Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront
Location: Tanoa, Horizon Islands, South Pacific Sea
Written by Captain A.Jansen
AO Situation
In an attempt to quell the virus and protect its national security, Australia deployed a majority of its defence forces to enforce shut downs and quarantine as well as ramping up coastal patrols and monitoring. Following nearly a year of national shut down, Australia began running as per normal again, despite this however border security was maintained. During and after the lockdown, enormous numbers of South East Asian and pacific islander refugees began attempting to smuggle themselves into Australia by boat, makeshift submarine and even by air occasionally; Most attempts were thwarted however, preventing possible outbreaks occurring as a result of refugees importing the virus. Attempts have not ceased and by all counts have increased despite the nearly one hundred percent failure rate. The Australian government has requested external assistance to deal with the source of the refugee crisis.
According to Australian intelligence, the ones responsible for coordinating and supplying the refugees with means of transportation is a criminal organisation centralised on a south pacific nation called the Horizon Islands. This group called Syndikat is well known to the Australian government due to their involvement in a bloody ongoing civil war in the Horizon Islands, as well as illegal activity on the island of Fiji, closely located to the Horizon Islands.
Faction & Important Individuals Briefings
Horizon Islands Defence Force - BLUFOR
Syndikat - OPFOR
AO Background
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The Horizon Islands consists of archipelagos divided up into four main "divisions": the Northern, Central, Eastern, and Southern regions. The capital city of the nation, La Roche, is located in the country's Central division. All of the landmasses consist largely of dense jungles and lush tropical flora surrounded by steep mountainous cliffs. It is located near the commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand.
The Horizon islands military is the Horizon Islands Defence Forces (HIDF) and the HIDF Gendarmerie who are responsible for the law enforcement and military protection of the Islands.
The Tanoa Province (located in the nation's Northern division) covers a total landmass of 100 square kilometres:
Tanoa is the central island where the Northern division's capital of Georgetown is located. It is the most densely populated out of the five islands, and also serves as the economic hub of the nation.
Besides the capital, other notable locations include the main international airport (Aéroport de Tanoa) in the south, the Blue Pearl industrial shipping port in the north-east, the Red Spring strip mine, as well as the (inactive) volcano located directly in the centre of the island.
A road bridge connects Tanoa to the smaller island of Moddergat to the south-east.
Moddergat
The second largest (though more sparsely populated) island in the archipelago, Moddergat is linked to the Tanoan mainland via the aforementioned road bridge. Most citizens reside in the town of Lijnhaven, which serves as the island's biggest settlement.
HIDF intel suggests that there is a decent sized Syndikat presence in the Western division of Moddergat which often range out to the east and kidnap people from Lijnhaven for ransom. As of yet the HIDF has made no attempt to quell the Syndikat presence here.
Balavu & Katkoula
The third most-populated island, Balavu has three smaller ports for cargo shipping and domestic ferries. Many citizens reside in the villages and towns scattered throughout the island, with a road bridge connecting Balavu to Katkoula island to the south-east.
Located directly south-east of Balavu, Katkoula is the fourth island in the archipelago. Unlike Balavu, most of its residents reside in the larger towns rather than in the smaller villages.
Katkoula island is also home to an airstrip, called Bala Airstrip. Initially it was constructed by the Tanoan Enthusiast Pilots Club however according to HIDF Intelligence, it is now used for flying drugs, weapons and other illegal materials in and out of the island.
Katkoula is considered to be a heavy Syndikat stronghold and is considered one of the most strategically important locations in the Syndikats smuggling operations. Frequent attempts by the HIDF have been made to attack the island but all naval and air assaults have been repelled with anti-air weapon systems and a large presence of paramilitaries and bandits occupying the island. Additional attempts have been made to attack from the NE and cross the bridge connecting Katkoula and Balavu however all attempts have failed and the bridge has since been fortified by Syndikat forces. Frequent long range duels take place between HIDF forces present on Belavu and Syndikat on Katkoula across the water.
Tuvanaka
The smallest and least populated of the five islands, Tuvanaka mostly serves as a giant military base with only two towns, Belfort, and Tuvanka, being inhabited by civilians. Tuvanaka is the only island in the archipelago that does not have a bridge connecting it to any other landmass. This island is under complete HIDF control and would be the most suitable location for a ground based FOB should one be required, with its only disadvantage being the inability to deploy ground based vehicles from this location. 
Climate
The climate in the Horizon Islands is tropical marine and warm all-year round, with particularly hot and humid summers. Rainfall is variable, though the archipelago typically experiences heavy thunderstorms on a regular basis. Occasional earthquakes and tremors have become frequent in the area, displacing locals regularly and forcing them to frequently rebuild or leave the island.
Mission Overview
CTRG-1 using all its available assets is to conduct it's own missions throughout the islands as well as to assist HIDF forces in their ongoing operations where necessary.
Phase 1 - TBD
Situation