Chapter 1332 - 341: The Topic of Military Expansion

Chapter 1332: Chapter 341: The Topic of Military Expansion

Within Austria-Hungary, as long as the Habsburg Family remains stable, the Empire can essentially maintain normal operations. Moreover, as long as Austria and Hungary reach an agreement, they can effectively utilize ninety percent of the Empire’s strength.

What’s more, the greatest mortal enemy of Austria-Hungary, Tsarist Russia, has disappeared, significantly boosting Austria-Hungary’s military strength and political influence in the region.

On the Balkan Peninsula, the few remaining countries include Bulgaria, which is an ally, while Romania, Greece, Black Mountain, and Albania are no matches for the fully realized Austria-Hungary.

If the United Kingdom cannot impede Austria-Hungary’s advances on the Balkan Peninsula, the next step for Austria-Hungary might be to assist the Ottoman Empire in reopening the Indian Ocean trade route.

This move would annul the Allies’ aim to blockade the Central Powers, and with renewed support from East African resources, the Central Powers would revert the war situation to the state before 1918.

Thus, the United States joining the Allies is not as impactful in today’s European situation as it was in previous eras and might even maintain the standoff between the two major factions, which is exactly what East Africa hopes to see.

Should events unfold in this order, only East Africa, Spain, and Japan among the Great Powers could remain neutral and reap the benefits without involvement.

Returning to the military meeting of East Africa, Pripyat stated, "Currently, our Imperial military ranks just below the forces of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Austria, and although we have not joined the European war, we are still facing a shortage of military personnel."

"The overseas colonial garrison far exceeds four hundred thousand, while the homeland army only numbers over two hundred thousand, and we need to augment our forces in the Horn of Africa."

"Imagine maintaining just over one hundred thousand troops in our homeland that spans millions of square kilometers without expanding the army’s size; it is quite a dangerous sign."

"On the naval side, the forces are also stretched thin. Unlike other countries, in East Africa, our nation plays a crucial role in the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and even the Pacific Ocean."

"However, our navy’s size is only slightly stronger than Germany’s. Additionally, the construction of overseas military bases and operations in the colonies also allot a significant number of naval personnel."

"Furthermore, as our air force develops rapidly, there is an urgent need to increase research funding, personnel, and the number of pilots."

Pripyat’s analysis prompted the East African leadership to reflect deeply.

Silvert, the head of the National Planning Commission, asked, "At present, we indeed have a seemingly inadequate number of troops, but this is mainly due to frequent overseas wars, particularly in the Kra Strait Territory. However, colonial warfare is merely a short-term process. Do we really need military expansion for this?"

Cristiano, the Minister of General Staff, said, "Your Grace, the military’s proposal for expansion is not a shortsighted move, but rather suggested from the Empire’s long-term interest perspective."

"Firstly, as General Pripyat pointed out, there is a serious shortage of forces to address colonial expansion, protect overseas interests, and ensure homeland security and regional warfare."

"This is an urgent problem that the Defense Army needs to solve. Meanwhile, the shortage of troops is affecting the long-term development of our military-industrial system."

"Especially as our army equipment levels improve, our combat systems change, and we explore combat experience, maintaining a certain number of troops to achieve these is crucial, particularly for the army."

"The Empire is different from the United States. We place particular emphasis on army construction, and only by maintaining a certain number of troops can we ensure the stable and healthy development of our army’s military-industrial sector."

"In the past, our army numbers were maintained under five hundred thousand for a long time. Given our current population size and economic development, this level is far below the world average."

"Even though the number of troops has increased significantly in recent years, the main increase is in infantry units, primarily in colonial operations. In contrast, the development of high-quality military branches such as armored, mobile, artillery, and information units has stagnated."

"After all, we can’t expect these branches to be deployed for colonial warfare; that’s using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

"Of course, these are not the core issues. The core issue is about securing post-war European interests, which requires a strong military force as a guarantor."

"Frankly speaking, the overseas markets we have opened up were all seized from other Great Powers, particularly South America and the Indian Ocean coast, which were previously dominated by the British."

"After the European war ends, we’ll face the risk of losing these overseas markets, and the only way to secure them is to build a strong military force."

"Therefore, I suggest expanding the Defense Army to over one million, especially focusing on developing the Indian Ocean Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet to safeguard our core interests in the two oceans."

"Expand the total tonnage of the navy to 1.6 million tons. This can prevent us from being at a disadvantage strategically at sea, and the number of ground forces, especially the homeland army, should not be less than five hundred thousand, which would enable us to deal with any risks and conflicts on the continent."

"Especially in dealing with external threats to East Africa, such as potential blockades, if the navy cannot act, breaking the blockade from the land will be the only choice."

Breaking the blockade from the land is straightforward: advancing through Egypt to directly extend East Africa’s sphere of influence to the Mediterranean coast.

Of course, this situation would occur if European Great Powers impose a blockade on East Africa while the East African Navy cannot act effectively.

Why does Cristiano consider this? It relates to the Atlantic situation. The blockade of East Africa by European countries mainly involves cutting off vital routes like the Suez Canal, which is an easy task.

Due to its vast area, the Atlantic makes it challenging to enforce a blockade of East Africa. Yet, there is a drawback: it’s unfavorable for defending East Africa’s western coast.

After all, East Africa’s naval strength cannot realistically compete with the United Kingdom among Atlantic nations. Currently, the UK’s fleet tonnage in the Atlantic surpasses two million tons, with another million tons in the Indian Ocean and other regions.

From the distribution of the Royal Navy, if East Africa were to engage in maritime war with the UK, the odds are not in East Africa’s favor, unless the East African Navy expands to match that of the UK. The reality is that East Africa’s navy is only about half the size of the British Navy.

However, as East Africa is not currently engaged in war, there is no justification for a reckless expansion of naval armaments. Maintaining a level above one million tons already places significant pressure on East Africa’s finances.

In the previous century, navies of various countries maintained a scale of tens of thousands of tons. As East Africa must consider the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, maintaining a naval scale of 1.5 million tons is a reasonable range based on this foundation.

Pripyat said, "Considering our nation’s area, population, and finances, expanding our military to over one million comes close to pre-war Russia’s level."

"This will not negatively impact the national economic operations while also ensuring our core interests amid world instability. Keeping a strong military is imperative."

No matter how the European war develops, the world order will ultimately undergo major changes. For East Africa to secure a share in this shift, having an impressive military force is essential to convince others. This applies not only to East Africa’s rivals, which are the other Great Powers, but also to boost the confidence of nations friendly with East Africa.

Naturally, this friendly relationship primarily refers to countries with significant trade relations with East Africa, namely those located in the newly opened overseas markets of East Africa.