NORPAC Exercise

The North Pacific (NORPAC) Exercise is a biyearly maritime exercise performed by the Crown Militaries of Esplandia. NORPAC provides an important training opportunity for the Esplandian Crown Navy to enhance basic maritime strategies, improve readiness for a wide range of potential operations, and strengthen military cooperation.

This year the Kingdom of Esplandia would like to invite the navies of the North Pacific to participate in their naval games in the hopes of fostering increased cooperation amongst the militaries of the region.

The joint forces deployed during NORPAC will comprise personnel and assets from the nations that will be involved. The Kingdom of Esplandia will deploy the main part of the 1st fleet of the Crown Navy and many personnel from the Army and Crown Air Force. The objectives of NORPAC are to: [1]. develop and implement plans to enable the army, navy and air force to operate as a joint force within a multinational coalition setting; [2] enhance the participant's ability to conduct international missions in accordance with the objectives of the Government's of the North Pacific; [3] develop skills and procedures designed to foster operability, readiness, communications with partners and crisis response capabilities.

Background
NORPAC began in 1971 as an annual exercise but has been scheduled every second year since 1974. Since its inception the exercise has served to significantly improve the military operation of the Kingdom of Esplandia. To date the only other nation to join the exercise is the Crown Republic of Tajis, though they remain significantly limited in the number of forces they can deploy.

The Area
The North Pacific region is a hub of international activity and has great importance for international commerce. The area itself is too large for any one nation to monitor and requires the ability of likeminded nations to work together to monitor the area and meet its unique challenges.

Exercise Phases
RIMPAC takes place in three phases: Harbour, Force Integration Training and Free Play Phases. Each phase offers a different experience to learn and allows service members opportunities to assume a wide variety of leadership positions.

The Harbour Phase is designed to build professional and personal relationships between individuals from participating nations. Personnel have the opportunity to meet face-to-face for briefings, training and detailed planning. The aim is to allow participants to get to know their exercise colleagues, finalize details and lay the foundation for a successful and professional operating environment.

The Force Integration Phase involves a structured and detailed training program aimed at enabling participants to operate at the task force level. It exercises each nation’s ability to operate in a robust and multinational command and control environment. This phase also includes: [1] live-fire gunnery and missile execises; [2] maritime interdiction and vessel boarding exercises; [3] anti-surface warfare; [4] anti-submarine warfare; [5] underwater warfare and naval manoeuvre exercises; [6] air defence and amphibious landings exercises; [7] explosive ordinance disposal; [8] diving and salvage operations; and [9] mine clearance operations.

While the Force Integration Training Phase develops the skills of participating units, the Free Play Phase tests those skills during a scenario. Component commanders and subordinate units respond to increasingly intense scenarios, including realistic situations that nations could face in the North Pacific. As a result, participating units and personnel experience challenging full-spectrum operations that cover air, surface, submarine and land threats.

The Kingdom of Esplandia looks forward to the response of the international community in hopes of increasing military cooperation amongst all our nations.

The Khanate is willing to send it's 4th Fleet to assist in these exercises.

The Empire is willing to send the 9th Beda (fleet) to cooperate in these exercises, should the Esplandian government see fit to accept our request to join.

We are interested in participating in the exercises and war games of your RIMPAC. To represent the Allied States, we would send the 2nd Fleet with a Marine Expeditionary Division attached.

Jessica Rearick, of Noggra, Grand Admiral of the Allied Navy
CEO of Allied States Military
Director of Office of Defense

The Kannexan Reich wishes to send the North Fleet and elements from the Marine Infantry to participate in these exercises.

To the naval leaders of Bustos, Kannex, Syrixia, and Wolfsea, on behalf of the Crown Navy of Esplandia we look forward to seeing your forces in action and relish the opportunity to put your best through their paces.

(OOC: I probably won't get much chance to post on this until next week when I'm on vacation)

The kingdom of Brirari will be sending its second navy fleet to participate in the exercises. Accompanying them will be the royal airforce, who will be operating off the main Aircraft carrier.

A significant portion of the Royal Lancerian Navy remains off the coast of McMasterdonia aiding the new government in the Civil War that rages there, including our aircraft carrier. The destroyer HES Soult, the frigates, HES Bonneau, HES Hodges, and HES Legrand as well as submarines, HES Chasseur, HES Chercheur, and HES Harceleur will be sent to participate in the exercises.


(OOC: Beat me to it! I was going to eventually do something like this, almost did it when r3n was delegate, interested in seeing how this goes!)

Nebula will send five ships from the Shei Ren base: two destroyers, two light cruisers, and a submarine.

The 4th fleet will operate under Admiral Ashani Kyrano aboard the assault cruiser AWV Corona, under her command will be four Raptor-class frigates (AWV Merlin, AWV Vulture, AWV Goshawk & AWV Besra), four destroyers ( AWV Zircon, AWV Aventurine, AWV Azurite & AWV Larimar), two cruisers (AWV Fortesque & AWV Enkidu) and the aircraft carrier AWV Baobhan Sith (Bay-o--barn-she)

'Fellow nations of the North Pacific, I welcome you to the NORPAC exercise. For us, NORPAC represents a chance to show off the training and proficiency of our navies and this year it will be a chance to show the rest of the region that we can, and are willing, to cooperate among est the world community.

This year the NORPAC exercise will be divided up into four exercises which will range across a number of scenarios. The first exercise will be an amphibious landing. Esplandia has designated a seven mile stretch of coast in southern Tiberus Province. Each navy will be scored on the speed in which they reach the beachhead and capture their objective which will be marked by their countries flag. Points will be lost for any troops that don't reach their objective.

To throw a wrench in the works it should be mentioned that this stretch of shore is one of the most treacherous in Esplandia, with large breakers and a barrier of shoals and that the beach has been lined with paint mines that if triggered will cover your troops in paint, marking them as 'dead'.

And one last thing, if any nation doesn't capture their objective on the shore by say losing all their troops, then all other nations will lose as well whether they capture their objective or not, making it imperative to work together.'

The Nebulan vessels sat proudly in the water off the Esplandian coast. Landing ships were being prepared for deployment- about 750 soldiers would go ashore to take the objective. A few small recon drones were being outfitted to detect mines from the air, and underwater, scuba divers with sonar units mapped out the sea floor and shoals around the coast.

"When do we begin?" a cruiser captain radioed.

We regret to inform you that we will be not be able to participate in your training exercises. Our standing orders would require engaging the vessels of the rogue state of Nebula. Keeping the peace in your waters and maintaining our diplomatic ties, we will withdraw to avoid confrontation. We wish your exercises much success.

Jessica Rearick, of Noggra, Grand Admiral of the Allied Navy
CEO of Allied States Military
Director of Office of Defense

The third fleet only has a small marine commando corps of 500 troops attached.

The marines begin embarking into their rubber dinghys as the cruisers aimed their guns, loaded with specially prepared canister shot, the plan was to neutralize the minefield using the biodegradable ball bearings before the marines would commence their assault.

The 9th Beda was with its teammates; the Wolvesh 3rd Fleet as well as the Nebulan vessels; and had prepared to deploy. The landing boats were being filled and 800 soldiers were to get past the sandbars and make the beachhead.

Syrixian satellites had been programmed to detect mines, and were sending the commanders of the Syrixian beda detailed diagrams and hi-res pictures, which were then copied and sent to the Nebulans and Wolvesh. Along with these pictures was sent a plan.

The proposed plan was that the Syrixians would keep producing diagrams and photos; the Nebulans and Wolvesh would use them to get rid of the mines; and then all three nations would charge together and make the beachhead.

The cruiser RES Edessa rocked in the seas off the coast of Tiberus, it's guns pointed towards the beach. An Esplandian flag stood atop the jagged ridge line, waving in the breeze, marking the Esplandian's goal. Two dozen marines loaded into a landing boat, equipment loaded aboard. The captain of the cruiser gave the order and soon they were racing away, headed towards the shore.

The breakers tossed the waves up into the air, churning the sea. The boats pilot pointed the nose between two large rocks, waves crashing against them and then passing between in a large surge of water. He timed the boats approach so that as the waves rose up they rose with it and were carried through, riding the wave into the calmer waters beyond the breakers.

As they approached the beach the cruiser behind them fired its big guns, in a quick cavalcade of fire, and out over the beach the Esplandian's EM artillery burst in the air, crackling across the beach, charged particles knocking out the underground mines. By time the electromagnetic charge had dissipated the boat had landed. Within seconds the marines were across the beach, racing towards the ridge and their goal. Then automated turrets hidden amongst the hills and trees lit up, firing laser guided paintballs which would tag the approaching troops.

Two Esplandians were tagged, marking them as casualties, before the rest could dive for cover. While the turrets hadn't been part of the briefing, it wouldn't be the first time a curveball was throne during an exercise. All up and down the beach turrets were coming on, firing at landing troops.

The Admiral suddenly noticed the alert and opened a channel to the other nations "I apologise but we are required to assist in Guslantis, we will have to withdraw from these exercises."

"Copy," replied the Nebulan fleet commander to the Wolvesh.

Nebulan helicopters dropped sandbags onto the mines from high above the beach, detonating them and sending paint everywhere. The bags were biodegradable and would eventually be dissolved by the tide.

"We have cleared the beach," reported a helicopter pilot.
"Copy," replied the fleet commander. "Notify the Syrixians and prepare for immediate landing."