- "Osea pissed lots of people off with their huge military presence around the world."
- ― Avril Mead[1]
The Osean Defense Forces (or Osean Defense Force[2]) are the collective military forces of the Osean Federation. It is considered to be the largest military in the world. The Defense Forces are managed by the Osean Ministry of Defense.[citation needed]
Branches
- Osean Air Defense Force
- Osean Ground Defense Force
- Osean Maritime Defense Force
- Osean Coastal Defense Force
- Osean Marine Corps
- Osean Special Ops
History
Origins
In 2001, Osea began reorganizing its military force partly due to the backlash from the Belkan War of 1995. The population of Osea were in shock after the June 6 nuclear attacks and started opposing military actions. The restructuring was completed in 2006, and it was during this 5-year period that the modern Osean Defense Forces was formed.
The ODF became the guardians of Osea, protecting its borders from any hostile actions. However, as a result of the peace dividend, when Vincent Harling was elected President, his administration instituted a series of budget cuts. These cuts, on top of the massive downsizing, drastically reduced the ODF's ability to react to acts of aggression against Osea.
Circum-Pacifc War
On September 24, 2010, several unidentified fighter aircraft entered Osean airspace. When the 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Wardog" intercepted them while operating in the area on a training mission, they attacked, going after the trainee aircraft which had been sent to low altitude by their instructors to avoid the fight but in actuality had been sent directly into the path of the unidentified fighters. Wardog Squadron suffered heavy losses, the sole survivors being trainee Kei Nagase and instructor Jack Bartlett. All other trainees and one of the instructors were killed by the unknown aircraft; the second instructor, despite surviving the fight, was killed when his plane crashed when trying to land.
The same day, Bartlett, Nagase, and the two trainees that had not been in the fight (then-2nd Lt. Alvin H. Davenport and a pilot known only as "Blaze") were sent to intercept another unidentified aircraft, an SR-71 Blackbird spy plane. After ordering it to land, Wardog was attacked by more unknown fighters. Though AWACS Thunderhead ordered them not to engage, Bartlett countermanded the order, as they had been attacked first. Bartlett and the trainees shot down the unknown aircraft, but the incident, and the preceding engagement, were covered up and kept classified by the Osean leadership due to no one having officially declared war on Osea at the time.
A few days later, a ship of unknown origin was sighted near the Osean coastline and began launching recon UAVs to gather intelligence. Wardog was scrambled once again with orders to destroy the drones but not to fire on the ship. Wardog shot down the drones and a flight of fighters sent to escprt them, but before Wardog could leave the area, the ship fired a SAM at Nagase. Bartlett flew between her and the missile, which then followed him and struck his F-4, gravely damaging it and forcing him to eject, but not before ordering Wardog to scramble the rescue helicopter and have his spare plane readied. Wardog intended to loiter in the area to ensure the helicopter arrived safely, but the trainees were ordered to return to base to refuel and rearm, informing them that "The enemy has declared war on us!"
The declaration of war came from the Union of Yuktobanian Republics, Osea's former ally in the Belkan War 15 years ago, and began the Circum-Pacific War. Upon the official declaration on September 27, 2010, Yuktobania simultaneously launched an air raid on Port St. Hewlett, an Osean Maritime Defense Force port. With the help of Wardog and the pilots of VFA-206, the enemy aircraft were stopped, and the Osean ships, centered around the OFS Kestrel, were able to break out of the port and sink a Yuktobanian fleet trying to blockade their escape.
The next morning, Yuktobanian bombers and attackers, with fighter escorts, launched an attack on Sand Island Air Force Base, the home base of Wardog Squadron. Despite Sand Island being defended by only four fighters, including trainee Hans Grimm who took off in Bartlett's spare plane during the fight, the attack was successfully repulsed. In the wake of Wardog's replacement squadron leader being shot down and killed during the battle, Blaze became the official squadron leader.
With their forces severely damaged, the OMDF then attempted to have three aircraft carriers from the 3rd Osean Naval Fleet, the Kestrel, OFS Buzzard and OFS Vulture, meet up in preparation for a counterattack. Every fighter available was sent to the Eaglin Straits to protect the carriers during the rendezvous. As the carriers entered the strait, Yuktobanian aircraft attacked in an effort to sink the carriers. The planes were shot down, but a Yuktobanian advanced submarine, the Scinfaxi, fired two burst missiles at the carrier group. All Osean aircraft in the area, except for Wardog, Captain Marcus Snow of VFA-206 and another F-14A Tomcat, were destroyed, and the OFS Buzzard and OFS Vulture were both sunk.
Following the battle, the ODF continued to be beleaguered by Yuktobanian attacks, including an attack on Basset Space Center and an attempt to capture Sand Island by sea. Both were thwarted by Sand Island's Wardog Squadron. During the battle off the shore of Sand Island, the Scinfaxi reappeared, but with help from the Arkbird, Wardog was able to sink her.
After that, a C-5 Galaxy cargo plane, which was on a top secret mission, was mistakenly fired upon and damaged by an Osean Coastal Defense Force SAM, but were assisted by Wardog Squadron, who were on an air patrol in the area and helped the damaged plane avoid the radar sites and shot down attacking Yuktobanian fighters. After the C-5, which was implied to be carrying Osean President Vincent Harling to peace talks with Yuktobania, landed safely, the 8492nd Squadron took over the protection of the aircraft as Wardog returned to base.
On October 31, the ODF began their counter-attack with Operation Footprint, a large scale landing operation on the Bostok Peninsula in Yuktobania. With the assistance of the OADF, including Wardog Squadron, several Osean amphibious forces managed establish a foothold on the Yuktobanian mainland. As Yuktobanian forces conducted a large-scale aerial withdrawal, elements of the OADF pursued, but during the operation a nearby engineering college was attacked by what were thought to be Osean fighters, inflicting heavy civilian casualties. As a result, Wardog Squadron, which had been operating in the area at the time of the attack, was called to Oured to be court martialed for killing the civilians.
During the court martial, the Yuktobanian special forces launched two simultaneous terrorist attacks: Apito International Airport was infiltrated with assault teams and armored units in disguised cargo planes, while chemical weapons were deployed inside the college town of Bana City, requiring OADF aircraft to nullify the chemical gas with dispersant ordinance. Due to their performance in these operations, Wardog Squadron is acquitted of their charges and allowed to return to service.
The ODF continue to push deeper into Yuktobania. As they begin their next offensive, however, the Yuktobanians attempt to stop them with burst missiles fired from the Hrimfaxi, Scinfaxi's sister ship. The ODF sends Wardog Squadron to the Razgriz Straits to sink the Hrimfaxi, ending the threat to the operation. For their efforts, Wardog Squadron is recognized by both sides as a force to be reckoned with, and vital to the Osean war effort.
With Wardog's help, the ODF continues their offensive, breaking through heavy defenses in the Jilachi Desert and capturing Cruik Fortress, the last major fortification between the Osean Forces and and the Yuktobanian capital of Cinigrad. Shortly after, however, Wardog Squadron, the pillar of morale for the entire Osean Defense Forces, are accused of being spies and supposedly executed while trying to flee. Without the crucial support from Wardog, the Osean forces are stalled at Cinigrad and the war effort bogs down into a stalemate.
In the latter days of the war, an Osean Maritime Defense Force battle group discovers a Yuktobanian fleet engaged with the OFS Kestrel battle group. Due to the presence of Yuktobanian ships in the Kestrel's fleet, the captain of the Osean ship Barbett declares the Kestrel and the ships following her to be traitors and attacks them, turning the ongoing Operation Glory Horn into a three-way battle. After a protracted fight, the Osean and Yuktobanian nationalist fleets were sunk, leaving the Kestrel battle group as the only survivors of the engagement.
At the end of the war, President Harling, who had been silently kidnapped, orders all ODF forces to cease combat with Yuktobania; Prime Minister Nikanor orders all Yuktobanian forces to do the same and cease combat operations with Osea. They tell their respective militaries to turn their attentions to the real enemy, the Principality of Belka, who had caused the war. While some forces obeyed these orders, many others did not, believing the orders to either be a deception or a sign of betrayal, and subsequently splintered from the Osean and Yuktobanian militaries to continue fighting. Those that obeyed the ceasefire went to Sudentor in North Osea to assist the Ghosts of Razgriz in their attack on the Belkan holdouts in order to destroy the V2 WMD's that they had taken control of to end the war once and for all. However, many of the splintering forces also arrived, intending to destroy both their enemies and the forces trying to stop the war and claim the V2 weapons for themselves. With the assistance of the allied Osean and Yuktobanian forces, Razgriz Squadron is able to destroy their target, the SOLG control system, and the war-mongering factions are defeated.
The next day, on December 31, 2010, the Razgriz took off from a temporarily closed highway in Oured. Their target was the SOLG itself, which had descended into the atmosphere and was programmed to hit Oured after its control system was destroyed in Sudentor. The Razgriz were able to defeat the Ofnir and Grabacr Squadrons protecting the falling weapon, and then dealt a fatal blow to the SOLG itself, causing it to detonate at high altitude over the ocean and saving Oured. As the Razgriz departed the airspace, the surviving ODF and Yuktobanian forces cheered them on together, signalling an end to the Circum-Pacific War.
Lighthouse War
Following the Circum-Pacific War, Osea shifts its focus to the continent of Usea and becomes involved in the ongoing restoration efforts taking place in Erusea, which is still recovering from the Ulysses 1994XF04 planetfall and the resulting Continental War. Osea works closely with the IUN, providing military hardware and personnel to assist them in keeping peace on the politically unstable continent.
In an effort to help unify Usea and provide much-needed energy to help restoration efforts, President Harling announces the construction of a massive space elevator that could serve both as a docking point for spacecraft and as a massive energy collection facility. While the elevator, nicknamed the "Lighthouse" but officially called the International Space Elevator (ISEV) helps to vastly boost the reconstruction efforts, many in Usea feel that it is a sign of Osea attempting to assert its authority over the continent, most notably among those being Erusean Princess Rosa Cossette D'Elise, and tensions between Erusea and Osea begin rising. In response to the rising tensions, the Osean Defense Force develop two massive autonomous aerial warships, called Arsenal Birds. The Arsenal Birds, named Liberty and Justice, are deployed to the International Space Elevator to protect it from attack.
On May 15, 2019, Erusea declares war on Osea and the IUN. Simultaneous with the declaration, Erusea launches air strikes on Osean ports using drones concealed inside shipping containers, and deploy bombers against Osean and IUN military installations across Usea, including Fort Grays and Tyler Island. Despite the attacks devastating Osea's naval and air power, civilian casualties are kept to a bare minimum, allowing Erusea to claim moral high ground. In response, Osea launches an air strike on Osea's capital Farbanti, but the attack is repelled by Erusean fighters without significant damage done to the military infrastructure. However, several Erusean fighters that were shot down by Osea crash in residential areas, causing significant collateral damage that turns public opinion in neutral countries against Osea.
Due to the swiftness and scale of the attack, Osea and the IUN are unable to immediately respond, allowing Erusea to advance quickly and occupy a large portion of the Usean continent, including the Lighthouse and the Arsenal Birds guarding it. Erusea, using the Arsenal Birds, establish complete aerial dominance over a majority of the continent, effectively ending any hopes of a counter attack.
For most of the war, Osea and the IUN work closely together, but still encounter problems such as lack of communication between branches and an inability to quickly relay information to front-line forces. In addition, to bolster their forces Osea utilizes penal military units, such as Spare Squadron stationed at the 444th Air Base, but relegate them to low-level functions such as decoy duty and acting as expendable assets. However, penal units that prove effective at their roles are offered more significant missions or possibly pardone of their crimes altogether and folding them back into the main forces. Osea also organizes a clandestine aerial strike unit known as the Long Range Strategic Strike Group, which is used to strike deep behind enemy lines and disrupt Erusea's infrastructure, with the intention of allowing Osea and the IUN to reach Farbanti and put an end to the war as quickly as possible.
During the early stages of the war, the LRSSG perform reconnaissance of the ruins of Stonehenge, a massive railgun facility destroyed by ISAF during the Continental War. Following the mission, Osean Command determine that the eighth gun, which was inoperable during the Continental War and thus spared destruction, could be restored to operational condition and used against the Arsenal Bird, and order an operation to repair and activate it. Despite a heavy Erusean assault on the facility and the arrival of the Arsenal Bird Liberty, the Osean forces are able to activate the gun and used it to destroy Liberty, causing it to break in half and crash in the Hatties Desert.
With one Arsenal Bird destroyed, Erusea's air dominance over Usea is effectively cut in half, giving Osea the chance it needs to besiege Farbanti. On September 19, 2019, Osean forces launch their assault, advancing into the Erusean capital by sea and land and supported from the air by the LRSSG. Despite heavy resistance and the arrival of an Erusean ace squadron, Osean forces successfully capture Farbanti. However, due to Osea and Erusea simultaneously launching anti-satellite strikes that destroy the communications satellite networks on both sides, their forces are thrown into disarray, and Usea falls into anarchy.
With communications with Osean command broken down completely, Osean military forces continue to operate independently, with some attempting to follow their last standing orders and others simply doing what they must to survive. Following a failed attempt to extract an Erusean defector and an evacuation of the Osean forces on Tyler Island, all military forces on Usea recieve a message from an Osean civilian, who warns them that Erusean radicals are converging at the Lighthouse and intend to produce newer and more dangerous drones to prolong the war with. In response, Osean, IUN, and Erusean military units from across the continent join forces and conduct a massive joint operation to defeat the radicals, shut down the drone facilities, and end the war. Despite heavy losses and an attack from the Arsenal Bird Justice, the joint forces are successful in defeating the radicals and destroying Justice.
Following the defeat of the radicals, two advanced drones enter the airspace and began attacking everyone near the Lighthouse, forcing a retreat. In response, a second operation is quickly organized and conducted to destroy the drones before they can transmit their combat data to the drone facilities across Usea. After a fierce battle, both drones are destroyed by an LRSSG ace and the war is ended.
Following the Lighthouse War, Osean Defense forces once more shift to restoration efforts on the continent, provided much-needed supplies and relief to refugees.
References
- ↑ Cutscene 03: "444th Air Base", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
- ↑ Aces At War: A History 2019, page 38.