MostGloriousLeader

Could you add Ohio and Kentucky to the American Commonwealth please?

Referendum Results Referendums held to determine the future of the states of Ohio and Kentucky have been completed and both have strongly resulted in favor of statehood. The petitions from both states has been approved by Congress and the President and will take effect immediately. Local government institutions and services have been mostly restored to both states, with the rest to be completed soon. Elections for elected officials will take place when the next national election comes around. It has also been announced that until the elections the military will be maintaining a strong presence in both states to provide stability in the region in light of other events occurring in the Midwest.

Naval Expansion & Development Program The American Commonwealth Naval Expansion & Development Program has completed one of its most comprehensive and expansive phases. Shipbuilding: The most recent phase of the Naval Expansion & Development Program has seen a virtual overhaul of the American Commonwealth Navy with the introduction of several new classes of vessels as well as the expansion of the navy to 107 vessels. This includes the total replacement of the Pennsylvania class Battleships, Wasp class Amphibious Ships, Arleigh Burke class Destroyers and Philadelphia class Cruisers. Replaced vessels will be mothballed and placed into the National Naval Reserve Fleet and will be spread out to various facilities including the James River Site, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn Naval Yard, and Portland Naval Yard. New York class Battleships ACNS New York (BBGN-4) ACNS Virginia (BBGN-5) ACNS New Jersey (BBGN-6) ACNS Maine (BBGN-7) ACNS Delaware (BBGN-8) Chesapeake class Amphibious Assault Ships ACNS Chesapeake (LHD-4) ACNS Langley (LHD-5) ACNS Hampton Roads (LHD-6) ACNS Coney Island (LHD-7) ACNS Brighton Beach (LHD-8) ACNS Long Island (LHD-9) Albany class Cruisers ACNS Albany (CGN-13) ACNS Charlottesville (CGN-14) ACNS Erie (CGN-15) ACNS Syracuse (CGN-16) ACNS Buffalo (CGN-17) ACNS Binghamton (CGN-18) ACNS Altoona (CGN-19) ACNS Charleston (CGN-20) ACNS Harrisonburg (CGN-21) ACNS Roanoke (CGN-22) ACNS Troy (CGN-23) ACNS Plattsburgh (CGN-24) ACNS Pittsburgh (CGN-25) ACNS Baltimore (CGN-26) ACNS Richmond (CGN-27) ACNS Newark (CGN-28) John Paul Jones class Destroyers ACNS John Paul Jones (DDGN-13) ACNS Decatur (DDGN-14) ACNS Stewart (DDGN-15) ACNS Preble (DDGN-16) ACNS Smith (DDGN-17) ACNS Warrington (DDGN-18) ACNS Bainbridge (DDGN-19) ACNS Shaw (DDGN-20) ACNS Dewey (DDGN-21) ACNS Reuben James (DDGN-22) ACNS Ford (DDGN-23) ACNS Gearing (DDGN-24) ACNS Russel (DDGN-25) Stark class Frigates ACNS Stark (FFG-13) ACNS McClusky (FFG-14) ACNS Reuben James (FFG-15) ACNS Wadsworth (FFG-16) Mako class Submarines ACNS Mako (SSN-10) ACNS Hammerhead (SSN-11) ACNS Whitetip (SSN-12) ACNS Blacktip (SSN-13) Franklin class Corvettes ACNS Franklin (K-16) ACNS Greene (K-17) ACNS Sullivan (K-18) ACNS Hancock (K-19) ACNS Waldo (K-20) ACNS Suffolk (K-21) ACNS Monroe (K-22) ACNS Seneca (K-23) ACNS York (K-24) Naval Development Projects: New York class Battleship The New York class Battleships are the latest and most advanced capital vessels put to sea by the Commonwealth Navy and incorporates the latest available technologies. Designed from the ground up as a capitol ship for the 21st Century, it features an advanced AESA radar system, new composite material constructions, enhanced stealth capabilities and a new weapons suite. It possesses an potent array of offensive weaponry consisting of a 640 cell VLS, two 64 MJ railguns, ten 32 MJ railguns, six 6.1" AGS, seven Sea Shield close in weapons systems and four anti-submarine warfare rocket systems. Its construction and composite materials make the vessel highly resistant to damage from missile and torpedo attacks as well as enhancing the ship's stealth, reducing its radar signature to that of a smaller vessel. Its nuclear power-plant allows speeds of almost 40 knots while supply more than enough power for ship and weapons systems as well as projected future upgrades. Chesapeake class Amphibious Assault Ship The Chesapeake class amphibious assault ships are the Commonwealth Navy's replacement for the venerable but aging Wasp class vessels. While its primary purpose is the conduct of amphibious assaults it was also designed to be able to conduct sea control and ASW missions if required. Longer than the Wasp class, the Chesapeake class is somewhat longer in order to accommodate larger aircraft like the F-35 as well as to have more internal space for an embarked expeditionary force. A large degree of automation allows for greater efficiency and a crew reduction as well as streamlining flight operations. Albany class Cruiser While the Philadelphia class cruisers were a fairly recent design they were deemed to be inadequate for projected future threats and a new design was developed. The Albany class is a highly capable multi-role cruiser able to effectively operate offensively and defensively. It incorporates many of the technologies used by the New York class including its stealth design and weapons systems, including 384 Mk 60 VLS cells, two 64 MJ railguns, two ASWRSs and four Sea Shield CIWSs. John Paul Jones class Destroyer Completely replacing the Arleigh Burkes, the John Paul Jones class destroyers, incorporating technologies used in the New York class battleships, are based on the Zumwalt class but are larger and much more refined and capable. It is the first Commonwealth destroyer class to be nuclear powered, necessary to power its radars, sensors, systems and 32 MJ railguns. It boasts an impressive 256 Mk 60 VLS cells as well as four Sea Shield CIWS and two ASWRSs in addition to its two railguns. Designed as a stealth vessel, it has a greatly reduced radar and infrared signature. With its capabilities the John Paul Jones class is intended to be a cornerstone of fleet operations. Stark class Frigate The Stark class frigate was created to replace the Philemon Dickinson class frigates as a capable multi-mission ship. It is capable of air defense, anti-submarine warfare and naval strike operations. The 64 Mk 60 VLS cells allow it to carry any weapon capable of being fired by the system, including anti-aircraft missiles, ABMs, ASMs and cruise missiles, providing greater mission flexibility. The two 6.1" AGSs allows it to provide accurate and lethal gunfire support. It is also a stealth design making it much more lethal and survivable than previous frigates. Franklin class Corvette Intended to supplement and eventually replace the Berks class corvette, the Franklin class is a highly capable small surface combatant. The 48 cell Mk 60 VLS is a tactical design in order to fit on a smaller vessel, allowing it to use any ship based missile except for large missiles like cruise missiles. Designed primarily for coastal patrol and defense, it is probably the stealthiest combat vessel in the Commonwealth Navy. Mako class Submarine A new attack submarine design the Mako class was designed as a lethal and effective hunter killer submarine incorporating the latest stealth, engine and weapons technologies. It has eight forward facing torpedo tubes, capable of firing a wide variety of munitions including torpedos, ASMs cruise missiles and mine, as well as 24 individual VLS cells, each holding one cruise missile. It also possesses the best available active and passive sonar systems, including side mounted arrays and a towed array making it an extremely effective and lethal addition to the Commonwealth Navy's submarine fleet.

Wow, the reasoning behind your actions are... enlightening. "I don't wanna lose anything so I'm not gonna acknowledge the actual damage that would result from an attack?" If you read the post carefully you would realize that only air defenses were targeted, after you activated them, and with the amount of force I used it would be able to overwhelm your defenses. Even so if I wanted to I can attack how I want with what I want and it shouldn't matter. I redid the post out of courtesy for your "problems" with my previous attack which I did as an gesture of "cooperation" even though I could have perfectly well kept it the way it was. I will not be making the same mistake again.

"Yes, well we found it a bit ironic that an entity named after the former Confederate States of America was the most peaceful region in transition to independence and nationhood. That being said this is the first real crisis the Commonwealth has faced. In fact this is the largest deployment of military forces outside of the Commonwealth in our history. We may not entirely agree with how Faraway is approaching its response to the situation but we understand the seriousness of the situation in Madison and I can't say we wouldn't do the same" he said solemnly. "Even so we're all looking forward to putting this behind us and returning to a peaceful existence". While the conversation was being carried out, the convoy embarked on a leisurely tour throughout Washington D.C. past the various monuments and aesthetically pleasing buildings. D.C. was a very clean city and traffic had been cut nearly in half thanks to efforts to revamp the city's public transit system. Even so the route was scouted out ahead by Capitol police motorcycle officers who stopped traffic to allow the convoy to pass. Going through several intersections Parker noticed recognized the occupants of some of the vehicles as lawmakers and lobbyists that he had come to dislike in his five years on the job and smiled a bit to himself. Soon enough the convoy arrived at the White House where it was met by a ceremonial reception complete with a color guard and band playing a variety of formal pieces for the occasion, including the South African national anthem. "If you could please follow me President Paton" asked Parker as he led him up the steps where President Bronson had just exited the White House from. "President Paton, its an honor to have you here in the American Commonwealth" said Bronson with a smile as he warmly shook his hand. "Please come in". The party was lead to the Blue Room of the White House where a small conference table and several comfortable chairs took up the center of the well decorated room. "I trust you had a pleasant trip President Paton?" inquired Bronson as they sat down.

fixed the link.

This is what I get for attempting cooperation... Seriously this is ridiculous. I have her force under active surveillance, which should allow me to verify targets, along with her activating her own radars, allowing me to identify and take them out with anti-radiation missiles and she takes absolutely no casualties? How the hell would her force, which has been constantly on the move, be able to deploy that many decoys that are able to fool my smart munitions to the point where nothing was hit? I know smart munitions aren't infallible but I feel a weapon using a dual millimeter-band radar/infrared seeker should be able to pick out actual vehicles from decoys. I call shenanigans. SHENANIGANS

EDIT: Wrong place

Activating the air defense radars was a wrong move on part of the mercenaries. As soon as they began radiating, the SEAD mission aircraft received radar warnings. While no launches were confirmed the ROEs were clear and the mission lead ordered his aircraft to select their targets and fire, not wanting to wait for enemy missiles to start flying. Each F-35 in the SEAD force carried 4 AGM-88F HARMs externally with a mixed internal loadout of two AIM-120E AMRAAMs and eight GBU-53C bombs. The HARMs were launched at active radars while enemy anti-aircraft weapons and launchers were targeted by GBUs. The blimps, both the active ones and any others in the vicinity, were targeted with AMRAAMs. The force mad the attack from all directions to degrade the effectiveness of the enemy's defenses and once weapons were released they withdrew quickly under heavy jamming support. The HARMs homed in on active radars, even if they were switched off the seeker would remember its location and use its INS to hit the target anyway. The GBUs used a combination of laser guidance from recon UAVs or their own millimeter band radar/infrared seekers to hit their targets. After the SEAD strike hit, UAVs and recon aircraft conducted BDA and continued surveillance while the primary strike was ordered to move to jump off positions outside the enemy's radar range. The Commonwealth vanguard was formed by the first brigade of the 3rd Armored division. Upon arrival they established initial overwatch positions while the rest of the 3rd Armored as well as the 5th Armored and 28th Infantry Divisions moved into place surrounding the mercenaries. Once positions had been established Commonwealth troops began moving in to disarm and detain the mercenaries.

OOC: This whole thing occurred well before the CSA was formed and I'd recommend you change your post to reflect that.

Intelligence sources reported the movement of a large force in Louisiana heading to Missouri, Louisiana being the only area not fully secured by Commonwealth forces. Several RQ-9 Reaper UAVs operating out of the recently secured Keeler AFB were conducting search missions and pinpointed the large movement of troops and vehicles. Advance ground recon teams confirmed sightings and worked with UAVs and other recon assets to track their movement while a response was formed. One mechanized and two armored divisions were ordered to consolidate and attack. While that was underway a strike was ordered to hit just before the ground units made the attack. 24 B-2s and 36 B-1s flew out from Dover while 48 F-15SEs were sortied from various bases, all laden with standoff smart munitions. Two F-35 squadrons that had recently arrived at Maxwell AFB were tasked with a SEAD mission as the presence of heavy anti-aircraft weaponry was confirmed. The strike was timed to take place almost simultaneously and less than 20 minutes before ground forces would make contact. In the meantime the force was under constant surveillance from UAVs and RF-21s and contact was attempted with the unknown force. OOC: My attempt at mutual cooperation

"Well for the most part things are actually going fairly smoothly, especially compared to what Faraway has been dealing with. We haven't had major resistance to our operations like they have. In fact, things were good enough that several southern states were deemed secure enough to reconstitute their own government. Now we're primarily responsible for the Carolinas, Kentucky and Georgia and those areas are pretty stable. Referendums should be able to be held soon to let the population of the states decide their futures. Also, FBI Director Torrez has asked me to extend additional thanks to South African authorities for helping with their recent investigation into the fugitive president of the West African Confederacy".

The South African airliner was met several miles out by two F-22s of the 1st Fighter Squadron conducting routine patrols above the capitol and escorted in. The aircraft had been cleared for landing at Andrews AFB and air traffic had been rerouted to accommodate the delegation. After landing the airliner would be brought to a specially designated disembarkation area. Awaiting the South African president and delegation was Deputy Secretary of State Gary Parker along with a plethora of cleared press as well as heavy security measures provided by the DSS and base security, looking sharp and smart in full dress uniforms. "Greetings President Paton" said Deputy Secretary Parker as he shook his hand. "Welcome to the American Commonwealth. If you could please follow me to the transportation" he said as he gestured to the waiting convoy. The convoy began its scenic tour route through Washington D.C. after the delegation got in and settled. "Once again President Paton, welcome to the American Commonwealth. It's an honor having you here. I'm Deputy Secretary of State Gary Parker. My job is to make sure everything goes smoothly for foreign diplomats and heads of state such as yourself while you're here. Normally someone of your standing would be greeted by the Secretary of State but Secretary McNutt is currently unavailable as he is attending the multiparty talks in Mexico City. So do you have any questions for me before we arrive at the White House? Would you like some refreshments?" he asked revealing a mini fridge filled with a wide array of liquors and other beverages. OOC: Sorry for the delay, didn't notice this until now. Also, its the American Commonwealth,not the Atlantic Commonwealth :D

A massive force tearing through Mississippi, confirmed not to be from anyone from the HBF or Faraway as well as any major foreign powers that, most probably, would have publicly declared such a movement. Plus with visual identification from drones and ground teams I can probably tell they aren't from any known national military. My goal is to take it out as quick as possible with as little warning as possible in order to inflict as many casualties as possible as well as disrupting your ability to fight back before you are able to prepare yourself. Anyway, regardless of what you think I "should" be doing this is what I have done so I feel we ought to proceed as is.

With troops freed up from peacekeeping operations in the South and CSA assistance with operations in the Carolinas, the military was able to shift most of its attention to a much more narrow area of operations. Primarily, the states of Kentucky and Ohio. There was little to no organized opposition to speak of but with what was happening up in Wisconsin it was decided it was better to be safe than sorry. Seven more divisions were deployed to the two states, joining the ten already in place on the ground. In light of recent events martial law was declared in the two states and a 6pm curfew was put into effect. Gatherings of 12 or more people were banned with exceptions made for qualifying businesses and state legislatures. Peaceful protests were tolerated unless they broke curfew or group limits, then violators would be detained by non-lethal means. Riot gear and non-lethal weapons/munitions were issued to all military units and all soldiers had gone through training on such weapons as well as counter-insurgency/peacekeeping during their basic training. In the meantime extensive efforts were poured into intelligence gathering on movements with the potential for violent insurrection. In order to crack down on weapons smuggling as well as to further extend protection to shipping on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, the military established the Riverine Defense Force, a joint command of the Army and Navy responsible for patrolling both rivers. Its operating force consisted of a dozen and a half SOC-R boats as well as six CB90s, half of the available stock of such vessels! Operating bases were established at Wickliffe, KY, Owensboro, KY, Louisville, KY and Cincinnati, OH. Crews consisted of a mix of army and navy personnel, often accompanied by special forces operators. Efforts were made to coordinate with Hudson Bay Federation and Faraway authorities to deal with smuggling and other enforcement issues. On Lake Erie the goal was the same but forces in place were deemed to be mostly sufficient. The navy maintained three fast attack missile boat squadrons of six boats each at Erie, PA and the force was more than capable of patrolling the Ohio coastline and chasing down smugglers. The only additions to the force were six Cyclone class patrol ships moved up the New York Canal system to the lake and the establishment of operating bases in Cleveland and Sandusky. Again, efforts were made to cooperate with Faraway authorities to better coordinate efforts against smuggling.

The creation of the CSA and their assistance in maintaining order in the Carolinas freed up Commonwealth forces for a surge to ramp up peacekeeping efforts in Ohio and Kentucky to the west... and to the North. High level talks led to the green light for the deployment of a small amount of Commonwealth troops. The 52nd Infantry Division was ordered to deploy to Madison to assist Faraway forces along with a small special forces detachment. In addition to ground troops, several squadrons of fighters and close air support aircraft were earmarked to support the efforts to contain and eliminate hostile elements in the city. The 52nd's commanding officer was among the first Commonwealth forces to arrive in the city and reported to the Faraway CP. Major General Brendan Crosby was the youngest general officer in the Commonwealth army at 36, receiving top marks during his studies at the National War College and had just been promoted and assigned to this command two weeks ago. While Commonwealth forces would remain independent for any upcoming operations, he had been ordered to prioritize assisting Faraway forces as much as possible. Arriving at the CP, he exited his Humvee and reported to the commanding officer. "Major General Brendan Crosby, AC Army, commanding officer of the 52nd ID reporting" he said as he snapped into a salute.

Two things. Mara hasn't responded to the attack on her mercenaries in Mississipi and the fact that my aircraft should be jamming her communications in Madison.

With permission received from the Faraway government to assist, the 161st Electronic Support Squadron began their operations. Two EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft left the base with an escort of four F-35s and took up station over Madison, Wisconsin. The flights operated at 20,0000 feet to avoid being in range of MANPADS. Since the threat, if any, wasn't clear the F-35s were sortied with a variety of munitions. Two were armed for air to air combat while the other two were armed for air to ground/SEAD missions. The operators on the EC-130H coordinated with the Faraway military command, blanketing the area with heavy communications jamming rendering cellphones unusable while disrupting radio communications not being used by the Faraway military. Operations would continue as long as needed, with flights either being replaced by on call aircraft or re-fueling tankers to maintain the presence over Madison.

When he heard the explosion outside General Cope called over one of his aides from across the room while he listened to Lady Hanobel's response. "Alright then I'll send word back home to get things moving" he replied. "Captain" he said, addressing his aide. "See if you can get word back to command to green light the deployment of EW aircraft. Then check on whatever the hell is going on out there". As the captain hurried off to find a place to call back home and to find out what was happening the general turned back to Hanobel. "Is there anything else you need ma'am? If not I need to go check on Secretary McNutt".

"We have intensified our efforts in securing Kentucky and Ohio so no additional troops will be needed in that area. However, to do so we've shifted troops from the Carolinas, which we've decided is a safe move as the area has been very calm throughout these events. But if you're willing to spare troops to assist Commonwealth forces there it couldn't hurt. Other than that I feel we've covered everything President Moore" said Bronson as he rose and shook his hand. "I'll get the ball rolling on the referendum in Mississippi as soon as possible. I look forward to successful relations between our nations in the future".

Secretary McNutt was a functional borderline alcoholic and was amused with the spiked mineral water he had gotten. Most of the rest of the Commonwealth delegation were not so amused with their soy-sauce laced beverages, finding solace in the better tasting alcoholic water. Brigadier General Kenneth M. Cope was the military attache of the Commonwealth delegation. While the rest of the delegation were interacting with their peers from the other nations, General Cope seeked out a member of the Faraway delegation. Looking around he found two of them together, although one seemed to be asleep. He identified the other as Lady Hanobel and introduced himself. "Hello ma'am. My name is General Cope, I'm the military attache for the American Commonwealth delegation at this summit" said the general while extending a handshake. We've heard of the trouble you've been having in Wisconsin and my government has asked me to extend a measure of assistance to Faraway. While I'm afraid our current peacekeeping operations preclude the availability of any large number of ground units we have a lot of extra capacity when it comes to air assets. Specifically for the situation, electronic warfare and jamming aircraft. If you'd like we can have these assets in place quickly to support Faraway efforts to secure its protectorate area".

Sorry, I overlooked that in the PM. Discussions I had ic with zoot were for Mississippi, the Carolinas and Tennessee.

I can confirm zoots claim for everything but kentucky, that wasn't part of what was agreed upon.

The American Commonwealth would be happy and willing to receive a delegation from South Africa. -AC State Department

The American Commonwealth had conducted several peacekeeping operations in neighboring areas before but this time government and military officials recognized it wouldn’t be the same smooth transition as it was before. While most of the population was either in favor of or apathetic to the Commonwealth’s presence, for the first time there was a major subversive element that opposed peacekeeping efforts. It was recognized that steps had to be taken quickly to prevent the situation from worsening. Military facilities and munitions stockpiles were among the first sites secured by Commonwealth forces, usually by special forces or air assault/airborne units. Stocks were cataloged and either secured or disposed of safely to ensure accurate tracking of weapons and ammunition and to prevent their falling into the wrong hands. This also provided the Commonwealth military with an advantage in military infrastructure and in conducting their operations. Another advantage was the Commonwealth’s control of the governmental infrastructure throughout the protectorate it administered. State capitols and government facilities were also among the high priority targets for initial operations and the Commonwealth secured virtually all of them. This provided the peacekeeping force with the means to effectively administrate necessary and vital government and civil services for the population of the protectorate. One of the first steps was the establishment of the Civil Identification Program. The CIP would be the new standardized ID system for the protectorate, replacing all previous forms of identification. The new ID would be provided to the population at no cost and would include a photo along with pertinent information about the person, such as a basic biometric description, finger print, driving qualification status, and address, as well as a scannable tag for easier processing and fraud prevention. All gathered IDs and information would be stored on secure servers in the Commonwealth. The new ID would be required for virtually all financial and governmental activities including bank transactions, utilities, traffic checkpoints, travel, etc. Communications control was also established and implemented. Peacekeeping forces had control over most telecommunications facilities, radio/tv stations and cellular services. The Commonwealth military Cyber-Warfare Command also began a program to restrict and control internet usage and website availability while FBI and CIA analysts began to actively search for sites with possible insurgent connections. Airborne and ground based jammers were available for deployment to trouble spots if required. To assist in efforts to combat the insurgency, intelligence agencies began to develop widespread information networks using a combination of military and civil assets. Available HUMINT resources included their own agents, sympathizers in the population and informants. The information coordinated and collected by various agencies and were disseminated to military commanders through a joint task force organized specifically for the purpose. Aerial recon provided by UAVs and other manned reconnaissance aircraft were also able to track large scale movements as well as individuals of interest. The Commonwealth military was making a two pronged effort with their operations, first to secure and interact with the local population, second to go on the offensive and actively destroy insurgent activity. In regards to the former, Commonwealth forces conducted regular patrols to protect and interact with the communities they were operating in. Patrols and convoys operated up-armored vehicles with countermeasures designed to protect against both basic and advanced IEDs as well as small arms and rocket propelled grenades. Commonwealth forces also operated mobile jamming devices, both by vehicles and individual soldiers, that would disrupt wireless IED detonation signals. The Commonwealth Navy and Coast Guard conducted patrols to secure ports as well as to prevent the smuggling of weapons and other illegal materials. The Navy's carriers and amphibious assault ships and their task forces were usually on station to provide air support and shore bombardment capabilities if required.