmen had been killed or missing as a result of the action which is now being coined Operation Brandy. He proclaimed broad success, noting that the strikes had resulted in the decimation of the bulk of the Likatonian Air Force.

Beyond strikes against key military installations and Likatonian aircraft, Operation Brandy also attempted to achieve a decapitation strike against the Likatonian Government. Lt.Gen. Sullivan confirmed that the Lodamese Navy had launched a series of TLAM attacks against the Likatonian capital in Clovisport with the intention of decapacitating Likatonian political leadership. He noted that the Lodamese Navy had launched a series of TLAMs at Clovisport, however, the attack was ultimately unsuccessful as a series of mechanical failures, largely as a result of the telemetry, resulting in the TLAMs falling short of their intended targets. “Admiral [Russell] Hutchinson, the Commander of the Lodamese Navy forces under Operation Brandy, explained that the TLAMs had either crashed in the hinterland en route to Clovisport or became confused as a result of telemetry issues. This is par for the course and does not represent a critical failure of the overall weapons’ ability,” Lt. Gen. Sullivan explained. Whitehall Press Secretary Chris Baldwin justified the failed decapitation strike. “Notwithstanding the fact this morning failed attack, we remain resolute in our determination to eliminate those who endanger peace and security on this continent. Our forces attacked with precision and in accordance with international law. This “decapitation strike”, is but the first of many as we continue to dislodge the threat that is Likatonia and its association with Kundrati,” PS Baldwin said.