Kingdom of Listeneisse Nuclear Weapons Programme

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Assessing nuclear capabilities of the Kingdom of Listeneisse is problematic in terms of budget analysis. The Kingdom does not pass budgets through a parliament or congress, but through the Privy Council of the King. As such, there are open budget items revealed to the public and private budgetary items kept within the sealed conversations of government.

As one of its first decisions upon entering international engagement, the Kingdom of Listeneisse opened up specific areas of the Perilous Forest National Park for uranium mining. Therefore, it is self-reliant in terms of nuclear fuel. Poor radiation controls on behalf of the operation, which begun operations in the midst the nation's worst depression, led to a massive irradiation of woodland areas and watersheds. The ebb and flow of desertification along the edge of the forest is known as The Wasteland.

The government shunted all resources into a massive cleanup. Mining tailings were processed to ensure the vast majority of uranium avoided polluting the groundwater and rivers. Ecological and health care programmes were instituted to deal with the issue. Because of the remote areas under development, casualties tended to be miners and persons from mining and rural towns. Cancer and other illnesses symptomatic of radiation effects remain high in the area. Top doctors and scientists were recruited to analyze and treat radiation-related illnesses.

Ever since, the government has been rabidly anti-nuclear outwardly, focusing on defense against nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. It has tried, but failed, to lobby for restrictions and bans on chemical weapons in the UN.

Internal discussion of treatment of radiation accidents and poisonings causally led to discussion of defenses against nuclear weapons and protections for civil and military populations. Security programmes allowed government monitoring of public places with television cameras, even scanning the Internet for related terrorist information traffic. It has produced its own NBC reconnaissance vehicle, which accompanies all major ground force deployments. The government first invested heavily in theatre defense surface-to-air missile systems (q.v. "Patriot"). Many of the missiles are kept ready for home defense.

Finally, seeing how disarmament was useless in the face of so many rogue nations in the world, use of nuclear force for national defense was broached and the King apparently assented to it under grave reservations.

The nuclear weapons programme was begun first as a method to analyze their effects to lead to defensive systems. Therefore all weapons development was kept to the sub-megaton range.

Delivery Systems

The Kingdom does have a very active space programme, with Titan IV-class boosters capable of conversion to ICBMs, but it maintains no ready fleet of missiles in silos similar to other nations. Neither does it have a strategic bomber programme. Rather than invest in ICBMs or strategic bombers, it was felt attack submarines and surface vessels deploying cruise missiles tipped with tactical nuclear warheads could be produced less expensively yet provide a similar deterrant. They could also provide other military functions using conventional weapons.

Arsenal

The number of exact warheads in the Kingdom of Listeneisse arsenal is unknown, but estimated at less than a thousand.

Yields on the first generation weapons tended to be set to 25 kilotons, but the recent classes of weapons were selectable "dial-a-yield" types that could range between 5-150 kilotons.

Therefore maximum yield of all weapons combined is estimated at 150 megatons or less.

If the Kingdom has designed larger weapons, or has more weapons in its arsenal than estimated, both of which are likely and quite possible, the above figure could be vastly expanded.

Weapons are controlled by the Royal Navy of Listeneisse (RNL) and the Royal Air Force of Listeneisse (RAFL).

Nuclear Weapons Defense

Postulating a theoretical nuclear attack during MILEX '05, a joint military exercise in Van Luxemburg, the following information was leaked:

"We might be able to stop a good few of those ICBMs coming inbound. We have paid for quite a few thousand antiballistic missiles for home defense. We also have some space-based defense. I believe we had budgeted for 3,920 Patriots missiles in the past six budget cycles alone. We had stockpiled 9,040 antiballistic missiles before that in past budget cycles, and I believe there are now a fleet of 50 or 60 orbital KKVs -- kinetic kill vehicles. I'd have to check to see the exact number in orbit. I'd also have to check on the break down between types, but I do believe that most are capable of suborbital interception long before detonation." -- Air Marshal Sir Roger Petipace, Royal Air Force of Listeneisse (RAFL) Commander KLEF Air Forces, MILEX VL '05

"Yes, so about 10,000 anti-missle interceptors to catch them if they get sub-orbital, and a fair number can even get bagged in orbit before they MIRV. Thank you, Air Marshal." -- General Lord Mordrains Oberica, Royal Army of Listeneisse (RAL) Commander KLEF, MILEX VL '05

Source: MILEX VL '05 (24 Oct 2005)