MostGloriousLeader

Classified Response Unfortunately we are unable and unwilling to provide such an order to such a new nation in the international community. Company policy is generally to conduct business with well established and stable nations which you have not proven yet, time will tell.

Secure Reponse As per our previous contract we shall deliver all requested aircraft at the fixed agreed upon price. -Hershey Defense Systems

"Hello Ambassador Kisakinomiya" said McNutt as he shook her hand and sat down. "What can the American Commonwealth do for you today?".he asked.

Secretary of State McNutt would arrive at the embassy in a small convoy considering he was just traveling in town.

It had been a couple of weeks since the trial was begun, during which the legal proceedings took place. Today was the last day of the trial, where the court would render its verdict. The defendants were seated together as the three judges walked in to take their seats on the bench at the front of the room. "Will the defendants please rise?" asked the head judge. "On the counts of sedition, this court has found you guilty. On the counts of seditious conspiracy, this court finds you guilty. You are all hereby sentenced to serve 25 years imprisonment for sedition and 20 years for seditious conspiracy, to be served consecutively. As such I remand the defendants into the custody of the Marshals service to begin their sentence" said the judge as he brought down the gavel which echoed throughout the courtroom with a sound of finality. With the verdict given and the sentence imposed, Marshals would escort the prisoners to a helicopter pad on base where a V-22 was landing and board it to take them to the high security prison facilities at Fort Leavenworth where they would be serving their sentence. Meanwhile in Texas federal forces were at full alert, both to deal with civil unrest as well as possible rebellion by the national guard. With the Texan air guard still grounded the Commonwealth Air Force maintained its combat air patrols and large levels of surveillance and all previous measures were still in place. As a precaution the President ordered the guard to be demobilized and return their equipment and weapons to their armories, to be replaced on the streets by the new Federal Crisis Response Force. Units that disobeyed would be viewed as probable threats and federal troops would be sent to enforce the orders, something that could be easily done considering that over 100,000 federal troops were now in Texas outnumbering the guard two to one.

We are able to provide the aircraft requested at the stated prices as well as options for extra aircraft.

Per unit pricing would be fixed at $180 million per unit. We are also willing to submit the C-130J Super Hercules as a contender that still meets most of the requirements but cheaper at a fixed price of $50 million per unit.

CLASSIFIED The NSA and military Cyber Command have begun to conduct reconnaissance and infiltration of Texan government and civilian computer networks. The authority of the federal government to compel internet service providers and companies to provide any necessary information or access to their networks would help things come along faster. As it was the federal government and military's job to provide security for the nation's internet infrastructure and computer networks any such actions would seem to be for that purpose.

Secession Public Opinion Backlash Its been several days since the arrest of several members of the Texas Secessionist party and the trial is still ongoing. Around the entire country citizens of the Commonwealth are unanimous in their opposition to the idea of any attempt at secession by any state with an overwhelming 90% of polled citizens stating that secession by the state of Texas shouldn't be allowed and that the secessionist party members should be convicted. 80% of those polled said that they would support the use of force to maintain the union of the country if it was the only option. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in major cities and Washington DC to rally in support of the federal government. NCRF Established Congress has passed a law establishing and funding the National Crisis Response Force, a federal police unit under the Justice Department able to respond to large scale civil disturbance and law enforcement missions in support of local and state authorities if they are unable to handle the situation. The NCRF was established in response to the large scale rioting in Texas to be an alternative to the use of military forces in the event of widespread civil unrest. The NCRF has a mandated strength of 40,000 personnel organized into forty 1,000 man battalions and has been mostly filled out by volunteer personnel on temporary transfer from municipal, state and federal police agencies across the country until more permanent personnel are recruited. Trained and equipped with the latest in police equipment, riot gear, and vehicles, and composed of seasoned law enforcement personnel, the NCRF is a highly effective anti-riot force. The unit has begun its first large scale deployment with 10,000 officers being deployed to major population centers in Texas to assist local law enforcement in maintaining order.

Hershey Defense Systems would like to submit the C-17 Globemaster as a bid for the Polish Air Force's tactical/strategic airlifter program.

The American Commonwealth Mexican protectorate administration would investigate the claims of the supposed "President Lopez". What they found after some very rudimentary investigation was some kid on the internet playing a text based nation role-play game. Embarrassed, the investigating officers would apologize to the child's mother for wasting her time and would classify the incident as a non-issue. OOC: It's my protectorate and I've maintained it for well over two weeks so you are unable to actually RP a dispute.

The allegations that federal troops from Texas were deserting were based on hopeful delusions rather than actual fact. While maybe there were some who may have disagreed with the actions being taken, all had taken the oath of service and took them seriously and maintained their loyalty to the federal government and the chain of command. Any potential actions of disloyalty were limited to the Texas National Guard and nothing more. As for the secessionists under arrest, the need for the state government to snoop about to find their location was unnecessary. Everything done ranging from the arrest to the trial was done in accordance with the law and the information pertaining to the trial was more or less in the public domain. The trial itself was being conducted by the federal and not the military courts. The only reason the trial was being held at a military facility was because the loyalty of the Texas guard was in question and that security at the federal facility in Dallas was deemed inadequate with the local populace being demonstrated to be able to erupt into a violent furor. The Texas Attorney General would be allowed to see the state Senator after passing through several security checks. They were permitted to chat for about ten minutes before Federal Marshals entered to bring her to the courtroom. The trial was about to begin. Some press was allowed to witness the trial but there would be no live broadcasts permitted. The whole building was covered with a cell phone jamming device to render wireless devices useless and unable to transmit any data. External security was provided by the base's military police while security in the courtroom itself was provided by Marshals. The defendants were seated together and the trial would begin. The president was going over paperwork in the Oval Office when the call from the Governor. "Hello Governor Lawrence" he said. President Marston listened to the Governor talk and responded after he was finished. "Harmless or not the law is clear on this matter and everything was done in accordance to the law. The act of secession in any way shape or form is illegal. The advocacy of secession is illegal and indicative of an intent to subvert the authority of the federal government which is sedition. You ask me to pardon her. It is not in my power to pardon or release her, that is up to the courts now. If convicted I could not in good conscience over turn a court ruling for such serious offenses. The behavior of Texan citizens in opposition to a completely legal execution of the law is disturbing and hence the reason I have taken action to safeguard the public peace. The fact that special forces needed to be used to rescue federal law enforcement in the conduct of a simple arrest highlights that. Federal troops will remain in place and the national guard will remain federalized until the situation has been resolved". Federal forces would stand by on full alert, maintaining regular patrols in their assigned areas. The Air National Guard had been grounded and would remain on the ground while Commonwealth aircraft maintained patrols and completely secured Texan airspace. Numerous MQ-1, MQ-9 and RQ-4 UAVs would maintain a presence over Texan cities, national guard facilities, and national guard units and monitor them. Secret standing orders were that any unauthorized aircraft attempting to take off were to be shot down immediately. As the aircraft were based outside of Texas and as it was done in great secrecy, the Texas government and military would be oblivious to the fact that many of these aircraft actually carried an air to ground load-out inside their weapons bays. In addition to that B-2s were in the air patrolling outside of Texan airspace unbeknownst to the Texan guard. The Independence Carrier Battle Group was ordered to provide support from the Gulf of Mexico along with a amphibious ready group while the 4th Marine Division was deployed to port cities along the coast. Federal troops on the ground were also likewise told to maintain a wary eye on Texas national guardsmen as the very loyalty of the entire guard was now in doubt.

Marshal Travis Gonzalez was the head of the operations of the Commonwealth Marshal Service for the 5th Circuit Court. He was a bit surprised at receiving the arrest warrant for a Texas State Senator and Representatives but the law was the law and it was his duty to enforce the warrant. Gonzalez decided to personally take charge of the operation. This was undoubtedly a possibly volatile arrest and no chances would be taken. In addition to agents from the Austin field office he also brought along a Marshal Special Operations Team and secured assistance from the local FBI field office as well. Twenty four agents were assembled into a motorcade of four cars and an armored vehicle. Most were provided with tactical equipment and weapons like body armor, assault rifles and sub-machine guns, and all were provided with extra non-lethal gear and protective equipment. The convoy made a beeline towards the state capitol building sirens wailing. Gonzalez himself exited along with several plain clothed deputy marshals to enter the building to make the arrest while the rest of the force deployed to secure a perimeter around the vehicles. Showing the guards the federal warrant he also informed them that the warrant overrode their protective jurisdiction and that any attempts to interfere would be construed as obstruction of justice. Gonzalez entered the chambers with the other agents without handing over their weapons to make the arrest. Gonzalez himself put the cuffs on Senator Bowie and read her her rights as her and the other secessionists under arrest were led out of the building. He'd been a law enforcement officer for over 30 years now. The protests from those around and those under arrest fell on deaf ears. The marshals performed their duties with professionalism as they ignored it. Outside the situation had deteriorated as the agents and marshals fought off the ever growing crowd with tear gas, bean bags, rubber bullets, batons and their bare hands. The response to the arrival of the national guard was a bit uncertain but they were seemingly providing assistance so that was always something to be grateful for. The suspects were loaded into the armored vehicle along with several agents while the Marshal got in the passenger side seat. The national guard had pushed the crowd back far enough to allow the convoy to start moving. Even so, it wasn't completely clear and progress was intermittent prompting Gonzalez to request additional assistance. President Marston was monitoring the situation in Texas with senior administration officials and military personnel in the White House situation room which was undergoing a flurry of activity. The president shook his head as he watched the broadcasts of rioting in Austin. "What a disgraceful display. I guess everything is bigger in Texas, including the egos" said the president with disgust. "Somehow they think they're 'freer' than everyone else and that the laws don't apply to them. That being a Texan gives them some sort of god given right to ignore federal authority. Of all the states in this nation that is the only one that causes any damn trouble. Issue the orders to federalize the Texas National Guard and send them their assignments. I'll make a call to the governor informing him of these actions" said Marston as he dialed a secure line to the governor. In response to the rioting the Commonwealth military was ordered to deploy and assist the federal agents under siege in the city. At the same time the Texas National Guard was federalized and orders were given for them to provide assistance on the ground to federal law enforcement as well as to control the rioting. The air national guard was ordered to remain on the ground for the time being. The Commonwealth Air Force maintained combat air patrols of F-22s and F-35s over the state with support from AWACs aircraft. Several EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft began jamming communications channels throughout the state except those reserved for the military and government disrupting any news broadcasts and disabling phone usage. A special forces detachment from Fort Hood was flown out to extract the prisoners and agents via helicopter while a pair of Raptors would intercept the SR-71 shadowing the group and relay it orders to return to base. Colonel Daniel Wright was the overall mission commander of the operation. Several Black Hawks were escorted by a pair of Apache attack helicopters and proceeded to rendezvous with the convoy transporting the prisoners. "Command this is Serpent Six Actual, we have a visual on the HVIs and are proceeding with extraction mission" said Colonel Wright as he sighted the convoy. "Acknowledged Serpent Six Actual, you have a green light". A Black Hawk specially outfitted with a modified airborne mine dispenser flew over the convoy. The agents on the ground were ordered to equip themselves and the prisoners with respirators as the Black Hawk began to rapidly deploy large amounts of tear gas canisters over a wide area around the convoy. Special Forces operators fast roped in equipped with NBC and riot gear to remove stragglers from the area and clear a landing zone as Black Hawks landed to extract the prisoners who were rushed by the agents on the ground into the waiting helicopters. "Command, Serpent has the package and we are pulling out to RTB". All in all the operation took less than ten minutes before everyone was back in the air and returning to Fort Hood. It was decided that the security risks of holding the prisoners in Houston was too great and that instead the trial would be held at Fort Hood. Personnel from the 5th Circuit court were brought in to facilitate the holding of a civilian trial and a panel of three judges was picked at random from the pool of available federal judges. The on base JAG courthouse would provide an adequate setting for the trial which was set to begin soon. Security was beefed up with all troops on all bases in Texas at full readiness, including the 2nd Armored and 1st Cavalry Divisions at Fort Hood the 5th Armored Division at Fort Bliss and the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Sam Houston . The 3rd Mountain Division was ordered to fly into Austin from Fort Carson to assist the national guard in maintaining order and began arriving with full combat and riot gear. Additionally the 9th Infantry Division (Light) was flown into Houston while the 3rd Airborne Division was flown into Joint Base San Antonio and the 4th Marine Division was mobilized in Louisiana.

While the President's speech was being broadcast federal marshals and FBI agents executed the arrest warrants. The members of the secessionist party, who were located and being monitored and tailed by federal law enforcement prior to the arrest warrant's issue, would be taken into custody and transported to the Bastrop Federal Correctional Institute, which was provided with enhanced security measures, where they would be placed in maximum security holding to await trial. Federal troops in Texas were brought up to full readiness to provide assistance if required.

Eva, Curri and Tidy.

The Carrier Battle Group and Amphibious Ready Group were recalled to return to the caribbean/gulf of mexico immediately to conduct exercises in the gulf.

contesting

In response to the incursion into the area by Dai-Tohoku forces, the Saratoga Carrier Battlegroup conducting patrols in the South Atlantic was ordered to head to the islands at full speed while an amphibious ready group was dispatched from the Caribbean.

"I would like to say that in regard to point number two that a nation should reserve the right to act to protect areas deemed essential to the nation's security such as in the defense, financial , energy, or utilities industries from potentially undue and destabilizing foreign influence. Other than that I can agree to all of the other measures proposed here".

Exploration Greenland The results of a government sponsored geological and resource survey of land owned by the federal government in Greenland that began when the American Commonwealth gained control of the island have been completed and revealed. The survey revealed that Greenland possesses substantial and economically viable mineral and energy resources. Land and offshore oil and gas reserves are estimated to exceed 100 billion barrels of oil in addition to enormous deposits of natural gas. Given that these are initial estimates the numbers are probably higher in actuality. Large deposits of minerals and rare earth elements were also discovered including, among others, iron, zinc, bauxite, silver, gold, platinum, copper, and a variety rare earth minerals. Many Greenlanders hope that the resources will be developed and provide a sorely needed boost to the Greenlandic economy, which currently is mainly comprised of fishing and government sector business. On the other hand environmentalists have cautioned against the utilization of these resources due to the potential environmental impact. The federal government has stated that there are no efforts to develop the resources immediately and said that it would “Plan out potential development with the local population, industry leaders, and environmental experts to determine the best course to develop these important economic resources in an respectful and environmentally responsible way”.

General Dynamics does not remember operating any branches in Ireland or any where else in Europe. OOC: Sorry, just saying GD is one of my companies :P

National Identity Act The National Identity Act was passed by Congress today providing for a mandated overhaul of identity document usage in the country and establishes the National Identity Program. Previously state issued drivers licenses and IDs were considered sufficient but in a world that is moving so fast and is so interconnected it has been decided that the issuance of a standard national identity card is an appropriate measure to manage federal services and national security in a country that has grown so large so quickly. Information visible on the card includes a photo of the owner, a unique card identification number, full first, middle and last name, sex, height, weight, eye and hair color, blood type (optional), date of birth, current address and state of residence and date and location the card was issued. The card will also be electronically scannable and machine readable through an encrypted chip and bar-code system and will include further information including name and basic information of spouses and children (optional), place of birth, full set of finger prints, etc. Information is not actually stored on the chip and bar code on the card. Rather, it is used to identify the user and authenticate the card and gain access to the National Identity Database and checks that the scanner has the appropriate authorization to access the information. Security and privacy concerns about the database have been addressed with the database servers being physically and electronically secured and encrypted and regularly backed up while the information on the database is legally accessible only to federal, and state agencies that need to use the information like the social security administration or criminal investigations. Usage for the benefit of third parties is expressly prohibited and violations are punishable with a prison sentence up to 20 years. The card itself has numerous security measures in place to ensure that attempts at counterfeiting and forgery are very difficult. The National Identity Card is not meant to supersede or replace state issued driver licenses or IDs for state usage, although it will suffice for all instances requiring the identification of available information at any level of government. It will be a requirement for federal services such as airport security, social security verification, passport applications, elections for federal officials, student aid, etc. The law mandates that Commonwealth citizens procure a National Identity Card once they turn 18, although individuals may optionally procure once they are 15. Failure to acquire a card can result in a fine up to $200 with steeper penalties for repeated offense. The National Identity Act establishes the Federal Identity Agency which is responsible for the entire program. Main branch offices of the agency will be established in the capitals of each state to serve as hubs for processing and administering services for the National Identity Program and smaller branch offices located in major populated areas to better service citizens there. Applications for the National Identity Card can be turned in at these locations or local state administered DMVs where the information will be taken and verified before being sent to a FIA office where the card will be made and then shipped to the applicant. Cards will be issued free of charge to applicants to ensure its accessibility by all citizens, although personalized designs for the back of the card are available at extra cost. The National Identity Act also mandates that state issued photo IDs and drivers licenses follow the same stringent anti-counterfeiting security measures of the National Identity Card as well as the encrypted chip/bar-code and the connection to the National Identity Database. Federal funds have been made available to assist states in the transition to the newer ID requirements.