Joint Task Force 13

Prelude to War

The year is 2005 and NATO forces have been surging in both Iraq and Afghanistan due to the ongoing War on Terror. While most of the world has been distracted with these conflicts, little focus has been given to a concerning political uprising in the Russian Federation. Hungry for power, and longing to bring back the glory years of the USSR, President Putin has used his growing popularity to seize control of every facet of the country's government. To see his vision a reality, secret meetings began taking place between Russia and diplomats of Syria and Iran for a coordinated military effort to destabilize the region and to remove any obstacles for a Russian invasion of neighboring countries including Ukraine and other former Soviet States.

Finally, on 1 October 2005, Syria and Iran begin conducting attacks on NATO Coalition naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz with invasion forces pressing the UAE, Northern Iraq, Kuwait and parts of Saudi Arabia. NATO forces are struggling to refocus efforts and gain an advantage in the unexpected uprising. Russian Forces on the 2nd of October launch a surprise invasion into Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. NATO quickly realizes the importance of rapidly establishing air superiority over the Caspian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz considering vital sources of fuel for all countries depend on the free flow of vessels in both areas.

On October 5th 2005 an Emergency meeting is held with NATO Forces and affiliated ally's to establish one of the largest combined arms efforts since the 2nd World War. Pursuant to NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue, Israel quickly offers its support to NATO and is sending several of their best aviators from the Israeli Air Force to several NATO squadrons under the pilot Exchange Program. Joint Task Force 13 is stood up as the primary Task Force to combat this enemy threat and gain air superiority. The US Military reassigns squadrons from Naval and Air Force units from other theaters across the globe to contribute to Task Force 13's missions, with several more squadrons training to join the fight from various other countries. To pave the way for this unique mission, several exchange officers from various nations and services to fly in the first squadrons to arrive in theater to become subject matter experts and liaisons for their respective nations upcoming reinforcements.