**CLASSIFIED** **EYES ONLY**

To Fleet Admiralty:

What follows is the official Colonial Fleet Intelligence Committee Report on the first use of nuclear weapons since the arrival of rearmament program missiles at forward-deployed fleets.

Cylon presence around a Colonial Fleet data center prompted immediate evacuation of all personnel. After evacuation, it was determined that not all data had been removed from the site during the evacuation. In order to prevent the enemy from acquiring classified data, Commander Murray was ordered to counterattack and destroy the data center before the Cylons could achieve access.

Cmdr. Murray tasked the 11th Fleet with this mission and Captain of the 11th Fleet Flagship Commander Sleeman immediately deployed the 11th to the zone. Upon arrival, it became apparent that the Cylon forces would need to be engaged before the 11th could move in range to destroy the data center. Thankfully, the Cylon force consisted only of a light scout fleet: under armed light carriers with token fighter escort, and a small gunship screening force.

Cmdr. Sleeman deployed fighters and pushed straight down the center of the Cylon line; he managed to anchor almost all Cylon forces away from the data center. However, Raptor reconnaissance discovered a single enemy Talon-class light carrier moving towards the data center; as the Cylon fleet still provided significant impediment to Cmdr. Sleeman’s ability to break through, Cmdr. Murray took personal command to authorize a nuclear strike against the enemy carrier.

After the Cylon demonstration of detonated nuclear weapons in border space, our rearmament program has been proceeding rapidly and smoothly, but nuclear missiles have not been deployed in combat until today. This firing of nuclear ordnance proves that the program has been successful, and the Colonial Fleet Intelligence Committee officially recommends that Admiralty authorizes Fleet Flagship Captains to utilize nuclear munitions when necessary and at their discretion.

The nuclear strike annihilated the enemy Talon carrier and successfully prevented access to the data center. Cmrd. Sleeman then performed a textbook fleet gunnery assault with fighter support on the remaining forces, and the Cylon fleet was cut to pieces in short order. Raptor flight was recalled, and Viper squadrons were sent to destroy the data center, while capital ships mopped up the remaining enemy forces.

Video recording of the engagement is attached.

Colonial Fleet Intelligence Committee Exercise Report:

Further to the initial combat experiences with the new Mark II Variant of our Viper fighter, an exercise was conducted between opposing Colonial forces to more fully ascertain the limits of the Viper Mk. II’s combat capabilities.

Colonial Fleet ships acting as the Opposing Force (OpFor) were marked in Yellow, and flew a traditional Fleet Composition while deploying Viper Mk. I Fighters.
 
The Mk. I Vipers and our Mk. II Vipers met between the fleets and engaged in a fighter-on-fighter engagement. The Viper Mk. IIs quickly won the dogfight, devastating the OpFor craft. While marginally less durable than the Mk. I, the Mk. II’s superior speed and maneuverability allowed them to dictate the terms of the engagement, stay out of the firing zones of the OpFor fighters, and in some cases literally fly circles around their enemies. The OpFor Mk. I Viper squadrons were as effective as unarmed target drones, and the Mk. II squadrons quickly secured total fighter supremacy in the battlespace.

To further test their capabilities, the Mk. II squadrons were instructed to attack the enemy capital ships, with no support from their own fleet. The Mk. II squadrons were able to efficiently pick apart and destroy the OpFor’s Adamant-Class frigates and even their Ranger-Class Missile Cruiser without the loss of a single Mk. II fighter.
 
With the data from this wargame exercise, and the past combat experience reported by Commander Murray, the Colonial Fleet Intelligence Committee revises their previous recommendation to a mandatory order: All fighter squadrons must be equipped with the new Viper Mk. II Variant or be classified Combat Ineffective by the end of the month.

To Fleet Admiralty:

The following is a Colonial Intelligence Committee report on the first deployment of two new ship designs; you will find relevant visual files attached.
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The two new designs in question: Minotaur-class Gunship, Atlas-class Carrier.

The Minotaur-class, as the name implies, is a heavily armed, heavily armored gun platform. It has no ordnance launch system and does not support fighter-class craft.
 
While the Minotaur-class provides an overwhelming amount of gunnery power, the reduction in available fighter squadrons impacts tactical flexibility of the overall fleet.

The Atlas-class is an older design from the days of Virgon's Imperialism, designed around fighter-class squadrons. They field more fighter-class craft than the Artemis-class Battlestar without occupying as many resources, but lack almost any kind of offensive firepower. Their robust armor defense coupled with the enemy's penchant for prioritizing them as targets makes them useful as tools to draw fire from more valuable ships or to break up enemy formations.

Attached combat recording shows how the two new ship classes, in concert with Artemis-class Battlestars and Viper squadrons, can create a multifaceted force which no single enemy response can withstand, but also points to tactical weaknesses in the specialization of ships which must be carefully considered during any engagement.
 
Upon analysis of this and other skirmishes, and with the declining effectiveness of the Adamant-class frigate in the face of larger and tougher enemy ships, the Intelligence Committee officially recommends a new strike fleet composition of either:
 
2 Artemis,
1 Atlas,
4 Minotaur
 
OR
 
2 Artemis,
2 Atlas,
3 Minotaur
 
Depending on the need for fighter craft or ship gunnery.