Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

With significant attention swirling about as Likatonian forces continue to mass at the border and as trains and transportation aircraft move thousands of Kalistani troops and supplies to their central staging point in Newport, there have been numerous questions surrounding the details of Lodamese operations as the Department of Defence continues to prepare for a war which looks less like a possibility and more like a reality. At a headlining press conference held at the Department of Defence building in Kensington, Secretary of Defence Andrew Jordan, Chairman of the Combined Chiefs General Steve Bradford and the Commander of Seleyan Command (SELCOM), Lt. Gen. Dave Sullivan spoke to the details of Lodamese preparations, albeit to an extent which might not expose key elements of potential operations. Secretary Jordan recalled that following the chemical weapons strike on Kalistan, President William Tabner ordered the mobilisation of the Commonwealth Guard after it was initially believed that such a broad attack would have been followed up by a major offensive into Lodamun. He noted that the assessment of the DNA (Director of National Assessments) and the ODI (Office of Defence Intelligence), pointed to an enhanced probability that an attack on Kalistan and by extension Lodamun was imminent.

 “The assessment we received at the time pointed to the fact that, given the scale and boldness of the attack, it would have been reasonable to assume that a broader invasion of the Anantonese Empire, through Lodamun, was imminent. The presence of Kundrati troops in Likatonia had been raised as further evidence to this assumption,” Secretary Jordan noted. However, even as the mobilisation orders were sent out and some 60,000 troops of the Berkwaki, St. Christopher and Millford Commonwealth Guard had been placed on high alert at the Likatonian-Lodamese border, the “imminent” invasion of the AE, through Lodamun never materialised. In a subsequent address to a joint session of the National Congress, President Tabner proclaimed that notwithstanding the then weakened position of its closest partner, Kalistan, there was a need to eliminate the threat posed by Likatonia and Kundrati on the seleyan continent. “We must turn the threats posed and issued by Likatonia and Kundrati on their head. We must stand strong against those who threaten peace and security in this region. We must be prepared to dislodge and eliminate this threat if need be,” President Tabner proclaimed.

General Bradford recalled that President Tabner’s proclamation had been followed up by orders for the complete mobilisation of the Lodamese Armed Forces alongside directives for the planning of operations against Likatonia. He detailed the broad logistics surrounding the deployment of some 200,000 troops to a central forward operation base in Cranston, Berkwaki. The movement of such an unprecedented number of troops and their supporting equipment including armoured and utility vehicles had been seen as an extremely daunting task, especially in view of the fact that the Lodamese Armed Forces had never seen such a massive deployment of forces in its recent history. Although the Lodamese Air Force had conducted air mobility exercises which involved moving small amounts of troops and equipment between Lodamun and Luthori, this paled in comparison to the effort ordered by President Tabner and Secretary Jordan. Out of a broader necessity to coordinate the efforts of the various branches in moving troops and equipment from their barracks and depots and to the central staging area, the DoD approved the creation of the Lodamese Logistics and Transportation Command (LTC), a structure similar to SELCOM, MAJCOM etc, solely tasked with coordinating the efforts of moving troops from point A to point B, on a theatre and/or potentially planet-wide scope. 

This new command, headed by Admiral James Warren sought to establish a clear timeline by which the Lodamese Armed Forces could be realistically moved to the staging area. This entailed a staggered movement of troops. Whereas it had been previously envisioned that all forces of the Army of the Halewood move at once, Admiral Warren argued that such a massive movement of troops would be extremely chaotic and thus, the mobilisation of troops by corps and divisions was favoured. “We immediately set out memos and directives on the divisional level for logisticians to begin readying equipment and troops for forward deployment. It entailed numerous airlift operations; what couldn’t be moved by air was moved by rail; what couldn’t be moved by rail was moved by sea; what couldn’t be moved by sea was moved by trucks in convoys. So we deployed division after division and eventually 1st Corps, Army of the Halewood, was mobilised and that continued as we mobilised 2nd and 3rd Corps,” Admiral Warren explained.

With Kalistani forces being placed under Lodamese Command, Gen. Bradford noted that it was important for a new command structure to be erected which would grant Kalistani forces the necessary tactical and operational independence/flexibility whilst also ensuring they remain in step with the broader objectives. “I am aware that Brigadier General [Martin] Guerra has laid down the gauntlet for Likatonia and has issued a harsh ultimatum to Likatonia to end this conflict before it begins. In the coming days, you will begin to see a new structure emerging which will speak to how we might persecute a conflict with Likatonia,” Gen. Bradford explained. He revealed that the structure in question would likely have Lt. Gen. Sullivan at its helm with a Kalistani Commander (presumably Brig. Gen. Guerra), recognising that SELCOM (Seleyan Command) will maintain operational oversight in the eventuality of open hostilities. He noted that with the deployment of some 250,000 Kalistani troops in Newport, the LTC had contemplated recalling strategic airlift wings from Malivia, Aldegar and Kafuristan with the intention of augmenting the operations of both the Lodamese Air Force and the Kalistani Air Force.