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In addition to its combat surface forces, the Menghean Navy contains three specialized sub-arms: Naval Aviation, the Marine Infantry, and the Maritime Patrol Forces.  
In addition to its combat surface forces, the Menghean Navy contains three specialized sub-arms: Naval Aviation, the Marine Infantry, and the Maritime Patrol Forces.  
*fill this section out


===Naval Aviation===
===Naval Aviation===
<nowiki>EDIT AND CONDENSE</nowiki>
Ever since the commissioning of the first Menghe seaplane tender in 1918, the Imperial Soodean Navy has operated its own aviation forces. These are divided into '''Shipborne Aviation''' and '''Coastal Aviation'''. Shipborne aviation consists of assets directly based from ships at sea, such as the helicopters carried in warships' hangars and the aircraft that make up carrier air wings. Coastal aviation, meanwhile, refers to aircraft operating from Navy air bases on the shore. As of 2015, Soodean Coastal Aviation operates over 1,000 aircraft of all types. These include not only {{wp|Maritime_patrol_aircraft|maritime patrol aircraft}}, but also maritime strike bombers, [[Sunglin SL-6|attack planes]], [[Sunglin SL-8|air-superiority fighters]], and, since 2014, [[GHZ-36 Hitsubin|attack helicopters]]. It is intended to pursue full-spectrum operations, including maritime and aerial reconnaissance, strikes on enemy port infrastructure, anti-ship missile attacks on enemy warships, escort flights for its own attack aircraft and warships, and defense against enemy bombers or attack aircraft bound for the mainland.


Originally, Coastal Aviation functioned operationally and administratively as a separate branch within the Imperial Soodean Navy and its predecessors. The various land-based Wings and Aviation Regiments were pooled under the control of the "Admiral of Land-Based Aviation." During the 2004 reforms, however, Coastal Aviation was broken up and placed under the direct control of the three fleets and one flotilla. Each Fleet now contains its own Coastal Aviation assets, and is responsible for all aerial missions within its sector. This change was intended to facilitate cooperation between sea and land-based forces, making it easier for Admirals to coordinate aerial strikes with sea-based ones.


===Marine Infantry===
===Marine Infantry===
<nowiki>EDIT AND CONDENSE</nowiki>
[[File:Class_3_Mechanized_Marine_Battalion.png|600px|thumb|right|A Mechanized Marine Infantry Battalion, the backbone of the Marine Infantry's brigades. As of 2016, all active Marine Infantry Brigades have been upgraded to this equipment standard.]]The '''Soodean Marine Infantry''' (''Sudeyanri Marin Peitai'') are an arm of service that has historically been passed between Army control, Navy control, and independent status. Since 2005, it has been a semi-independent arm of the Navy; it has its own Marshal at the administrative level, and uses Army ranks and doctrine, but its units are operationally controlled by the Navy. Marine Infantry soldiers can be distinguished from their Army counterparts by their uniforms, which follow a different camouflage pattern, and their shoulder insignia, which use the same rank markings but on a dark green background rather than a dark red one. They generally receive better training than their Army counterparts, and have a higher ratio of volunteers to conscripts than the Army average. They are also among the first units to receive new equipment, often in a -MP (Marin Peitai) variant modified to suit their needs.


Current active forces consist of six Marine Infantry Brigades. Three are under the control of the First Fleet, and are operationally assigned to Amphibious Assault Battlegroups that include long-range {{wp|Amphibious_transport_dock|LPDs}} and {{wp|Dock_landing_ship|LSDs}} capable of transporting the entire Brigade over a long distance to strike objectives in the enemy's strategic depth. The remaining three Marine Infantry Brigades are under the control of the First Flotilla, and would make shorter-distance landings with smaller units in smaller landing craft. There is also a seventh brigade, the Marine Tank Brigade, which is also stationed in the First Fleet but which would need to transfer to another unit's Amphibious Assault Battlegroup or be transported to a secure port by converted cargo ships. The organization of Marine Brigades is based on that of Army Regiments, but has been steadily adapted to meet the Marine Infantry's needs, including a high level of amphibious capability and greater small-unit autonomy. The Marine Infantry, along with the Air Assault Infantry, are the only two sub-branches of the Soodean military to be administered through a Brigade rather than a Divisional system.


===Maritime Patrol Forces===
===Maritime Patrol Forces===
<nowiki>EDIT</nowiki>
The '''Maritime Patrol Forces''' (often abbreviated ''MaGyoTai'') function as the {{wp|Coast_guard|coast guard}} of the Soodean Imperium. Its main missions consist of search and rescue and maritime law enforcement. The latter includes regular patrols of key fisheries and mineral deposits in the Soodean {{wp|Exclusive_economic_zone|exclusive economic zone}}, as well as anti-smuggling operations around Soodean {{wp|Territorial_waters|territorial waters)). Even before the Soodean Imperium's establishment, smuggling along the borders with Erusuia and Innominada has been common, with the Soodean government identifying drugs and firearms as the most threatening goods. Like the ISN, the Maritime Patrol Forces operate their own helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, which are mainly intended for search and rescue but have also been used to patrol for intruders across large stretches of ocean in the EEZ.


Unlike coast guard forces in many other nations, the Soodean MaGyoTai are a paramilitary organization, and are administratively under the control of the Navy. Many of their warships carry military-grade weapon systems, usually in the form of 30mm {{wp|Close-in_weapon_system|CIWS}} and {{wp|Man-portable_air-defense_system|light surface-to-air missiles}} but sometimes including guns of up to 76mm caliber. In times of war, the Navy could mobilize the Maritime Patrol Forces as a reserve force, with their armed warships serving as low-grade escorts for supply ships or troop transports. In the period after the collapse of the Innominadan government but before the Soodean invasion of Innominada, the Maritime Border Forces were also deployed in armed counter-piracy operations off the Innominadan coast, where they demonstrated their usefulness in light combat.


==Fleets==
==Fleets==
Organizationally, the Menghean Navy is composed of two fleets and three flotillas. Fleets (''Hamdae'') conduct {{wp|blue-water navy|blue-water operations}} over a large area, contain a mix of large surface ships and submarines, and are commanded by an Admiral (OF-9 rank). Flotillas (''Sohamdae'') conduct {{wp|green-water navy|green-water}} operations in specific littoral areas, are comprised of missile craft and small submarines, and are commanded by a Vice Admiral (OF-8 rank).


<nowiki>EDIT AND ELABORATE</nowiki>
Each Fleet or Flotilla is assigned to a designated zone of operation. These areas of operation are only approximate; in a real conflict, overlap between operational areas would be the norm, and zones of responsibility could be shifted to counter the distribution of threats. As a conflict progresses, ships may also be transferred from one unit to another, especially between flotillas. In peacetime ships often rotate between fleets or flotillas to keep all units at full strength when individual ships are withdrawn for long-term maintenance.  
Since the last reorganization in 2008, the Imperial Soodean Navy's warships have been divided into three fleets and one flotilla. The '''First Fleet''' was originally headquartered in the city of Fai, from which it patrolled the southwest approach to the country. In October 2015 its headquarters were formally relocated to the city of San Vicente on the southwest coast of the Republic of Innominada, and its patrol area was expanded to include the eastern areas of the Helian Ocean. On the opposite side of the country, the '''Third Fleet''' is responsible for a broad swath of ocean running from the south coast of Erusuia to the north coast of Xiangshu. Because this patrol area is adjacent to the allied country of [[New Oyashima]], the Third Fleet is the weakest and least modern of the ISN's three major fleets. The '''Second Fleet''' is still headquartered in Changzha, which also serves as the headquarters of the ISN. It is mainly intended to serve as a reserve force for the First or Third fleets, but could also be deployed against Xiangshu if the latter attempts to aid Maverica in a Soodean-Maverican war. The '''First Flotilla''', established in 2004, is a collection of smaller craft originally organized to fight along the coast of the Republic of Innominada in the event of a Soodean-Innominadan war. In 2015, after victory in the Soodean-Innominadan war, it was relocated to Las Playas on the west coast of the Republica Innominada.


Prior to the 2004 reforms within the Navy, the ISN also contained a '''Fourth Fleet''' and a '''Fifth Fleet'''. These were merged into the First and Second Fleets, respectively, and many of their older warships were decommissioned. The '''Second Flotilla''', formed in 1985 to defend the northeastern coast against instability in Erusuia, was disbanded in 2007 and its component warships were transferred to the First Flotilla.
The South Sea Fleet and East Sea Fleet trace their history back to 1964, when they were assigned to the East Menghe Sea and the South Menghe Sea, with their zones of responsibility divided by the [[Renkaku Islands]]. Since then, their zones of responsibility have evolved, and expanded further beyond Menghe's shores. In 2002 the division between their operational areas was changed to the line of longitude running through Gyŏngsan, and in 2015 it was changed to the line of longitude running through Sunju. Following the [[Innominadan Crisis]] in 2015, the South Sea Fleet has increasingly sent surface ships through the Strait of Portcullia to conduct operations in the Meridian Ocean. There has been some recent discussion of creating a third fleet for Meridian Ocean operations, but as of 2020 the East Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet are the only Fleet-level organizations in the Menghean Navy.
 
* The '''South Sea Fleet''' (남해 함대 / 南海艦隊, ''Namhae Hamdae'') is assigned to the area west of Sunju. It is the larger and more important of the two fleets, even after repeated expansions of the East Sea Fleet's zone of responsibility. Its main mission, today and in the past, is to destroy any enemy assets approaching from the west to threaten Menghe's south coast. This includes a heavy focus on securing and defending the Strait of Portcullia, a strategic choke point for any movement between Casaterra and Menghe. In combination with the three Flotillas, it is also tasked with supporting operations around Altagracia, Isla Diamante, and Portcullia, including amphibious landings from long-range landing ships.
 
* The '''East Sea Fleet''' (동해 함대 / 東海艦隊, ''Donghae Hamdae'') is assigned to the area east of Sunju. Historically it was tasked with engaging [[Dayashina|Dayashinese]] forces in the East Menghe Sea and sending commerce-raiding submarines into the Helian Ocean, but following steady improvements in relations in the 1990s, Dayashina and [[Tír Glas]] are now allies of Menghe. This forced a reorientation of the East Sea Fleet to wider missions. Since 2015, it has taken over the South Sea Fleet's mission of engaging [[Entente Cordiale|EC]] units based in [[Maracaibo]], and it now sends patrols further into the Helian Ocean to threaten [[Sieuxerr]]ian and Anglian island bases.
 
* The '''Goŭn Flotilla''' (고은 소함대 / 高恩小艦隊, ''Goŭn Sohamdae'') is assigned to the area around [[Altagracia]] (known in Menghe by its original name, Goŭn). In the event of a war with [[Sylva]], the Goŭn Flotilla would be tasked with launching a surprise attack on any Sylvan warships in or around Altagracia, conducting amphibious landings on the sides of the peninsula, providing fire support for Army units advancing over land, and intercepting any reinforcements which manage to reach the area.
 
* The '''Argentstan Flotilla''' (찬국 소함대 / 儧國小艦隊, ''Changuk Sohamdae'') is assigned to the coast of [[Argentstan]]. It is tasked with destroying naval forces based on [[Isla Diamante]] and supporting amphibious landings on the island. Under the [[Namhae Front]]'s shared command structure, it is part of the '''Joint Argentstan Task Force''', which is commanded by a Menghean Admiral and includes the ships, aircraft, and marine units of the Argentstani Navy.
 
* The '''Strait Flotilla''' (해협 소함대 / 海峽小艦隊, ''Haehyŏb Sohamdae'') is assigned to the south coast of the [[Republic of Innominada]]. It is tasked with intercepting surface ships and submarines which attempt to pass through the Strait of Portcullia, and supporting amphibious operations against [[Portcullia]] itself. Under the [[Namhae Front]]'s shared command structure, it is part of the '''Joint Strait Defense Task Force''', which is commanded by a Menghean Admiral and includes the ships, aircraft, and marine units of the Innominadan Republican Navy.


==Equipment==
==Equipment==
{{WIP}}
===Ships and submarines===
===Ships and submarines===
{{main|List of active Menghean Navy ships}}


'''Aircraft carriers:''' 6
'''Aircraft carriers:''' 6

Revision as of 15:36, 14 August 2020

Menghean Navy
대멩 해군 / 大孟海軍
Dae Meng Haegun
File:Soodean Naval Flag.png
Naval Flag of the Menghean Navy
Founded1898
Current form1988
Service branchesMaritime Border Forces
Marine Infantry
Naval Aviation
HeadquartersSunju
Leadership
Supreme Marshal of MengheChoe Sŭng-min
High AdmiralYi Han-bin
Personnel
Active personnel250,000 (est.)
Expenditure
Budget$297 billion
Percent of GDP2.1%

The Menghean Navy (Menghean: 대멩 해군 / 大孟海軍, Dae Meng Haegun) is the Naval Military arm of the Socialist Republic of Menghe.


History

Early history (antiquity to 1865)

Rebirth and modernization (1865-1927)

Imperial Menghean Navy (1927-1945)

Menghean People's Navy (1946-1988)

The immediate precursor of today's Menghean Navy was the Menghean People's Navy, officially established in 1964 at the end of the Menghean War of Liberation. Between foreign disarmament and the evacuation of Republican ships, its list of assets was pitifully short: two super-heavy cruisers, three destroyers, and six submarine chasers, as well as various torpedo boats and light patrol craft. Most of the major assets had been captured during the Gyŏngsan Mutiny, and all ships save for two submarine chasers were of PSW vintage. Having just emerged from thirty years of continuous conflict with the Western powers, the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe were deeply concerned about the possibility of a foreign sea invasion, and launched the First Emergency Shipbuilding Program in an effort to restore some naval defensive capability. Many ships built during this period, such as the Taepung-class destroyers, were based on late-war designs and were obsolete from the moment they were laid down. The DPRM also purchased a number of warships from Letnia, which, due to its neutrality policy and relations with Kolodoria, became a major supplier of arms for the Menghean Navy.

From its formation onward, the Menghean People's Navy was highly defensive in orientation. Menghe's recovering shipbuilding capability left its fleet numerically and technologically inferior to the forces of Dayashina, Tír Glas, Sieuxerr, and Anglia and Lechernt, ruling out any meaningful power projection. At the same time, the DPRM's economy was relatively isolated from trade, and its main resource suppliers shipped goods over land, so there was little need to protect sea lanes in a conflict. The main role of the MPN was to intercept enemy landing ships and aircraft carriers, or at least buy time for the Menghean People's Army to prepare beachhead defenses. To serve this mission, the MPN was divided into two forces: the South Sea Fleet, which focused on intercepting traffic through the Strait of Portcullia, and the East Sea Fleet, which focused on engaging Dayashinese and Hanhaean forces around the East Sea (or Sea of Fuso). To allow free travel between the two areas, the DPRM invested in a naval landing force capable of seizing the Renkaku Islands, which formed a chain between the East and South Menghe Seas. Submarine bases in Maverica and Polvokia also allowed Menghean submarines to raid transoceanic shipping without having to slip through bottleneck areas en route.

It was in this period that Menghean naval doctrine developed into a new model emphasizing the counteroffensive strike. Faced with numerically and technologically superior large-ship forces, the Menghean People's Navy aimed to leverage its short supply chains and proximity to home ports, relying heavily on shore-based missiles, naval aviation, and light missile craft. Even its larger ships, like the Nunbora and Chŏndong classes, had relatively short ranges, and were designed to sortie from base, launch a salvo of anti-ship missiles, and withdraw to re-arm. To detect incoming threats, the Navy built a large network of HF/DF stations along the east coast of Menghe and the south coast of Innominada; to reduce losses in the face of enemy air superiority, maritime reconnaissance aircraft would only sortie to confirm the locations of approximate targets. As enemy anti-ship missile defenses improved, the Navy placed an increasingly heavy emphasis on saturating targets with large numbers of missiles from multiple directions. This demanded large investments in C3ISTAR assets and capabilities, and a different approach to training and planning. While the Menghean People's Army encouraged some lower-level initiative as part of its Fluid Battle Doctrine, the MPN adopted a very top-down approach. Under ideal circumstances, admirals in land-based installations would issue all commands to forces at sea, down to the exact launch time of each missile. Diesel-electric fleet submarines enjoyed some autonomy on oceangoing raids, but in the fleet support role they were expected to operate close to the surface and receive commands via radio periscope.

By the mid-1980s, the Menghean People's Navy had developed into a potent fighting force, with a large force of destroyers, submarines, and maritime bombers. The supersonic YDH-23 missile, originally a Letnian air-launched weapon, was developed into ship-launched, land-launched, and even submarine-launched variants, and Western and Dayashinese intelligence sources regarded it as a serious enough threat to merit the development of newer surface-to-air missile systems. While the cruiser projects of the 1970s, like Plan 137 Bangpae, never progressed beyond the design stage, in 1981 Menghe laid down its first postwar aircraft carrier and was planning to lay down another. Diplomatic setbacks, however, forced a serious re-evaluation of the Navy's defensive prospects. Following the nuclear test at Naran Gaja in November 1984, Western powers invoked the STAND Treaty to impose a total economic embargo on the DPRM, and even Menghe's allies in Hemithea cooperated out of a concern over Ryŏ Ho-jun's instability. This forced the MPA and MPN to withdraw their forces from Polvokia and Innominada. The loss of the former denied Menghe submarine bases on the Helian Ocean, and the loss of the latter denied Menghe air and naval bases on the Strait of Portcullia. Ryŏ responded by ordering the Second Emergency Shipbuilding Program, which focused on Chŏndong-class destroyers and Plan 215 corvettes with longer strike radii.

The Menghean Navy in transition (1988-2005)

The Decembrist Revolution which brought Choe Sŭng-min to power ushered in a period of détente with Menghe's main rivals, allowing a decrease in military spending and a shift toward economic growth. Despite back-channel efforts to broach the issue, Innominada and Polvokia refused to return former Menghean bases on the Helian Ocean and Strait of Portcullia, and the new Menghean leadership ultimately dropped the issue out of a fear that pushing it too hard would undermine efforts to normalize trade relations. Instead, the MPN (now simply the Menghean Navy) shifted its focus toward longer-range warships which could patrol the Strait of Portcullia while operating from bases in Southwest Menghe. Ships of this generation included the Ansa-class frigates and Chanjok Jachido-class cruisers, as well as the last batch of Chŏndong-class destroyers and the later Pyŏng'an-class destroyers.

During the 1990s, the Menghean Navy still relied primarily on exported Letnian powerplants and weapon systems, though a domestic missile design industry was emerging alongside them. Hallia, one of the first states to normalize trade with Menghe, took the risky step of selling state-of-the-art sonar equipment for the Chanjok Jachidos, in the hopes that a stronger Menghean Navy would counterbalance the EC's presence in the South Menghe Sea. Highly impressed with the performance of Hallian sonar on trials, Menghe ordered additional sets for the Hawŏn-class frigates and Pyŏng'an-class destroyers.

In the late 1990s, Menghe entered into negotiations with Tír Glas over acquiring a production license for the SM-2MR and Mark 41 Vertical Launching System. Major obstructions to the deal included allegations of human rights abuses during the Disciplined Society Campaign and diplomatic pressure from Dayashina, whose military planners still did not fully trust the new Menghean government. The situation finally eased in March 2001, when Choe Sŭng-min visited Dayashina in person and agreed to relinquish all territorial claims to the Renkaku Islands. As a sign of goodwill, Dayashina partially lifted its arms embargo on Menghe, and the licensing deals for the Mk 41 VLS and SM-2MR went forward in May. The availability of a universal hot-launch vertical launch system allowed for a new generation of Menghean surface combatants, first among them the Haeju-class destroyers.

Expansion and reforms (2005-2020)

Structure

In addition to its combat surface forces, the Menghean Navy contains three specialized sub-arms: Naval Aviation, the Marine Infantry, and the Maritime Patrol Forces.

Naval Aviation

Marine Infantry

Maritime Patrol Forces

Fleets

Organizationally, the Menghean Navy is composed of two fleets and three flotillas. Fleets (Hamdae) conduct blue-water operations over a large area, contain a mix of large surface ships and submarines, and are commanded by an Admiral (OF-9 rank). Flotillas (Sohamdae) conduct green-water operations in specific littoral areas, are comprised of missile craft and small submarines, and are commanded by a Vice Admiral (OF-8 rank).

Each Fleet or Flotilla is assigned to a designated zone of operation. These areas of operation are only approximate; in a real conflict, overlap between operational areas would be the norm, and zones of responsibility could be shifted to counter the distribution of threats. As a conflict progresses, ships may also be transferred from one unit to another, especially between flotillas. In peacetime ships often rotate between fleets or flotillas to keep all units at full strength when individual ships are withdrawn for long-term maintenance.

The South Sea Fleet and East Sea Fleet trace their history back to 1964, when they were assigned to the East Menghe Sea and the South Menghe Sea, with their zones of responsibility divided by the Renkaku Islands. Since then, their zones of responsibility have evolved, and expanded further beyond Menghe's shores. In 2002 the division between their operational areas was changed to the line of longitude running through Gyŏngsan, and in 2015 it was changed to the line of longitude running through Sunju. Following the Innominadan Crisis in 2015, the South Sea Fleet has increasingly sent surface ships through the Strait of Portcullia to conduct operations in the Meridian Ocean. There has been some recent discussion of creating a third fleet for Meridian Ocean operations, but as of 2020 the East Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet are the only Fleet-level organizations in the Menghean Navy.

  • The South Sea Fleet (남해 함대 / 南海艦隊, Namhae Hamdae) is assigned to the area west of Sunju. It is the larger and more important of the two fleets, even after repeated expansions of the East Sea Fleet's zone of responsibility. Its main mission, today and in the past, is to destroy any enemy assets approaching from the west to threaten Menghe's south coast. This includes a heavy focus on securing and defending the Strait of Portcullia, a strategic choke point for any movement between Casaterra and Menghe. In combination with the three Flotillas, it is also tasked with supporting operations around Altagracia, Isla Diamante, and Portcullia, including amphibious landings from long-range landing ships.
  • The East Sea Fleet (동해 함대 / 東海艦隊, Donghae Hamdae) is assigned to the area east of Sunju. Historically it was tasked with engaging Dayashinese forces in the East Menghe Sea and sending commerce-raiding submarines into the Helian Ocean, but following steady improvements in relations in the 1990s, Dayashina and Tír Glas are now allies of Menghe. This forced a reorientation of the East Sea Fleet to wider missions. Since 2015, it has taken over the South Sea Fleet's mission of engaging EC units based in Maracaibo, and it now sends patrols further into the Helian Ocean to threaten Sieuxerrian and Anglian island bases.
  • The Goŭn Flotilla (고은 소함대 / 高恩小艦隊, Goŭn Sohamdae) is assigned to the area around Altagracia (known in Menghe by its original name, Goŭn). In the event of a war with Sylva, the Goŭn Flotilla would be tasked with launching a surprise attack on any Sylvan warships in or around Altagracia, conducting amphibious landings on the sides of the peninsula, providing fire support for Army units advancing over land, and intercepting any reinforcements which manage to reach the area.
  • The Argentstan Flotilla (찬국 소함대 / 儧國小艦隊, Changuk Sohamdae) is assigned to the coast of Argentstan. It is tasked with destroying naval forces based on Isla Diamante and supporting amphibious landings on the island. Under the Namhae Front's shared command structure, it is part of the Joint Argentstan Task Force, which is commanded by a Menghean Admiral and includes the ships, aircraft, and marine units of the Argentstani Navy.
  • The Strait Flotilla (해협 소함대 / 海峽小艦隊, Haehyŏb Sohamdae) is assigned to the south coast of the Republic of Innominada. It is tasked with intercepting surface ships and submarines which attempt to pass through the Strait of Portcullia, and supporting amphibious operations against Portcullia itself. Under the Namhae Front's shared command structure, it is part of the Joint Strait Defense Task Force, which is commanded by a Menghean Admiral and includes the ships, aircraft, and marine units of the Innominadan Republican Navy.

Equipment

Ships and submarines

Aircraft carriers: 6

Cruisers: 9

Destroyers: 29

Frigates: 52

Corvettes: 91

Submarines: 56

Other

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