Bureau of Defence

Formerly the Ministry of Defence – Now part of the Interior Ministry

MODheaderMinistrà da Zefençù

Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.
– Cestour Vince Lombardi, Coach of the Florencia Packers.

While Talossa doesn’t have a militia, the Ministry of Defence believes that all citizens should be ready to act in times of emergency, civil unrest and war.

MANDATE
The Ministry of Defence was established by Article XII of the Organic Law. The duties of the office are described in Section 4.

Article XII: The Government (Cabinet)Section 1. The King appoints and dismisses members of the Government (Cabinet), and their subordinates, on the advice of the Seneschál. The Government consists of the Seneschál, the Distáin, the Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Immigration Minister, and Minister of Stuff. Various other ministries may also be appointed as the Seneschál sees fit.

Section 2. Cabinet Ministers are responsible to the Seneschál, whom they advise and from whom they receive direction, and exercise state power with his consent.

Section 4. The Defence Minister shall be in charge of the armed and moral forces of the Kingdom during peacetime and during times of declared war. During the latter periods, he is to be referred to as “War Minister.”

VISION
The defense policy of Talossa is based on a simple premise: The Kingdom of Talossa does not start fights. We will never be an aggressor. We build and maintain our strength in order to deter and defend against aggression, in order to preserve freedom and peace. We must keep up our guard, but we must also continue to work together to lessen and eliminate tension and mistrust.

Talossa should have four defensive goals:

  1. The Kingdom should not provoke action from the USA. So far we have not suffered due to our proximity to our former country – in fact, our mutual borders are unguarded. We must keep it that way.
  2. The Kingdom should be prepared to address threats from other countries in our weight class: Principalities like Monaco, Andorra and Liechtenstein, Republics like San Marino and Malta, and Kingdoms like Bahrain and Sealand.
  3. The Kingdom should not neglect to plan how to thwart an invasion from Canada. Failure to plan is planning to fail.
  4. Finally, the Kingdom should prepare for the future. We will be guided by our past, but we look to the far horizon for the next threat.

Three areas will be the key to our common defense: Physical Fitness, Teamwork and Training. Every recruit will be asked to improve their fitness. Units will be evaluated on team cohesiveness and their ability to work as a team – not just within their unit, but with brother units. As that great Cestour Vince Lombardi said, “People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.” Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.

Finally, we will train our troops to be skilled in all the military arts – specifically, to be skilled in the Talossan national past time of wargaming. The Ministry of Defense will work with the Ministry of Wargames to establish the appropriate tools and evaluations to make sure that our forces are well trained. For example, Marines will be expected to be proficient in games like Doom, Halo and other first person shooters. Naval officers will need proficiency in Wooden Ships and Iron Men, Jutland, Harpoon, and other classics. All volunteers for the Special Sea Service should be expert in America’s Army: Special Forces. All officers will be expected to be familiar with Diplomacy. All service personnel will be expected to know how to win at chess.

MODELS OF MODERN MAJOR GENERALSHIP
The Ministry of Defence takes our cue from Hannibal Barca, the general known as the father of strategy. In the Second Punic War, Hannibal started from Carthage in North Africa, invaded Spain, and crossed the Alps in winter with his army and his elephants. On 2 August 216, the two armies collided in the south of Italy. Hannibal’s combined army defeated a larger foe, combined Roman Legion of Paullus and Varro at The Battle of Cannae.

Hannibal
As the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica says about Hannibal:

The man who for fifteen years could hold his ground in a hostile country against several powerful armies and a succession of able generals must have been a commander and a tactician of supreme capacity. In the use of stratagems and ambuscades he certainly surpassed all other generals of antiquity.

As a probable progenitor to the Brothers Asbad and our Berber Ancestors, Hannibal can inspire us all.

Taken from “A LONG Speech by the Minister of Defence” in March 2006.


The Bureau of the Navy
On 30 November 1987, “The Glorious (but Unarmed) Royal Fleet Act” [6RC57] officially created the Royal Talossan Navy/El Marì Rexhital Talossan. The Monarch is the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, and the Admiral oversees all of the Navy’s daily operations.From those early days of naval service, five bedrock principles have carried on to today. These five principles form the Navy Creed: Duty, Loyalty, Courage, Commitment, and Honour.The Royal Talossan Navy offers many chances for the best and brightest of Talossa to advance their skills and serve their King. Join today!
The Office of Private Adventures
Talossan Statute 35RZ30 authorizes the Ministry of Defence to issue letters of marque and reprisal to Talossan citizens who have or who can obtain the use of private naval vessels. Note that neither Talossa nor the surrounding USA signed the 1856 “Declaration of Paris”, where the topic of privateering was decided. The Office of Private Adventures is the official bureaucracy charged with issuing, commissioning, tracking, accounting and disposition as required by law.
Grupa Primar del Säpençéu
(The Primary Intelligence Group)
The modern world is a dangerous place, and someone must lead the shadowy fight to preserve truth, justice and the Talossan way. The Primary Intelligence Group is Talossa’s agency for leading this fight. Due to the clandestine nature of the work performed by the GPS, many of their victories are won in secret.
Els Zuavs da l’Altahal Rexhital
(The Zouaves of the Royal Bodyguard)
For the King! For the Guard! Known for their snappy Zouave uniforms, their enormous moustaches, their elan, their esprit and their tubas, the Royal Guard seem to be almost irresistible to members of the opposite sex. Click here to learn more about Talossa’s top internal security force.
The Office of Personnel and Internal Affairs
Safety first. While the rest of the Talossan military is defending our borders and our King, someone needs to be watching out for internal security concerns. The OPIA is tasked with security clearances for diplomats and other high level civil servants, internal military security and securing protected data. Personnel are selected from the ranks of the Zuavs and Royal Talossan Navy as well as civilians with specialized skills.