Thanks Wolf, very interesting. I’ll ask for your input at just the right time.
If intelligence ain’t here yet, can I get a report on army preparedness please
I think you are jumping the gun and acting brash. Clearly Intelligence is important to the Chair, and it logically follows, I believe, that I take the position. I am already practiced at briefing the president with matters considered too sensitive for this committee.
Clearly we are all motivated for one reason or another to assume position of Chair. If a quick vote cannot decide, I recommended the use of a mediator, such as the president themself; unfortunately, I fear that this will undermine the status and respect that this committee holds.
I humbly ask everyone to acknowledge this memo and we can proceed in a quick vote; I anticipate a failure to arrive at an obvious, elected Chair, but we will deal with that position once we know it to be fact.
Well, we’ve clearly established that the best candidate for chair is “me”, for suitable values thereof, and there’s no obvious way to resolve that.
Shall we proceed with work on the plan, and choose our chair on the basis of contributions to it?
An aide interrupts.
“Minister, we cannot agree anything by a majority. The appointment, like all decisions on the war plan must be a consensus of all.”
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Well, in that case, a simple, unanimous vote seems even less likely.
I fear our delay in this matter alone will lose us the war. I can’t speak for the rest of you, but I simply do not have the time to waste. It is paramount that we arrive at our decisions carefully but also quickly.
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[puts Economic Warfare hat on - I don’t need a title, that’s what my title means already]
Clearly my priority target is the industrial city of Svarozic. An attack here will not only destroy the Silvanian capacity to make war but cut off the port of Perunu, their only port I note, from commerce with the outside world.
My understanding is that this city is not heavily defended, though I am sure there will be some anti-air capability on site.
Clearly we do not have the forces to attack everywhere at once; I leave that up to my military colleagues. This is the target that will sap the enemy’s ability to fight, and even to communicate.
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This talk is precisely why I wanted to move into action mode. In essence let’s all give our situation reports. I will happily chair that element - indeed i thought I was already doing so but other have sought to interrupt that flow for their own purposes!
TL:DR until we have a mutual understanding of the situation it is unlikely we will have a shared purpose. Until we have such a plan an official 'chair won’t make a difference.
So the most important thing is not who chairs, but the plan we create. Can I therefore suggest that the first thing we do is share information. And it would make sense for the intelligence report first.
I will happily chair this until we need to report to the preaident, then we agree spokespeople, future chairs etc.
What do you think? Is that compromise enough?
I feel it is best that we be able to send an aide to report to the president that we have made progress in selecting a chair to assuage his concerns while we work on the details of our plan.
That said, I have critical intel. I cannot fully divulge what I know, but I will start by declaring that we urgently need to increase security here for this room and also bolster the security detail for the president.
(To confirm, you are suggesting a temporary chair until the plan is completed, at which point a decision will be made on who becomes full chair and presents the plan to the President?)
If we cannot agree to a permanent chair, I cannot imagine that we can agree on a temporary chair. But that should be our plan.
Yes I think it is more important we get to it at this stage. I also agree we should absolutely increase security as well.
If that is the intelligence report then we should address the security situation and then return to the situation. Perhaps an army report
We need to avoid an impasse, and the simplest way to do that is to quickly choose a chair of this Strategic Planning Committee. This should not be difficult.
Here’s a suggestion: if we all agree (unanimously) to a mechanism for choosing a chair, then apply that mechanism, the result will naturally be a unanimously agreed chair.
My proposed mechanism is as follows:
Every member of the committee writes down four names of committee members (possibly including their own name). That list of four names is given (by private message) to any one of the other members of the committee. Once everyone has written their lists, those who have been given the lists make them public*. The name that appears the most becomes the chair immediately by unanimous prior agreement. In the event of a tie the process can be repeated with appropriately shortened lists.
Please click like on this post to assent to this process. Or, if a better process is available, suggest it or (if someone else has already suggested something better) click like on it. Any suggestion with seven likes can immediately be implemented.
* The point here is to anonymise the ballot as far as possible without the need for ballot box technology.
First of all, I agree with @RogerBW on the selection of the enemy industrial hub as a target, I think Svarozic and the bridge to the capital will be easy targets to destroy, that will greatly disrupt the Silvanians. That, followed by an invasion with a convoy escorted by our destroyers for any submarine activity to offload our army at the heart of the Silvanian government before they can reinforce from the rest of the country could be paramount to quickly finish them off.
Would the Air Marshall share with the cabinet how efficient his bombers would be to destroy that bridge and bomb their industrial hub? And also, has the intelligence department has more information about any vulnerabilities we may have in doing so?
I fear their plan may be similar: overt or covert attacks on our own factories.
Additionally, I fear that they hold a defensive position in, among other places, Svarozic. Any attempt by us to land troops on Silvanian soil will result in the immediate concentration of forces and artillery bombardment.
Will it be better then to isolate the capital and invade the rest of the country, in your opinion?
I would like to hear what our Chiefs of Naval, Air, and Army Staff have to say. If the Silvanian plan is to concentrate ground forces on any given Freedonian invasion, it seems to me we need to divide our forces. A feint may be required.
And, full disclosure: I aim to sow confusion throughout the Silvanian government and military. They are very cautious of unfamiliar faces right now and it is difficult for me to insert new intelligence assets. The more confusion we cause them, the easier it will be to insert new assets and gain better intelligence.
Their port seems well defended from a sea attack, and I infer their industrial hub from an aerial attack.
Perhaps it will be best to bomb their bridges to saw confusion and pick their three cities one at a time.