Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

Following a brief streak of little to no news related to the Lodamese Navy’s vaunted shipbuilding programme, the Defence Procurement Administration (DPA) announced via a press release yesterday that it had approved the awarding of a contract to construct the LN’s future class of frigates to Cowgill-Masterson Maritime Engineering, therein propelling the once closely guarded designs into the public domain. The contract, which has been valued by the Office of Fiscal Management (OFM) at around 14 billion LOD, represents the second major shipbuilding announcement following the commencement of the navy’s destroyer programme. The DPA noted that the evaluation process had been complicated owing to issues surrounding Cowgill-Masterson’s adherence to a core stipulation of the initial RFP (request for proposals) sent out to the various shipbuilding companies. The integration of the Aegis Combat System (developed by the Defence Research Agency) had been identified as an imperative of the entire project, with the contract noting that failure to integrate the Aegis Combat System into existing designs would ultimately result in a proposal’s automatic rejection. In Cowgill-Masterson’s initial design, although it had integrated the combat system, it left little room for future hardware upgrades. In rejecting its initial design, the DPA reportedly concluded that upgrades for the Aegis Combat System and its accompanying AESA required both hardware and software modifications. Nonetheless, the company’s new design was ultimately selected by Navy and DPA procurement officials. Cowgill-Masterson’s design, codenamed AFC - Advanced Frigate Class, is largely based on an existing design operating out of the Istalian Navy. It is said that Cowgill-Masterson maintains a working relationship with the Istalian shipbuilding firm Fazzolari. The company noted that based on the relative success of the programme, its collaboration with other Istalian firms is likely to be expanded. In a via release following the DoD announcement, Cowgill-Masterson stated that the vessel’s design was fit for purpose, per the recommendations of the DPA, and represented a new dynamic in shipbuilding within Lodamun. “This vessel is by far, the most advanced piece of equipment ever developed in Lodamun. The AFC will enable the Lodamese Navy to augment its existing efforts to enhance its command of the maritime domain beyond the bounds of the Lodamese Coast Guard. This ship is designed to work alongside various pieces of equipment with the sole aim of enhancing the user’s capabilities. In line with the Navy’s superior firepower doctrine, this vessel is in every aspect, designed to be a destroyer in everything but name,” the press statement read.

As part of the contract, Cowgill-Masterson would be expected to construct 15 frigates as part of the initial order whereafter a secondary assessment would be conducted by the Navy wherein the DPA would either terminate its contract with the company or continue to request additional orders on a per-request basis. The contract reportedly includes numerous subcontractors whom Cowgill-Masterson is expected to work alongside in bringing the project to its completion. These include Harrington Dynamics Maritime Systems, Carlyle Defence and Lewis & Ingraham International who will be responsible for developing and introducing new technology and equipment to be utilised on the ships. Harrington Dynamics, the developer of the AEGIS defence system has noted that although its involvement largely revolves around sensors and radar arrays, the company has been granted the ability to construct an entire frigate from keel to finished product. On armaments, which is expected to be born out of a joint collaboration between Fazzolari and L&I International, the vessel is being oriented to fill a specific role within future maritime doctrine: anti-missile and air defence. According to the DPA, although the vessel would be equipped with armaments which would enable it to carry out offensive operations (i.e. cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and an impressive main gun), its principal role when working alongside other vessels would be air defence. “Cowgill-Masterson has noted that this class of frigate is going to be a destroyer in all but name. Whilst it is somewhat of a true statement, a more accurate assessment would conclude that it is in every essence an anti-air frigate responsible for providing an additional layer of AA cover for fleet formations.” Nicolas Roberson, the DPA’s Project Manager for the AFC programme. Construction on the vessels is expected to begin within the next coming months as the contract stipulates that the vast majority of the vessels would have to be constructed within Lodamun albeit at different shipyards throughout the country.

[imperialpearl]

Following a rigorous joint environmental impact assessment from the Federal Environmental Commission and the Berkwaki Department of Environmental Protection, Federal Repositories of Berkwaki has been granted approval to commence work to expand its Baxstead Fuel Storage Facility as part of the company’s broader ambitions for energy security within Lodamun. The decision comes decades following the brief energy crisis which followed internal conflict in Kafuristan. At the time, the then GRP administration was noted as being particularly slow to respond to the crisis in providing much-needed support to alleviate pressure at the pump for millions of Lodamese citizens, even though the then-previous Concannon administration had done much work to boost Lodamun’s crude oil and natural gas reserves. Although the accumulated reserves were by no means major, they nonetheless provided some wiggle room through which the federal government could have provided much-needed support. In its report following the event, the Department of Energy and Natural Resources through the Resource Information Bureau recommended that the federal government enhance its programme to secure greater energy independence by amassing a sizeable crude oil and natural gas reserve. As Lodamun is a net importer of energy, the vast majority of the crude oil and natural gas required to power the nation’s multiple gas-fired power plants is imported from territories including Trigunia, Kalistan and Dorvik. The RIB noted that in anticipation of another global energy crisis, said programme to secure greater energy independence by amassing sizeable crude oil and natural gas reserves should be led by an expansion of Federal Repositories’ facilities. Federal Repositories, through its subordinate structures, maintains two fuel storage facilities: the Baxstead Facility and the lesser-known Huntington Facility. Federal Repositories was initially established as the sole entity responsible for the management, storage and redistribution of all crude oil and natural gas imports within Lodamun, acting as a quasi-nationalised fuel trading company. Oil and gas imported from foreign territories would be stored by Federal Repositories via its own infrastructure alongside leases from private sector entities. They would be eventually resold to domestic buyers of crude oil and natural gas throughout the downstream energy sector. In its very essence, Federal Repositories and its combined subsidiaries represent the midstream sector in its entirety. CEO of Federal Repositories of Berkwaki Simon Kincaid lamented the entity’s mission creep, noting that it had taken on additional responsibilities seemingly without notice. “Our foundation charter denotes our obligation to act as an intermediary, a middleman of sorts between the Harrington Company and the numerous energy companies operating within our border. Given the nature of the various energy crises we’ve managed to luckily avoid, we’ve seen ourselves slowly taking on responsibilities which include being the manager of both Lodamun’s Strategic Petroleum and Natural Gas Reserves,” Kincaid lamented. The multi-million dollar project is expected to solidify the entity’s position as the aforementioned manager of Lodamun’s strategic energy reserves as the expanded Baxstead Storage Facility will become the main storage facility through which the strategic reserves will be hosted. Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources Phineas Criswell confirmed that discussions were ongoing to construct new facilities to augment existing infrastructure. He noted that the appointment of James Montgomery, an energy economist with some 20 years of experience, as Chairman of Federal Repositories, would undoubtedly turn the company’s fortunes around.

[imperialpearl]

As the lights seemingly begin to dim on St. Christopher’s green economic ambitions, the state’s government with backing from the Department of the Interior, has announced a multi-billion dollar plan that it believes could potentially lead a reinvigoration among the state’s green energy companies, therein breathing new air into its green ambitions. At a press conference at the Governor’s Mansion in Harrington, Governor of St. Christopher Reece Miller announced that the state government, via the Green Bank of St. Christopher with considerable backing from the Federal Green Finance Corporation (FGFC), was prepared to provide significant financial guarantees to the state’s major green economic players to the tune of some 10 billion LOD. He lamented the state of St. Christopher’s green economy, concluding that the once yeomen progress made under previous DPL administrations to bring the state closer towards that coveted position of being a major source of green economic opportunity within Luthori and the Seleyan continent, had ultimately amounted to nothing as activity within the state’s economy came to a halt. “It has long been our ambition as a state to be the people you come to when you want to do things related to the green economy on the Seleyan continent. Throughout the years we have invested as much as 60% of our state GDP into the green economy; however previous administrations [the conservatives] ultimately threw much of that progress at the wayside in favour of some of the most reckless and incompetent policies ever contrived,” Governor Miller bemoaned.

As mentioned previously, the plan will focus on the established companies within the state’s green economy, namely LoneStar Electric, Tyler Energy and the Middlebrook Electric Company. As major contributors to economic growth as well as the largest employers within the state behind the federal government, it was therefore expected that the state government would seek to throw a lifeline to the now-debt-burdened companies. Similar to the banking sector, decades of weathering shocks throughout the national economy under the previous conservative government had sent the companies into considerable debt, with Tyler Energy almost being forced into administration as negotiations between the company’s senior management and the Bank of Newchester, its major creditor broke down last year. Governor Miller explained that the plan was multi-pronged, in that it involved an angle from the FGFC alongside an angle from the Green Bank. “Under this plan, we were able to negotiate an arrangement with the FGFC wherein it would guarantee the vast majority of its burdensome debt with private-sector banks, therein transferring some of the burden onto its plate. The second part of the plan includes major infrastructure projects financed by the Green Bank. This will provide these companies with the stability needed to get back on their feet and turn their fortune around. Obviously, a caveat of this agreement would be a strict adherence to ethical financial practices. The federal guarantee should by no means be viewed by the companies as a green light to be reckless,” Governor Miller explained.

Speaking to the more intimate details of the Green Bank’s infrastructure programme, Secretary of Public Utilities Samuel Liggit stated that the programme provided the state with the perfect opportunity to accelerate its plans to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and become entirely powered by renewable energy systems. He noted that as it stands around 30% of the state’s energy mix is captured by renewables, primarily solar and wind. Secretary Liggit noted that the programme proposes the construction of three (3) keynote projects, namely the state’s first offshore wind farm which would be located off the coast of Harrington, the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Presden alongside the Rural Development Administration and another solar farm, all of which are expected to be facilitated through a Build–operate–transfer (BOT) arrangement between the aforementioned companies and the State Department of Public Utilities. There has been growing interest domestically surrounding nuclear energy, with numerous professionals within the green economy pointing to its broad benefits. Both Governor Miller and Secretary Liggit stated that the state government although interested in the prospect, would unlikely lead the charge in its implementation, recognising that all policy related to atomic/nuclear energy in Lodamun is exclusively handled by the Federal Department of Energy and Natural Resources.

[imperialpearl]

As part of the ongoing project to enhance the navy’s capabilities, assets and doctrine as part of the General Rearmament Programme (GRP), the Department of Defence via the Defence Procurement Administration has confirmed that it had jointly awarded Harrington Dynamics and Glidus Defence Systems to construct a sound surveillance system (SOSUS), which it hopes would enable the Lodamese Navy to maintain a degree of “information superiority” within the Northern Seleyan region. The contract’s awarding came amidst growing concerns by defence planners related to the nature of military maritime traffic moving through the Karzon Strait. Although the presence of the Royal Lourennais Navy (RLN) fleet in New Endralon/Kizenia had been cleared by both the Lodamese Coast Guard and Navy (recognising that Lourenne and Lodamun are allies), the navy’s inability to detect subnautic vessels in the absence of dedicated on-ship sonar has become a major point of contention among defence planner who note that within that uncertainty rests the potential for any nation and potentially adversaries to gain “the upper hand” in the maritime domain.

Via a press release related to the awarding of the contract, the Department of Defence noted that information is as important to defence as the quality of one’s troops and the capabilities of one’s question. “In this new era of competition, information is becoming an increasingly important asset in enabling states to domain a clearer picture of the dynamic ahead of them.” the press statement read. As part of its initial commitment to enhance the capabilities of the Lodamese Armed Forces decades prior, near-complete knowledge of the maritime situation in the bodies of water surrounding the Lodamese heartland had been identified as a centre-piece of the DoD’s strategy to protect Lodamese interests within the region. “The DoD has long emphasised its intention to saturate the bodies of water surrounding Lodamun with as much hardware it would ultimately make certain moves by potential adversaries unwise.” Max Murray, an analyst with the Centre for Geostrategic Policy, explained.

Spearheading the entire project from its conception to guiding its completion, the Bureau of Naval Intelligence notes that its ambitions for undersea surveillance do not only relate to gathering data and analysis but also to sharing said information with global partners. The SOSUS network is expected to be deployed in the Karzon Strait and will involve the installation of fixed sensors from the Lodamese edge of the Strait to the Dolgavan edge. Once completed, its primary task would be to gather information on the sonar signature of various ships which pass through the strait (be it military or otherwise) and subsequently build a repository or library whereby the Lodamese Navy is able to determine the type/class of vessel (be it a destroyer, submarine or aircraft carrier). Director of BNI’s Oceanographic Research Unit, Captain Samuel Adams noted that once the system had been operationalised, it would not be wholly autonomous from the very beginning.

In building out its library of sonar signatures, there will require a degree of visual verification in the initial phases as the Navy would need to determine whether either the sonar signature or the noise the array detects is either commercial or military and/or what type of vessel is it. He noted that the BNI had anticipated that the system would be interacting with hundreds of maritime traffic and that its analysts would have to sift through hundreds if not thousands of acoustic signatures. To this end, Captain Adams said that the ORU had been developing an AI system alongside the Newchester-based startup MetaMind, which would help analysts in pattern recognition and behavioural analysis. This system would work in tandem with other information gathered from allies and like-minded nations. In its entirety, the project is expected to cost some 1.2 billion LOD, as there are plans to potentially expand the network to cover the channel between Dolgava and Trigunia as well as the channel separating the island of Karzon from the Dolgava mainland. Director of the BNI, Rear Admiral Frederick Walker confirmed that the bureau had been in close contact with the Dolgavan submarine service, and is expected to have a substantive meeting with the Dolgavan Navy in the coming days to discuss the broader specifics of the project.

[imperialpearl]

With much of the approvals obtained after what was otherwise an intense imminent domain battle between property owners, the Civil Projects Administration, the Bureau of Central Planning and the recently established Bureau of Highways and Byways work on the Toule Administration’s signature highway infrastructure development programme began earlier this morning as large pieces of equipment were seen exiting the coastal regions of Newchester. Last month, the BHB released a map showing how the various projects related to the high infrastructure programme would be rolled out. As the inaugural project set to kick the entire programme off, construction has begun on what is to be considered the “East Coast Highway”, which would be a series of interconnected routes stretching from north-eastern Newchester all the way to south-eastern Barrington, following the contours of the Lodamese eastern coast. The project is largely being supervised by the CPA, which has employed three (3) construction firms from the state of Newchester, namely Keystone Construction, Glendale Construction Group and Magnaform. A major underpinning of the entire 300 billion LOD infrastructure programme remains the federal government’s insistence on utilising domestic, state-side firms to aid in the construction of infrastructure. Federally-funded highways, bridges and powerplants built in the state of Newchester would be built exclusively by construction firms who call the state of Newchester home. CPA Administrator Dr Edgar Hammond stated that such a feature of the programme ultimately lends itself to involving local companies in projects which would ultimately benefit them in the medium to long term. “It would be remiss of us to contract a firm from outside of the state for such a major project. Our procurement rules establish a carve-out for local companies to get a piece of the pie and therefore bring material benefits to the state via the knock-on effect,” Dr Hammond explained.

According to a spatial planner connected to the H-1 project, special considerations were made for the future ambitions of the CPA, especially as it related to railroads. Wanting to remain anonymous, he stated that although the highway project was the centre-piece of the CPA’s entire mandate, there was an enduring eagerness within the agency to plan alongside the BCP for a future railroad system. “The reason why the imminent domain battle was so intense was because it required us [the BCP] to argue that we needed to take considerable swaths of what is unarguably private land. We did not just secure land within the state for the highway infrastructure programme but also in anticipation of future rail projects,” the spatial planner explained. The H-1 project includes a series of interchanges connecting various towns and cities within the state to the highway which essentially cuts through the state. Interestingly, sociologists in the employment of the CPA noted that special considerations were being made to ensure the project avoids redlining, by cutting communities in half. Consultants from Kazulia have reportedly been introduced to the project with the hope of adopting some of the nation’s “safer roads” design features. According to Dr Hammond, compared to other nations which often have to place initiatives like Kazulia’s safer roads agenda onto existing infrastructure, the highway infrastructure programme allows for the CPA to build highways with the initiative’s design proposals in mind (i.e. to automatically bake the designs into the infrastructure plans). As the H-1 project is in the Newchester lowlands, the project requires very little with respect to mountainous terrain. “As this particular project is in the lowlands, it does not require any special equipment or designs to tackle mountainous terrain. But the usual features of a modern highway will of course be present from rest stations to runaway truck ramps,” Micheal Barrett, one of the H-1’s Senior Project Managers explained.

[imperialpearl]

The Aldegar Canal Crisis and the ensuing global economic downturn became a quasi-watershed moment for numerous structures within Lodamun, most notably the Harrington Company. As the sole entity responsible for trade into and out of Lodamun alongside smaller shipping firms, the company was forced to respond to the crisis with a degree of immediacy it had never exercised before. Although when compared to numerous other nations impacted by the crisis (be it directly or indirectly), Lodamun was more than equipped to “ride out the storm indefinitely”, the situation confirmed to officials within both the HC and the Federal Government that (1) the work initiated to rebuild Lodamun’s merchant navy via the HC was timely and (2) more work was needed towards ensuring Lodamun’s relative exposure to global trade shocks of the canal crisis’ nature could be reduced/contained. Speaking at a press conference at the HC’s headquarters in Harrington, Merchant-General Agatha McClelland stated that subsequent meetings with Secretary of the Treasury Dr Phineas Sinkler had resulted in a commitment to increase the Harrington Company’s budget to “enhance its operational capacity.” According to MG McClelland, this enhancement of operational capacity is largely geared towards the procurement of additional vessels. Of the major lessons learned from the canal crisis, the Harrington Company has noted that its continued dependence of private-sector entities continues to be a major concern for the relative sustainability and independence of its operations. Around 65% of maritime traffic both leaving and entering Lodamun is managed through small to medium-sized maritime/shipping firms, most of which are either incorporated and based in other territories or incorporated in Lodamun but based in other territories.

During the canal crisis, the Harrington Company in some instances had to rely on said private-sector firms who, in response to the situation, hiked prices. At the time, Merchant-General William Hanlon (now former President William Hanlon), lamented the HC’s dependence on private-sector entities recognising the relative control/power they maintained over the nation’s exports and imports. “It is therefore of grave importance that the Harrington Company focus on scaling its operations to reduce its dependence on private-sector, third parties to aid in moving Lodamese shipping,” Hanlon wrote in a memo which made its way through the company and the Department of Commerce and Industry. According to McClelland, with a commitment from the Treasury Department, the Harrington Company began the process of restructuring its shipbuilding programme. Concurrently, the ships operated by the HC are made domestically, in shipyards selected by the firm following an intense evaluation process managed by the HC’s procurement unit alongside its Engineering and Research Bureau. Ships are primarily made on a case-by-case basis owing to budgetary constraints, which vessels largely being constructed with the intent of operating between specific routes. There are five (5) LNG tankers which move natural gas from Kalistan/Lourenne and into Lodamun for processing in Berkwaki, whilst an additional five (5) bulk carriers move rare earth minerals from Vascania to Lodamun. According to MG McClelland, as economies and global demand grow, it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict the needs of the nation’s importers as well as its exporters and thus the company would undoubtedly need to enhance shipbuilding to prevent a “shipping deficit” which could potentially send them into the hands of private-sector entities.

Although she noted that she could not provide an exact number at the time, the new shipbuilding programme could potentially see the Harrington Company’s fleet increase from 30 ships to around 200, via a long-term shipbuilding schedule. Resting on the Hanlon Administration’s economic agenda, MG McClelland confirmed that the new programme would not reduce the number of ships being constructed by Lodamese shipyards, but would likely avoid depending on in-experienced firms to construct some of the company’s more valuable vessels. The reformed programme will reportedly lean on some of the company’s more established partners for major orders, with foreign contractors potentially being involved alongside domestic contractors. MG McClelland noted that providing “like-minded nations” and clear allies of Lodamun the opportunity to develop the necessary expertise related to shipbuilding through orders from the Harrington Company is a major feature of the new program. “By no means do we intend to outsource orders to foreign nations. The vast majority of the vessels scheduled for construction under this programme will be built in Lodamun, by Lodamese shipyards. This caveat for foreign contractors simply seeks to ensure we remain on time with respect to when we should begin to see these vessels operating under the HC’s flag,” MG Adam McClelland explained. There have been rumours surrounding a potential monopolization/nationalization of the commercial shipping sector within Lodamun, with snippets from a memo originating from Whitehall speaking of the dramatic decision. Although Whitehall Press Secretary Lamar Chavez has rejected the contents of the memo, some within the Lodamese shipping community have expressed concern.

[GreekIdiot]

Beiteynu
AllComm revokes Lourennais O3's access to Allink - June 5465

[imperialpearl]

Shocking information came to the forefront earlier this morning as officials of the Millford State Police arrested four individuals in connection to a broader investigation into their potential involvement in a plot to raid a weapons depot owned and operated by the Millford State Guard, with the intent of using the weapons to “establish a new order within the state”. At a joint press conference alongside officials from the Commonwealth Guard Bureau’s Office of Complex Investigations, officials of the MSP’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations confirmed that it had executed multiple search warrants of numerous persons of interest throughout the state as part of its ongoing investigation into “acts against the well-being of the state.” According to the MSP, the four individuals provided unique details surrounding an elaborate plot to attack a Millford State Guard weapons depot in south-eastern edges of the state, involving honey pots, minor explosives and an apparent frontal raid on the facility itself. Although the CGB has been particularly mom in providing greater details as it relates to the facility in question, individuals familiar with the facility, who have chosen to remain anonymous have revealed that the facility’s security was lacklustre by any DoD standard, noting that “anyone with a pickup truck and a few weapons could essentially take over the facility with relative ease.” As the press conference began, security around the facility was observed to have been significantly increased with heavily armed soldiers and armoured vehicles forming a virtual wall around the facility’s perimeter. Large trucks were seen transporting crates of what could only be presumed as weapons from the facility to an unknown location.

It has been reported that the investigation is set to involve both the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) and the Bureau of Firearms and Control (BFC), as more details surrounding the nature of the attempted attack become clearer to MSP investigators. According to the MSP’s lead investigator, Lt. John Young, the assailants had confessed to being part of a large “network of individuals”, who according to the MSP’s initial assessment could potentially be related to rumours of “hidden militia groups” in the southernmost corners of the state. For the better half of a decade, the Emmitt County Sheriff’s Office has raised its concerns about growing reports of sightings of heavily armed individuals in civilian and/or irregular clothing emerging from the nearby Crocket National Park for brief periods conducting roadblocks and searches. Other reports related to the sound of gunfire emerging from the area have also been reported. The Bureau of National Parks has noted that subsequent searches of the area had been largely futile as the agency’s largely understaffed Fisheries and Wildfire Trackers have been largely unable to find any solid evidence of “illegal activity” in the area. In a letter to the MSP dated two years ago, Emmitt County Sheriff Robert Pymer said: “Reports of individuals in irregular clothing with powerful firearms should not go unsubstantiated. In writing this letter, I formally refute the claims of the BNP that said reports are largely unfounded. Having conducted interviews with individuals familiar with these sightings, I am convinced that there could be multiple illegal paramilitary organisations being formed in this county and in southern Millford in its entirety. In so doing, I request technical assistance (in the form of intelligence-gathering), from the Millford State Police to conduct a full investigation into these sightings.”

Lt. Young noted that although the assailants had not stated whether they were part of a militia group, much of their behaviour alluded to such, especially as it related to questioning. “The recordings of our interviews with these men have been sent to the NIB for analysis. Our initial assessment is that when we began asking about militia groups in the area, the attitudes of the men had changed and they stopped answering many of our questions,” Lt. Young noted. It was reported that agents of the BFC were seen near the depot where equipment was being transferred to other sites, however, we were unable to pose any questions to the agents. Attorney General of Millford Jane Elder stated that the men would be charged with conspiracy among other charges including trespassing and potentially domestic terrorism. The NIB’s field office in Abernathy, in a press communique, has confirmed its involvement in the MSP’s investigation.

[imperialpearl]

Although it may not be an Arctic nation, in that it maintains no formal or recognized claims to territories in the Arctic or the White Ocean, Lodamun’s ambitions for the region are broad. Via its partners in Hutori and Dolgava, Lodamun hopes to establish a presence in the Arctic region, which it believes is set to undergo a fundamental transformation which could potentially place the region in the sights of Lodamese geostrategic planning. Said “fundamental transformation” is largely being driven by a primary concern of the Lodamese Government: secure trading routes. As the Harrington Company continues to enhance its footprint throughout Terra, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, the security of the nation’s trade routes is becoming an increasingly present priority for both the Harrington Company and the Lodamese Government. Entering the Lodamese Coast Guard. Having been the recipient of what could only be described as extraordinary funding and attention from the federal government, the LCG is said to be enhancing its position to secure maritime routes within Lodamun’s immediate vicinity. Coast Guard missions such as Operation Barracuda underscore the service’s determination to build its capacity and capability towards achieving its primary objective. Having given notice of its intention to procure long-range maritime patrol drones to aid its surveillance and constabulary operations, the Lodamese Coast Guard announced that following high-level discussions with the Dolgavan Government, it had secured permission from that state to base said maritime patrol drones in the nation, with the intention of expanding the Coast Guard’s patrol net into the White Ocean and the Arctic. Operating out of a lease apron of the Homaar Point Naval Base, in north-western Dolgava, the Coast Guard’s Triton drones are expected to have considerable range well into the Arctic. Commandant of the Lodamese Coast Guard, Admiral Frederick Wright confirmed that Lodamun was making use of its existing defence partnerships to more efficiently and effectively establish a security net over the nation’s interests. Maritime patrols are expected to be largely unarmed and will likely simply revolve around monitoring commercial and military traffic moving throughout the region. With the Coast Guard set to restart its once-vaunted shipbuilding programme, with the intent of expanding the current fleet of Union-class Domestic Security Cutters from 5 to 10 and the current fleet of Cobia-class Offshore Patrol Cutters from 10 to 20, as well as bringing on a new series of medium-sized patrol boats, integration/working in tandem with maritime drones is likely to be a stop-gap measure as the Coast Guard is also set to send out an RFP for a maritime patrol jet, which it hopes to use in operations within larger bodies of water such the Mad Dog Ocean and Anantonese Sea. Admiral Wright noted that the drones will likely avoid Trigunian airspace and will traverse the channel between Hutori and Trigunia to enter the Arctic. He noted that for the sake of avoiding issues with the Trigunian Armed Forces, which restarted active patrols of the same area, the drones will likely avoid the known patrol routes of the Trigunian Air Force. A total of six (6) drones are expected to be attached to the mission, all of which will be a rotation, with two always “on-station”, on active patrols. When asked to comment on the Coast Guard’s future interests in the region, Admiral Wright stated that the service had begun initial discussions with the Department of Defence and the Office of Defence Intelligence on establishing a satellite programme. Currently, the vast majority of defence satellites are primarily controlled by the Lodamese Air Force through the Bureau of Aerospace Intelligence. Admiral Wright relayed the service’s hopefulness to have autonomous, yet connected satellite infrastructure to support its operations throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

[imperialpearl]