Senate Votes to Expand Navy

Perugia, Umbria
23.12.31149 17.43 UMT

The Senate passed a new appropriations bill increasing funding for the Navy by three hundred percent in response to the growing conflict with the Ascomanni.

The bill quickly passed through the Senate Armed Services Committee, where it received unanimous support.

Passage in the larger Senate proved more contentious however.

Resistance primarily emerged from those Senators who believed that the best path forward to ending the conflict with the Ascomanni rested in diplomacy.

Led by the late Senator Albus Litorius, this faction argued forcefully against additional spending without first exploring alternative solutions, an argument that found traction with many of the core worlds' representatives.

Their arguments were rebuffed by several of their peers, many of whom had served previously in the Republic's military or with the Reaction Force. These men and women were quick to point to the horrors of Battipaglia and the failed effort to liberate the planet.

Several high profile individuals within the military establishment were called to testify before the Senate, including Legate Aulus Festus, the man who lead the Reaction Force's initial mission to liberate Battipaglia and who sustained critical injuries during the attempt.

Their efforts were augmented by the bill's sponsor, retired Archus turned Senator Alessia Bantia.

Senator Bantia proved especially persuasive, making the case that the bravery and courage of the soldier on the ground would count for nothing if the Navy could not prevent the enemy from reinforcing their positions or bombarding Umbrian forces from above with impunity.

Several weeks of impassioned debate had preceded passage of the spending package, but the recent death of Senator Litorius cracked the peace party's stubborn resistance to the bill. With a clear overture for dialogue brutally rebuffed, those arguing that the Republic faces an implacable and relentless foe gained traction.

Increasingly, politicians are framing the conflict as an existential struggle for the very survival of the Umbrian people. They suggest that negotiations cannot hope to be successful unless the Republic can present a credible force capable of beating back the Ascomanni.

This further weakened resistance to the measure, as few were willing to stake their political careers on appearing soft towards the enemy.

These arguments have found support in the highest echelons of the Republic hierarchy. Sources close to the Triumvirate report that both Triumvirs Eppia and Decius have been moved by this line of reasoning, while Triumvir Sestius's hesitance to expand the conflict has been much reduced by recent events.

Already there are calls to raise a fifth army group, and recent reversals in the Frontier ensure that the trend towards mobilization will continue.