Eccentric King Temrkai passes away
Sources confirm King lost a fight with cancer at age 81.
January 4337 - After a three year struggle with cancer the eccentric King Temrkai has passed away. Temrkai, born as Prince Pawl, took the name of the legendary Temrkai after ascending the throne claiming that the name would restore greatness to the Jelbics and add legitimacy to the great Union of the Jelbic Peoples. The King was never seen in public, being a firm believer in divine destiny and his status as a great one amongst the living. Instead the King has hundreds of paintings and statues commissioned and had lavish palaces built all across the nation, to signify his grandeur and greatness. Even with the lavish spending the King used many other funds to invest in public works and charity, in letters to his people he always stated that the "primal concern of a monarch is to represent the will of the people and to assure their well-being". His further financial injections in the financial market made him well-liked amongst the multinationals that have their headquarters and operations in Vanuku. As the King had absolute power to do as he liked he often lay in conflict with the Prefect and cabinet who wanted to invest in different things. Perhaps one of the most notable achievements during his reign was the restoration of contact between Vanuku and Istalia, of which the King was a big proponent by stating that the Istalians, as cultural heirs of the Augustans and the Selucians, were interlinked in their destiny to greatness with Vanuku. A statement only confirmed by the massive rise on the stock market after the two powerhouses formalized their relations.
The King has not been succeeded by his firstborn son, the Archduke Wrntukai, the 54 year old refused the throne. The second son, Prince-Consort Pawl, was by law unable to inherit since he is married to Queen Sarah of Hutori. Even so the Prince-Consort formally dropped all claims and urged his younger brother to take up the throne. It was the third son, Prince Juhn, that accepted the throne reluctantly. The Prince was then crowned as King Juhn IX, the ninth monarch of Vanuku to bear that name in their capacity as Sovereign Prince or King. King Juhn IX is not as eccentric as his father nor as well-known and popular as his two brothers. He is known as the quiet and humble one, mostly concerned with his charity work and family. Allegedly it was for these reasons that the Archduke insisted he take the throne, claiming it was for the greater good. All we can say at Wrntu Wrnuke is; long live the King, long may he reign.
Fleet modernization program finally complete
Three decade delay caused by "bad luck and terrible planning"
One of several new frigates added to the First, Second and Third Fleet during an exercise. The main delay was caused by the failure to get foreign carrier jets.
November 3336 - The Commander of the Naval Forces, Admiral Jebr Dnkrk, announced at last that naval modernization program that was started in 4245 had been completed. The program was supposed to be finished in 4300 but it ran into several issues along the way. The carriers, HVMS Támnr II, HVMS Kustalkai Lawrns-Wrntukai and the HVMS Kesprka, were finished a decade after schedule and assigned to their respective fleets. The First Fleet was already at full force but the Second and Third Fleet received additional frigates, minesweepers and light vessels as well as submarine squadrons to protect the behemoths of the sea. However problems arose when the government failed to acquire a license for the advanced Trigunian carrier jet model Ti-33. The deployment of the HVMS Kustalkai Lawrns-Wrntukai and the HVMS Kesprka was delayed by over three decades by the lack of these carrier jets. But now Vanuku has a domestic design, something that Admiral Dnkrk was very pleased with. However he also stated that the immense delay was caused by "bad luck and terrible planning" because "we never anticipated the deal wouldn't go through". The domestic design, dubbed the ST-21, has been a great boost to the Vanukean military industry and provided hundreds of job over the last three decades. Now with the entire fleet outfitted the Vanukean navy once more ranks amongst the most powerful of the globe. All three fleets have been assigned specific sectors and will be outfitted and trained to deploy across the globe within a week to make sure the striking distance of conventional arms within the Vanukean defensive and offensive plans remains swift and decisive.
Armed Forces push for more exercises and "Majatran Rifle"
Military cooperation between Vanuku and Istalia "one of our ambitions"
Commander of the Armed Forces, Commander-General Intrsmor von Bismarck, addressing the assembled officers.
October 4337 - The new Commander of the Armed Forces, Intrsmor von Bismarck, has given a emotional speech in front of two-hundred generals and other high ranking officers. In his opinion the state of the Armed Forces, notably the Land Forces, is in dire need of new advanced training schedules. The General stated the equipment is superb, that units have good lodging and their basic training is amongst the best of the world. Yet in the times of peace, those times we are in now, the units slouch and stop learning. To battle this the General has instituted the founding of the King Temrkai Think-Tank, a unit for highly intelligent military officers that will function as theorists and think of new strategies and tactics to defeat enemy units. "The plan is," the General said "that the brightest officers of our nation continue to think of new plans, to share their concepts, to bring more ideas". The Think-Tank will outline plans for simulations which the Land and Air Forces will then carry out within Vanuku. The Naval Forces will continue their naval drills as outlined in the modernization program.
Another thing the General was very vocal about is the Istalian concept of the "Majatran Rifle". An assault rifle jointly designed by Istalia and Vanuku. "It is vital that our two nations become closer, to strengthen each other, to assure that Majatra remains a peaceful continent". The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the plans of the new Commander of the Armed Forces are in full agreement with government policy. Meanwhile across the nation army units have begun special exercises to prepare the units for a few training heavy years, based on the plans proposed by the King Temrkai Think-Tank. It has also been leaked that the arms designer DFN is interested in the "Majatran Rifle" concept.