Situation Report
Republic of Veritee
The Republic of Veritee, as it has come to be known, is an island nation located in the South China Sea. This country is approximately 95 nautical miles southwest from the Spratly Islands, and roughly 1500 square miles of land. Territorial waters extend out to 7 miles, and they include several smaller islands that are not inhabited.
History
Prior to 1920’s
The Republic of Veritee at one point was colonized by the French, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and the English who used it as a way station for their trading vessels. The need for fresh supplies prior to their return trip, and relatively docile nature of the inhabitants lead to many nations setting up semi-permanent trading stations.
Post 1920 to Independence 1969
After the last of the wind powered trading ships had left, the Republic
turned to exporting their already well known agricultural goods. Fruits,
vegetables, and cattle livestock all flourished in the rich soil.
Unlike many other revolutions, the move toward independence was peaceful
for the Republic. The British government officially recognized the country
on October 13th, 1969.
Independence to Present
The nation continued to export its goods around the world, but with the development of technology, and the discovery of oil in 1983, the republic’s leaders realized that they could not continue to do things as things have always been done.
Politics/Current Events
The Republic of Veritee (FR. Truth) is ruled by a monarchy, which was a pseudo aristocracy in the beginning. The sultan, much like a prime minister, presides over a 108 member parliament divided into two houses, a lower house, and upper house which is very similar to the British parliamentary system. The current Sultan of the Republic is the third in line since 1969.
The title is handed down from generation to generation. Though there were several attempts at a coup, the country has benefited from the Sultan’s leadership. With steady guidance and shrewd investment coming from the royalties from oil sales, the populace has experienced a relatively good standard of living. There are two universities, mass transit, and the capital Pagoago is a modern city complete with a Four Seasons hotel that opened earlier this year.
Things have become complicated recently. There has been growing resentment between those that continue to work the land and those that have taken to city life. The current sultan has undertaken ambitious quality of life projects. More clinics and schools have opened under this current sultan than the previous two combined.
Using his business contacts in the western world, he has set up several business sponsored scholarships and fellowships – the most recent being a full four years to any university in the world paid for by IBM.
Not everyone was so thankful of the Sultan’s projects. At first business were vandalized, windows smashed, property was destroyed. The attacks continued through much of 2010 culminating in the bombing of a commuter train that killed 27 people. The Armed Revolutionaries of Veritee (ARV) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Two months prior to your arrival, an ARV cell managed to get control of a bus and take 38 people hostage. It ended badly when the police were forced to storm the bus. Along with the 8 hostage takers, 32 people were killed along with 8 police officers. Family means everything to the Veritee people, and many were angry at the government for its very public failures.
Faced with the fact that his army and police force was not equipped to deal with such a threat, the sultan reached out to the United States.
US SOCOM responded with an ODA (Operational Detachment Alpha: A-Team) of Green Berets out of Fort Benning. Your mission was to train the local military and police forces to conduct counter intelligence operations, surveillance, intelligence gathering, and counter insurgency tactics.
The ARV have their hands in everything. They run drugs from the Golden Triangle, participate in piracy, smuggle arms to other insurgent forces operating in the South China Sea, and are rumored to be in possession of several older oil fields which they in turn sell on the black market.