Report of the Assembly of the South Pacific on the Progress of the Special Forces and Recommendations for its Continued Development

A. Recruitment and Retention

Over the past two months the Special Forces (SPSF) have recruited 10 new members and retained 9 of them. These include but are not limited to the following:

• FederationOfTheRK
  
• Arbiter08
  
• Wolf
  
• The International Knights
  
• CrimsonTideFan
  
• Tomb
  
• Siberian Districts
  

These recruits are both new to NationStates and older individuals with previous military experience, all of which have been invited and encouraged to participate in several training missions, providing valuable practical experience and serving to ensure retention. We have not been able to verify whether there is a more comprehensive retention strategy. Should there be no such strategy, we encourage the Minister to implement one within a reasonable amount of time.

B. Missions and Military Cooperation

There has been an increase in the number of missions this term. We applaud the participation of the Special Forces in the liberation of Lazarus, following the attempted establishment of the NPO-backed New Lazarene Order. We also note the successful conduction of several offensive operations, including the following occupations:

• Atlantic during 14 days, with the assistance of the North Pacific Army
  
• Warzone Sandbox during 12 days, after which there was a peaceful transition to native administration
  

We recommend increasing the number of defensive missions and also to increase cooperation with current and potential allies. Just like the operation in Atlantic provided a good opportunity for cooperation with the North Pacific, other missions should serve as opportunities for cooperation with Europeia, the Rejected Realms, Lazarus and other friendly regions.

C. Communication

While it has been mentioned above that the SPSF has been successful throughout this term, outward communication remains a challenge. A recent poll by the Local Council showed that 56% of respondents do not know of recent missions and 18% are not aware of the SPSF:


This shows a serious disconnect between the SPSF and the South Pacific, since the region appears not to feel the benefits of having a military. It is important for the Special Forces to improve its communication with residents and citizens by advertising its successes and promoting the benefits of enlistment. This would translate into better recruitment and more awareness on how the SPSF benefits the region and its residents.

Equally important is for the Minister to ensure there is adequate communication between himself and members, so that they are always aware of active missions and feel invited to contribute with the planning and execution of offensive and defensive operations. This includes ensuring that instant communication channels are available for members to receive orders.

We also share the recommendation of Minister Sandaoguo that there be better communication between the Special Forces and the Foreign Ministry, to ensure that missions always conform to foreign policy as mandated by the Code of Conduct. While there have been no outstanding incidents this term, cooperation between ministries will prevent any such incidents and ensure missions contribute to the execution of foreign policy, by enhancing military cooperation with current and potential allies.

D. Leadership
Minister ProfessorHenn has displayed adequate leadership through his recruitment and retention efforts and his organisation of missions. Where he still lacks is communication, since the aforementioned poll shows there is limited information available to the public on the efforts and successes of the Special Forces. Still, what success Minister QuietDad had in number of missions, Minister Henn has compensated with an increase in membership. We also celebrate his willingness to engage the Assembly and give serious consideration to the thoughts from citizens and government officials, which has been instrumental in the drafting of this report.

Deputy Minister Arbiter08 has not provided much evidence of his progress as Deputy for Recruitment. Minister Henn informed us that he has not received any recruits from him. We urge the Deputy Minister to improve his recruitment efforts.

General Wolf has displayed poor behaviour since his confirmation and has been publicly admonished by Minister Henn for his behaviour during the debate preceding the drafting of this report, which consisted of arguments with Minister Sandaoguo. We have also been informed by the Minister that Wolf has not contributed towards the planning of missions or otherwise discharged any of his duties as General. It is our belief that Wolf is inadequate as General and should immediately begin discharging his duties in an adequate matter or resign his commission, to let a better qualified soldier take his place.