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Stockholm Tribune


Yawoo

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Helsinki -

 

Emperor Bernadotte officially signed the integration of the former Finnish state into the Scandinavian Union this morning while dining in Helsinki with the head of the Finnish parliament. The Union forms the legal basis for the borders of the Swedish Empire, and enshrines into Swedish law the rights of her citizens. With the integration of Finland, the Empire expands its borders in its largest move in over a century. Foreign Minister Horst Weckler was quoted as saying, "Finland is a natural member of the Scandinavian Union, holding much historic ties to Sweden and Norway. With her people crying out for unification, and her government ineffective in governing its citizens, and providing for their needs the Prime Minister requested Stockholm's support. In Finland's time of need Sweden stepped forth, and we hope to work with other regional powers, notably the Tsardom of Russia to ensure stability returns to the Baltics and remains."

 

A message would be sent to the Tsarina from the Emperor:

 

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Empress Natalia I:

 

With the collapse of the Finnish government, and the integration of her territories under the Swedish crown the Baltics once more ebb into the chaos of instability. I would be delighted to visit Petrograd to discuss relations. A united Russian-Swedish force is needed to ensure the Baltic remains free of foreign interventionist forces. 

 

I await your response.

 

With Kind Regards,

 

Karl Oskar Berandotte

Emperor of Sweden, Norway and Finland

 

 

OOC: 1/5. Feel free to consider the PM no longer a valid government member if you want to contest. 

Edited by Yawoo
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STOCKHOLM- The Swedish Air Force has taken over responsibilities for security over Finnish air space as integration into the Scandinavian Union continues. In continuing a unified military approach, the Air Force announced it would begin studying a successor aircraft for the nation. Such a move has been criticized by the Green Party, but the Emperor has expressed his desire to ensure Sweden maintains a fleet on par with the most advanced in the world. With the Emperor's support, the Air Force will expand its operations into Finland to incorporate air expertise there. The army, in conjunction with the air force, will begin building a test highway capable of rapidly transporting heavy armor, as well as landing aircraft in the case of emergencies or during war activities. The highway will be located in the north of Norway, where the extreme temperatures will be sure to test the engineering corps' expertise. Any change to the nation's infrastructure to accommodate the new highway system will be quite expensive and must be near-fool proof according to Transportation Minister Johan Kromfeld. 

 

OOC: 2/5 for Finnish annexation.

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HELSINKI- The Finnish language has been granted minority language rights within the Scandinavian Union, joining Norwegian. Such protection means all students will be required to take a minimum of four years of Finnish in elementary school regardless of their geographic location in the union. Additionally, this will allow Finnish to join Norwegian and Swedish on all official government documents. Official signs in Finland will be required to also contain Swedish letting - this will allow those that do not speak Finnish to successfully navigate around their country's new territory.

 

The parliament in Stockholm will debate an increased funding to national defense, as reports continue to flow into the country of foreign nations testing new technological advances in warfare.  The Emperor continues to express a desire to the see the Empire increase its defensive capabilities. Such a desire has allowed the Air Force to move forward with their modernization program, which, until the annexation of Finland, appeared to be all but marred in bureaucratic dead-ends. The Ministry of Defense must balance the need for a strong air presence with desires by traditional land forces to maintain their favored status. An increasingly vocal component of the debate is the ability for Sweden to conduct offensive operations long away from the mainland. This, thus far, continues to be a minority opinion, but recent statements by North American nations towards Europe has fanned the flames of debate.

 

OOC:

 

3/5

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2.5 billion krona have been authorized to fund improvements projects across Finland to better integrate infrastructure to the standards of the Scandinavian Union. The money, loaned from the Reserve Oil Fund, is expected to generate an additional 3% in Finland's GDP over the next five years. This comes on the heels of the Ministry of Defense authorizing exercises in Finland to stress-test experimental equipment. As fall arrives over the north, temperatures will soon drop and will allow the military to better study how modern equipment is affected in harsh temperatures.

 

Finland's state parliament will begin elections following its transition from a national to a state institution A worrying spike in nationalist parties may well sway enough votes to wrestle control of the upper house from the Liberal-Labor coalition. Stockholm has thus far refused to comment on local elections citing the need for the people to make their own decisions unaffected from federal pressure. Several shipments of crowd control equipment has been shipped from Christina to several major Finnish cities in the run up to the elections, but as yet there still is no comment from the government as to its intended purposes or deployment. 

 

OOC: 4/5

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ESPOO - The military structure of Finland has been realigned to conform with Scandinavian Union standards This follows anonymous reports from the Ministry of Defense that the Empire is preparing to greatly expand its armed forces. With the economy increasingly stable and tax revenues on the rise funding has become less of an issue for parliament to stomach. Already, the government has contracted with Kockums and Umoe Mandal for several prototypes. This follows several recent trends by the Empire to study new levels of military technology. As the border with Tsardom remains quiet - and all indications are it is poised to remain that way for the near future, the eyes of military planners turn to the south and west, both of which will require the ability for more offensive capabilities. 

 

Stockholm has invited several major Finnish officers to join the national security council. This is the council that has the ear of the Emperor and helps allow him to make informed decisions on military matters. In the past, this has been dominated by the army, but upon his coronation the Emperor dismissed several influential army officers and has since sought to balance the nation's focus to better prepare for future conflicts. The navy, in particular, has benefited from the new arrangement as shipyards in Norway and Sweden have, of late, been occupied with government projects. It is thought that Finland will soon benefit from their own share of new government contracts as the Air Force continues to seek a successor aircraft for the current fleet.

 

OOC: 5/5 for Finland

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Naval Exercises in Norwegian Sea and Gulf of Bothnia

 

 

KARLSKRONA - The Swedish Navy has commenced large scale operations in the Norwegian Sea and Gulf of Bothnia. "Shock" would see part of the navy commence mock engagements with enemy surface and submerged vessels. "Thunder" would see the other part of the navy employing defensive tactics to shut down the Baltic. "Thunder" would also incorporate amphibious assault, rescue operations, and large troops transports in their operations.

 

"It is imperative our sailors remain on guard as the world has once more shifted into further militarization as the memories of the Great War begin to fade into the past." said Admiral Lindgren. The Admiral went on to say the exercise would be well away from other nation's territory and that the Russians were notified of a large mobilization and build up of Swedish forces in the Baltic prior to Shock's start.

 

Emperor Bernadotte has begun to have success in his campaign to force parliament to increase more funding to the armed forces. Recent technological advancements by the military (OOC: radar) has helped to swing parliament over to the Emperor's position. Early in the week, a new bill began to be debated in the House of Lords, authorizing the purchase of state of the art equipment, the establishment of a central command headquarters, as well as a military research center. This bill is expected to easily pass thru the House of Lords, many of whom share the Emperor's concerns over the country's current state, though a fierce debate and a close voted is expected in the Commons. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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STOCKHOLM - The Swedish Emperor issued an imperial decree proclaiming a unilateral guarantee of protection for all Scandinavian and Nordic territories not within the Scandinavian Union. These being Iceland, Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. This will see Swedish forces committed to defend the people and territory of the above states, whom hold no such obligation to do the same for the Empire. While Estonian is of the Finnic language group, it will not be covered under the new guarantee as it is already enjoying protection as a Baltic state. 

 

As part of the decree a small weather station would be established by Swedish military on Jan Mayen Island following the planting of the Swedish flag. An expedition would be sent to the Svalbard archipelago to establish Swedish ownership in the area. Norwegian special forces would be in charge of the mission from their northern base in Alta.

 

 

Classified:

 

"Shock" operations would end with a third of their forces re-deployed around Jan Mayen island - where a small Swedish weather outpost was stationed. Their new geography would allow them to begin patrol operations around Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe islands with relative ease until reinforcements - if needed - rotated from the Baltic. Sea patrol planes would be sent out in small numbers when available to assist the navy with their new duties.

Edited by Yawoo
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Amid Global Uncertainty Sweden Signs Treaty With American Enclave

 

STOCKHOLM- The Swedish Foreign Ministry announced the signing of a non-aggression, and a free-trade agreement with North America's largest nation - the American Enclave. This agreement comes as Sweden seeks to expel aggressive Massachusetts soldiers from the Empire's Greenland protectorate. Trade between America and the Empire has increased to new heights following the Great War as industrialization continues to change the fabric of the ordinary citizen's life. The American Secretary met briefly with Emperor Bernadotte before his meeting with the Foreign Secretary. Sources inside the palace say the Emperor was quite charmed by the American Secretary, and that an invitation to dine with His Majesty was presented as a parting gift to the Secretary the next time he was in town. 

 

Harald Ericsson, Assistant Minister for Northern American relations said, "This is a great day for the Swedish Empire, and for the American Enclave. The easing of trade barriers will substantially increase the goods and services our two great nations trade in. As trade increases, so too will the prosperity of American and Swedish families. To ensure a proper climate of trade, and prosperity we have agreed to not seek aggression against each other - thus furthering our two nations' commitment to global peace and security."

 

 

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Construction brings new opportunities for industries Swedes:

 

A small runway has been completed on Jan Mayen island. While its primary purpose will be to support search and rescue operations, the Navy has expressed interest in anti-shipping activities, particularly anti-submarine operations. A small team will be sent to the island to evaluate the feasibility of the navy's plans. In addition to Jan Mayne's runway,construction has begun on port facilities in the Svalbard archipelago. While there has been rudimentary facilities there dating back a hundred years - the need for updated facilities became evident following a deadly storm which cost the lives of an entire ship's crew. As winter approaches construction will have to face a difficult test of man against nature. While there are plans to continue construction during the winter weather - several informed members of the construction team have expressed serious doubt about the group's ability to proceed through the harsh winter. 

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Naval Exercises to take place near Greenland

KARLSKRONA - The Swedish Navy has commenced large scale operations near the Greenlandic coast. These exercises will test the fleet's ability to enforce Emperor Bernadotte's protectorate over Scandinavian nations. Such exercises have become routine the last few months as the Swedish military undergoes modernization efforts championed by the nation's monarch. Following Finland's admission into the Union, a fresh wave of funding and expertise flowed to the armed forces. New research centers in Finland have born fruit in the form of specialized winter supply chain technology. This technology, which has passed all field tests thus far will enter its final stage during the navy's exercises as a special group of commandos will initiate resistance exercises in the harsh environment of Greenland. 

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Government to Invest in Infrastructure

 

STOCKHOLM - The Riksdag has allocated a billion and a half kronor to infrastructure projects following a better than expected first quarter surplus. Railways (government owned) will benefit the most from this increase in funding as modernization efforts push to include more citizens with public transit options. As expected, the government included in the infrastructure bill a provision which will change the driving side from the left to the right hand side. This change will come into effect within the next six months, as preparation for the change has been mandated for over two years. This follows an extensive study by the nation's transit authority which concluded that continuing to drive on the left hand side would be detrimental to the nation's economy as the vast majority of her neighbors, with the exception of the British isles, drives on the right. 

Edited by Yawoo
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