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Chernarus: A Nation on Life Support Grand Central Times - March 1st, 2020 Though the Chernarussian Civil War ended in a victory for the Republic of Chernarus and their supporters in the West, the country has little to show for it. Its economy before the war was based largely on lumber with hopes for tourism and a small manufacturing base in the eastern half of the country to expand economically. While the pillar of the Chernarussian economy, the lumber industry, managed to survive relatively unscathed, tourism has dried up over fears of unexploded ordnance, and the fledgling manufacturing sector has collapsed due to the bombs that did detonate. With a substantially larger portion of the country’s GDP going towards rebuilding its exhausted and battered military this year, social programs have taken cuts and efforts to rebuild are slowing as Western aid dries up. President Nickolai Ivanovich, who came into power shortly before the civil war, is facing calls to do something to fix the lingering and growing problems plaguing the country, but the already tenuous hold on power he maintained during the war has started slipping as political parties resumed their bickering and partisanship once the conflict ended. Those who aligned with the DPRC have also made life difficult for the Chernarussian government, though they have so far only used non-violent methods after their military defeat. Pictured: Belgian peacekeeping troops on patrol in Chernarus The nations of the West, who made a large show of support coming to the aid of the small Eastern European nation when it appeared Russia would invade during instability, have largely abandoned the region. A small Belgian peacekeeping force is all that remains of the several NATO divisions that were fighting in Chernarus not five months ago, and much of the foreign aid that was promised is stuck in limbo in a dozen legislatures. The US maintains a watchful eye on the region, as flight data shows near-constant patrols of fighter jets over the ROC and Ukraine, but many at home are unwilling to commit more forces to a country that they no longer see as vital to containing Russia. The Russian bear also seems to have lost interest in Chernarus, at least for the time being. At the moment, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been most vocal about what it calls “Eastern Interference” in the elections of Kazakhstan, an ally of Russia since the Fall of Communism, who has just elected what Russian media has taken to calling a “Beijing Puppet”. The infighting on the political stage in Russia has also taken its toll though not publicly, as the quiet reassignments of several advisors and the apparent suicide of one general can attest. At the end of the day, however, this means that Chernarus will be left to fend for itself in a world that does not take kindly to those on their own. By Anthony McAuliffe Grand Central Times

Afghanistan on the Rise? The Grand Central Times - Dateline February 26th 2020 4th ANA Mechanized Division Clearing Charikar with Close Air Support from US AH-6 Little Birds Its been nearly five months since the last major update on Afghanistan. Due to the extremely troubled history of Afghanistan its difficult to be anything other than hesitant about apparent good news or improved stability. But after five months of watching and waiting, Afghanistan, at least for right now, appears to be on the rise. NATO Specialists have continued to focus their efforts on the recruitment and training pipeline for the ANA and now more recently ANP as well. The success of the "New ANA's" 3rd Brigade in July seems to have clearly indicated to the Pentagon the direction forward for the region. The US lead effort to screen recruits for substance abuse and to ensure effective training have only grown more effective in recent months. Sources indicate that there has been an apparent drop in the "recruitable population" due to the countries general problems with substance abuse, but the recruits that are passing through the process are becoming part of very effective combat units. Large offensives spearheaded by these new forces in central and eastern Afghanistan through December and January have been wildly successful. Taliban forces north of the A77 roadway, in territory they had fiercely pushed the ANA out of in June, have suffered heavy losses and been pushed back by the New ANA. The Afghan government is making progress, but still working to recover from the blow struck by a chemical weapon attack in Kabul on voting day a year and a half ago. Elections last year were suspended due to the heavy fighting and severe losses by the ANA, but while there has been no official announcement yet, its likely that voting will resume this year in September in an attempt to restore some stability and legitimacy to the Afghan government. In the meantime coalition forces will likely spend much of their time and energy focused on their success with the New ANA; Taking territory and restoring security in advance of the democratic elections. US Rangers Fighting in Northern Afghanistan in support of the Northern Alliance The Northern Alliance has continued their war against the Taliban in the north taking large swaths of ground from the Taliban in late August and early September. Conventional US forces have deployed to the region and are assisting Northern Alliance forces in their combat offensives though there still has been no official statement from the Pentagon regarding their long term relationship with the Northern Alliance. Notably the NA have established themselves as an independent state from Afghanistan in the North, though no one has publicly acknowledged them as a separate country. The US support of their military offensives has proven to be effective against the Taliban but means the Pentagon will have to make some interesting decisions regarding the governance of the region. The bad track record of the Afghan government and ANA, despite their recent success, have caused many to look at the Northern Alliance as the way forward for the country. Others think the Northern Alliance needs to be consolidated into the official Afghan state, though such an action would likely not be done voluntarily by the Northern Alliance. Whatever the way forward for Afghanistan's northern provinces, one thing is clear: The Taliban have suffered major blows militarily and are struggling to recover from the combined US-led offensives from the New ANA and Northern Alliance. The reported infighting they experienced last year has certainly played a major role in their inability to pose a significant threat in recent months, but once they get their feet back under them how effective are we likely to see them become? For the first time in recent history the Taliban seems to be solidly on the back foot with the effectiveness of the Afghan military looking up. The biggest concern now, however, seems to be what will happen between Afghanistan and the Northern Alliance. Will this lead to further bloodshed in the country which has become a graveyard of empires? Or will it result in a forced concession of territory with the US attempting to keep the peace? Elections are still unannounced, but the time between now and September is sure to bring more victory for the New ANA, greater stability and the hope that this election might be conducted un-hindered by foreign adversaries, particularly now that Iran is firmly engaged with problems of their own making. Alan White - The Grand Central Times *This news report is a fictional work created to support the 3d MRB ARMA gameplay

Suicide bombing in Iran. Ayatollah confirmed dead. A large scale suicide bombing took place this morning in Tehran. The Ayatollah accompanied by IRGC forces and several high ranking members of the Iranian government and clergy, was attending morning prayer at the Mirsa Mousa Mosque when two vehicle-borne IEDs were driven straight through the security perimeter. The vehicles, one large URAL brand truck and a smaller pickup truck, both loaded with explosives proceeded to ram into the main entrance where the Ayatollah was located along with several aides and members of the Iranian clergy. The blast levelled most of the entrance complex to the Mosque and instantly killed the Ayatollah as well as 36 other people. Alongside the 36 dead another 140 were wounded with most of them being evacuated to local hospitals during the day. A handful of people were extracted from the rubble during the course of the day and most of them were treated on site by local paramedics before being taken to hospital. A handful of people remained to be treated on site. This attack comes at a precarious time for Iran. With the country wracked by civil unrest, kurdish independence and Saudi military occupation of the critical Straits of Hormuz, international experts are predicting drastic action will be taken by the Iranian government in the very near future. No member of the Iranian government could be reached in the immediate aftermath but natonwide martial law has been declared with IRGC and regular Iranian military seen rounding up civilians and manning checkpoints in most major cities. ADA News will continue to monitor this seeming escalating situation. Malcolm Reynolds ADA News Middle East Division