Stormy Seas and Starry Skies: Foreign Policy Updates

The United Imperium must once again reaffirm if the Colombian expeditionary task force returns to its homeland, there will be no more fighting. All hostilities will cease once the Colombians promise to bring their troops back home. But for whatever reason, the Colombians refuse to do this, even as Novist has successfully integrated their Louisiana territory under the JGP. The unlawful presence of the Colombian expeditionary fleet poses a threat to Freedom of Navigation for civilian vessels of all nations, and we will not stand for it. Once again, if the Colombian expeditionary force is officially called back by the Colombian government, all hostilities will end. Otherwise, the fighting will continue. We will defend out soil. 

In the day's combat operations, the Imperium destroyed another ship and shot down three aircraft, at the loss of one of our own aircraft. The American pilot was recovered by the Imperium Coast Guard. This means the size of the Colombian flotilla now stands at 30 aircraft and 15 ships, a marked decrease from the 50 aircraft and 20 ships which were originally escorting the 90,000 troops on the fleet. At this time, the NIEA is working to gather actionable intelligence on the amount of Colombian troops in the flotilla at this moment.

Pictured: Imperium Fighters Taking Off From the USS Grant Aircraft Carrier Ahead of a Combat Air Patrol Sortie Above the Gulf of Mexico

So far, this operation has been a rousing success. We say this for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that the Colombians were stopped from making a landing on American soil. Aside from the Colombian troops which currently reside in Beanstopia (in a non-combat-capable capacity), no enemy forces were able to engage us on the ground. The second reason that this operation has been successful is our decisive use of our intelligence capabilities: the NIEA has worked tirelessly to obtain both SIGINT and HUMINT on the Colombian offensive, and it has played a key role in giving us advance knowledge of the size and whereabouts of the enemy. Which ties into the third reason that this war has been a success: our actual combat efforts. In the skies, we have shot down a total of 20 enemy aircraft, dropping their aerial effectiveness by 40%. Keep in mind that this is only in the first two major strikes of the operation. On the high seas, its even better. We have not yet seen an Imperium ship get sunk in this operation, while 25% of the flotilla's naval power has already been destroyed. On all fronts, we have enjoyed colossal success. But we will not let up. We will keep fighting the good fight. We will not allow Colombia to terrorize these waters. And we will not rest until they leave or until their expeditionary force is destroyed.

Pictured: The Imperium Space Agency Launches a RedTail Heavy Rocket in Order to Test a New Streamlined Atmospheric Re-entry Technology

In other good news, the United Imperium and Britain have continued to reaffirm their commitments to cooperative space exploration. In the ground-breaking new treaty, the two nations have agreed to work together to continue their expansion into space, limit the use of weapons in space and limit the proliferation of space-based weaponry in general. The treaty also formalizes collaboration between the space agencies of the two nations. To supplement the deal, the United Imperium has also been allowed to begin construction on a military base in Somalia, in exchange for a British military presence in the United Imperium. The United Imperium now has bases in Somalia, Nebelystan, North Sumatra, and Palau.

The United Imperium also reaffirmed its commitment to its alliance with Ajako. In another agreement, the Imperium agreed to begin joint Naval exercises with the Ajako Navy. In addition, Ajako has graciously permitted the Imperium military to have a base in Okinawa. This agreement with them further signifies our commitment to the defense of our allies as well as the defense of Freedom of Navigation wherever it is unjustly threatened.