[u][b]The Empire of Anvegad[/b][/u]

[u][b]Steelhold Military Academy Journal[/b][/u]
[u][b]Railroad Wargames[/b][/u]

With the war in Sarrelia limited to Honneria's colonial holdings, Anvegad High Command has decided to make use of the mobilized state of its troops to conduct wargames on a large scale to test and drill its troops, as well as test potential new theories of warfare with industrial developments sweeping the country.

Training with the railroads is on the forefront of many generals of both the old and new schools of military thinking. Conservative commanders consider the rails to be simply another instrument of logistics, admittedly a potent one as General Theinbridge noted that [i]"while the iron horse is only little faster than a regular horse now, it does not tire or eat its own cargo, can haul great tonnages, and can operate at a much higher tempo. The emphasis of railroad doctrine should be solely focused on transporting goods and troops from point A to point B. A difficult enough task as it is without trying to complicate it further."[/i]

Radicals in military theory propose more proactive and aggressive applications of railroads. Brigadier Federer has recently proposed a number of modified heavy-duty cargo flatbeds that could be used to mount heavy artillery not just for transport, but for bringing mobility to normally cumbersome Ozo-pattern heavy siege howitzers. "Railroads unlock new frontiers, and we would be fools not to pursue any and every possible use these trains can bring to war to concentrate firepower and tactical superiority when and where we want. Our enemies would be far less eager to desire our lands if they know we can protect them all with a battleship's great guns."

As the debate is ongoing in Anvegad military academies and officer's clubs, regiments of troops are drilled on efficient loading, boarding, and transport by rail on Anvehold's local railroads while reservist troops led by the Anvegad engineer corps are allocated to labor-duties supporting railroad work crews to establish understanding of railroad construction for themselves in the event of having to build rails into enemy territory or perform emergency repairs in the field, whilst assisting in the construction of strategically important rails and bridges connecting the major cities of the nation.

[u][b]THE NEW MODEL ARMY PLAN[/b][/u]

Anvegad High Command has recently disclosed the beginning details of a broad-sweeping new plan to modernize the Imperial Army, dubbed "The New Model Army". Under this plan, the standing army of Anvegad will be brought into the future with a standing force of professional soldiers.

Already two regiments (20,000 men), consisting of a combination of veterans and able new recruits tested to the highest standards, have been raised to a modern professional army. Not just armed with advanced rifles and heavy artillery, but with the best training and organizational performance possible in the world thanks to the tireless efforts of Colonel Lindon Styker and his trusted assistant Master Sergeant Jorgan Maxwell to develop intensive training courses and drills to prepare for battlefield's defined by artillery and bolt-action rifles.

"Sheep go in. Wolves come out. But like wolves, they know they can't work alone. Alone, they're nothing. Together, they're the baddest ******* in the world."
- Master Sergeant Jorgan Maxwell

While High Command refuses to disclose numbers, additional professional army regiments are expected to be added to the Imperial Army soon and existing regular line-troops retrained as training programs are refined to take into account new technologies and industrial developments. Many military observers project that the NMA-trained regiments will also serve as testbeds for new military thinking and doctrine given the concentration of open-minded and aspiring officers in the ranks of the existing regiments now shaking down in Port Endeavor rumored to be working with a Anvegad-made machinegun design under classified training.

[u][b]RICHES AFAR[/b][/u]

The Anvegad Ministries of Industry, Commerce, and War have come together with a bold new retirement plan option for soldiers reaching the end of their terms as soldiers and for our honored retired veterans. Instead of a conventional pension, soldiers may instead opt for a "active retirement" in the newly expanding colonies in Sarelia to participate in expansion of the Anvegad frontier and serve their nation in a new capacity.

"Actively Retired" soldier-colonists are expected to serve an additional extended tour of service as second-tier militia reservists in Sarelia whilst assisting in the prospecting, exploration, and exploitation of colonial land for an initial duration. In exchange, soldiers are permitted land-grants and a percentage of proceedings from any discoveries made on the Frontier along with a fresh start.

Already thousands of veterans flock to military offices looking to grab their "30 acres and a shotgun", looking to make new beginnings on the frontier and be the first to hunt down a colonial motherload.


[u][b]ARE WE AT WAR?[/b][/u]

With the conflict in colonial Honneria taking twists and turns, many officers in the Anvegad army are champing at the bit to get involved to aid their ally and end a war close to the homelands of Anvegad.

Chairman Volkov has made no comment on whether an expeditionary force will be sent, pending word from the Empire of Suravaek should they intent to invoke joint-military operation clauses of the alliance treaty.