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Clearly the freighters need the CIWS from the Khe Sanh last night

American Crew Believed to be Held Hostage by Pirates Off Indonesia Coast ADA News - March 7th, 2020 The Panamanian-flagged cargo ship MV Europa Flame has been reported as seized by pirates off the Northern coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. The vessel, owned by the Everblue Marine Corporation based out of the Netherlands, was transiting through the Malacca Strait when it was boarded. The company has issued a statement that the pirates had claimed that the American crew was alive, though the pirates were demanding a multi-million dollar ransom before they would release them. It is unclear what the current status of the crew is, but previous hostage-takings have indicated that the crew is not in the best of conditions. Everblue Marine has also stated it is working with its partners in the region to ensure a peaceful return of the crew and are in contact with the US government, while the crew's families are calling for all those involved to do everything in their power to achieve a safe return of the crew. Pictured: The Europa Flame docked in Tanoa last September The Strait of Malacca, where the ship was hijacked, sees roughly 40% of the world’s trade go through its waters, making it one of the world’s most important economic lifelines. Piracy has become a renewed threat to the region, as some of the pirate groups have become more organized and dangerous, while the navies of the region have been preoccupied with the rise of China. At least 60 vessels were attacked last year and the numbers are expected to rise this year as well. Viewed as a response to this recent hijacking, insurance rates for vessels traveling through the region will be increased at the end of this quarter. By Claude Auchinleck ADA News

It's been a minute. Regular video tada. Another Tactical debrief will *hopefully* be coming soon once I'm not swamped with S-2

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