Southside Schoolkids Pretend to be Zoo Animals in Vascanian Sandbox...
The mock aircraft carrier that some believe mimics Dorvish or Deltarian designs (OOC Source: Fox News)Or at least that is what critics will say about the first set of "Zoo Alliance" exercises that took place in the Empire of Vascania, the "Elephant" of the Zoo Alliance. The Dragon, the Lion, the Wolf, and the Goat - Yingdala, Vanuku,
Jelbe, and Jakania - all sent troops from all branches to train in the Vascanian "sandbox". It is well known that Vascania's geography is extremely diverse, creating a sandbox-like element that will allow the Zoo Alliance to train and test themselves in a number of settings, thereby increasing their ability to jointly operate with multiple stressors. Overall, the exercises proved beneficial to the cohesion and ability of the alliance to conduct business, as well as highlighted Vascania's leadership in the alliance.
The exercises first began in a mock urban setting within the Vascanian jungle. Unique though it may be, the fake city allowed the allies to ramp up their urban warfare and counter-terrorism training. Each ally took turns leading efforts, providing officers from each country to take up the opportunity to command large and diverse number of troops. It was also rumored that the alliance partners practiced crowd control and other methods of civil unrest management, the rationale being the threat of "third columns". However, it is equally possible that Yingdala, the Jelbic Khaganate, and Vascania desired to test their efforts at quelling domestic insurrection against their rulers.
Post-urban warfare and counter-insurgency/terrorism training, the alliance practiced conducting bombing runs across uninhabited areas in Vascania. First, the allies practiced their joint coordination abilities by collectively bombing and destroying the mock city in the Vascanian jungle. These efforts allowed the group practice finding and attacking targets in "hidden terrain" - both in terms of attacking the mock city, as well as targets under the cover of foliage and trees (fake foliage and trees in this case). Second, the animal allies practiced destroying logistics routes in the Vascanian desert, an action critical to crippling an attacker. Of course, these bombing practice runs were part of large air force coordinated drills, which largely consisted of practicing formations and dog fighting.
The penultimate drill of the Vascanian exercises focused on live-fire naval coordination. Primarily, the allies focused on three objectives: securing supply lines in open water, protecting a Jelbic Khaganate aircraft carrier (provided by Vanuku), and destroying enemy vessels. Yingdala led the first set of exercises, given their honed skills of protecting international trade routes. These drills emphasized speed and accuracy, as well as the ability to draw fire away from trading vessels. A submarine hunt also formed a pillar of these exercises, as submarines tend to be the primary cause of trade destruction during war. Protecting the aircraft carrier was led by the Jelbic Khaganate, as their experience here far outweighed those of its allies. Conducting this exercise was extremely beneficial to the group, especially considering the cost to produce an aircraft carrier. These tend to be top targets during naval components of war, making practicing defensive maneuvers absolutely necessary.
Finally, led by Vascania, the Zoo Alliance demonstrated their ability to cut off an enemy flotilla. In preparation for this round of the exercises, Vascania had constructed a fake carrier strike group to serve as the Zoo Alliance target. Some of the ships appeared to be identical in design to Dorvish and Deltarian ships - although that was surely an oversight. This round allowed each country to test their firing accuracy, as well as test formations, against enemy targets. The resounding conclusion came when the mock strike group burst into flames. Thankfully, the mock ships were made of bio-materials, making them perfectly safe to destroy in the ocean. Not to mention, any material that remained, particularly if large, could help serve as part of an ocean habitat.
The Vascanian led Zoo Alliance exercises not only allowed all parties to improve their joint coordination and military abilities, but they also served to strengthen the overall alliance. Vascanian hospitality was likely a direct cause in the alliance partners improving their relationship. It seems, at least for Yingdala, Vascania will have a much greater presence in Tian'an.
