6,000 to participate in massive combined arms exercise.6,000 active and reserve service personnel to participate in massive combined arms exercise.♕:The Minotaur Infantry Fighting Vehicle during Exercise Blackburn.Defence Command has announced a snap drill earlier this morning with the aim of testing the Luthorian Armed Forces' readiness to proceed into full combat readiness. The announcement by Defence Command comes after a decrease in the armed forces' capability to deploy oversees and to respond to emergencies in a timely manner. Chief of Defence General Vincent Reynolds stated that although the government may not the deterioration of effectiveness seriously, he believed that the military should think ahead and go about conducting exercises in order to analyse their readiness in the even of a conflict which endangers their interests. Hundreds of wartime reserves and active personnel were called up to participate in the exercise, and it is being reported to be the largest military exercise ever conducted to date.
As expected the military drills have a general operational focus with combined arms, as the Luthorian Armed Forces has centred its operational effectiveness training around the use of combined arms, something that is rarely seen throughout most military today. Officials from Defence Command stated that although the drill is focused on combined arms, it will also be used as a means of fine tuning the capabilities and execution of several military concepts such as Intelligence gathering and analysis, reconnaissance, electronic warfare and airstrikes. More many, the drill will be the first time cyber defences and cyber offensive measures will be drilled. "The drill is expected to assess our response to potential attacks from external forces, apart from that it will assist us in seeing how quickly could we fend off said potential attacks and now put the attacks on the defensive," an official from Defence Command said.
It is expected that all branches of the Luthorian Armed Forces will be in participation of the exercise as the drill is mainly focused on combined arms. The Air Force is expected to conduct close-air support and air superiority missions. Other units taking part in the drill include: the Navy, with the use of its helicopter carrier shall conduct shipboard helicopter operations, other naval assets will conduct surface and anti-submarine warfare exercises. The Ground Forces, will conduct special operations, search and rescue operations and fine tune their defensive and offensive capabilities. The Rapid Reaction Force, will conduct rapid response and deployment drills along with several other subordinate branches such as the Coast Guard and Air Guard.
Official figures from the Ministry of Defence state that roughly 6,000 military personnel both reserve and active will be participating in the exercise with more than 400 assets from the navy, air force, ground forces and cyber defence force. The exercise is expected to take place in the province of Tinako, specifically near the coastal region and moderately dense areas for a two week period.
the Fort William Inquirer is a subsidiary newspaper owned by OneLuthorian Communications. It is the leading newspaper in Luthori, gripping over 1.3 million readers daily.Chancellor in Hutori to push for stronger trade and defence tiesHutori 3rd nation of Imperial Chancellor's international tour; discusses stronger trade and defence ties.♕:Imperial Chancellor Grace Hammerfield prior to speaking with youths in a Hutorian university.The Imperial Chancellor landed in Bekenial, making Hutori to the 3rd nation in her international tour of reassurance and relationship strengthening, to discuss stronger trade and defence ties between Hutori and Luthori. Overnight, amidst a cabinet reshuffling, the former Foreign Minister was pushed into the position of Imperial Chancellor, thus making her the head of government. Chancelor Hammerfield spoke with Prime Minister Andrew Macalester on issues pertaining to trade, defence and potentially cooperation in space. Hammerfield and Taylor discussed remedies to the current situations developing throughout the world which demand the inclusion of the nation, particularly the collapse of the Northern Council. The Imperial Chancellor urged that although the alliance has collapsed and the members have scattered, it shouldn't mean that Luthori's close relationship with Hutori should be broken. He stated that Hutori and Luthori maintains a brotherly bond, well-beyond the principles of the northern alliance. Hutori and Luthori's relationship has existed for more than five centuries, having initially formed out decolonisation and the formation of the commonwealth. The Imperial Chancellor met with several figures within the Hutorian Government including, Foreign Affairs Minister Charlotte Shadid, Defence Minister John Rail, Finance Minister Amara Adriaansen and Trade and Industry Minister Melissa McRodry.
In discussing trade with both Foreign Affairs Minister Charlotte Shadid and Trade and Industry Minister Melissa McRodry, the Imperial Chancellor championed the formation of a trade union which will benefit the nations of the commonwealth. With anti-commonwealth sentiments mounting in the former realms, the Imperial Chancellor stated that she had every intention to work towards reforming how the commonwealth was perceived. The Imperial Chancellor wanted to move the commonwealth away from a "2nd iteration of the Luthorian Empire" and towards an institution of world peace; promotion of representative democracy and individual liberty; the pursuit of equality and free trade. She stated that nations such as Keymon, Alduria, Jakania, Luthori, Mordusia and Hutori could benefit from a trade union covering the bloc. The potential for intense trade between these nations is an estimated $800 Billion. With Hutori having the largest economy in the commonwealth, the Imperial Chancellor stated that it should not be dormant in face of rising economic potential. With the Hutorian economy slowing signs of decline, the Imperial Chancellor warned Trade Minister Melissa McRodry of the implications of the decline of the Hutorian economy. "Although our economy is smaller than that of Hutori's, we are making active moves to advancing our economy. The decline of the Hutorian economy is troubling," the Imperial Chancellor said.
The Imperial Chancellor pushed for closer defence ties between Luthori and Hutori with Hutorian Defence Minister John Rail. She called for increased integration between the Hutorian and Luthorian Armed Forces, citing the historic relationship between the two nations. The Hutorian Armed Forces is the largest of its kind in the commonwealth and the 2nd Largest military in the Northern Hemisphere, second only to the Kazulian Armed Forces. With Hutori taking a leading role in Hemispheric affairs and the commonwealth, the Imperial Chancellor stated that Luthori should not be allowed to slip behind the curtains of insignificance. She stated that Luthori will become a serious power once more and retake its place as head of the commonwealth, but for now this responsibility rests on the Commonwealth of Hutori. The Imperial Chancellor proposed a mutual defence agreement between Luthori and Hutori, calling for the formation a joint military formation akin to the 1st Hutorian/Kazulian Division. The proposed plan was to form a corps compromising of troops from the commonwealth realm coined the 1st Commonwealth Corps or "The Corps of the Commonwealth".
the Fort William Inquirer is a subsidiary newspaper owned by OneLuthorian Communications. It is the leading newspaper in Luthori, gripping over 1.3 million readers daily.Multi-billion pound refit programme for ageing Series 500 destroyersMoD launches programme to modernisation ageing fleet of Series 500 destroyer to maintain combat edge.♕: HIMS Vengeful, the lead ship of the Series 500 class of destroyers on a sea trial months prior.Defence Contractor Leyland Granholm has been contracted by the Ministry of Defence to modernise systems of the Imperial Navy's fleet of Series 500 destroyers. Amidst the decline of the Imperial Navy, its fleet of Series 500 destroyers has been on the decline due to a lack of maintenance and modern combat systems. The modernisation programme is set to be worth around $6 Billion pounds, and would see the implementation of new combat systems and armaments to complement the shift in the Imperial Navy's operational policy. Underneath the banner of Project Trojan, the destroyer's engines, main gun, combat integration systems and defences will be enhanced to ensure that the destroyers maintain their global edge. According to Leyland Granholm, it will be cooperating with companies such as SlipStream and Viserby Systems to develop new systems for the destroyers. Minister of Defence Spencer King stated that the modernisation programme operates along the lines of the general modernisation and rearmament of the Luthorian Armed Forces following the recent White Paper. According to the Defence Minister, the programme is set to cover all ten (10) destroyers with the HIMS Vengeful set to receive the first round of new systems, armaments and technologies.
The vessel is run by a Windsor WSR-16 gas turbine engine which enables it to reach a range in excess of 7,000 nautical miles. At present, the propulsion uses two diesel generators to produce high voltage electric power, which then runs a pair of induction motors that propel the ship. Due to lack of maintenance said engines have been reduced in their operational capacity, with a recent sea trial of the HIMS Vengeful revealing several engine failures. Windsor Motors has stated that the new generators and electrical systems will help prevent a total breakdown in the event of a turbine failure. Windsor is in the process of building an intercooler-recuperator that will be more reliable and successfully tested the first prototype system in the coming months. Maintaining the reliability and competitive edge of the Series 500 destroyers are of great importance to the Imperial Navy. According to First Sea Lord Donald Harrison, "the Series 500 destroyer is the backbone of the Imperial Navy, provided cutting edge technologies and systems capable of ensuring the security of our nation's interests." An official from SlipStream, the Series 500's Eel Missiles will be replaced with a modular missile being developed cooperatively with Viserby Systems coined the Sea Strider.
the Fort William Inquirer is a subsidiary newspaper owned by OneLuthorian Communications. It is the leading newspaper in Luthori, gripping over 1.3 million readers daily.