Military reform passed by Parliament
An Act of Parliament was passed yesterday implementing radical changes to the Austenasian Armed Forces (AAF), dissolving the existing units and making provisions for new ones to be formed. The majority of soldiers in the AAF had enlisted for the Austenasian Civil War over a decade ago, with most having since fallen out of contact with the central government and some even assumed to have forgotten that they were considered Austenasian soldiers. The Austenasian Army and Imperial Air Force have therefore been dissolved, with their members receiving honourable discharges. These reforms reflect that fact that Austenasia has little need of a standing army, having last been in an official state of war in December 2010. In the words of Emperor Jonathan I in Parliament, “the days of teenage gangs marauding around Carshalton in support of various claimants to local thrones is long past”. Yesterday’s legislation has created three new branches for the AAF. Local claims may recruit regiments of Limitanei, which will serve as reserve militia to be mobilised for local defence or emergency purposes. During wartime, the Ministry of Defence will recruit units of Comitatenses, which will not be bound to a specific area but serve as active field troops. Finally, the Imperial Guard will be a bodyguard unit recruited specifically by the Monarch for their personal protection, and will be the only ordinarily active unit.
Military reform act passed
Emperor Jonathan I yesterday gave Imperial Consent to the Armed Forces Act 2015. The Prime Minister, Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy – the author of the legislation – released a statement briefly describing the main points of the Act: “The Armed Forces Act 2015 has codified the rank structure of the Armed Forces in a code similar to that used by the United States Armed Forces, has completely reformed the ranks of the Imperial Air Force, and has established the Joint Administrative Chiefs for the overall administration of the Armed Forces during peacetime.” The Austenasian Armed Forces (AAF) are comprised of the Austenasian Army, the Imperial Navy, and the Imperial Air Force (IAF). The new legislation also adopted flags for the three branches of the AAF. The Austenasian Army currently has 27 personnel, the Imperial Navy has 18, and the Imperial Air Force has 6.
Naval unit established after meeting of military leaders
Centuria II Ondiara, a naval unit of the Austenasian Army, has been established at the Crown Dependency of Shineshore after a meeting of military leaders on Skype yesterday evening. The meeting saw Emperor Jonathan I, defence minister Lord Marshal William, North American commander Dux Sir Joseph Kennedy, and air force head Sir Ash (formerly Micheal) Mitchell discuss several matters relating to the Austenasian Armed Forces. The first matter of discussion was the merger of the air forces as directed by the Armed Forces Act passed last year. The Imperial Air Force (IAF) was founded in October 2009 and disestablished five months later before being re-established in January 2012. In December 2010, though, Zephyria founded its own militia air force with permission from Parliament, which had remained independent from the IAF. It was decided that the Zephyrian Air Force would be disbanded and its members join the IAF, with Lord Marshal William keeping his rank of Marshal. The next topic on the agenda was a small fleet of four vessels offered to the Austenasian Armed Forces by Shineshore, a crown dependency of Austenasia that had joined the Empire earlier in the month. It was decided that instead of refounding the Imperial Navy (a short-lived branch of the armed forces which existed in name only between October 2009 and March 2010), the vessels would become a naval unit of the Austenasian Army, with their unit being officially founded earlier today as Centuria II Ondiara. Centuria II Ondiara is comprised of three soldiers, with two kayaks and two stand-up paddle-boards. It is the first proper naval force ever controlled by Austenasia, and gives the Empire a naval presence on Lake Ontario.