//------------------------------// // Reshuffle the Deck // Story: Nearing the Edge // by Eagle //------------------------------// September 25th, 2005 General Gardner, As requested, this letter’s purpose is to inform you of the state of production of the main line of resistance in the country of Equestria, the current American air and land forces on the Arcaian continent, and requests to solve any issues possible in the process. I have worked closely with my staff and colleagues in our sister branches, as well with the native commanders of the country. The process of training and re-equipping our new allies will begin soon, and another letter will be written on the progress of this mission once it is further underway. Construction on the allied main line of resistance, codenamed ‘Paradigm’ and usually referred to as ‘Papa’, is slow as of now. As instructed, the line will be completed away from the border and in front of the major Equestrian cities, so as to save them from serious destruction in combat and spare their infrastructure and populace, and will run the length of the continent from Celestia’s Point, the location of STEEL MILL, in the north to Luna’s Point and IRON MILL in the south. This line will be manned by American forces, while Equestrian units guard the border, thus ensuring that American units will be out of immediate harm’s way in the sensitive political area without sacrificing the defense of major areas. The lack of major highways, as well as many other modern necessities, is hampering our movement and work. We have also been requested by the Equestrian government to create a similar line along the border, codenamed ‘Bravo’ line, thus giving our engineers virtually double to work and having the issue of working under the eyes of the enemy. We have worked with the government to trim down the size and amount of defenses on the border, but our work force has now been more-or-less cut in half. Our work has been severely curtailed by this. In this area, it would be best to send further units and supplies for construction, as we are not only working on these areas but assisting in modernizing the Equestrian infrastructure, helping them to build things such as the before-mentioned highways to facilitate faster troop movement. Our troops have successfully organized themselves and have either moved, or are in transit to, their appropriate positions. The multiple infantry units have now organized themselves into divisions based upon their positioning in the line, these make up, from north-to-south, the 94th, 5th, and 23rd Infantry Divisions. The current major American ground units have been organized into the 4th Army, and are as follows: -5th Infantry Division -23rd Infantry Division -94th Infantry Division -2nd Armored Division -1st Marine Division -75th Ranger Regiment -11th Armored Cavalry Regiment In accordance with current orders, the three infantry divisions have been assigned to garrison Paradigm, while the armored units are kept a short way behind the line for reinforcement and counter-attack purposes. The Rangers are based in Saddleburg, a small town in the center of the ‘no-man’s land’ in-between the border and Paradigm, in hopes of assisting Equestrian forces at the border, or enacting a holding action against Shadow advances to buy time for further preparation at Paradigm. The marines are being held in Las Pegasus farther behind the lines for long-term reserve purposes and to guard against any Bloc incursions. However, after discussing the possibilities with my colleagues and others, it is predicted that the current forces, even while supplemented by Arcaian troops, will most likely be insufficient in holding back a full-scale invasion by Bloc forces without giving significant ground as asked. It is with this in mind that I recommend a plan be put in place for the reinforcement of Equestria immediately if war breaks out, akin to REFORGER. I must also respectfully request additional units as soon as possible to further assist the defense of the line. If possible these would consist of the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Infantry Divisions, the 1st Cavalry Division, and the 101st Airborne Division. Having covered the forces of the Army, I will now discuss the state of American air forces on the continent, as has been told to me through my colleague, General Solomon Leevie of the U.S.A.F. Contrary to the construction of ground fortifications the construction of air bases across the country is progressing well. Though Everfree Air Base is currently the only one fully complete, multiple others are nearing completion and most will be in operational condition within the week. They are spread out well across the country and will be able to provide effective support. Many squadrons are set to be moved to these, and will be listed in a similar fashion as before. Our current unit, the 1st Tactical Fighter Squadron, still technically acting as an Equestrian volunteer unit, is set to be attached officially to the Royal Equestrian Air Force as a Liaison unit between the USAF and REAF. The remaining squadrons, now organized into the 13th Air Force, are as follows, containing their squadron number, aircraft type, and current callsign: 4th Fighter Wing -333rd Fighter Squadron ‘Lancer’-F-15E -334th Fighter Squadron ‘Siege’-F-15E -335th Fighter Squadron ‘Chief’-F-15E -336th Fighter Squadron ‘Rocket’-F-15E 20th Fighter Wing -555th Fighter Squadron ‘Nickel’-F-16C -77th Fighter Squadron ‘Gambler’-F-16C -12th Fighter Squadron ‘Knife’-F-15C -2nd Fighter Squadron ‘Beagle’-F-15C 1st Fighter Wing -94th Fighter Squadron ‘Spad’-F-22 -27th Fighter Squadron ‘Bobcat’-F-22 23rd Wing -74th Fighter Squadron ‘Claw’-A-10C -75th Fighter Squadron ‘Shark’-A-10C -76th Fighter Squadron ‘Cat’-A-10C -308th Fighter Squadron ‘Tiger’-F-16C 2nd Bomb Wing -20th Bomb Squadron ‘Skull’-B-52 -96th Bomb Squadron ‘Doom’-B-52 -11th Bomb Squadron ‘Brew’-B-52 7th Bomb Wing -9th Bomb Squadron ‘Bat’-B-1B -28th Bomb Squadron ‘Razor’-B-1B The mission of the 6th Air Force, as General Leevie describes, is to ‘gain and maintain air superiority, support the ground war, and commence the strategic bombing of targets in the Bloc and occupied territories once possible’. He has stated that he fears cooperation with the Navy may be difficult, as he believes they will be more engaged with hostile naval actions than predicted. As such joint operations, particularly in the third phase, would prove lighter. He has stated the need for further reinforcements, particularly bombers and possibly including the B-2 Spirit, in order to better achieve this goal. He has not stated which units in particular, asking for whatever is most available. Sincerely, -Major General Michael Stokes. Lieutenant General Stokes, Thank you for the letter concerning our current forces. I am afraid to say that, as of now, no further American units can be spared for the Arcaian front. This is due to multiple reasons, including the rising tension in hotspots around the globe, as well as pressure from the government to prevent sending further forces, among others. However, you can expect additional ground and air units to arrive from Australia, Canada, and the UK. We are also in the process of creating a program similar to REFORGER with hopes of landing forces in the cities of Manehatten and Vanhoover directly behind your lines. It will be vital to keep these ports free from attack, or the troops will have to be landed far behind the lines. It should also be noted that the Navy’s presence there will remain heavy, and increase slightly. It is hoped that they will be able to defeat the Bloc’s navies through superior equipment and training, and the large number of forces will be delegated to assisting ground forces through shore bombardment, costal and air raids, and other actions needed. The recent completions of STEEL MILL and IRON MILL will also give some forewarning to any Bloc actions. My counterparts within the Joint Chiefs assure me that full support can be given with what is in the region. We are hoping to use these pieces to the ultimate advantage. Sincerely, -General Gardner.