Defense DigestGov. Forms Liori Defense Manufacturing Syndicate July 4888The Domestically-Produced LDMS AR1 Set to Phase Out Foreign Weapons as Main Assault Rifle of Liori Armed ForcesIn an effort to increase the self-sufficiency of the Liori armed forces and lessen dependence on foreign defense companies, the government has approved plans to unite all domestic arms manufacturing companies (both private and public) under a state-overseen syndicate with the aim of directing armaments research, production, and trade sale. This organization, titled the Liori Defense Manufacturing Syndicate (LDMS), was the product of a join meeting between high ranking officials within the Arch Ministry of Defense and the Industry and Planning Ministries to discuss the topics of military materiel needs and Liori domestic armaments. Under the new ordering of the arms industry, all companies already owned by the state will be consolidated into four branches of a single corporation (Liore Defense Corporation), each respectively dedicated to small arms, ground vehicles, warships, and aircraft; which will be directly operated and guided by government and bureaucracy. The currently private companies that will be placed under the LDMS will retain a sliver of independence in their private sales, though will be required to fulfill LDMS quotas before providing for other markets and will be required to follow its regulations in their sales. The LDMS will also seek to standardize weapons models produced by its subsidiaries in terms of weapons produced for Liori armed forces, though will allow private companies to withhold schematics from one another for systems not used by the armed forces.
As of yet, the only major products of the LDMS are small arms and unarmored vehicles, with warships soon to enter its catalogue of armaments, however with a fresh influx of government funds set to vitalize the syndicate next year, research and development for other armaments will become a top priority for the LDMS. Until then, the lengthy process of reorganizing the LDMS's subsidiaries will be conducted and production of small arms such as the LDMS AR1 (ooc:
IMI Galil), a multi-specification assault rifle using 7.62×51mm rounds; the LDMS ATL1 (ooc:
B-300), a rocket-propelled grenade launcher firing anti-tank and high-explosive rounds; and a host of other weapons will commence for the process of rearming the LNPA and LV ground forces.
Naval Reverse Engineering Project Completed September 4888After nearly ten years of meticulous study and work, the Arch Ministry of Defense (AMD) has announced that the project to reverse engineer several Deltarian-made ships has been successfully completed, and that most of the reverse engineered ships, including the LWS Kubwa, are in the final stages of being reassembled, while a Velryba-Class destroyer's reconstruction has been delayed due to slight damage to the ship's engine. With the exception of the damage to the destroyer, AMD spokesmen have called the project an "overwhelming success" and the information obtained from the study "invaluable and critical to future Liori and Dovanian self-sufficiency." The data obtained from the project will give the AMD and newly formed Liori Defense Manufacturing Syndicate (LDMS) the knowledge necessary to begin constructing large modern warships and a basis to build upon in the future improved variants of those ships the LDMS can commission at the moment. Already, the AMD is beginning to draw up an order for fresh ships from the LDMS, with rumors suggesting it will include a new capital ship for a Caltropic fleet. For the time being though, the AMD has not put in an official order, as LDMS port facilities will require minor upgrades and expansions to prepare them for production, and it's expected that such production won't be able to begin until mid 4889 at the earliest.
Arch Ministry of Defense Sets Ambitious Five-Year Recruitment Goal December 4888To top a year full of advancements in the Liori military and in its defense industries, the Arch Ministry of Defense (AMD) has announced its intention to embark on a major recruitment campaign for all sectors of the Liori armed forces. The campaign will establish a recruitment goal of an additional 80,000 to the armed forces over the next five years and will be accompanied by an updated annual replacement recruitment quota to accommodate for the large increase in manpower. A majority of the new recruits (around 65,000) will be used in the formation of four new army divisions, two active duty LNPA, one reserve LNPA, and one LV. This expansion campaign is the first major military expansion since the early days of the Socialist State, and the first time since the reorganization of the LNPA that new army divisions were formed, breaking from a tradition of previous expansions aimed at slightly bolstering the manpower and combined arms power of already existing divisions.
When Asked by Members of the Press About the Expansion, President Jail Obama Gave the Following Statement
The expansion of our armed forces is not out of any international power comparison games, but out of necessity. Necessity for the sovereignty and freedom of Liore and her allies from imperialistic states. In recent decades, we've received numerous threats from western empires like Yingdala, both indirect as with their deployment of forces to Utembo and direct as with their bellicose threats of military action against us for our humanitarian efforts in Ntoto. It's necessary that Liore remains ready to meet the military threats of malicious governments as well as their economic and diplomatic threats, this most recent military expansion is the most important way we can address those threats against us and our neighbors.