Defence Ministry to establish Rapid Reaction Force to respond to emergency threatsFive battalion to be created to form Rapid Reaction Force11th June, 4200The Defence Ministry has announced the formation of a rapid reaction force, designed to counteract conventional security threats. Announcing the formation of the rapid reaction force was Chief of Defence Staff Lt. General Henning Sivertsen said that the move "was to reinforce the efforts to both modernize and restructure the defence forces." An official from the Defence Ministry stated, some elements of the new force will be able to deploy to a flash point with 6-12 hours notice, much faster than the current response time of the Royal Mariners. It will be supported by air and sea forces as well as special operations units, and two more land brigades on standby in the event of a major crisis. The reaction force will consists of 5,000 servicemen and women.
It is expected the the Rapid Reaction Force will be under the command of Brigadier Michael Odegaard, who previously commanded the 4th Panserbrigaden, known for his emphasis on rapid movement and deployment. The Defence Ministry has stated that they are currently contemplating on the matter of the formation of an amphibious light infantry force, however, the Defence Minister was not available to offer comments on the matter.
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30,000 to participate in massive combined arms exercise.30,000 active and reserve servicemen and women to participate in massive combined arms exercise.11th June, 4200The military's Defence Command announced a snap drill earlier this morning with the aim of testing the Kongeforsvar's 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 Staff Lt. General Henning Sivertsen 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. Thousands 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 Kongeforsvar 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 defences and countermeasures and air superiority and defence. Furthermore, 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 thereafter form a formidable offensive push into enemy territory," an official from Defence Command said.
It is expected that all branches of the Kongeforsvar 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 the Queen Ingrid multi-role amphibious assault vessel shall conduct shipboard helicopter, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) operations, other naval assets will conduct surface, anti-submarine warfare and anti-aircraft & anti-missile exercises. The Ground Forces, will conduct special operations, search and rescue operations and fine tune their defensive and offensive capabilities. The Rapid Reaction Force and the Royal Mariners, 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 30,000 military personnel both reserve and active will be participating in the exercise with more than 1,200 assets from the navy, air force, ground forces and cyber defence force. The exercise is expected to take place in the province of Hent, specifically near the coastal region and moderately dense areas for a two week period.
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Home and Kingdom Affairs Ministry launches Internal Security Review.Home and Kingdom Affairs Ministry launches Internal Security Review to fine tune approach to crime.11th June, 4200The Ministry of Home and Kingdom Affairs has launched a review into its approach to handling crime and national security issues within the country. The review by the Ministry comes apart of the new minister's reforms. Minister Joakim Rasmussen, being a former high-ranking counterintelligence officer within the General Directorate for State Security, has an extreme emphasis on upholding and cementing the state's control on security, as he believes it is imperative that the state be responsible for ensuring the security of the citizenry. According to information presented by the Transnational Anti-Crimes Agency and the General Directorate for State Security, the Kingdom of Kazulia, has inherited a series of crime related issues, most ranging between gang violence and other serious crimes (i.e. stabbings, burglaries and murder).
The report from the General Directorate for State Security indicated the state's lapse in cyber security, a topic which the Home and Kingdom Affairs Minister stressed on needing improvements. He stated that since this factor affects both the public and the private sector and spans a broad range of issues related to national security, whether through terrorism, crime or state and industrial espionage, the government, more-so the Security Services should implement increased and improved measures in ensuring the safety and security of Kazulian cyber-space. He mentioned that he does intend on pushing the Government Communications Service and the General Directorate for State Security for increased cooperation, specifically pertaining to the prospects of cyber security.
Apart from a lapse in cyber-security, the reports also highlighted that despite current operations are currently being conducted to curb its clout, crime is still an important matter which needs the attention of the Home and Kingdom Affairs Ministry and the Government as a whole. Although operations are currently on-going pertaining to illegal firearms and gang-related activity, the Minister stated that he intends on spearheading the effort to shorten the clout of crime through the use of stringent and aggressive policing policies, one of them being the extensive use of the
Surveillance and Data Collection Act of 4196 as a means of obtaining key information with respect to gang-activity.
The Home and Kingdom Affairs Ministry is expected to see a wave of reform in the coming years as Rasmussen intends on boosting the output of the Ministry and its subordinate agencies. With a counter-intelligence officer at the helm of one of the most powerful government offices in the country, it is expected that many legislation coming out of the ministry will be centred at improving the security stance of the state.