Independent State Allied Forces

Independent State Allied Forces
AKA	ISAF
Type	Military coalition
Years Active	2003–2006+
Location	Usea
Members	16 Usean nations Mobius 1 AWACS SkyEye 1st Lt. Leonard Baelz Sgt. Collins Bravo Team Larry Foulke
Actions	Continental War Operation Katina
Appearances
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (Arcade Mode)

"Although we are from different nations, and of different races, we have fought, suffered and died together, fighting for what we believe in: fighting for freedom."

― Speech before Operation Judgement Day

The Independent State Allied Forces, (alternatively Independent States Allied Forces) abbreviated as ISAF (アイサフ ISAF), was a military coalition composed of 16 Usean nations, including the Federation of Central Usea. The ISAF was created to oppose the former Federal Republic of Erusea during the Continental War.

History

Formation

The ISAF was created from the Continental Nations' Economic Alliance, a subcommittee of the Central Usea Treaty Organization (UTO). Tensions between Erusea and the UTO, which was unofficially led by the Federation of Central Usea (FCU), escalated following Erusea's takeover of San Salvacion and Stonehenge in early August 2003. The threat of an armed response coupled with Erusea's refusal to withdraw from San Salvacion eventually forced FCU President Robert Sinclair to announce the dissolution of the economic alliance and the creation of a military coalition, the ISAF, in September that year.

The coalition consisted of 11 founding states and five additional signatories, bringing the total number of members to 16. Despite its numbers, the ISAF's members were relatively small nations whose combined military strength was estimated to be comparable to that of Erusea.

Continental war

The ISAF flag flying alongside the flags of three ISAF states

Following Erusea's use of Stonehenge as an anti-aircraft weapon, the resulting loss of aerial power forced the ISAF to retreat to its GHQ at Istas Fortress in south-central Usea. Outmatched by the STN's overwhelming firepower, the ISAF retreated from the mainland to North Point, which became the site of its new GHQ soon after.

Despite Erusea's attempts to eradicate the ISAF, North Point became the base of operations for ISAF's efforts to rally its troops trapped on the mainland. By September 2004, ISAF relied on its air forces to perform air strike operations and impede the Eruseans' military efforts. The ISAF began scoring crucial victories in the east, such as the destruction of a major oil refinery (Operation Early Bird) and the sinking of Erusea's Aegir Fleet (Operation Rough Seas).

Following the successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite from the Riass Space Center in the Comona Islands, the ISAF launched a massive counteroffensive on the mainland, beginning with the amphibious landings of Operation Bunker Shot in January 2005. The offensive culminated in the destruction of Stonehenge due to the heroic actions of ISAF ace Mobius 1.

The fall of the STN facility led to a second ISAF campaign towards Erusea territory: the ISAF liberated San Salvacion in July 2005 (Operation Firefly) and, by September, had captured the Erusean capital, Farbanti (Operation Autumn Thunder). Despite the Eruseans' unconditional surrender, the ISAF would deploy a special forces unit and the newly formed Mobius Squadron one week after the war's official end to stop the use of Megalith as a retaliatory weapon. The ISAF was victorious once again, and widespread disaster was averted as a result of Mobius 1's actions.

Postwar period

The ISAF continued to exist after the conclusion of the Continental War and oversaw the formation of a postwar Erusean government. In September 2006, a resistance movement known as Free Erusea mounted an armed insurrection against ISAF and the interim government. In response, the ISAF launched Operation Katina to suppress the uprising. As a result of Katina's success, the ISAF obtained experimental autonomous flight systems from Erusean X-02 Wyverns that had been seized by the Free Erusea forces.

With the threat of Erusea suppressed, the Continental Nations' Economic Alliance dissolved ISAF and handed over peacekeeping operations to the IUN. However, several squadrons that served in the ISAF Air Force joined the IUN.

Organization

Independent State Allied Forces military insignias

As a military coalition, the Independent State Allied Forces was initially comprised of 11 core Usean nations, which later expanded to a total of 16 members. The ISAF member states were unofficially led by the FCU. The main symbol of the ISAF was an arrangement of triangles known as the "Three Arrowheads".

The purpose of the organization was to restore and maintain stability within the Usean continent. Each member state was guaranteed the right to collective self-defense: any military action taken against an ISAF state would be treated as an attack on the organization as a whole.

The military arm of the ISAF was composed of the individual armed forces of its member nations, including ground, air and naval forces.

Gallery

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  ISAF T.C. System loading screen

• 

  ISAF embroidering featuring the Three Arrowheads

Trivia

• The Independent State Allied Forces shares its acronym with the International Security Assistance Force, a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan.