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Offline Dijel

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Kaedwen Daily Sun
« on: June 27, 2020, 11:29:59 AM »


Defence Force's Concept 2020+ Review Out

The Defence Force's "Concept 2020+" Review is out, and has already stoked controversy.

So-called "Concept 2020+" is a bold and expansive re-imagining of the Republic's armed services, much-needed in an organisation not much changed since the days of the Bush Wars.

Quote from: Defence Ministry on Concept 2020+
"The Concept 2020+ programme is the Kaedweni Armed Forces' project for the wholesale revitalization, including measures to improve equipment, organisation, manpower and morale. The programme is the product of the 2020 Armed Forces review, and aims to restore the ROKAF's deterrent factor through a thorough, if drawn out, series of reforms. The resulting body will, it is hoped, be tighter and more suitable for the defence of the Republic and her allies"

But the project is already courting controversy in several aspects.

Foremost, this stems from the plan for the disbandment of the Kaedweni reserve force, the Commando Volunteer Rifles (CVR). While the CVR has a long - and, some would say, chequered - history, many Kaedweni communities still place enormous stock in the institution for their protection, particularly along the borders of the Unorganised Zone (UZ).

The CVR has its roots in the citizen-soldier forces of eighteenth-century settlers, named "Kommandos", becoming a key component of the Kaedweni Army upon achieving independence in 1921. This tradition of the citizen-solider is still very strong in many, particularly rural, Kaedweni communities, where the frontier spirit of old is very much still alive, and in some areas still a keystone of local security.

In its current form the CVR was created based on a reform of the Bush War-era District Commandos (DC), which had become embroiled in a race-relation row over its role in enforcing segregation prior to the National Convention and reintegration of Kaedweni society in 1994. Where the District Commandos were strictly segregated based on race - and predominantly a white institution - the Commando Volunteer Rifles were conceptualized as an integrated institution from the start, though the image of the Commandos of the mid-20th century has been difficult to shake.

Despite this, and while the CVR are commonly viewed as a colonial relic in the increasingly forward-looking big cities, CVR units have seen intermittent action in recent years against Natavist insurgents, particularly in those rural communities surrounding the UZ.

One small-town mayor, speaking to the Daily Sun on condition of anonymity, had this to say:

Quote from: Anonymous Mayor
The CVR Company in [our district] has protected our community against Natavist attacks on several occasions since they [Belmont] put the [Unorganised Zone] next to us two years ago... Most recently, one of the homesteads out on [location redacted] got hit just last week, they tried to break down the door, then set fire to some of the buildings... Our CVR boys responded very quickly, killed one and drove the rest back into the UZ... Our local Police Constables just don't have the capacity to protect us from attacks of this scale or frequency... We need the CVR to survive, its as simple as that...

A government review on the future of the UZ is currently underway, and is expected to report its findings later in the year.

Concept 2020+ has also provoked controversy in other regards. The slew of advanced weaponry due to be procured by the ROKAF has prompted concerns from some quarters over the costs and viability of these projects, and the potential diversion of funding from other government departments to expand what one opposition MP described as "[Prime Minister Lindsay] Stewart's toy box".

Government sources refute this argument, maintaining that the programme is a "long-term investment" that will provide "greater efficiency and better value in the long run, whilst also bringing our Defence Forces up to date", adding that "This programme is projected to be funded entirely within the Defence Ministry's own budget... no social programmes will be cut to make way for arms purchases".

While not noted in any official announcements, commentators have suggested that the recent - and ominously named - attack by the Imperial Rokkenjiman Navy against nearby Heya (Operation Armageddon) could have prompted a renewed focus on external defence in Belmont.

Offline Dijel

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Re: Kaedwen Daily Sun
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2020, 09:19:54 PM »


Jacobs-Carmichael-Burns Unveil Mundus' First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Excavator

Industrial equipment producer Jacobs-Carmichael-Burns (JCB) - part of the Carmichael Group - unveiled Mundus' first hydrogen-powered Excavator at their plant in Menae today, where the twenty-tonne machine was demonstrated in front of an eager crowd of industry and civic dignitaries.

The project - which has been part-funded by the Kaedweni government - is an exciting development for Kaedweni manufacturing, which has long struggled to compete with Mundus' biggest technology exporters, such as East Moreland and Achkaerin, and Carmichael Group shareholders will doubtless be encouraged that this engineering first could help launch the JCB brand on the export market.

The first machines of the so-called Type 220X are expected to roll off the assembly lines in Menae later in the year, with several large orders already said to be on the books.

Prime Minister Stewart's government have backed a number of carbon-reduction projects throughout her tenure, with the Prime Minister herself reputed to take particular interest in the potential for hydrogen fuel to take over from conventional hydrocarbon fuels. While this is, in part, unsurprising given the National Liberals' penchant for environmentalism, a number of defence sources have indicated that a reduction in Kaedwen's reliance upon imported fuel - and, thus, vulnerability to extortion by the autocratic regimes of OPEN, Mundus' foremost petrochemical producers.

Kaedwen's first commercial hydrogen fuel plant - utilising electrolysis to produce hydrogen fuel from sea water - is due to open in October. Also taxpayer-funded, the zero-carbon plant aims to set the blueprint for future fuel production in Kaedwen, as we move towards the 2040 "net-zero" target for national carbon emissions.

Offline Dijel

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Re: Kaedwen Daily Sun
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2020, 09:03:31 PM »


Merina Latest: Pindar Violence Escalates

Violence in the Pindar region of Merina has escalated overnight following the breakdown of ceasefire talks in Gaia, reports suggest.

Heavy fighting has been reported around Merinan National Army positions on the Tsata-Qandaris road, a route which has been the focus of savage contest during earlier bouts of fighting, as well as along the line of contact with National Liberation Army troops in western Pindar. It is unclear which side instigated this latest uptick, though all sides have blamed each other since the Pindari delegation walked out of the Council of Albion-sponsored ceasefire talks in the Lodjian city of Gaia over the weekend.

Fortunately, this summer's ceasefire continues to hold throughout much of the rest of the country, and sources close to the negotiations indicate that the remaining Merinan factions may be close to a tentative agreement.

The Odinist-majority region of Pindar has been one of the main centers of anti-government resistance since the outbreak of Merina's ongoing civil war more than two years ago, with the self-styled Fedayeen freedom-fighters having garnered a reputation for near-fanatical resistance to government forces.

More on this as it develops.

Offline Dijel

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Re: Kaedwen Daily Sun
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2020, 10:52:57 PM »


Iwafreea Aircrash: Green MP Among 17 Held in Murder Probe

Green Party MP Edna Wishart is among 17 people held by police after a private aircraft crashed at Iwafreea regional airport earlier today.

The initial suggestion from investigators is that the crash occurred as a number of drones were being flown over the airport as part of an environmental demonstration in the town. All of those held were present at the protest, police sources have confirmed, though the investigation is currently "very much open and ongoing" - according to a Yarra District Police spokesperson.

All ten people aboard the aircraft are confirmed to have been killed in the crash, including controversial mining boss Markus Sacco.

Coming days after a spate of similar drone incidents in East Moreland, Royal Seleucid and Seaforth, speculation has been rife that this may be a copycat attack, or otherwise linked to the so-called "Climate Crusaders" eco-activist group, who have been implicated in those drone attacks. Officials have refused to speculate, however, even as airports around the country have been urged to double-check their drone precautions.

More on this story as it develops.

Offline Dijel

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Re: Kaedwen Daily Sun
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2021, 11:01:27 PM »


Merina Latest: Government Forces Close in on Qandaris

Leading Merinan National Army have advanced to within 15km of the Pindari city of Qandaris, reports from the war-torn country suggest.

Images purportedly showing Merinan troops occurring the town of Rispanda, some 15km north of the historic Pindar capital, have been widely shared on social media. This follows the announcement, in the early hours of this morning Belmont time, from the Merinan Chief of Staff, Marshal Alium Deumi, that MNA troops would be initiating "an operation to liberate from terrorist occupation... the Qandaris area", adding that the civilian population were advised to "remain indoors" and "not interfere with vital security operations". According to a Fedayeen - the armed wing of the Pindari separitist movement - spokesman, the town of Rispanda remains "contested", although, with the further admission that Fedayeen positions in the Qandaris area have today been targeted by government artillery fire, it is clear that the battle for Pindar is entering a new phase.

Fighting between Government troops and Fedayeen fighters has raged in the Pindar Valley since the abrupt end to peace talks between the two sides last Autumn. Elsewhere in the country, however, a general ceasefire agreed at talks in Gaia brokered by the Council of Albion has generally held. Several instances of fraternization between government soldiers and National Liberation Army fighters were reported over the Christmas period, though these have been strenuously denied by the leadership on both sides.