Operation Infinite Reach

Operation Infinite Reach
A grouping of ships on patrol as part of Operation Infinite Reach
Date January 1st 2010 Location Global Result Undetermined
Belligerents
The United Kingdom of Malgrave	Slavers, Pirates
Commanders and leaders
Prime Minister Nadzieja Brzezicki Paragon-Marshal Rosella Sartor Grand Admiral Inigo Campioni	Unknown
Strength
Malgravean Armed Forces	Unknown
Casualties and losses
35

Operation Infinite Reach is an ongoing anti-slavery and anti-piracy operation being conducted by the United Kingdom of Malgrave. It was started in 2010 and is a continuation of previous anti-slavery operations.

Background

While Malgrave had a strict policy of isolationism between 1938 and 2000, the Royal Navy frequently engaged in operations based on a mixture of artificial and natural islands to maintain awareness of events occurring in Mystria. It was these missions which led successive governments to know about the troubling existence of the slave trade and piracy, as a result when the country exited isolation in 2000 the government authorised a small operation put together by the Royal Navy to strike against known slaver hideouts and pirate bases.

Operation Gannet was moderately successful, as the Royal Navy was able to record the successful capture of a few pirate and slaver vessels, however, it was also frequently criticised by newspapers like the Royal Malgravean Times for being limited in scope, and many netizens at the time called for more aggressive actions to be taken against major slavers in the region such as Imeriata, as previous post-war engagements between the Royal Navy and Imerians had been limited to small skirmishes.

After the 2009 Malgravean Emergency General Election it was decided that a more proactive stance had to be taken, as the newly elected government decided to draw up plans for a global anti-slaver and anti-piracy operation, however, some alarm was noted and so it was decided to conduct a readiness report on the state of the Royal Navy which soon transformed into a wholesale report of military readiness.

A multitude of variables were tested during the 2009 Armed Forces Evaluation including a simulated assault on the Malgravean mainland by a superior naval force (often suspected as being a placeholder for the Herdites or Imerians). In the course of the evaluation, a few concerns were noted about the status of ageing portions of the Royal Air Force with the defensive preparations of the Territorial Defence Force noted as satisfactory.

The Royal Navy was noted as performing above expectations, with several high-profile simulated ships sunk, however, concerns were raised about how the pressure of an operation with an unlimited scope would impact new vessels being brought into service and an official recommendation was made to increase the size of the naval budget, a request which was granted as the government also intended to form a permanent naval taskforce for the Research Colony.

Prime Minister Rachel Berry authorised the operation on January 1st 2010 with HMNV Wizna leading the first official battle group as part of Operation Infinite Reach the following week.

In 2022 Prime Minister Nadzieja Brzezicki announced that Operation Infinite Reach would continue despite pressures placed on it by other events, although, it is suspected that the size and scope of the operation will be significantly reduced for the foreseeable future.

Operation

In 2015 a report in the Royal Malgravean Times indicated that the majority of the Malgravean people associated Operation Infinite Reach solely with the Royal Navy, as its patrols against slaver networks (which historically formed part of the triangular node between Altea and Imeriata) were the most widely reported on in the press.

Since then efforts have been done to correct this misconception, with footage from inland raids organised by Royal Marines and International Operations Committee reaching the media. More recently shows like Sailor on Tour have showcased the work done by the Royal Air Force to assist anti-slavery campaigns, and the Ministry of National Defence has also uploaded the results of bombing runs and drone strikes on MalTube to include the visibility of successful operations.

Impact

While numerous ships have been either sunk or captured and dozens of raids have been launched against slaver and pirate hideouts it is unknown if Operation Infinite Reach has had a noticeable impact on the scale of the international slave trade or piracy in Mystria and beyond, although, the reduction in pirate activity in waters around the Malgravean mainland and overseas territories have been used as an example for one aspect of the operation working as intended.

Critics of the operation have pointed at the excessive cost of the operation and cite examples of increased weariness in the fleet which required the establishment of a reserve fleet and point to the loss of HMNV Bastion in exercises linked to Infinite Reach. Supporters of the operation claim that Infinite Reach has disrupted both the flow of the slave trade and local piracy and state that social solidarity and the ancestors themselves require that Malgrave continues with the operation.

The Ancestral Study Group has backed claims that Infinite Reach would be viewed favourably by the Ancestors which is largely credited with the large support behind the operation, with the Gabriel Narutowicz Pioneers and Free Democratic Youth often involved in campaigns to raise funds for the operation.

Freestian Reinforcement

Under the auspice of Operation Waking Leviathan (OWL), the Freestian government declared under article 3 of the "Benarbor declaration" that various allied anti-slavery operations would be eligible for support by elements of the Freethinker Royal Armed Forces, primarily in the shape of combat vessels and auxiliaries of the Freethinker Maritime Forces.

The contingent naval force (defined as "Force Kilo") was relatively small by Freestian standards, comprised of thirty-six combatants and sixteen supporting vessels. The largest vessels assigned, the carrier "FRNS Indignant", an Ironclad Class Aircraft Carrier, and the battlecruiser “FRNS Slight Regard”, were in fact too large to be effectively based in Malgravean ports and instead spent their station time at sea.

Force Kilo came under the overall command of the Malgravean navy during this period. Actual operational command remained in the hands of Freestian officers however.