As the new year approached and now has arrived, the whole planet seems to be more consistently actively at war, as if the onset of winter has released the four nations from their constraints and allowed us to go after each other full-time. The reality is, of course, the winter here is secondary but welcome (though too warm for us Kantarians; we have not yet succeeded at at-will weather modification). The chief reasons are all four nations have implemented varying economic and industrial measures which have reached full fruition simultaneously, and a mutual vision of achieving the resumption of rapid progress propelled all four of us to exert ourselves to that end. Today, however, the war is not being conducted and the front lines are mercifully silent, the soldiers and sailors being allowed the chance to celebrate the new year where they stand without interference of incoming ordnance.

Honestly, while the fronts are silent today and have been ablaze with unparalleled levels of activity in the last month or so, the previous several days have been relatively quiet, with the exception of the Central Front. For us in Kantaria, it seemed like we were conducting more preparation for extremely large-scale conflict than actually waging it. This experience appears to be universal on Takomen in this period. The mobilizations and exertions for the envisioned naval battle don't leave much for anything else, and neither side wants to seriously jeopardize their ability to carry it out swiftly. This has ushered in a period of quietude on the rest of the planet, a calm before the great and terrible storm on our northwestern sea. 

I have spoken multiple times a day to various senior and junior subordinates about all manner of concerns for the Naval Battle of Marietta and the ramifications of either a defeat or victory for us. As I was appointed years ago because of my ability to operate on the operational, strategic, and grand strategic levels, it is a surprise to no one I have been discussing what we planned to do following the battle which would surpass the scale and impact of even that conflagration. The various upper marshalls of Kantaria have made increasingly grander visions of the future coalesce into an ambitious but very plausible Western Front plan over the next several months. It far surpasses even our grand plan to invade, seize, and expand a Wesitarian base within Kalobol's fortress howitzer range which failed rather spectacularly (but with relatively few losses). We have determined that a critical victory at Marietta would not be absolutely essential, but would most definitely help our efforts for the remainder. No doubt Taneru and her officers are also conducting similar planning. 

For the battle itself, we've refined our strategy, adding and changing and removing parts as developments and information come to us. The lack of further commitment or expectations of ability from Likuria frustrates this process, but we hope they can relay in greater detail after some things develop what they can and will do for us next week. In the meantime, we've used moderate to minor contribution as the basis for our planning. The major change was to increase the size of one of our flanking fleets away from Marietta, change the composition of it, and to decrease their range of engagement from 400 km to 200. We have recently come up with stealth technology and working prototypes of our own for maritime usage, and only recently have entered mass production, and production is being rushed. We have 20 of these ships now and hope to have 40 or 50 by mid-January. They will close in on the western contingent of the naval force with little warning, then unleash a torrent of shells from 150-300 mm in size upon them while already being engaged by the main forces. This planned ambush, if it can be executed as planned, will cause frightening losses on the enemy fleet and greatly interfere with their ability to maneuver or retreat. 

These Tier 1-3 vessels utilize armor and engine construction which drastically limit their detectability by radar and infrared sensors, and paint and other measures reduce their regular visual detectability. These ships are not as resilient as the normal variants, but they can close to within the normal secondary howitzer range and rain down a torrent of artillery ordnance on a foe which will have greater difficulty returning fire accurately. The range of primary turrets and the usual detectability of warships is why battles are almost never fought at ranges under 300 km unless one side has already won. The Procyonidae has never fired its 300 mm guns at a surface target in the last six months because none was available. Any fleet that would be foolhardy enough to close in on another like that would be torn apart by the blizzard of secondary artillery shells in addition to the standard main guns, if they made it at all. If a force does not even see a fleet approaching and does not maneuver accordingly, when secondary turrets open fire their point-defense will be overwhelmed. This is the first time we had a means of doing this with vessels and artillery rather than only aircraft or missiles.

If the battle is a stalemate or worse, we would have to wage a naval campaign of attrition and meanwhile might not be able to achieve the remaining strategic objectives. But, in the event of our victory, we would conduct three primary offensives that would constitute one mega-campaign. The first would entail a bombardment and invasion of fortified coastal and island positions and subsequent consolidation. Fortress artillery would be ferried in and then brought to bear from these new front-line bases on Kalobol and other targets. The second would entail a massive landing north of Kalobol by as many as two full armies of marines and improvised regular forces, and most of our paratroopers. The artillery from the frontal naval bases paired with the warships would cover the landings and allow adequate shore bombardment. The third offensive would co-occur with the second: a massive assault spearheaded by panzers and mounted infantry, probably by that time a force of 10k panzers and 140k mounted infantry which would likely face a counterpart 25-50% their size as well as very hardened field fortifications. The goals of all three would be an envelopment spanning the entire Western Front and bringing Kalobol under siege. 

We feel the time is approaching where a point of culmination is being reached, where we would have enough weapons and resupply capacity to cause a massive collapse of enemy resistance, at least if their naval forces are routed and mauled. Of course, these are rather grandiose plans based on lots of favorable assumptions. I thus invited many very promising junior officers (junior compared to Perredine and Shorin and I, anyway; division/army-level is still quite a high rank) into these discussions and asked if they concurred with our conclusions. Us strategic officers are quite removed from the realities and rigors of battle, and if those on the front tell me we are wrong, I usually defer to them and change my mind. One of these officers in particular I was interested in speaking to, Marshall Dmitri of the 3rd Field Army. He came to our attention during the bleak and frightening tribulations last February, when his division fought several enemy divisions simultaneously and actually won, an amazing feat even by Kantarian standards. He was soon promoted and has been serving in a variety of assignments since then. If any front-line officer was situated to give a proper verdict, it was him. Many MAC officers also were questioned, since they're usually the best of our army by default.

"We want to collapse the Western Front very soon after the Battle of Marietta, and either seize or place under siege their main base by the onset of spring. You have proven yourself in battle many times. Do think this is within our capabilities?" I asked the young marshall after he reviewed our strategic information.

"By the start of spring? That is probably doable. If I had all the panzer armies and marine divisions and 5 field armies to work with, I could probably achieve that if their navy is crippled. Even then, that would be a tall order, for me or any other officer. Their quality has risen along with ours, as well as quantity. I say we should attempt it." he prudently reported with tempered optimism.

"Well, I won't give you THAT much, my dear, but I'm giving you the Army of Narenda and any panzer forces which are assigned to that sector at the time. I will demand from you what you can provide, but no more than that. We need you to help restore progress in this war, Grand Marshall." I retorted, grinning mischievously at the rather nonplussed officer as I shook his paw. He was too gratefully stunned to respond meaningfully at first.

Speaking of naval concerns, we had a major embarrassment at Marietta I was most displeased with. Our flagship had been awaiting upgrades to weapons, fire control, armor, and communications for the whole of December. Our industrial sector dutifully fashioned these items on schedule and had them sent to Marietta on 21 December. Somehow neither Marshall Larien nor any other pertinent senior staff were ever notified. We have been so preoccupied with other concerns, and I just assumed there were delays in production and I didn't want to antagonize people by asking where these items were the few times I remembered this subject. I would have contacted the factories responsible for turning the latest technological developments into usable parts soon, had Larien not made a very upsetting discovery: we have had them for 10 days and they were never installed. We're in a naval contest of epic proportions and our flagship needed these upgrades, and these extremely important things instead have sat in storage uselessly, AND were accidentally discovered just now?! I was furious!

"Yeah, I don't know how this happened. I just found this out when a subordinate of mine in the storage division asked me what to do with these items that seemed intended for your ship were not being used and were taking up space needed for other things. I asked him what they were, then insisted he check them again. Then I went to the warehouse directly to confirm this." my friend regretfully reported.

"They just arrived and no one was told our crucial upgrades were here? When did they come?" I inquired with great anger, though careful not to direct it at him.

"The records indicate they arrived on 21 December. 10 days ago. No notification was sent to anyone and they were just treated as regular cargo for general usage. The factories didn't tell us they were on the way, either. I checked the records."

"How does this happen in the best navy in the world?! How do items that are intended for our flagship, which are substantial improvements to so many critical systems, just arrive and no one is told?! We can't have these mishaps now! Do you have theories on who is to blame?" I retorted loudly, unable to conceal my anger any longer.

"My Lady, this is just an example of everything lining up perfectly for this to happen. There is no one person to blame. It is just a freak occurrence during a time of frenetic operations and general activities. Even the best have these happen." he wisely answered.

This actually wasn't the only incident involving me and anger since my last entry. I'm actually very rarely angry in front of staff or even in general, though I have a great natural ability to become furious in the correct situations. The ship I often live on not being upgraded, I feel most would agree, is a very permissible and righteous cause for upset. I also become upset and disgusted very easily whenever I hear of Terran affairs and politics, which is why I usually decline to hear or read stories of their abject cultural inferiority and dysfunction (which I cannot address anyway). As I was already angry over the mishap that was only now starting to be addressed, it was not difficult for another factor to set me off anew.

In our military in general and on our flagship, we have various volunteers from Terra who are sick of their own country and wish to help us here in exchange for full citizenship. While the majority are general cultural malcontents, substantial proportions are from subcultures known as 'furrydom' and 'bronydom'. The latter is a collection of people, to be succinct, who are enthralled with an American Terran television show and universe centered around colorful ponies, something which was intended for children but has instead appealed widely to teenagers and adults, most of which are male. As with every other aspect of Terran culture, the nation is well behind us on matters of gender, and 'bronies' sometimes face judgment for being male and liking such things. Naturally, a few came here to escape, and I certainly won't begrudge a male for liking stereotypically feminine things. 

A member of this subculture who is part of the bridge crew was telling me about an incident years ago, where a prepubescent male child attempted suicide because of bullying for such interests. This provoked righteous anger within me which intensified when he mentioned his brethren raised money to cover the hospital bills. "What kind of society demands these things of people merely for having male genitalia, and then doesn't automatically cover even pediatric healthcare, even after that?!" I furiously and loudly exclaimed before going into a generalized tirade about Terran culture. The brony crew member's countenance indicated sympathy and agreement for my opinions, but fear and surprise for my level of reaction. I was so repulsed and agitated I continued decrying their practices with a increasingly raised voice. Perredine either just happened to return to the bridge to witness this or was discretely asked to come due to my volume and rage disrupting and frightening the crew. Either way, he quickly approached me and somewhat heavily- but compassionately- rested a hand on my shoulder and interceded gracefully, "Yeah, things are bad over there. We've got a war to deal with over here, though. How about we let the 3rd Commodore get back to his task while we see what tasty things the culinary staff concocted this afternoon?" I flattened my ears in annoyed embarrassment and immediately consented to his idea.

As we perused and selected from their admirable selection of drinks, pastries, and main courses, he rather gently but concernedly spoke to me about this. 

"What good is screaming about America's gender stereotypes and lack of universal healthcare on the bridge going to do for us or the war? They couldn't focus on their tasks. I know we're in port, but our bridge crew have things to do." he correctly asserted.

"I know that. You know I very rarely show anger at all to staff, or even experience it past the inevitable aggravations of warfare. I just... what he said really upset me. None of that story was right at all." I retorted in between stuffing large quantities of various edible things into my muzzle.

"Yes, that's true. When you DO become pissed off, though, everyone knows it. I wouldn't be surprised if someone feared you'd start throwing items across the bridge. There's nothing we can do about victimized children and their families on Terra. Believe me, I agree with you. I left America because I couldn't stand being there. We just can't afford to be sidetracked like that."

"I know... I'll apologize to them when I'm more settled. This is why I don't like hearing news about that planet. I know I will become angry. I was already upset over the mishap from earlier. Did Larien tell you we were sitting on vital upgrades for 10 days?"

"Yes, he did. Not a good time for that to happen. Though, obviously, there isn't ever a good time for that. They're unpacking and preparing them for installation now. They need some hours to know how to install them without damaging them."

"Yes, that seems inevitable. Also, what does 'pissed off' mean, precisely? That must be a queer Terran phrase."

Perredine laughed uproariously, briefly drawing attention to us in another way before speaking, "I forgot to use a phrase you would understand. It means to be angry or enraged, though 'piss' means urine or to urinate. I don't know how 'pissed off' became a term. 'Pissed on' would make more sense, I suppose, since people don't like being urinated on usually."

"Hmmm, I see. All of your culture's profane expressions are based on excretion, sex, and genitalia. Another reason I am disdainful of it." I casually observed, my appetite not being suppressed by the conversation in the slightest.

Developments on the Central Front have been less upsetting. We have deemed it possible and desirable to expend resources on a continuing series of offensive operations there, since we can safely do that and still have all we need for the planned battle and a subsequent counter-stroke. The naval components and the Western Front defenses have been quite adequately stocked with supplies and even with periodic naval raids and heightened ship construction we have capacity left over. Thus, we have disallowed the Bengarians from fortifying that front and are simultaneously attaining progress to show to our people. They've been hammered repeatedly by panzer and regular armies and keep having to rapidly retreat to avoid crippling encirclements. The Kotorei River is now only 25 km from leading elements, and that river is where we expect to be halted for most of the year. We have no intentions of attempting a river crossing until next autumn at least, and instead we intend to advance the adjacent two fronts. The system of fortifications along that river is extremely formidable, and only the most favorable of developments will make breaching them directly before autumn feasible.

In between strategic planning and decrying Terran crimes in a state of unholy rage, I have continued addressing civilian and military gatherings to keep their spirits and resolves inflated. They seem to be quite pleased with the general situation right now, and are rather confident we will achieve some level of victory at Marietta. Whenever I speak to people I like to stress our advantages and favorable events, and emphasize that while victory is likely, we cannot absolutely assure it and they thus should not assume it will happen. The citizens and the military will exert themselves to achieve what we wish, but sometimes our best isn't good enough. We might still lose, we might have a relatively inconsequential victory. But, our changes will fall if we slacken. My emotionally expressive and evocative manner of public speaking helps increase the motivation and efforts of our people as well as their trust within us and themselves. If our naval forces are unable to hold the field, it will certainly not be due to lack of motivation and effort.

Next week will bring a series of important developments which will further evolve our expectations. Likuria will finish deliberating and some military concerns will be concluded on their continent, and they will be able to tell us when they will deploy the expected full numbers of troops and ships. We also plan to launch a series of naval and aerial raids on enemy targets to further impede their logistical capabilities in the expected coastal zones. After this great series of assaults, we will mostly sit and watch closely for signs of invasion. They seem to be conserving maximally to achieve their goal, as the systematic bombardment of our infrastructure has mostly abated and counter-raids are very limited. 

2016, I and many others predict, will be a pivotal year in the course of the war. If it progresses as planned, the first half of it in particular will be when the excruciatingly slow progress will transform into breathtaking and spectacular advances after a series of battles of unparalleled scale in our history. The Western Campaign of last February will seem puny in comparison. The industries of all four nations have matured and been fine-tuned, and the rate of losses is such that the size of our respective militaries has grown rather than shrunk. The contemplation of over a thousand warships fighting each other simultaneously, of 25,000 panzers fighting desperately across fields of many hundreds of kilometers, engenders simultaneously awe, hope, fear, and regret. Never has our military been so large and capable, and never has their been such an opportunity for soul-shatteringly massive casualties on either side and in general. If such large numbers of forces do not achieve the results our nation and our planet are in such dire need of, I can scarcely conceive of something within our means that will. If this year does not bring an end to the stalemate, us Takomenians may start seriously contemplating negotiating for peace despite the great mistrust governmentally that exist between the two alliances. This must be the year our side clearly reaches ascendance and rapidly overcomes the other, or resolving our differences through a war of governmental annihilation will no longer be the less painful option.