Operation Ground Shock 2124

NS has begun it's annual ground attack exercise, which will take place at a test range in an asteroid field near to Solaris. The exercise will not include an amphibious landing onto a habitable world this time but will involve NS Marines, in space suits, raiding and securing a base set up on one of the asteroids as well as reconnaissance and surveillance.

The ships involved are:

36-101 Mulberry (flag)

35-102 Jaguar

51-201 Repulse

51-112 Citadel

81-102 Morse

161-104 Inquest

76-102 Zebra

Operation Ground Shock 2123

The annual ground attack exercise has begun, this time concentrating on amphibious operations. Viceroy Caratore has ordered a large scale landing this year of an entire expeditionary attack group which will consist of troops from X01 Combat Brigade Central, from armoured and infantry regiments. The landing will be supported by NS aircraft and NS Marines. Landings will take place on Mars with Terra being used as a staging area.

The ships involved are:

21-105 Archer (flag)

35-501 Lynx

35-102 Jaguar

36-101 Mulberry

51-113 Careless

51-108 Comet

41-108 Holocene

41-209 Fierce

65-101 Tethys Ocean (amphib flag)

66-101 Triumph

62-101 Pangaea

62-105 Kenora

63-103 South East Asia

63-106 North America

71-119 Freightliner

73-106 Tristar

Operation Ground Shock 2122

The annual ground attack exercise, postponed from earlier in the year due to the war and it's aftermath, will finally take place next week. The exercise will last for four days (slightly shorter than usual) but will culminate in a live nuclear weapon attack on a target built in an asteroid field near Solaris. Before that there will be a number of simulated attacks by NS bombers and defence suppression tests.

The ships involved will be:

21-103 Musketeer (flag)

15-101 Quasar 

15-105 Graviton

15-106 Baryon

35-314 Kiwi

35-101 Panther

52-101 Nectar

51-103 Champion

41-208 Foxhound

116-101 Emerald

76-110 Zord

NS to send ships to assist Raegris

President Torus has despatched the Rapid Reaction Force to the Nemoka system to assist the Raegris. This force of three cruisers will arrive in two days and link up with the remains of Windy's task force. Torus has also ordered a 12 strong fleet of ships to be prepared. It will depart next week. Torus has advised the Raegris to hold their position until then fleet arrives. The Raegris are reluctant to pull more ships from their core home worlds in any case.

Torus has postponed the major exercise Ground Shock 2122 which was due to take place at the end of March. It and all other exercises will be put on hold until the Terrasaurs have been removed from the Raegris territories.

Communications with the Raegris are still down, messages have to be transferred via the Remedians. NS is looking to see if they can establish a new data link via the Bolitic Confederacy.

Operation Ground Shock 2121

NS has begun the first of it's four large exercises for the year, Ground Shock is dedicated to amphibious operations and ground operations support. The exercises will last for two weeks and take place on Proxima Centauri 7. The exercises were originally planned to be on Saeou on the other side of the UNP but due to the Dino-Terrasaur situation VP (Ops) Torus decided it would not be prudent to send a sizeable chunk of the NS fleet so far away at this time.

The exercises will include an amphibious landing of NS Terrestrial Forces troops, a space-ground bombardment of an "enemy" position and training by special forces. The ships involved are:

21-102 Lancer (flagship)

35-107 Snow Leopard

35-304 Kingfisher

35-311 Killer

36-101 Mulberry

51-102 Centurion

51-111 Carnage

43-102 Beta Centauri

46-101 Augustus

46-103 Hadrian

46-109 Horace

65-101 Tethys Ocean (amphibious flag)

66-101 Triumph

62-103 Baltica

62-106 Rodina

63-103 South East Asia

47-104 Vulture

47-109 Goshawk

47-111 Raptor

73-111 Kerosene

71-118 Cangrestor

116-102 Ephedra

NS strained by holding two exercises at once

Over the last week NS has held two exercises at the same time, Ground Shock 2020 and Extra 2020-A. President Windscorpion's idea behind this being to see how NS copes with being put under strain and responding to different threats at the same time.

Although the fleet's resources were stretched by the two exercises and normal operations all missions were accomplished though one ship is reported to have had to delay entering maintenance for a week to cover a patrol circuit. The President is said to be pleased by how NS performed.

Operation Ground Shock 2120

The first of the "big 4" exercises of the year, the ground attack focused Ground Shock has begun. The week long exercise will include space-ground attack, special forces deployment and an amphibious landing. Solaris will be the system used for the exercise.

The ships involved are:

21-101 Missileer (flag)
16-101 Warrior (attack flag)
16-109 Wave
16-110 Weasel
35-306 Killer
37-108 Sanger Alpha
37-112 Evolution
51-106 Crossbow
51-111 Carnage
43-105 Arabian Sea
41-209 Fierce
65-101 Tethys Ocean (amphibious flag)
63-104 Arctic
47-101 Fighting Falcon
47-106 Kite
73-109 Refinery
131-103 Spruce Goose

Operation Ground Shock 2119

This month's exercise is Ground Shock, NS' annual ground attack exercise and the first of the "big four" on the schedule. Due to shortages of ships (due to the light patrol fleet situation) most escorts for the bombers and transports will be Porquatian and Raegris ships. However President Sea Urchin said it would be a great opportunity for training with NS allies.

The exercise will take place in Remedian space before crossing over to an asteroid near Sanga Alpha where the final "attack" will take place. As usual this will be with live nuclear weapons. The exercise will begin next week and include the following ships:

21-101 Missileer (flagship)
16-101 Warrior (attack wing flag)
16-109 Wave
16-111 Wild Swan
35-107 Snow Leopard
35-203 Invincible
71-116 Voyager
73-102 Stratotanker

+ 3 Raegris and 4 Porquat 640 ships

Operation Ground Shock 2118

The annual ground attack exercise Ground Shock will be held next week. As is usual with this exercise it will consist of a number of ground attack scenarios culminating with a live nuclear attack on an asteroid. This year the exercise will take place in Remedian space near Mila and two Remedian ships will join the operation as escorts.

The ships involved will be:

021-102 Lancer (flag)
015-101 Quasar (strike leader)
015-103 Deuteron
015-107 Charm Quark
023-201 Anubis
035-110 Royal Tiger
035-309 Kando
R10 Remedia Prime
R14 Mila
041-201 Freedom
043-113 Sea Of Fertility
051-107 Crescent
071-116 Voyager
073-124 Alcohol

Operation Ground Shock 2117

The latest edition of the Ground Shock exercise, the main training for NS' ground attack and strategic forces has begun. Apart from an actual war scenario Ground Shock is the only time NS will use live nukes in training, which will be the final simulated attack set-piece.

This time the exercises will take place in Porquat 640 space with the Porquatians acting as the "enemy" though also training alongside NS in other scenarios. A mock-base on an asteroid just outside Porquat space will be where the final live nuclear warhead attack will take place next week. The NS forces involved will be:

021-104 Grenadier (flag)
016-101 Warrior
016-105 Whirlwind
016-110 Weazel
021-201 Anubis
035-103 Cheetah
035-108 Puma
041-101 Cambrian
041-210 Formidable
051-104 Conflict
071-106 Condor
076-104 Zephyr

Operation Ground Shock 2116

The first major exercise of the year has begun with the annual ground attack and amphibious landing exercise. This year it will take place in Remedian space and use Mila as the main location for exercises including the landing of the entire X01 Combat Brigade of the NS Terrestrial Force. The ships to be involved are:

S208 Fusileer (flagship)
S101 Quasar
S102 Photon
S105 Graviton
H105 Ocelot
H130 Invicta
H201 Mulberry
M109 Palaeozoic
M172 Black Sea
M202R Remedia Prime III
M205R Loeuss III
K151 Fighting Falcon
K156 Kite
K163W Penguin
L131 Tethys Ocean (amphib flag)
L182 Tireless
L113 Laurentia
L114 Baltica
L151 Oceania
L156 North America
A115 Lancastrian
A152 Butane

Ground Shock forces stay in DDS South

Ground Shock 2115 has now ended but the ships deployed to the major ground attack and amphibious assault exercise are reported to be staying in DDS South. The amphibious ships have been withdrawn to Liberation though the combat ships are thought to be either at Saeou or Malau.

It has also been reported that nuclear weapons from a secure DDS facility on Proxima 7 have been taken to DDS South (the location is being kept secret).

Corkscrew suffering teething troubles

The new Corkscrew 51A is not having the happiest introduction into service. The leadship M201 Corkscrew was attached to the Ground Shock 2115 fleet currently operating near Saeou but suffered a primary rectifier failure during a combat exercise and had to withdraw. This caused power outages throughout the ship and forced a main power shut down. This is the third time this has happened to a Corkscrew ship this year alone. The Corkscrew has a new type of rectifier which is much more efficient than the type usually used on DDS ships however it is not yet as reliable.

The Corkscrew has also had problems with its main databus which can suffer random data corruption causing the ship's tactical systems to crash. The cause of these intermittent problems is as yet unknown though a DDS Engineering team is working on it.

These problems mean the Corkscrew is unlikely to be put into a combat situation unless it was urgent as the problems could cause a catastrophic loss if they happened while the ship was being shot at! The DDS say these are just teething troubles and they will be ironed out over the next few months.

Operation Ground Shock 2115

Under the threat of potential war with the Argon the large Ground Shock exercise probably could not have come at a better time seeing as it is a dramatic demonstration of DDS power. The exercise (which has been moved to DDS South) will see a mock strategic attack on Saeou and an amphibious landing on Malau. The exercise begins tomorrow. The ships involved are below. The new Warrior 16A bombers will make up all of the strike component for the first time. The new Triumph carrier also makes its combat debut for the DDS.

S201 Missileer (flag)
S121 Warrior (attack flag)
S122 Warspite
S123 Wanderer
S221 Olympus Mons
H111 Cougar
H121 Kinetic
M101 Cambrian
M126 Fury
M130 Formidable
M201 Corkscrew
M193T Proxima Centauri
L131 Tethys Ocean (amphib flag)
L114 Baltica
L117 Rodinia
L156 North America
L181 Triumph
A103 Constellation
A154 Skymaster

Ground Shock 2115 to go ahead

The first of 5 DDS exercises this year, Ground Shock 2115, is due to begin next month. The DDS have confirmed that there will be no delays or cancellations despite the Argon situation. The exercise will include ground attack and amphibious warfare elements and will take place with a full DDS fleet.

However the exercises will take place in DDS South and not DDS Centre as originally planned which will allow the ships involved to be quickly redeployed if needed (and act as a threat to the Argon).

Northern Project ends, 2115 schedule announced

The final exercise of the year Northern Project has ended after a final mock combat between DDS and "enemy" ships (the role played by Raegris, Porquatian, Dino and DDS Departmental Service ships). The DDS has now begun winding down for the Christmas break.

The DDS have decided to add a 5th exercise for next year. Info Affairs 2115 will concentrate on special forces and cyber warfare. The full schedule for 2115 is below :

• Ground Shock 2115 (March) - ground attack, amphibious assault
• Info Affairs 2115 (May) - special forces, cyber warfare
• Atomic Fist 2115 (July) - strategic attack
• Civilian Partnership 2115 (September) - humanitarian relief
• Northern Project 2115 (December) - full spectrum "mock war"

Fighting continues on Oscar

Five more attacks on CDF positions were reported overnight as the insurgency has continued, the most notable attack being an oil tanker which exploded at a CDF checkpoint. No word on casualties has yet been given though Clone news reports say there have been fatalities on both sides.

The CDF have also fought back, K40 and K85 aircraft attacked a suspected insurgent base. Two insurgents were also arrested while trying to set a car bomb near the capital.

• Ground Shock 2114 has ended following a final full-spectrum exercise near Remedia Prime. The final exercise was a "mini war" including space combat, reconnaissance, mine warfare, special forces and amphibious warfare elements.

Changes to Dino Senate agreed

Terence has been promoted to Acting Senator and will look after the Science Ministry while Cruggson recovers from his shooting. Cruggson is not expected to be well enough to return to work much before the end of the year but Terence, the Deputy Minister in any case, should be able to handle the role.

Stinkyson has also been confirmed as the SS Commander.

• Oceania 63A amphibious transport ship L153 South East Asia has been diverted from the Ground Shock deployment to help with disaster relief on Charlotte which has suffered a number of wild fires which have devastated large areas of the planet's main continent. Another Oceania is being prepared to take SE Asia's place in the deployment that is due to begin in a few days, though the amphibious part of the exercise is not scheduled until mid-March.

Operation Ground Shock 2114

The first of four big exercises in the new DDS calendar is due to begin at the start of March. Ground Shock 2114 will include ground attack, amphibious landings, mock combats, special forces, electronic warfare and mine sweeping. As can be imaged the fleet to be assembled for the exercise, which will last 2 weeks, is large though not all ships will be needed throughout.

Firefly however wants all the ships to be present in a cohesive force throughout the duration of Ground Shock even if not needed (the amphibious warfare ships will be not used in the first week for example). Despite protests from The Shiner at the costs involved Firefly thinks such a big and visible display of DDS power will be a useful reminder to the DDS' rivals.

Operations will take part mainly in Remedian space (a Remedian ship will also take part). Director of Space Operations Caratore will lead the operation.

M103 Jurassic (flagship)
S201 Missileer
S121 Warrior (attack flag)
H101 Panther
H105 Ocelot
H126 Intrepid
H164 Castor
H169 Sanger Alpha
H205 Loeuss II
M107 Oligocene (MCM flag)
M135 Fox
M172 Black Sea
M201 Corkscrew
K201M Thucydides
K209M Pericles
K211M Cleon
K102 Caesar
K108 Seneca
K115 Horace
K151 Fighting Falcon
K164W Porpoise
L132 Iapetus Ocean (amphib flag)
L114 Baltica
L115 Columbia
L153 South East Asia
A112 Trader
A113 Crate
A154 Skymaster

Cruggson awakes from coma

Senator Cruggson is reported to have woken up from the coma he entered after he was seriously injured. He was only able to give SS and 6th Legion investigators a brief explanation of what happened to him and unfortunately he did not know who shot him.

An investigation at the park has similarly drawn a blank but the SS have rounded up local hoodlums and young males and are "robustly questioning" them now.

• The DDS have begun preparations for Ground Shock 2114, the first of 4 "mega-exercises" this year replacing the monthly exercise schedule of previous years. Ground Shock will include ground attack (though not strategic strike) and amphibious operations. The first Warrior 16A bomber is likely to take part in the exercise which begins in early March.