Gulf Republic

The Gulf Republic stands as one of the strongest post-rupture governments, having established a dedicated infrastructure for warnings and protection against ash storms, and a military capable of several semi-successful operations into the outer and inner ashlands. Their industry primarily consists of agriculture and fishing, resulting in one of the few regions with a stable food supply. The Gulf Republic is currently undergoing an effort to clean the ash from the Gulf Of Mexico, where the ash has harmed local wildlife. The republic itself holds territory in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, with sections of Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida as the founding members of the republic.

## Military

The Gulf Republic has two branches, each with four sub branches, the Ground Forces and Naval Forces. The Ground Forces are made up of Infantry, Armor, Recon, and Air.
Infantry is heavily mechanized with vehicles for all troops.
Armor uses left over Abrams tanks but has been increasingly reliant on homegrown armored vehicles in a move for greater independence.

Recon are the special forces and guard the border of the Republic They make regular patrols into the Outer Ashlands and utilize a large amount of drones to conduct their operations.
Air is a mixture of many different aircraft that perform almost any role required by the Gulf republic. From Air Cavalry to “Ash Hunter” aircraft that fly into the storms to collect data, much like their “Hurricane Hunter” predecessors.

Due to being on the Gulf Coast the Gulf Republic Naval Forces is just as important as it’s Ground Forces. Made up by “The Fleet”, Patrol, Riverine, and Logistics.

“The Fleet” is based in Mobile Bay and is comprised of the largest vessels of the Gulf Republic Naval Forces. It’s flagship, The USS Alabama, earned eternal glory by physically blocking the pass between Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island, protecting mobile bay from hostile forces with its 16in guns. Renamed the “Swamp Dragon” she is joined by a Wasp Class Carrier and a few destroyers. It is rumored to also include the only Submarine operated by a faction, but no such vessel has been sighted.

Patrol vessels are used to great extent to protect the coast of the Gulf Republic from intrusion. Adapter from Offshore charter fishing boats, these high speed vessels can chase down anything on the water while having the firepower to deal with anything they can catch them. Utilizing offshore oil rigs as motherships these vessels make sure the flow of oil is always protected.

The Riverine squadrons use the many hundreds of rivers and bayous of the Gulf Republic to rapidly respond the any threat and deploy Marines to combat it. The large amount of ash in the waterways requires specialized craft to operate effectively. Airboats, hovercraft, and other amphibious vehicles make up the bulk of the squadrons. The only exception is the Mississippi Squadron which utilizes heavily armored barges that “slide” over the Ash clogged Mississippi. Protecting the still vital, yet diminished, traffic.

The logistics of the Naval forces consists of many retrofitted civilian vessels from all over. From fueling barges and bulk carriers full of supplies to Tall Ships used in the early days when fuel was scarce.