@Razgriz 2K9: Well I wouldn't say that the USA will be doomed without Argentina and Brazil. Remember, the US still has the world's most powerful navy (for now), a huge airforce, and about 900 IC. The USA will give any foe one hell of a fight.
@Hax: Somalia is an ungovernable failed state, and will not play any part in WW3.
@talt: My apologies for the long buildup, but I hope you understand. In MDS 1.6, WW3 does not start until 2009, a very long time to wait. I have done my best to make things interesting until the big show begins, and I am proud to tell you that the wait will end now.
@everyone else: thanks for the comments!
AuthAAR's note: This is quite a big update, so I will post it in two parts back to back.
Late winter, 2009. The world is on the brink of war. With SCO expansion into Africa and most of Asia, the formation of the ECON islamic bloc, the anti-US ALBA alliance, and tensions beginning to boil over in the Taiwan strait, war is unavoidable. Japan's "Generals" regime now decides to prepare the Japanese military and Japanese society as a whole for combat. Civil defense exercises are held in major cities all over Japan, where citizens practice air-raid preparations, while Japanese forces hold combat drills and begin their pre-war deployments.
In southeast Asia, Japanese aircraft, including formations of F-15 fighters, F-15EJ strike fighters, and assorted ground attack and multirole aircraft, arrive in Kuala Lumpur air force base. This airgroup will be tasked with ground attack and air superiority missions over Southeast Asia, in support of soon to arrive Japanese ground forces. Also note the presence of the Singapore Army's expeditionary corps, en route to the Thai-Cambodian border.
Soon afterwards, the Japanese Army's Southeast Asian expeditionary force arrive in Bangkok, escorted by the
Ryujo battlegroup of the Japanese Navy. Two army Mechanized corps, a large force of elite Japanese special forces commandos, and a large Japanese Tank Brigade group all arrive to reinforce Thai army positions along the border with Myanmar. The
Ryujo battlegroup meanwhile will remain in the region for wartime combat operations.
Back at home, Japanese military forces get into their wartime stations. Positioned around the country to repel a possible enemy invasion, they will be put on the defensive until Japan's military is ready for large scale ground operations in mainland Asia. Japanese ground forces however are available to be redeployed to Southeast Asia if the situation requires additional reinforcements, most likely in the form of another Tank Brigade group or either of Japan's two field armies. In the northern island of Hokkaido, the Japanese SNLF (special naval landing forces) are forward deployed with transport ships and a fleet of destroyers/frigates, in preparations for combat against Russian targets. The Japanese navy has also deployed its main Carrier battlegroup, consisting of the 6 new Nuclear Aircraft Carriers and their escorts, in Tokyo, ready to sail at a moments notice. Japanese airforces meanwhile are on rapid combat readiness status, ready to put their fighters into the air within minutes of hostilities.
Meanwhile, world military alliances continue to grow. In Europe, both Albania and Croatia join NATO.
In the middle east, the United States moves to protect its remaining allies in the region from possible ECON aggression. Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE sign defense pacts with the USA, becoming de-facto coalition member states, ready to fight by America's side for the middle east.
In Latin America, the threat posed to the US and its allies by Chavez's ALBA group suddenly gets a huge boost, as both Argentina and Brazil join the leftist Latin American bloc. Brazil, a country that enjoys very friendly relations with Russia and China, joins ALBA after talks with Venezuelan officials in Brazilia. Political analysts believe that Brazilian anger at Britain's invasion of Argentina a year ago has caused Brazil to become very close to the SCO and ALBA, joining ALBA when Russia and China suggested they do so. In Argentina, a new socialist government, elected into power after early elections were called soon after the end of the 2nd Falklands war, declares its support for Chavez and joins ALBA. Argentine special forces and armoured brigades are reportedly massing near the Andes mountain range, opposite of Coalition allied Chile.
In Africa, the expansion of the SCO and ECON into the region has raised great concern with Western allied governments throughout the continent, many of which are heavily influenced by France. Fearing attacks by SCO and ECON aligned governments on their countries, the leaders of many African states, mostly those in West Africa, appeal for protection. France, which still maintains very heavy ties with countries in West Africa, moves to sign defense agreements with its allies in the region, bringing the bulk of Western Africa under its protective umbrella.
Early April, 2009. China alerts its allies in secret diplomatic communications that Chinese forces will begin their assault on Taiwan on May 8th, the spark that will undoubtedly set off World War 3. However, before China can make its move, the country must find a way of covering its southwestern flank, bordering the military giant of India. China, which does not want to have to spread its forces thin in order to fight India, decides to initiate secret diplomatic talks with Indian officials in Lhasa, the former capital of Tibet. Like they did to bring Vietnam into the SCO, sacrificing Chinese claims to the Spratly Islands, China is ready to make dramatic concessions to India in order to secure a non-aggression pact with the country. To great surprise for the Indians, China states that it will forever renounce territorial claims to India along its border, a source of tension between the two states for decades. However, the biggest shock to the Indian's is what China offers afterwards: that China will no longer support Pakistan against India in the event of a war. In a classic example of Realpolitik, China has essentially offered Pakistan to India on a silver platter, a development that Pakistan itself does not even know of. Elated at this development, Indian diplomats and policymakers sign in secret the 2009 Chinese-Indian non aggression pact, which has basically eliminated the military threat to China from India. Japanese intelligence finds out about the pact between China and India, leading many in the Japanese government to compare the development to the 1939 German-Soviet non-aggression pact, which allowed Nazi Germany to invade Poland and begin the Second World War in Europe. China now begins to redeploy military forces stationed in the far west to the pacific coast, while India is reportedly beginning to mobilize troops along the border with Pakistan.