Chapter 994: Chapter 745: Battle Preparedness Plan
As time entered the 1930s, Arthur couldn’t help feeling a bit more tense.
Although the United States had been divided, the world situation had not calmed down as a result. Without mentioning the wars in Eastern Europe for the moment, the situation in Germany was also very chaotic.
Beyond that, the French had been making incessant minor moves recently, and even seemed to be on the verge of sparking another naval arms race.
e and number of the reservists. As previously mentioned, there was a two-week military training for university students every year.
This military training focused mainly on discipline and marksmanship, along with some military posture and physical training, to ensure that these university students could be combat effective once they joined the battlefield.
Moreover, for adult citizens under the age of 30, the government called for military training every two years.
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The training for these individuals was relatively lenient, generally involving familiarization with firearms and military discipline, among other things.
This group made up the planned reservist forces of Australasia. Should war erupt, by calling up these reserve forces, Australasia’s army combat troops could instantly surge past 1.5 million.
This time, the focus of expansion was on the navy and the air force.
Let’s start with the air force.
Following proposals from the General Staff, the current Australasian Air Force was divided into the Persian Gulf Defense Zone, Homeland Defense Zone, Southeast Asia Defense Zone, Pacific Defense Zone, and North American Defense Zone.
Each defense zone established an Air Force Command and stationed various numbers of air force units.
mmand quickly came up with a plan under Arthur’s orders, and submitted it for General Staff and Ministry of Defense review.
By the time this naval expansion plan reached Arthur’s desk, it was already the third day of internal discussions at the Ministry of Defense.
Arthur frowned upon seeing the naval expansion plan, momentarily unsure whether to approve it.
In the navy’s expansion plan, at least 4 aircraft carriers need to be built, along with at least 4 of the latest dreadnoughts, 5 battlecruisers, 10 latest medium-sized frigates, 15 small destroyers, 22 light patrol boats, 17 coastal defense ships, and 12 nearshore gunboats.
It should be noted that the duration of this naval expansion treaty is only six years. Once Arthur approves this plan, the size of the Australasian navy will reach the top three in the world after six years.
With Australasia’s dominance in the air force, the naval power at that time will be competing for second place only after the British.
Under normal circumstances, Arthur might worry about arousing the British’s suspicion. However, at this moment, the Frenchmen already seem keen to provoke an arms race, and the Islanders are also frantically building their navy; Arthur’s thoughts truly wavered.
After all, the Island Nation is also considered a potential formidable opponent for Australasia, and it is impossible not to be prepared.
Only if the naval power can firmly suppress the Island Nation, will Australasia gain an advantage in the wars of the future.
The logic is simple: either the Islanders blockade Australasia’s coastline or Australasia blocks the Islanders’ coastline; the two island countries’ lifelines depend on it.
However, the reality is that the island Australasia occupies is just larger, but this still does not change its nature as an island.
What made Arthur hesitate was the financial cost that this naval construction plan would entail.
Although Australasia’s annual financial revenue has reached 370 million Australian Dollars, the financial expenditure has also remained above the 300 million Australian Dollars threshold.
Especially after the eight-year construction plan started, financial expenditures had surpassed revenues, with a financial deficit of more than 20 million Australian Dollars annually, and the likelihood of even larger deficits.
Looking at this naval construction plan, every item is a significant expense.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
The cost of building 4 dreadnoughts and 5 battlecruisers alone has already exceeded 65 million Australian Dollars. Plus the construction of 4 aircraft carriers, the expense on main battleships is nearly reaching 90 million Australian Dollars.
Although the remaining medium and small warships aren’t as expensive to build, the funds needed for navy expansion would still require at least 120 million Australian Dollars.
Is it really worth it to invest one-third of a year’s income into massively funding the navy at a crucial moment when the whole country is engaging in major construction?
After careful consideration, Arthur still felt it was worth it.
Australasia does not have much time left. If it can’t elevate its military power to a level that sufficiently ensures national security during this period, it will inevitably cause greater financial loss and personnel casualties to Australasia.
A hundred million plus Australian Dollars; the government can bear it if they grit their teeth.
Of course, for democracy, this naval construction order must be approved by the Cabinet Government before it can be executed.
Since Arthur had already decided to reduce royal authority, he definitely could not approve this plan arbitrarily at this point.
Otherwise, future monarchs such as William or even William’s son might act just as arbitrarily, which would not be conducive to the development of the government or the continuation of royal authority.
After all, not every monarch will think as long as Arthur does when making decisions. They also lack the experience from later generations that Arthur possesses. If they choose the wrong direction in some aspect, they face not only a significant financial loss but also a high probability of damaging the prestige of the royal family.
Regardless, the navy is definitely going to be expanded.
shipyards, they currently lack the capability to build the latest battleships.
Although the government has already given comprehensive encouragement to the civilian shipbuilding industry, the progress of shipbuilding is not something that can be achieved quickly.
However, in the civil ship sector, Australasia currently does maintain a certain level of capability.
From small boats of several tons to large civil ships of several thousand tons, there are still quite a number of shipyards able to build them.
After all, as a country of many islands, if the shipbuilding industry is not strong, communication and interaction between different areas of the country itself can be problematic.