Kalistan

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Empress Commissions 4th "Expeditionary" Fleet

Expands mission to formally include all "waters that wash the shores of Crown Lands"

Bozo River AGTC, Grand Duchy of Ananto

May 17, 5559

KRS-723 Indica Class Submarine, whose cousins will be the centerpiece of the new 4th Fleet

Her Imperial Majesty has ordered procurement of a new set of ships for the first time in decades and has called for the formation of a new 4th Fleet to be stationed at Port Swedes on the Northern Limit.  The commissioning of a new fleet is sure to draw some attention from Terran states, so Her Imperial Majesty has ordered the fleet to initially form up from recommissioned ships pulled from reserves of the other three fleets so as to ensure rapid launch of the fleet. The recommissioned ships will gradually be replaced by new ships built at Kaliburg National Shipyard, Dulnerstaad Naval Shipworks and Port Elga Shipyard.

"The procurement will run the Defense Budget into the tens of billions, but ultimately it will provide Kalistan with a new fleet that will allow us to range further afield and begin offering credible deterrent in and around the Crown Lands." said Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Defense Colonel Martin Jackson said.  "As we go into our full two year long military review, the strategic doctrine of the Empire also needs to evolve.  Kalistan's vision is evolving from simply local defense to a more regional defense, and keeping ships in port necessarily limits our mission and regional reach, where we go and who we interact with.  The 4th Fleet will spend most of its time in the field and will cruise north into the Mad Dog Ocean and south to between Aldegar and Indrala."

The New 4th Fleet will consist of:

• 16 Indica-C Class Submarines
  
• 12 Victor Class Submarines
  
• 4 Kaliburg-C Class Destroyers
  
• 2 Luxon Class Frigates
  
• 2 Ontiveros Class Frigates
  
• 4 Daniel Guzman Class Multipurpose Frigates
  
• and 6 Sulari Class Corvettes
  
• along with all requisite supply and logistics ships
  

The Minister of Defense noted that the 4th Fleet will look for training and joint operations with Lodamun and Kundrati when Muster is complete.  In addition, the Regular Navy will begin offering bonuses for recruits, aiming to recruit between 18,000 and 20,000 new Sailors.  Manpower for the 4th Fleet will be drawn from the 3 existing fleets, while most of the new recruits will replace those in the Garrison Fleets.  Forming the new fleet exclusively of Veterans will make the 4th Fleet a formidable force in the Anantonese and in Northern Seleya.

"We hope to work with Lodamun in acquiring at least two of their rotary wing platform ships so we can add more sub-hunter capabilities to the fleet," said Colonel Martin, "but as it is, there is a helo lock down on our Frigates and destroyers that will allow us some additional options should Lodamun not be interested in selling us any ships."  Colonel Jackson said the Empire will also shift some assets from the 1st Fleet to the 3rd Fleet to create more space in Bozo River's submarine pens and surface berths for Kuntrati to take up basing within six to eight months.

"In all, I anticipate this increase in Kalistan's naval power will cause some ripples that our foreign Ministry will want to smooth over, but in the end, Her Imperial Majesty deems this necessary, and so it is what we will be doing."  The procurement will begin in June of this year, and full procurement will be complete by 5562.  Meanwhile, recommissioning is already underweigh and the 4th Fleet will be formed up and officially launched in September of this year.