Federacion Iberiana

BACKGROUND
The Federacion Iberiana emerged from the continuous negotiations between the Basque people and the government of Spain. In return for recognition as citizens and the guarantee of all the rights and liberties thereof, the Basques disbanded such groups as the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna and entered into Iberian society as equals.

HISTORY
Despite an early dearth of technology and infrastructure, the Iberian people continued to work diligently, producing mainly wheat and spices for export. The entrance of the Federacion into the North Atlantic Defense Coalition brought with it a wealth of resources, including vast influxes of capital.

NADC membership suited the Federacion people well, and the government, despite a few changes in form, never failed to keep the people informed and happy. As a member of the NADC Tech Market, the nation's military began to grow, soon reaching elite status. Despite several setbacks, stemming from the cancellation of multiple trades for weak reasons at best, the Federacion has been able to prosper economically, developing such national institutions as an Interstate Highway system, a Social Security system, and a Stock Market, the MADR500 Index.

Militarily, the Federacion has grown from a small, citizen-soldier militia in its early years into the great power the world sees today. Today, the four-service military structure oversees thirty thousand troops and several squadrons of naval vessels, along with a substantial air arm. Our leader, spaero2011, has served as the Colonel of several Divisions, as Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of the Coalition, and finally as Military Operations Commander of the Coalition.

CONSTITUTION
The Federacion was constituted on 3 May 2007 under the Articles of Federation, sometimes referred to as the Iberian Constitution of 2007. This document provides the structure of the Iberian government, and has since been fleshed out with fourteen Amendments.

MILITARY
As the Military Operations Commander of the North Atlantic Defense Coalition, it is vital that the Federacion maintain an exemplary military so as to better lead the forces of the Coalition if and when they enter battle. The people of Federacion Iberiana are extremely proud of their leader, and fully support him in his endeavors.

MILITARY STRUCTURE
Consistent with Articles XIII and XIV of the Articles of Federation, Minister of Defense Dr. Jerome Sanchez has organized the Military as follows:

Ejercito de la Federacion (Army) - Command Corps - 500 soldiers - Infantry - Variable force - Armor - Variable force

Armada de la Federacion (Navy) - Three Vasca-class destroyers: - FS Vasca - FS Castellana - FS Aragona - Two Fernando-class frigates: - FS Rey Fernando - FS Reina Isabela - Three Mexico-class cruisers: - FS Mexico - FS Argentina - FS Peru - Three Gabriel-class battleships: - FS Gabriel - FS Miguel - FS Rafael - Three LST-class landing ships: - LST-01 - LST-02 - LST-03 - Four Sparta-class corvettes: - FS Sparta - FS Athens - FS Thebes - FS Delphi

Fuerza Aerea de la Federacion (Air Force) - Bomber corps: Variable force - Fighter corps: Variable force

Cuerpo de Proyectiles (Missile Corps) - Cruise Missile force: Variable force - Space Exploration force: Variable force - Special Weapons force: No force at present

Dr. Sanchez has also ordered that there be instituted a command separate from the four Articles-mandated Forces for Special Operations, which has the capability to requisition forces from any of the branches. At its commissioning, the Command consisted of 5,000 soldiers with training in counterterrorism, close-quarters combat, and unconventional warfare; the FS Sparta, the FS Delphi, and LST-03; five transport aircraft; and the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' intelligence apparatus. This force is tasked with counterterrorism primarily, but can be deployed to fill various surgical missions.

GOVERNMENT
spaero2011 has been a fairly benevolent and competent ruler for the Federacion, leading them through the Unjust War without incident and representing them to the NADC as a fair, reasonable people who will nevertheless not stand for oppression or intolerance. He has worked tirelessly within the NADC to increase participation by member nations in even the most basic of Coalition governance, and has led by example in this regard, as an apprentice within the Azure Mantle Graphics College, an active member of the Coalition military, a member of the Polar Bear Club, and an advocate for security and reason within the Coalition, both informally and as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. The NADC-BLEU War presented a difficult time for the people of the Federacion, and the nation was decimated by the onslaught of that unjust attack, but through his skill and maneuvering President spaero2011 managed to prevent a much more drastic end to the conflict.

CURRENT GOVERNMENT (25 September 2008)
President: Sir spaero2011, CC

Cabinet: Minister of Foreign Affairs – Lady Alisa Meyer, CC       Minister of Defense – Dr. Jerome Sanchez, PhD Force Chief of the Army – Gen. Sir Domingo Chavez, CCI Force Chief of the Air Force – Gen. Angela Pereira Force Chief of the Navy – Adm. Roberto Jackson Force Chief of the Missile Corps – Gen. Fulgencio Batista Minister of Justice – Simon Bolivario Chief of National Police – Aldous Orwell, CB               Prosecutor General – Amy Chua, CB        Minister of Education – Diego de los Reyes Minister of Energy – Sir Ignacio Llaneira, CCI Minister of Finance – Dr. Jaime Caporaso, PhD Minister of Internal Affairs – Dr. Sir Esteban Carnagi, CCI, PhD

National Assembly: Partido Progresivo (PP) – 19 seats Confederacion de la Fe (CF) – 19 seats Partido Central de Iberia (PCI) – 15 seats Partido Communistico (PC) – 7 seats Partido Nacionalistico de los Vascos (PNV) – 5 seats

Supreme Judicial Court: Chief Justice – Sir Antonio Posneros, CC       Associate Justice – Sir Javier Sierra, CCI Associate Justice – Atenas Diamante, CB       Associate Justice – Alberto Vaca Associate Justice – Cristina San Martin

NATIONAL FLAG


Amendment XIII to the Articles of Federation states: "The Flag of the Federacion shall consist of a quartered field, blue and red, with a white Cross forming the division. Centered upon this field shall be the Coat of Arms of spaero2011, which are blazoned as follows: Per pale, Azure, a Petrine Cross Argent, Gules. Collectively, this shall be termed the Iberian Flag, or the National Flag of the Federacion Iberiana, and shall be flown in all domestic circumstances and those international instances which are not military in nature."

Red brings to mind the courage and resiliency of the people of the Federacion; Blue, the official color of the North Atlantic Defense Coalition, calls to memory the constancy and honor of the government; the Iberian Cross symbolizes the unity which binds the people and the government together. The coat of arms of the President shows that the leader of our nation is truly its head and its heart, and serves to remind our leader of his responsibilities to our nation.

NATIONAL ENSIGN


Amendment XIV to the Articles of Federation states: "The Ensign of the Federacion shall consist of a blue field surmounted by a white Cross. Centered upon this field shall be the Insigne of the North Atlantic Defense Coalition in white. Collectively, this shall be termed the Iberian Ensign, or the National Ensign of the Federacion Iberiana, and shall be flown in any circumstances in which the military forces of the Federacion are acting in support of or in concert with those of the Coalition."

The color symbolism from the National Flag carries over into this area, but the President's coat of arms is replaced by the Symbol of the North Atlantic Defense Coalition, signifying our nation's dedication to the defense of the principles for which that alliance stands.

PRESIDENT'S COAT OF ARMS


The Coat of Arms of President Spaero, which were conferred upon him when he was elevated to the rank of Caballero Comandante, are described in Amendment XIII to the Articles of Federation: "Per Pale, Azure, a Petrine Cross Argent, Gules."

The symbolism of the colors and the cross is drawn from the Iberian national flag, with one slight addition: The cross takes the form of the Cross of St. Peter, who has served as a model of service and self-sacrifice for Spaero.

NOBILITY
The Federacion has a merit-based, uninherited system of chivalry. The three ranks which can be awarded are Caballero/Dama Comandante (Knight/Lady Commander), Caballero/Dama de la Cruz Iberiana (Knight/Lady of the Iberian Cross), and Caballero/Dama Bajo/a (Lower Knight/Lady). These ranks are awarded by a five-member panel of Knights and Ladies Commander, none of whom are permitted to be elected or appointed government officials. Knights and Ladies must be granted the rank of Caballero Bajo/Dama Baja before advancing in rank, but there have been cases where Caballeros Bajos have been elevated directly to Caballeros Comandantes.

CABALLERO COMANDANTE (CC)
Knights and Ladies Commander are granted a personal coat of arms, which reflects their background and personal qualities. They are expected to be leaders of the nation, actively involved in their communities, and above moral or ethical reproach. They must have been a citizen of the Federacion for at least twenty-five years, and may not have any criminal record. There have been approximately two thousand and twenty Knights and Ladies Commander, with some three hundred Ladies being added to the rolls posthumously when the Order was opened to both genders. Spaero, the President of the Federacion, was the two thousand and eleventh Knight Commander added to the rolls, and has earned the distinction of being the youngest to reach this rank.

CABALLERO DE LA CRUZ IBERIANA (CCI)
Knights and Ladies of the Iberian Cross are not granted personal arms, but are allowed to bear the title "Sir" or "Lady" before their name. While the citizenship requirement is lessened to ten years, the requirements for personal involvement and character are enforced as stringently as for the higher rank. Included in the rolls of this rank are the entirety of the Cabinet and fully half the Supreme Judicial Court, along with most of the major figures in Iberian public life.

CABALLERO BAJO (CB)
Lower Knights and Ladies are not allowed to bear the formal title of "Sir" or "Lady", nor are they allowed a personal coat of arms. Generally, this rank is awarded as recognition of some significant public service, and while it still carries weight with the public of the Federacion, does not require anything more than that the candidate be a citizen of the Federacion and not be under current sentence of any crime.

DIPLOMACY
Consistent with Article XII of the Articles of Federation, Lady Alisa Meyer, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has maintained close relations both within and without the Coalition. The Federaction holds as its close friends and allies such nations as Jotenheim, a member of Sparta; the leadership of both The Foreign Division and Sons of Liberty in Defiance; and Kortaenica, The Eye Confederacy, and Veniciana within the Coalition. It is through here concerted efforts that our nation has experienced the great generosity of the Coalition and its members.

Recent developments pertaining to the allies of the Coalition have necessitated the deployment and use of the intelligence services of the Federacion against Saifullah7 of NewNation15. These operations have cost the Federacion two of its greatest agents, Diego Garcia and Juan Esparrago. We mourn the loss of these men, and honor their memories.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
After several months of determining the feasibility, and several weeks of gathering the appropriate number of Challenges, the Federacion proudly announced that it would host the inaugural Coalition Cup, the premier sailing event on Planet Bob. Those rulers entering Challenges included rivereye, TankKiller, Thor Gold, SirMoose, and obviously the leader of our Federacion, spaero2011. In a surprise move, the Federacion even allowed the Pirate Brethren to enter the competition, on the single condition that there would be no broadsides or boarding while the Cup was ongoing. The CyberNations Sailing Association was a proud sponsor of the event, which was held in Valencia, on the southern coast of the Federacion.

Update: After poor conditions and other considerations necessitated the premature end of the Cup competition, TankKiller of Kortaenica and Thor Gold of Alagaesia have been declared co-champions, and will work in cooperation to determine the place and time of the next Cup.

Para la Orden, Para el Poder, Para la Paz. Federacion Iberiana.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
19 May 2008 President Spaero announces his acceptance of the position of Military Operations Commander as appointed by NADC Secretary General rivereye of They Eye Confedercy. This is a great honor for the people of the Federacion, and we plan to move forward with our Coalition's military in a manner which extends, secures, and perpetuates the security of both our alliance and the Blue Team as a whole.

10 June 2008 After an announcement by the Internal Affairs Minister, Lady Caterina Sossi, in which she revealed that she was resigning her post for health reasons, new elections have been held, and while the party mix in the National Assembly has changed slightly, the Cabinet has not been affected, save to add Dr. Sir Esteban Carnagi, CCI, as the new Internal Affairs Minister.

30 September 2008 The Federacion, after a new round of elections, has largely chosen to preserve its Cabinet, the only change being the installation of Amy Chua, CB, as the Prosecutor General.

The Ministry of Defense has announced, after careful review, that a new organizational structure is required for the Federacion to retain its influential position in the Cyberverse. The resulting organization is detailed above.