FEDITHE, F.O; 2209 - The UIF Army’s 6th Expeditionary (Airborne) Division has relocated from their headquarters in Nautilus to the allied state of Fortis amid rising tensions in the Baskay after the Basilic capture of East Hook from the IU.
Following the destruction of the civil government in Basil and the establishment of martial law, the country has initiated a rapid mobilization of its population and economy into a total war footing. Civil liberties have been curtailed and opposition parties banned as the remnants of the Basil Democrats, aligned with loyalist officers in the Armed Forces, have assumed control of an emergency government. Since then, the transition of the country to a war economy and the reigning Troika’s irredentism against IU territories in East Hook were acutely observed by the international community. The beginning of 2209 was marked by a pre-emptive strike by the IU and Kolus Coalition against Basil and her ally Sarkyzia, marking the start of the Second Baskay War.
After a devastating opening air war, the Basilic Army launched their lightning offensive against East Hook; crossing the narrow strait under a torrent of artillery and missile support, forward elements of the Basilic armored spearhead made landfall on East Hook, and quickly occupied the island. Damage to the island was tremendous, and the IU forces conceded East Hook, withdrawing to allied Illishria. The remainder of the year has seen the Baskay littered with air and naval skirmishes between the competing powers, as enacted embargoes and threats against civilian shipping in the region threaten escalation and a global recession.
Quick Reaction Forces of the 6th Expeditionary Division disembark from their transport spacecraft at a Fortis Air Force Base.
In Fortis, public opinion is marked by concern over the conflict just over the republic’s borders. Reeling from the assassination of former president Roovich, the interim government elected his son, Tedior Roovich Jr, after a transition period of eight years. The nation has quickly increased its defense budget, appropriating funds for an accompanying re-armament, and awarding defense contracts to Cyten-Ward to procure over a hundred new combat aircraft. Discussions between Fortis and the UIF federal government commenced, with both countries in mutual agreement concerning neutrality in the Second Baskay War, the decision was reached to deploy a division from the UIF Army III Corps to Fortis in a protective measure.
Operating out of Nautilus, the 6th Airborne Division is one of two active-duty Expeditionary divisions in the UIF Army, specializing in air mobility and rapid deployment. The 6th Airborne is designed as an immediate response force, deploying within 24 hours of notification, with the stated capacity to deploy a Brigade Combat Team globally within 96 hours of an initial order. Accompanying the mechanized infantry and Aveline Armored Gun Systems (AGS) of the division, a battalion of Monolith long-range SAM systems have been deployed in order to further embolden the Fortisian air defense network.
First Consul Kasparov and President Roovich Jr have stated the mutual goals of maintaining the neutrality of the UIF and Fortis in the conflict, respectively, with public opinion polling heavily on the unpopularity of the war. Nominally friends with both factions of the conflict, the UIF has faced pressure from both Basil and the IU for international support, marking the ongoing hostilities as the most difficult strain on the international order so far since the Reclamation 60 years prior.
