Armored Warfare

Story

At the beginning of the 21st century, few could have imagined the conflagration caused by a multitude of local trouble spots in all parts of the world. Europe was flooded with refugees, with tens of millions fleeing conflicts fueled by anger, greed, and years of financial crises and stagnation that began in the least stable regions and spread inexorably. The final economic collapse of Greece set off a chain reaction that plunged Europe into chaos. Bulgaria felt the worst of it, as the Greek-owned Bulgarian banks collapsed along with Greece. The entire region was swept into a maelstrom of devastation that ruined countless lives and destroyed any semblance of a status quo, but also offered opportunities to those unscrupulous enough to exploit the situation. The remnants of the European Union were paralyzed by the growing rift between governments and their people, and violent anti-government protests were commonplace, giving rise to numerous anarchist movements. The armories of crumbling governments in the Third World became the armories of insurgencies. In the Middle East, the Syrian crisis spread throughout the region, fragmenting Syria into several warring regions where Kurdish militias attempted to liberate their own areas from chaos, often clashing with Turkish forces in a conflict that quickly grew into a full-blown civil war. While Europe was recovering from these blows, the newly elected American president decided to isolate himself and bring home most of the troops stationed abroad, fearing that a "second Iraq" would result if American soldiers became further involved in the Middle East. This was supported by new technologies that allowed the U.S. to become energy independent. The new U.S. strategy of providing military assistance to U.S.-friendly countries relied heavily on the use of U.S.-backed PMCs, as demonstrated by the 2018 Abyss War between Israel and its neighbors. This strategy had serious repercussions and led to the loss of direct influence in many parts of the world, especially in South America. This in turn led to the rise of the Alianza de Sangre, a multinational criminal drug cartel that gradually gained direct control over much of Mexico and Central America. The cartel financed guerrillas throughout South America, sparked several civil wars, and profited handsomely from the unrest. South American governments were powerless to stop this well-financed criminal organization without help, and the lawlessness south of the American border gave rise to many American nationalist militias that gradually gained influence throughout the South. Asia's largest superpower, China, was struggling with a series of economic problems in late 2010 caused by currency fluctuations, oil shortages, and increasing separatist tendencies in several regions of the country. China implemented policies bordering on martial law, with extensive crackdowns and brutal control methods, and managed to keep the situation under control, but only just. In Europe, NATO, which is in decline, was tested for the first time in years when nationalist guerrillas appeared in Estonia. The entire Baltic region was thrown into conflict, and NATO, chronically underfunded, was called upon to respond. Due to lack of resources, lack of U.S. support, and fear of triggering another global war, an armed response was rejected and NATO essentially ceased to exist as an effective structure in 2020. Global tensions also led to violence on the India-Pakistan border. Amid the chaos, five nuclear warheads were stolen from the Pakistani complex in Khushab and one was detonated in the Indian city of Hyderabad, resulting in the deaths of millions and enormous economic losses. The world held its breath waiting for someone to come forward and announce that they were responsible for the attack. That announcement failed to materialize, and the inexplicable, senseless violence of this heinous crime was the final wake-up call for nations to act. Weakened by insurgency and internal strife, the world powers - China, the European Union, Russia and the United States - came together to discuss how to combat the new multinational threats. After long negotiations, a treaty was signed that would change the world forever. The treaty stipulated that the internal affairs of all countries participating in the talks would be left to their own armed forces, but major threats to entire regions or continents would be handled by a newly formed independent international body: the International Security Department. The ISD would use private military companies that could be freely established under the principle of extraterritoriality. The ISD would dictate the operations of the PMCs and, in return, provide them with logistical and political support. Each PMC would be set up according to its own rules (from ragtag bands of mercenaries to private armies equipped with modern weapons), but all would have to abide by the ISD.