3203 Press Releases

A digest of recent official government press releases, by reporting period.

T34

Ministry of War, New Mars; Deployment of scouts
Mars announces the deployment of the three new SCI completed in T32 to the eastern sectors to join allied scouting commands.

T33

Ministry of War, New Mars; Mars lays down four new CVIs.
Mars has laid down four new interstellar carriers. A spokesman said: "the Exterminator menace is still out there and we need to be ready when it returns". The MSN has also mothballed 2 TPTI at New Mars.

Ministry of War, New Mars; Removal of GFD
The MSN has withdrawn a Ground Force Division from Binni to the Q0 reserve, as conditions on the planet grow more stable.

T32

Ministry of War, New Mars; Boost to Martian Forces.

Following the completion of several shipbuilding and conversion projects, this octant the MSN will increase by 2BBI, 1CVI, and 3 SCI.

T31

Ministry of War, New Mars; Changes to Scouting Forces
This is an advance warning that the following changes will occur before the end of the year

Q5: Scout Force 5.1
Departures - zero
Additions - MSS Goll SCI (departs NEW MARS 3203.201)

Q6: Scout Force 6.1
Departures - zero
Additions - MSS Gondul SCI (departs NEW MARS 3203.201)

Q7: Scout Force 7.1
Departures - MSS Brazen DDI, MSS Brilliant (depart CHF command 3203.351)
Additions - MSS Gunn SCI (departs NEW MARS 3203.201)

Overall this is an increase of 2 vessels to the scouting effort

Ministry of War, New Mars; Pacifier Squadron Enhancement Program
The Ministry confirms plans to continue the increase in defensive pacifier squadrons and in particular the target of 3 squadrons per Colonial Capital and 2 for all Above Average and above Colony system. To this end, production of 1 squadron per year at colonial capitals should continue except in Q5-7 where the economy cannot support this. Local commanders are expected to utilise spare capacity on military transports to ship pacifiers between systems, in conjunction with the continuing selective use of civilian contractors. The Ministry will be leaving such local arrangements to local commanders as they see fit.

T30

Ministry of War, New Mars; New Scoutships laid down
The Ministry of War announces that two new Interstellar Scoutships (SCI) were laid down at thr start of the year. These will be assigned to the scoting effort in the eastern sectors as soon as they are completed. They will join the 3 SCI and 11 DDI already engaged in scouting, as will 2 further SCI that are more than half way through their construction here at NEW MARS.
This effort further reinforces the resources that the MAFC is allocating to detecting the source of the Exterminator menace, a matter on which the MAFC and our Venerian allies place the utmost priority.

Ministry of Finance, New Mars; 3203 Budget
After a longer than expected period of scrutiny, the Interstellar Co-ordination Committe of the Martian Association of Free Colonies has approved the budget for the year 3203. This has been ratified by the Grand Council.
The budget sees a significant increase in spending on Science and Technology, something of a coup for the new Minister. Spending on the colonies is up slightly. The military has seen slower growth than in recent years and there are significant changes in the ground forces. The Navy has continued the expansion of its scouting force. Fuller details of the budget are expected within the next few days.
Senator Cornelius, Minister of War, has refused to comment on suggestions that the more "nationalistic" factions within Martian politics were responsible for the delay in publication. He did however comment that the process is a lot faster and more transparent than in the days of the discredited Pickles administration.

Ministry of War, New Mars: Martian Ground Forces to be re-organised
After some years of study, the Ministry of War has decided to reduce spending on Ground Based forces and towards naval strength. As a result, various Ground Force Divisions, in all Quadrants, will be converted to "Planetary Guard" formations. These will consist of a mixture of regular and reserve personnel and will have a slightly reduced complement of heavy weapons. They will not be capable of operating away from their home planet without a full call-up and mobilization, which would take approximately 100 days.
A Ministry spokesman said that recent events had shown that Ground Force Divisions as garrisons were a luxury in the face of the Exterminator threat, which is concentrated in space. It was therefore appropriate to redirect spending to space. Sufficient GFDs will be retained in each quadrant to provide expeditionary forces for any likely threat.
Ground forces in Q5-Q7, where emergency measures have resulted in the conversion of GFDs to militia units, will be upgraded to PGD level as resources permit.

Note for Editors: The Planetary Guard Division releases approximately 1/3 of the resources required by a GFD (not the 2/3 that has been quoted in some media).

Ministry of War, New Mars; Mothballing of support vessels
The MSN announces the following vessels will be replaced into reserve ("mothballed") or are already in reserve:
Quadrant 0 - 2 LSSI at NEW BERLIN, 4TPTI at NEW MARS
Quadrant 5 - 1EVI at MARTI, 1 TPTI at DVITYA
Quadrant 6 - 1EVI at ADOBE
In addition the following Starguard vessels will be replaced into reserve ("mothballed") or are already in reserve:
Quadrant 1 - 1SG at BARON
Quadrant 2 - 1SG at TOKUGAWA
Quadrant 4 - 1SG at THE HUMP, 1 SG at COREA
Quadrant 6 - 1SG at ADOBE, 1 SG at PHILL
Quadrant 8 - 1SG at NIRMANAKAYA
[It is believed that any further reduction in SG would leave us open to pirate activity.]
Naval shipyard 4 at NEW MARS is being placed in reserve pending a strategic review of shipbuilding requirements following analysis of recent events in Quadrant 3.

T29

MAFC Official Press Briefing, Crater City, New Mars, 3203:003, led by spokesperson CJ Cregg

CJ: "Good morning ladies and gentlemen and Happy New Year to you all. I see that some guardians of our freedom of speech are still labouring under their New Year hangovers! Just one item of business today - I have here a statement from our Foreign Minister, Senator Hands, which he issued at 0600 hours this morning. It reads:
"It has been drawn to my attention that my recent remarks about the Sirian Socialist Republic may have strayed rather more towards the robust banter expected of a Martian politician in internal debate than the representative of a sovereign nation. Accordingly, I personally hereby publicly apologise unreservedly to the SSR if any offence has been given. The MAFC continues to enjoy an amicable and constructive relationship with the SSR and looks forward to improvements in our future dealings."
Okay, I'll take a few questions. Yes, Jim.

JB: James Beam, Radio Free Mars. CJ, why didn't the Senator come here to make this statement in person? Is it because the SSR have deliberately snubbed him in their recent communications?

CJ: The Senator is a busy man - he has only just returned from his diplomatic trip to Asteel, and he is spending a few days with his son over the Holidays, and he is also making preparations for the next round of budget talks - which I notice no-one wants to talk about. Still, I ought to know the way you all operate by now! He is certainly not reacting to any perceived slight. Yes, okay Jim, I'll allow one follow-up.

JB: And will this damage his ability to do business with the SSR in future? Has he offered his resignation?

CJ: The Senator remains the designated MAFC Foreign Affairs Representative, as agreed by the Senate and the ICC, and with the full confidence of both. Foreign powers are fully aware that his department should be the primary channel for communication with those bodies. I am sure that this will not have affected his ability to do his job, and his resignation was neither offered nor sought. Yes, Johnny?

JW: John Walker, Channel 9. Was it really so defamatory to describe the Sirians as bureaucratic? It's just a statement of fact, surely? Like saying that the Centauri are 'a bit anti-AI', or the Wolfers like tea and cricket, or that Earth wants to rule the galaxy.

CJ: You're entitled to your opinion, John; I couldn't possibly comment further. [sighs] Yes, Hugh.

HS: Hughie Scream, Private Spy. Are the Sirians aware of how unpopular they have made themselves here by flying off the handle in this way? I've seen them described in the press as; "work-shy, humourless, robot-loving drones". [general laughter] And those just are the ones I CAN print.

CJ: Thankfully, Hughie, Private Spy is not an official organ of the MAFC government. And while we're on the subject, Hughie, let me say that we are also not happy with your publication's characterisation of the Sirians as 'convicts'. Yes, we all know that Sirius was an Earther penal colony, but let's not forget that one continent was also a Martian colony, and several worlds in Quadrant Zero have been colonised by Martians from the Sirian Helix. Indeed, if it were not for the brutal suppression of ethnic Sirian Martians by elements of the Revolutionary Provisional Government during the Sirian Civil War, Sirius could today be a founding member of the MAFC. So let's not forget our historic and cultural ties. Okay, Ron.

RB: Ron Bacardi, Voice of Mars - I don't think that you or the government can just dismiss the feelings that the Sirians have aroused here on Mars. And surely you're not denying that these attitudes run to the highest levels in the administration? For instance, I have it on good authority that one senior member of the ICC argued for telling the Sirians in graphic anatomical terms exactly where they could shove their apology. [General laughter, and some applause] What's your comment on that?

CJ: I don't comment on uninformed speculation of that sort, Ron, as you well know; I merely articulate government policy. I don't "dismiss" the feelings of the Martian populace, Ron, but regardless of whatever ill-will that has been generated here - which I do not deny - we still have to work with them, and that means that we are big enough to apologise when we upset them. Jack?

JD: Jack Daniels, Martian Press Syndicate. On a more serious point, CJ... [groans from other journalists] It increasingly looks to me as though the Sirians only have one tool in their diplomatic arsenal: to massively and unnecessarily escalate even the most trivial confrontation in the hope that the other side is shocked into backing down. They have done this with Earth over Binni, and indeed with us over the early stages of the Binni crisis, when they very nearly precipitated a military confrontation. They have also done it elsewhere. This seems to me to be a very dangerous and irresponsible way to play international politics, especially since our own Sirian correspondent reports that the main reason for it is point-scoring by the Sirian President to shore up his own internal position. Surely this tactic is
ultimately self-defeating, since they not only leave themselves with nowhere to escalate to when they are genuinely concerned about a matter, they also alienate nations with whom they might have found common ground, and once someone calls their bluff, as they inevitably will - indeed our sources report that the MAFC came close to doing so this time - they will be forced to destroy the only lever of influence that they have found?

CJ: Sorry, Jack, was there a point there? I kind of zoned out halfway through. Remember you're not writing 1,000-word editorials now. [laughter]

JD: Does the government agree that the Sirians only seem to have one diplomatic tactic, which is to engage in aggressive, dangerous and self-defeating escalation of crises?

CJ: No, Jack, I somehow doubt that the government would characterise Sirian behaviour in that way, and certainly not in public. Let's just agree that the Sirians have not won themselves any friends on New Mars by their handling of this. One last question. Tia.

TL: Tia Lusso, Mars Today. Where does this leave the Sirian proposals for cooperation that were before the ICC?

CJ: Tia, I am not aware that the ICC is considering any such proposals. And frankly, in the current climate, I don't imagine it would be doing so for some considerable time, even if such proposals did in fact exist at all.
Okay, that's all boys and girls. Thank you once again. There's water and aspirin in the lobby for those that need it.