Joint Base Iron Bottom
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
| Joint Base Iron Bottom | |
|---|---|
| Part of Bilateral United Republic-Imperial Military Basing | |
| Courant, Merritt, URE | |
| File:JointBaseIronBottom URE.gif Picture of Joint Base Iron Bottom in 2011. | |
| Type | Joint Forces Base [Air, Naval and Land] |
| Site information | |
| Owner | U.R. DoD |
| Controlled by | Imperial Belhavian Navy |
| Open to the public | No |
| Condition | Good condition |
| Site history | |
| Built | July 21st, 1953 |
| In use | March 6th, 1987 - Current (Belhavian navy) September 3rd, 1953 - March 6th, 1987 (Emmerian navy) |
| Materials | Reinforced steel, asphalt |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Commodore Daniel Grossman (Imperial Belhavian Navy) |
Joint Base Iron Bottom is a large joint-forces Emmerian military base located in the harbor of Courant, Merritt, in northern Emmeria. Since 1987, it has been continuously leased at ten-year intervals to the Belhavian navy to maintain a small detachment of the Imperial 4th Fleet, the Belhavian Navy's Northern Command.
In 1986 and 1987, the Belhavian and Emmerian governments discussed increased bilateral military ties through direct basing of a military contingent of each country's armed forces in each nation's sovereign territory. Owing to the nearby threat of Qaradamlar and other KosCo forces in the late Cold War, as well as the fact that Iron Bottom was over thirty years old and in less-than-ideal operating conditions, the United Republic Department of Defense leased the base to the Imperial Belhavian Navy, which moved a guided-missile warship squadron to take up garrison there as well as to repair and improve upon the aging naval facility.
The U.R. DoD renewed the lease in 1997 and 2007, owing to evolving Cold War-era and post-Cold War-era world geopolitics and geostrategic goals between both nations towards Northern Pardes. Emmerian authorities are expected to renew the Belhavian navy's lease in 2017 due to longstanding military cooperation and emerging local threats.
The Imperial Navy currently has a flotilla called Taskforce B, a division of the 4th Fleet, stationed there. A Interdictor-class guided-missile light cruiser heads the force, which consists of one Warrior-class guided-missile frigate, 4 Valiant-class destroyers, a pair of Gallant-class fast attack submarines, a Predator-class universal combat ship and drone carrier, and an auxiliary fleet oiler. The base also hosts four assault companies of Imperial Marines.