SRA Military Developments and Projects

[Markus Wilding]

New units being raised shall be reformed into the new Army brigade combat team structure; it is expected that these units will head to California, Oregon and Washington for garrison duty and peacekeeping activities immediately. New artillery models, such as the M65A3 MGMC and upgraded ammunition for the M1964 MLRS, is also expected to enter service within the next year. The new Bellau Wood-class aircraft carrier is also expected to begin trials next year before commissioning, alongside the Spruance-class DDG and California-class CGN. For the Air Force, the final new wing of F-13 fighters is expected to finish training and deployment, while units that sustained casualties during combat in France are expected to be replenished and ready for active duty once more by 1974.

To account for the expansion of production and ever-growing needs of the American military, new industrial complexes have been commissioned in New Mexico, Arizona, California and Oregon.

[Markus Wilding]

With great fanfare, the new Bellau Wood-class aircraft carrier set sail on her maiden shakedown cruise earlier than expected. However, this shakedown cruise (which is being undertaken with other members of the newly-minted Pacific Fleet the California and Spruance classes) is not without its controversy. Delays in development and overblown spending have left the Bellau Wood without her new RGM-76 Anchor missiles, no close-in weapons systems, and no CAG. In theory, the CAG exists however the A-8 Cicada is not in a combat state and is only able to be outfitted with external fuel tanks and has no gun pods or hardpoints for any of the weapons that Grumman has designed the aircraft for. Likewise, California vessels are not outfitted with their RMG-84 Harpoon missiles and the Spruance classes do not have their new Sea Sparrow anti-air missiles, negating any advantage these ships may have had in their intended deployment to the fleet. Questions are already flooding Newport Naval Yard, the chief designer of the California and Spruance classes as they were promised to be ready before FY1974. It is expected a full committee will be brought before Congress to explain this patent absurdity within the Navy and its procurement system.

In better news, the M65A1 tank has entered service. Upgrade packages intended for the original M65A1 (including the new TGM-75 Songstress ATGM, new fire control systems, and a new stabilizer) are not ready in time and have been pushed back to a prospective M65A2 design which is also going to feature upgrades to the 125mm gun and the roboloader design. The Enterprise has seen her CAG updated with new F-4J aircraft while the F-14 naval interceptor has begun sea trials this year. It is expected the final run of new UH-5 Algonquin attack helicopters shall finish production this year and will be in service with the SRAAF by early 1974.

An increase in the national defense budget has allowed the Socialist Republics to expand the national air defense network. Three new sites have been ordered for full defense of the Republics, the newest of which will serve as a test bed for the planned "SNIPER" air defense system which has been proposed by Artillery Board. In the unfathomable scenario that war should ever come to American soil from a foreign power, SNIPER, along with GUNSLINGER and QUICKDRAW should provide the nation and the Army with all the air defense it requires. New industrial centers in Oregon have been ordered to accommodate future production of new air defense systems.

[Markus Wilding]

The SRAAF has some positive news to report; the new Fairchild Republic YA-10 close-air support aircraft has successfully completed its first test flight. General Electric has been commissioned to begin development of the new 30mm roboloader-asssisted cannon which the plane has been designed around. It is expected that the new plane will be ready for service and will supplement F-4 aircraft utilizing iron bombs and missiles as early as 1976.

[Markus Wilding]

Due to continued disturbance of peacekeeping operations in the West, Congress has authorized the expansion of the National Guard and Army to include a handful of new units which shall see service immediately in the Southwest and Rocky Mountains states to counter Sombra's influence in the area. In order to better the American armed forces, the M1964 MLRS vehicle shall soon be replaced in service by the M1975 MLRS (the M1964A, however, will continue to see service with the Airborne) while the new M76 Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile "QUICKDRAW" enters production to add a new layer to American SHORAD utility. The M65A2 main battle tank also enters production this year and is expected to reach operational status by March 1976, while the infantry adds the RGM-74 Contest ATGM to their arsenal.

Finally, despite ongoing issues and Congressional investigations, the Navy has received all of its new ships and production is expected to begin on the new F-14 Tomcat interceptor for the Enterprise and her CAG. California-class cruisers have been sent to Puget Sound to be fitted with the weapons they should have deployed with in the first place. Damaged and destroyed facilities in the West racked by terrorists associated with Cascadian Nationalists, Sombra, and Sons of Liberty are currently undergoing repairs.

[Markus Wilding]

The SRA's Advanced Combat Rifle program has ended with the Korean LAR 75, Madagascorp Galil, Aragonese Model K, Soviet AK-74 and other weapons submitted by various American contractors tested. Endurance tests showed no surprise, with most weapons having standard performance. Mud tests were brutal and most definitely showed the weaknesses of some systems - the LAR 75, Galil, and Soviet AK-74 each had a multitude of failures attributed to mud accessing places it shouldn't following a simulated drop in the mud. The Aragonese Model K, in a surprise to most testers, simply threw off whatever mud did happen to infiltrate via its incredibly violent action, though Army testers indicated the 5.56 version was less successful in this maneuver. Dust trials proved the opposite, where the Galil and AK-74 performed admirably while mud test winners tended to fail. In the end the Socialist Republic Army has decided not to adopt any of the weapons and shall continue using the M16 and continue to improve it as no singular rifle offered significant enough advantages to warrant a change.

The Navy can finally rest easy as the Bellau Wood and Spruance classes finally enter service, for good this time. All weapons systems are operational and while the A-8 continues to have some issues before it can be called truly operationally deployed, it is expected that all problems shall be resolved by December. New facilities in California and New York have finished as well to further assist the American people in progress and stability. Repairs have been made to areas damaged by unrest while suppression activities continue. New artillery models have entered service alongside new HEAT-FS and SHR-FS ammunition for the M65A1 main battle tank with new APFSDS-T rounds in development. Older M1964 rocket artillery models shall be phased out in favor of new M1975 MLRS batteries among nearly all units this year.

Identifying enemy submarines as a primary threat, and almost as if to intentionally bridge the goodwill gap after years of debate, Congress has authorized an expansion to the Navy's core of Spruance class ships as well as authorized an expansion of American nuclear weapons.

[Markus Wilding]

New National Guard units have been integrated into the overall command structure of the Socialist Republic Army. These new units, composed of the 7th National Guard Division "Four Corners" draws from Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado and will be tasked with defending Arizona, Nevada and Utah from subversive elements and training soldiers for possible integration into the Army. The 8th National Guard "Sun Belt" pulls recruits primarily from New Mexico, southern California and Arizona and has been tasked entirely with safeguarding New Mexico and Colorado in conjunction with the neighboring 7th NG.

The Army has received its first shipments of the new M65A2 main battle tank this year as the TGM-75 Songstress ATGM enters full service following several months of operational testing in the Mojave Desert and Iowa. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Armored Divisions have received the new upgrade while the Marines have declined an upgrade for now, citing the need for a "more substantial vehicle" that Armor Board has tentatively called the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked, 125-mm Gun, T77 until further testing can be completed.

In preparation for OPERATION CHROMITE, the Socialist Republic Army has shifted the 10th, 11th and 12th Corps to positions in Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Units in Montana have been ordered to hold in place.

[Markus Wilding]

Citing the need for greater bomber interception capability, a request from the Army to expand the AC-130 corps and the need to defend the coasts of America from hostile naval action, the SRAAF has ordered new interceptor units and two new wings of AC-130 gunships and B-72 naval bombers to fill gaps previously left open. Likewise, the SRAAF has ordered A-10 Warthog II planes for operational service expected as soon as March 1977.

Other news includes the successful testing of the F-13 Hawk's replacement, the YF-19. While new interceptors are sorely needed and the F-13 is certainly a capable platform, pilots have expressed dissatisfaction with the handling characteristics. Perhaps more importantly, the F-13 captured by French forces has inevitably been a boon to WEST intelligence services, and thus a replacement craft is needed in order to ensure American pilots are always one step ahead. In order to compensate for the loss of several older communications satellites, the expansion of the strategic satellite services now includes the production of new satellites to replace ones which are expected to deorbit soon.

[Markus Wilding]

Following the conclusion of OPERATION CHROMITE, the SRA has begun training replacements to replenish combat units which sustained losses in the campaign. The Joint Chiefs will begin discussing what caused the horrific combat performance of the SRAAF in this campaign in the coming days, and will attempt to alleviate the problems that plagues it to this day.