Opening Address
13 May 2024
My brief spell as Minister of Home Affairs last term was a success, but I figured that I could do much more as Minister of Defense instead. I first joined the NPA during the early days of October 2023 to assist in the destruction of Solidarity, and since then I’ve been enthusiastically participating in operations and devoting myself to the NPA’s success. My energy and dedication impressed Robespierre and he appointed me as one of his Deputies back in January, a role in which I have served valiantly. The experience I gained last term as Deputy Minister was invaluable, and I’m grateful to Robes also for giving me the confidence to perform in that position.
I would like to thank Delegate @Simone as well for his trust in me to lead the NPA. I’ll try my best to repay that trust by building up the NPA into a more energetic and efficient fighting force, capable of protecting our region and furthering our interests abroad.
Upon leaving office, my predecessor @Robespierre informed me that he would like to step down from High Command and step away from most NPA activities for the foreseeable future. This is very unfortunate as High Command has just lost one of its active and competent generals in a time of war, but I respect his decision and thank him for his contributions to our military. From now on, I will assume his General of the Militia position, but he will keep his General rank as a recognition of his service. I would like to honour his extraordinary service to the NPA by awarding him the retired Ministers of Defense ribbon.
To help TNP win the war against our enemies, my goal for this term is to aggressively expand the NPA’s capability to fight through an emphasis on both recruitment and training. Recruitment will increase our manpower pool and bring us more active updaters & auxiliaries to fight large-scale operations and emergencies, but new soldiers will not be able to do any of that without proper training.
With regards to recruitment, the Ministry aims to achieve a steady stream of new applicants every week through various methods, such as targeted recruitment telegrams, private outreach, increased visibility (by, for example, publishing gameside reports and news regularly in line with Simone’s vision), and more.
To train our recruits and turn them into able soldiers, the Ministry will revive the Instructor program. The initiative, which entails experienced officers being assigned to new recruits as their mentors for one-on-one training and guidance, was created during Comfed’s second term as Minister of Defense but it eventually fell into disuse due to inactivity. This program will be coupled with training runs to test what our recruits have learned. In addition, we will also rewrite the NPA training manual and use it as a reference material for our soldiers and officers to hone their R/D skills.
Assisting me with all of these initiatives will be @Comfed, @Nutmeg The Squirrel, and @Kaschovia. I hereby appoint them as Deputy Ministers of Defense to help me turn these plans into reality. Comfed’s past experience as Minister of Defense, Nutmeg’s capable service as Deputy Minister last term, and Kaschovia's graphic design talents will prove to be a great asset to the NPA.
Additionally, to motivate our soldiers during the summer lull, I will continue to give cards and ribbons after large operations as a reward for their participation. I will also look into updating the NPA profile cards so our soldiers can have something cool to represent themselves.
Speaking of ribbons, my predecessor Robespierre promised a UEPU ribbon for those who participated in its sieges, but he didn’t manage to do it so it’s my turn. This ribbon is hereby conferred on the following soldiers:
Minister of Defense Picairn (I participated in 2 sieges, this isn’t corruption, promise!)
General @Robespierre
General @Koopa103
General @Zaz
General @Rom
Colonel @Comfed
Colonel @Nutmeg The Squirrel
Colonel @QuietDad
Major @Lord Dominator
Captain @Healiopolis
Warrant Officer @El Fiji Grande
Sergeant @Oscarcars
Sergeant @Hybodus
Sergeant @Matzerati
Corporal @Datejl
Corporal @Norvoz
Corporal @Albion(NBU/TVD) (Nordic British Union)
Corporal @Polgaria
Corporal @Thanatomy (Frith My Beloved)
Corporal @Skaraborg
Corporal @Treekidistan
Corporal @AraFuttio
Corporal @Halsoni
Private First Class @Vivanco
Private First Class @Kenmoria
Private First Class @Vapia
What a show of force! If we can keep this up, we can safeguard the North against any threat. I look forward to building the NPA to new heights with the assistance of my Deputies, the High Command, and our faithful officers and soldiers.
At your service,
Minister of Defense
