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If there were any lessons to be learned from the previous Hubris War it was that in the grand scheme of things, Lodamun could not reasonably depend on other states (extra-regional territories) to secure its assets and protect its prosperity on its behalf. Although not a particularly destructive war in terms of destruction of vast amounts of territory or loss of life, the Hubris War nonetheless demonstrated the inherent danger of wars/conflicts over maritime supremacy. The broader disruption of the global economy, particularly in the waters around Seleya, where the vast majority of the conflict’s major engagements unfolded was certainly not lost on the Lodamese defence and trade establishment. It is no secret that Lodamun, like many other states is dependent on international trade, as a growing import/consumer market, international trade could be said to be the lifeline through which Lodamun endures. Ever aware of this inherent vulnerability, the Harrington Company’s involvement in the nation’s broader national security is thus contextualised. Yet in an era of inherent peace on the continent, largely negotiated through the detente established via the Treaty of Altatepec, the Department of Defence maintains that Lodamun should grab at the opportunity to better secure its prosperity going into the next millennia.
In a bombshell report by the DoD’s Office of Doctrinal Research, it was noted that in recognition of the ever-changing geopolitical environment, the now-dormant Lodamese Marine Corps would undoubtedly play a major role in shaping Lodamese geostrategic goals alongside the Lodamese Navy. The report explained that for the better half of the past three (3) centuries, the Lodamese Marine Corps has been rather “rudderless”. As the report reads, “Although a separate branch onto itself, the Marine Corps sources much of budgeting from the Lodamese Navy which until recently had been unresourced and chronically underfunded. Now, amidst a rush of investment and congressional funding into the core branches of the Lodamese Armed Forces, the fortune of the LMC is set to change.” For decades defence planners have lamented the state of the Lodamese Marine Corps, noting that whereas during the initial LAF modernisation programme (initiated under the Neilson Administration) it should have been positioned as the nation’s premier fighting force, much of its activities have been largely eclipsed by the Commonwealth Guard or the Lodamese Army. “We have been calling for a top-down reorganising of the Marine Corps for years,” Col. Ben Phillips, a retired instructor at the Marine Corps Warfighting Institute said. “During that period where we [the Marine Corps] were doing absolutely nothing, we have been changing our strategy and doctrine to ensure it becomes more aligned with that of the Harrington Company.”
As the principal mechanism through which Lodamun maintains broad access to the global economy, the Harrington Company remains the nation’s single most important geostrategic asset. The DoD report notes that insofar as the Lodamese Navy and the Marine Corps should be concerned, a large part of the federal government’s rhetoric on “securing Lodamese interests abroad”, relates to securing the Harrington Company’s trade routes throughout the world. Drawing reference to the Hubris War, the report notes that Lodamun must maintain a ready and capable response to clear and active threats against the nation’s prosperity. Speaking to the broader details of the Marine Corps' reorientation towards expeditionary warfare, Secretary of Defence Ava Gallagher stated that the LMC will retake its place as the nation’s premier fighting force and will thus grant Lodamun the ability to respond to new and emerging threats in any and all environments. “We intend to ensure that the Lodamese Marine Corps of the future is well equipped and capable of meeting potential adversaries wherever they may rear their head. We must and will do all that is necessary to ensure our nation’s prosperity. And I will be extremely clear as to my intentions: those who place themselves in the path of our nation’s prosperity, whose who disrupt the otherwise peaceful and neutral operations of the Harrington Company will ultimately invite a confrontation.” Secretary Gallagher explained.