Operation Prime Meridian

Operation Prime Meridian, commonly shortened to Op. Meridian, was a large-scale military campaign conducted by the United Federal States of Lucithia during the collapse of the Entaran Empire. Originally developed as a contingency plan during the First Cold War, the operation was intended to be executed only if Entara appeared likely to gain nuclear weapons or if a major war threatened the balance of power in Enequit. Its primary objectives were the liberation of Aquita, the destruction of Entara's strategic military capabilities, the prevention of either the SSK or Entara from establishing uncontested dominance over Enequit, and the restoration of governments that had been displaced during the Enequit Wars.

The operation was activated after Entara uncovered an SSK sabotage mission targeting its nuclear weapons program. Viewing the infiltration as an act of war, Entara launched retaliatory bomber strikes against SSK military installations, initiating the SSK–Entaran War. Fearing that a prolonged conflict would either allow Entara to complete its nuclear program or permit the SSK to dominate the continent, the UFSL entered the war under Operation Prime Meridian. Lucithian forces landed in occupied Aquita while simultaneously advancing into southern Entaran territory alongside Aquitan resistance groups. Superior industrial capacity, air superiority, and coordinated logistical planning enabled the UFSL to rapidly dismantle Entaran defenses, while SSK offensives from the north further stretched the empire's military resources.

The defeat of Entara fundamentally reshaped the political order of Aron. Aquita regained its independence under a pro-UFSL government, southern Clara and several neighboring territories entered the Lucithian sphere of influence, while northern occupied regions came under SSK administration. Recognizing that further resistance would be futile following Entara's collapse, Glaria surrendered without a major military campaign. Although Operation Prime Meridian achieved its immediate military objectives, it also marked the end of the three-power balance that had defined the First Cold War. In its aftermath, global politics became dominated by the rivalry between the UFSL and the SSK, beginning the Second Cold War and establishing the geopolitical order that would persist until the Kertari Meteor crisis and Operation Overthrow.