Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

As if the unprecedented times with which we face today were not enough, the detonation of a nuclear weapon in Xsampa has plunged the world and by extension Lodamun into broad uncertainty. Although details remain extremely scarce owing to the extraordinary nature of the event, what is known is that on the 10th of October 5599, a thermonuclear detonation was detected in Xsampa’s capital of Metz-Leonid. The city, renowned as the eastern flank of global metzism and home to some 5 million Xsampans had been virtually wiped off the map in a matter of seconds. The detonation had been detected by nuclear seismometers in surrounding territories. Initial intelligence both disseminated throughout the globe and via the international media pointed primarily to Beiteynu, the northern majatran state, which with Xsampa had been engaged in a brutal conflict for a better half of a decade. 

Although there remains significant “radio silence” from Yishelem, many have noted that the nation’s employment of intermediate and intercontinental ballistic missiles prior to the nuclear weapon’s detonation ultimately stands as irrefutable evidence of the hand’s direct hand in what is being considered a “nuclear holocaust”. Notwithstanding the nature of the weapon being largely set against the pretext of a conflict, its detonation marks the second time a nuclear weapon has been used in modern history. Seemingly setting the trend for other Majatran states in the future, Vanuku became the first nation in September 4418 to detonate a nuclear bomb in multiple millennia, employing the weapon’s cataphoric potential for destruction in Jelbania against Deltarian troops. The weapon’s use in Xsampa and its subsequent devastation has already been condemned by numerous governments including Vanuku, Gaduridos and Kalistan, all of whom have reaffirmed their objection to the proliferation of nuclear weapons by any and all nations throughout Terra. The ensuing nuclear fallout remains of extreme concern to the Lodamese Government.

At an emergency press conference held at Whitehall in Kensington, President William Tabner condemned both Beiteynu and its use of a nuclear weapon in Xsampa. He noted that although the nation’s broad and open use of intercontinental and intermediate-range ballistic missiles remained of great concern to the Lodamese Government, particularly the Strategic Defence Agency, the fact that said weapons lacked nuclear warfare nonetheless tempered its nerves related to their use in Sekowo, Kundrati and Xsampa. However, he also noted that the nuclear detonation in Xsampa had certainly changed the global geopolitical dynamic for the foreseeable future. “The proliferation of nuclear weapons by states within Terra has always been condemned by successive governments here in Kensington, as it has traditionally been (and continues to be) our belief that these weapons have no place in the modern world. Their potential for global destruction places every nation at a unique disadvantage,” President Tabner said.

 Director of National Assessments Douglas Morrison noted that amidst the detonation, he intended to host a series of meetings/discussions with members of the Lodamese, Kalistani and Gaduri intelligence communities to discuss how the situation ultimately changes the way in which security within the Anantonese Empire (AE) is approached. With numerous members of his cabinet present including Vice-President Josiah Collins, Secretary of State Debrah Lahey, Secretary of Defence Walter Kent, Secretary of Domestic Security Eli Wilson, Chairman of the Combined Chiefs, Admiral Nathan Spencer and Director of the Strategic Defence Agency Vice Admiral Aaron Parker, President Tabner announced the following measures:

1. That the Harrington Company suspend all formal and informal trading with Beiteynu
   
2. That the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank suspend all financial transactions between Lodamun and Beiteynu.
   
3. That the Department of State provide for Beiteynuese citizens to depart Lodamun unharassed (should they choose). Lodamese citizens seeking to leave Beiteynu may do so via the Embassy in Narikaton & Darnussia.
   
4. That Lodamese citizens fortunate enough to have survived the detonation in Xsampa seek out the nearest Lodamese embassy and/or consulate for assistance.
   
5. That the Department of State initiate proceedings for Lodamun to formally ratify the Treaty to Ban Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) Weapons.
   
6. That the Department of Defence, through the Chairman of the Combined Chiefs, order the Lodamese Armed Forces to: (i) reconstitute Expeditionary Action Group Malivia (EAG-Malivia) to Naval/Air Station Crockett in Malivia; (ii) construct an Expeditionary Action Group Temania/Vascania (EAG-Temania/Vascania) to escort Lodamese, Gaduri and Kalistani (Anantonese Empire) shipping through the conflict zone in Dovani and the Migrant’s Pass; (iii) approach the Xsampan interim government in providing CBRN (Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) defence and assistance in venturing into the affected zone; (iv) shoot down any and all ballistic missile threats posed to their operations and/or the safety of others within their range.
   
7. That the Nutritional Resources Administration (NRA) and the Lodamese Agency for International Development (LAID) provide emergency food supplies for the Xsampan government based on the assumption that the ensuring nuclear fallout may destroy the nation’s agriculture system for decades, if not centuries to come.
   
8. That the Department of State bars persons connected to the incumbent regime (including political parties, research & youth groups) from entering Lodamun and/or seeking asylum.
   
9. That the Harrington Company impound any and all vessels docked in Lodamun or within the Lodamese Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) flying Beiteynuese colours and have their crews and logs searched via the use of its Maritime Security Unit (MSU).
   

President Tabner noted that Beiteynu remained a clear and present danger to global security and that he intended to advance a “change in tempo” to the Anantonese Empire’s Imperial Council towards a greater focus on ensuring security within the Empire (from Lodamun to Gaduridos) is enhanced, alongside invoking the articles of Defence Against External Threats in the Anantonese Security Community Treaty. He noted that although Lodamun has maintained a hands-off and more collaborative approach towards regional and perhaps continental security, the situation in Xsampa would nonetheless mandate a more direct approach by the Department of Defence. “It is my intent to place the Strategic Defence Agency at the forefront of our efforts towards ensuring Seleya remains a zone of peace. I hope to take this matter to the Imperial Council, where I will argue that the SDA must transcend national borders and take on a greater role in regional/continental security,” President Tabner ended.