Neu Westfalen Navy

The Neu Westfalen Navy (German: Neu Westfalen Marine) is the naval branch of the Neu Westfalen Bundeswehr. It is considered a Green-water navy with the ability to provide coastal defence as well as sustaining operations in the open ocean. The Marine is responsible for securing Neu Westfalen from external threats, protecting it's sovereign interests, including in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and to respond to disaster relief and search and rescue missions internationally.

Early Years
After the invasion and subsequent occupation of Neu Westfalen, several Imperial German warships still remained in the country. Although mostly obsolete, the Allies allowed the newly democratic Neu Westphalian government to keep these warships; which would become the first ships in it's navy (Marine) by 1925.

World War II Era
In the 1930's the Marine began purchasing new naval ships from Nazi Germany, however shortly after the start of World War II Hitler cancelled any further military shipments to Neu Westfalen, as Germany needed to conserve such resources for it's war effort.

During the final months of WWII the Marine began clandestinely evacuating tens of thousands of German refugees whom had asked for sanctuary in Neu Westfalen. Although some of these evacuation missions were intercepted by Allied forces, almost all of them were eventually allowed to continue their voyage. The Marine continued transporting German refugees after the war; primarily those from Soviet-occupied areas. However all refugee voyages stopped in 1947 when the Soviet Union moved to prevent people escaping the Iron Curtain.

Cold War Era
During the Cold War Neu Westfalen greatly improved it's relations with Australia, New Zealand and Japan, leading to the establishment of regular joint-training exercises. The Marine has maintained a single carrier-fleet since 1984, with it's first carrier being the NWS Asgard - an Invincible-class light aircraft carrier. The Asgard was acquired to secure the Spira Islands from a potential Indonesian invasion, and would later prove to be an important asset during the Spira Islands Confrontation in 1989. 16 Harrier GR-5 fighter-bombers were also acquired to operate from the Asgard. These were subsequently upgraded to GR-9's, which are expected to remain in service until at least the year 2020.

Modern Era
Today the Marine's combat fleet is centered around it's flagship - the NWS Valhalla (DDH-181); which replaced the aging NWS Asgard in 2008. The Valhalla is a light/helicopter carrier based-off the Japanese Hyūga-class, and was built under license at the Port Lantea Naval Shipyard. To accommodate STOVL jets the deck of the Valhalla was strengthened with heat-resistant panels to protect it from hot jet exhaust blasts. Furthermore unlike the Hyūga, the Valhalla is nuclear powered allowing it to operate without regular refueling.

Since the fall of Indonesia's Suharto regime in 1998 the Marine's role has been revised from a mostly combat-orientated force, into a more mixed naval force with an increased importance of peace-time capabilities. The one of largest revisions occurred in 2011 when the van der Sar government ceased regular naval air-combat operations from the Valhalla, transferring the Marine's Harriers to air force bases instead. Whilst the Marine's air-combat wing still maintains it's ability to operate at sea, the move has substantially reduced it's operating costs.

In August 2013 the Marine purchased 144 Helenos supersonic anti-ship missiles from Okataian/Cattalian manufacturers Taikoo-AriaRegale. These next-generation, long-range missiles are now deployed on-board all Marine Destroyers and Frigates, with the possibility of submarine adaption in the future. They can also be equipped by its Harrier GR-9 fleet.

In November 2013 the Marine deployed the Valhalla along with the naval Destroyer NWS Valkyrie (DD-115) to assist victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Personnel
As of 2014, the Marine has 8,350 permanent full-time personnel and 1,200 part-time reserve personnel.

Naval Bases
The Marine has two primary bases for its fleet: Pacific Fleet Base, located at Port Lantea, and Indian Fleet Base, near Port Vulpera, Spira Islands. The majority of it's combat & auxiliary vessels are kept at the Pacific Fleet Base, however at least one Destroyer or Frigate and one Submarine are operated from the Indian Fleet Base at all times.

Current Fleet
As of 2014, the Marine fleet consists of 26 commissioned warships, including amphibious warfare vessels, destroyers, frigates, submarines, patrol boats and auxiliary ships. All commissioned ships are given the prefix NWS (Neu Westfalen Ship) and are named after various beings from Norse mythology.

Fleet Air Arm
The Marine's Fleet Air Arm consists of 36 fixed-wing and rotor-bladed aircraft. Their primary duties are fleet defence, mine detection and search & rescue.