Earlier today, Secretary of Defense Maria Sanchez-Campbell, unveiled the new flags that have been adopted by the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Republic.
The Army of the Republic, or simply the Army, was established shortly after the foundation of the Republic of Shelley Island. With the help of many skilled military leaders from around the world, such as Major General Baron von Steuben and Major General/Lieutenant Général Marquis de LaFayette, the Army was quickly formalized, going from regional militias to a professional standing army. This original Army consisted of three combat arms: infantry, cavalry, and artillery. While the infantry and artillery arms remain, the cavalry was disbanded following World War One as horses are not indigenous to the island and populations dwindled in the latter part of the nineteenth century, leading the nation’s leaders–military and civilian–to realize how economically untenable a cavalry was. In addition to focusing on combat, the cavalry had been the Army’s principal intelligence arm, so leaders renamed this arm combat intelligence, which remains in place today. The Army’s new flag includes three white stars, each representing an arm of the Army (infantry, combat intelligence, and artillery), on a tricolor field of light blue, black, and dark blue.
The Navy of the Republic, or simply the Navy, was established roughly one year after the Army. The leaders of Shelley Island understood that, as an island nation, Shelley Island could be susceptible to water-based attacks. As such, they reorganized the Navy’s predecessor, the Coastal Guard, which had originally consisted of units commanded by each of the states (back then, the country had 20 states). This military unit was professionalized, came under centralized command, the RSI Naval College was established in Firenze, and in the 1950s, Naval Officer Training Corps (NOTC) programs, modeled after the Navy ROTC programs in the United States, were established at all of the University of Shelley Island institutions. The branch’s new flag consists of a blue field overlaid by a yellow cross with a white anchor in the middle. Similar to many naval ensigns around the world, in the upper left corner of this flag sits the complete flag of the Republic of Shelley Island.
The Air Force of the Republic, or simply the Air Force, is the newest branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic, only being founded after the First World War. With its foundation in 1920, Shelley Island became the first Caribbean to have its own air force. Though not formally established until 1920, talks to establish a Shelley Islander air defense branch began in early 1917 following the interception of the Zimmermann Telegram, which saw Germany propose an alliance with Mexico against the United States. With the help of the United States and the United Kingdom, the Air Force was established and quickly an important branch of Shelley Island’s military. In addition to playing an active combat role, it has long been known for its investment in the development of both civilian and military technology and many of the branch’s leaders have been asked to help other nations build up their air defense wings. As a retired Air Force general, Secretary of Defense Sanchez-Campbell was heavily involved in the design process of the new flag. Sanchez-Campbell remarked that the most important element of the flag is found on the right-hand side. She stated that the bird of paradise represents the beauty of the nation and the Air Force. Together, it means that the Air Force is the airborne defender of the sky, sea, land, and the people of Shelley Island.
To close her remarks, Sanchez-Campbell said that these flags were commissioned to provide a representation of the Armed Forces of the Republic beyond the uniform. Prior to the adoption of the flags, the military did not have any official symbols. She took time to recognize the flags’ designers for their work. She also took time to thank servicemembers and, much like President DMO, the families of servicemembers for their sacrifices for the nation.
It is expected for the flags to be raised outside of Defense Headquarters early tomorrow, and be available to the general public by the end of the month.
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interesting I guess