The Middle Eastern Coalition is a union of the various nations that comprise of the Middle East, founded in order to unite the force before the threat of BETA.
History[]
After the BETA made landfall in Kashgar in 1973, they quickly pushed through the combined armies of the Chinese Communist and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics forces, towards Eurasia. Their advance towards Europe brought them into contact with the nations of the Middle East; the Arab nations quickly realized that the BETA advance would bring them into contact with the aliens before the BETA arrived in Eurasia, and recognized the need to set aside their differences.[1] The leaders of the Arab nations agreed to combine their forces according to a new organization structure for this war, and thus brought their forces together into a unified jihad army, or "holy crusade", against the encroaching aliens. In 1978, the First Jihad Union Army, as it was then known, launched a simultaneous counterattack against the BETA. [1]
Despite their fervor, the Middle Eastern nations were rendered helpless in the face of the BETA; at that time, anti-BETA tactics had yet to be developed, the equipment of the jihad forces were antiquated, and they were unable to match their numbers against the overwhelming advantage in material resources that the BETA enjoyed.[1] With the frontlines in danger of being overrun, the Empire of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) suppo agreed to buy and deploy US-manufactured F-4 Phantoms, supporting each others' decisions against the protests of the other Middle Eastern nations in what they saw as an abandonment of their original ideology.[1] In return for straining the production quota of the United States of America, the oil fields of the Middle Eastern Coalition were quickly secured by the US, with production values now influenced by US involvement in the region.
Many in the Coalition were displeased at such a development, but few could go against the Coalition's leadership council, which are dominated by the pro-American Saudi Arabia and UAE. It was also a fact that the MEU's adoption of the TSF into its armies helped to stall the BETA advance, and gave the wounded militaries of the Coalition's member nations the time needed to rest, recover and regroup. In order to defuse the tension between the anti-American Coalition nations and itself, the USA, which aimed to foster a more permanent pro-American stance in the region, quickly approved the export of its 2nd generation TSFs to the MEU, even at a time when the same TSFs had just entered service in the USA.[1]
In time, the jihad army would be developed into the Middle Eastern Union Forces as it is known today.[1] Despite their best efforts, the MEU forces were pushed back across the Middle East, along the Arabian Sea; construction of the Anbar Hive in Iraq, in 1984, forced the Middle Eastern Coalition to finally abandon the Arabian Peninsula and retreat to beyond the Suez Canal, where they were incorporated into UN command structure as part of the forces stationed at the African defence lines.[1] As of 2001, the Middle Eastern Union, African Union, and overseas French troops continue to hold the defense line at the Suez Canal.
Organization[]
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Empire of Iran are three of the more influential members of the Middle Eastern Coalition, and are all allies of USA.
Armed Forces[]
Despite being comprised of national militaries that encountered the BETA relatively early on, the Middle Eastern Coalition's large-scale adoption of 2nd generation TSFs was relatively recent compared to other frontline nations.
Empire of Iran[]
The Empire of Iran has had a reputation for boasting of its peerless military might. Unlike Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Iran received the F-14 Tomcat as its 2nd generation TSF during the US export of TSFs to the Middle Eastern Coalition. [1]
- An Iranian-operated F-14Ex Super Tomcat test flight that is known to have operated stationed at the Suez Canal as part of the defense line. They were deployed to a reconnaissance mission north of the Tigris-Euphrates river system in former Syria, and later participated in Project PROMINENCE.
Saudi Arabia[]
The nation received the F-15 Eagle as its 2nd generation TSF during the US export of TSFs to the Middle Eastern Coalition.[1]
United Arab Emirates[]
Longtime regional ally of the United States of America. Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE operates the F-15 Eagle within their forces.
Trivia[]
- Despite Age's world building, the Iranians are of the Persian demographic, not Arab.