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 its 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 Adolf 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 Spiran Conflict in 1989. 12 Harrier II fighter-bombers were also acquired to operate from the Asgard.

Modern Era
Today the Marine's combat fleet is centered around its flagship - the NWS Valhalla (DDH-119); which replaced the aging NWS Asgard in 2008. The Valhalla is a helicopter carrier based-off the French Mistral-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 Mistral, the Valhalla is nuclear powered allowing it to operate without regular refueling.

Since the fall of Indonesia's Suharto regime in 1998 the Marines' 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 its Harriers to air force bases instead. Whilst the Marine's air-combat wing still maintained its ability to operate at sea, the move substantially reduced its operating costs. Although initially expected to remain in service until 2020, the Marine Harrier fleet was retired in September 2016, immediately upon finishing its last deployment with JATF in Iraq. With their retirement, the Valhalla now operates solely as a Helicopter Carrier and Amphibious Sealift Transport.

Personnel
As of 2016, 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 its combat & auxiliary vessels are kept at the Pacific Fleet Base, however at least one Frigate and one Submarine are operated from the Indian Fleet Base at all times.

Current Fleet
As of 2016, the Marine fleet consists of 22 commissioned warships, including amphibious warfare vessels, frigates, submarines, patrol boats and auxiliary ships. All commissioned ships are given the prefix NWS (Neu Westfalen Ship) and are mostly named after various beings from Norse mythology.

Fleet Air Arm
The Marine's Fleet Air Arm consists of 16 helicopters. Their primary duties are anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, mine detection, maritime patrol and search & rescue operations.

Weaponry
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 Frigates and Submarines. Air-launched versions can also be deployed by Luftwaffe combat aircraft.

Future procurement

 * Procurement of a naval attack/reconnaissance helicopter is being discussed. Likely the Russian-built Ka-52K.