Joshua Ryan

Joshua Ryan
Skin of Joshua7123
14th President of Vindex Nation
In office July 11, 2020 – September 13, 2020
Vice President	Leo Laff, Thomas Canes
Preceded by	Dave Rohan
Succeeded by	Matthew Cyrus
3rd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
In office June 30, 2019 – September 7, 2019
Appointed by	Wallace Wellington
Preceded by	Karate Jong Un
Succeeded by	Tyrone Abdulmani Silversmith
Personal details
Born	Joshua Ryan July 12, 1980 Vindex City, Viridis, V.N.
Political party	Independent
Occupation	Politician, military officer
Awards	Medal of Honor, Medal of Freedom
Military service
Branch/service	V.N. Army, V.N. Navy
Years of service	2019-2022
Rank	General, Admiral
Commands	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Naval Operations, Delta Force, Special Air Service, The Squadron
Battles/wars	Desert Campaign, Wilden War, War on the Rebellion, Classified Military Operations

Joshua Ryan (Joshua7123) was a Vinish military officer and statesman who served as the 14th President of Vindex Nation from July 11, 2020 to September 13, 2020. Before serving as President, he served as the 3rd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving as the highest-ranking military officer during the summer of 2020's Wilden War along with serving in this capacity during the War on the Rebellion, including conflicts involving Dixieland.

Enlisted Years

Returning to the Vinish Army as a Corporal, Joshua Ryan was put under the command of then-Colonel Robert Smith. As he progressed, he would find success under Smith. First as a sniper in Smith's infantry and next as a team leader. Ryan would continue to climb through the ranks, reaching Staff Sergeant. At the time, the Department of Defense was having struggles with retention leaving very few bodies at Fort Bragg. Because of this, Ryan would make connections early on with people such as Jon Schmitty and Doughnut Sprinkles. General Sprinkles, who was Chief of Staff of the Army at the time, would select Joshua Ryan to become a Drill Sergeant.

In his position as Drill Sergeant, he would focus on recruiting new enlistees into the V.N. Army, working under General Jack Specter who was TRADOC Commander at the time. Soon after General Sprinkles would leave his office as Chief of Staff of the Army, General Derek Scott would return to his position as the V.N. Army's Chief of Staff. Under General Scott, Ryan would achieve an immense amount of success and would be promoted directly from Drill Sergeant to Sergeant Major of the Army.

In his capacity as Sergeant Major of the Army, Joshua Ryan would serve as the field commander of the V.N. Army's re-established Delta Force. Due to the increased tensions with Wilden at the time, the Office of the Army Chief of Staff deemed it necessary to re-establish a special operations unit in order to conduct special reconnaissance and small-scale raids on possible targets, both foreign and domestic. Despite the increased tensions, Delta Force would never see combat during this time period and it's activity would decrease.

A picture of Joshua Ryan with two other members of Delta Force in a field training exercise

Close to 3 months after he would be made Sergeant Major of the Army, Joshua Ryan would be selected to join the Vindex Intelligence Agency under Director Anton Dre Marks. This would be Ryan's introduction to the agency, going on to serve with the agency once more before his presidency. It was also during his first-time at the agency where he would begin to associate himself with members of the Alumbrados and would become a member of the group. As an agent in the VIA, Ryan would focus on counter-terrorism efforts and would often deal with cases involving biological weapons.

It was also during his time in the VIA where he would begin making connections within the Wellington Administration. Because of these connections, he would be appointed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President Wallace Wellington. Ryan would be the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to serve as a General, the two prior to him both Admirals. Along with this, he was also the first to jump every officer role directly to the highest-ranking military officer within the service at the time.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Stepping into the role of being the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joshua Ryan would begin working closely with the Secretary of Defense Leo Laff. The first challenge that Ryan would encounter was addressing the toxicity and tensions that existed between the two branches, releasing his first statement that would establish a precedent that would punish personnel who were seen disrespecting the opposite branch.

General Joshua Ryan's first address to the Department of Defense following his appointment to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The second challenge that General Ryan would encounter was the absence of the Chief of Naval Operations. Despite going through two Admirals within his first couple of weeks, soon President Wellington would insert his own choice: Admiral Delroy Digby. Skeptical at first, Ryan and Digby would soon become close associates and would closely together during Ryan's tenure as Chairman.

With close friend General Schmitty as his Chief of Staff of the Army along with Admiral Digby as his Chief of Naval Operations, the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time were working in and out to be as efficient in day-to-day operations as possible. During this time would be seen the reconstruction of Naval Base Coronado, the expansion of the Vinish fleet, an entirely new inside to the Pentagon done by General Ryan and Secretary Laff themselves, an increase in retention and numbers in both branches, along with advancements being seen in Fort Bragg relating to it's buildings and training course.

In the first month of his time as Chairman, tensions would begin rising with the Rebellion. These tensions would come to a peak in the month of July 2019 after the Rebellion would establish their own Rebel Fleet, consisting of several well-known members of the Rebellion at the time including then-warlord Dixie Normous LXIX and his associates such as Vablo Escobar. On July 18th, 2019, the Vinish Fleet would intercept and attack the Rebel Fleet. With sailors sailing the ships and soldiers of the V.N. Army boarding the enemy's ships, Vindex Nation would win the conflict after sinking the fleet's flagship, the USS Wobbly's Mom.

It was also at this time that General Ryan would work with Admiral Digby and General Schmitty to establish the Special Air Service, which was a joint special operations task force that was made to be able to draw the best personnel from both branches in order to conduct unconventional warfare against Vindex Nation's enemies, specifically the rebels and emerging unratified nations. The SAS would be under the supervision of General Ryan however the field commanders of the task force were kept classified.

Statues of both General Ryan and Secretary Laff in the garden of the Pentagon, before the Pentagon was renovated

The same rebels responsible for the construction and operation of the Rebel Fleet would go on to construct Fort Dixie, a star-shaped fortress that served as the capitol of Dixieland. Under the instruction and supervision of General Ryan, the Special Air Service would locate Fort Dixie and destroy it using dynamite. Along with the destruction of Fort Dixie, the Special Air Service, in a similar operation, would target infrastructure of a newly emerging nation in order to disrupt the advancements of the nation in fear it would only create another area for rebels to take refuge. General Ryan would later admit that the Vinish were responsible for both operations, admitting to originally trying to pin both operations on Wilden.

A picture captured of Fort Dixie being prepared to be blown up by personnel of the Special Air Service

Another landmark of Ryan's tenure as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was his involvement in the Wilden War that took place during the summer of 2019. Responsible for the creation of Operation Oak Tree, an operation created with the intent to take over Wilden. Tensions began rising with Wilden early on in the summer however wouldn't reach it's peak until late July / early August after Operation Oak Tree would be take place following multiple standoffs between both Wilden and Vinish troops. Due to the success of Operation Oak Tree, Vindex Nation would take over Wilden and would replace it's then King with President Wellington's own selection, newly-crowned King Alfred Hitchcock.

A showcase of the Department of Defense's numbers before the invasion of Wilden took place

Following the success of Operation Oak Tree, General Ryan would receive the Medal of Honor from President Wellington in recognition for his creation of the operation and his supervision / commanding of the Vinish personnel on the ground at the time.

Following the summer, General Ryan would resign from his post as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He would go into retirement following this, returning to his humble farming lifestyle.

Pre-Presidency

Nearly six months after his retirement from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joshua Ryan would return to the public light. This time he would return with political ambitions.

Ryan would run for Representative, winning in his first election-run. Entering Vindex Nation's House of Representatives, now-congressman Ryan would gain his first experience with the Nationalist Party, a political party that would rival him throughout the remainder of his political career. Despite involving himself in politics now, Joshua Ryan wouldn't align himself with any political party.

As a Representative, Ryan would help write as well as would introduce the "Potion Illegalization Act" with the purpose to illegalize the use and ownership of splash potions that inflict detrimental effects on others. Writing this with then-President Adrian Jackson, the bill would end up being signed into law soon after it's introduction and passing of congress.

After his first stint in Congress was over, Ryan would be elected to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives. As Speaker, Joshua Ryan would use his newly-acquired power to combat the Nationalist Party and their alleged attempts to try and acquire power from the office of the Speaker.

Along with this, it was during his time as Speaker of the House when he would begin his Presidential campaign on May 19th, 2020. With Leo Laff, a fellow Alumbrado, as his running-mate and David McLellan as his campaign manager, Ryan would quickly become the favorited candidate in the race. Along with this, Ryan would receive endorsements from two former presidents, Calvin Herb and Brock O'Leary, along with then-Viridis governor Jon Fowler.

Campaign poster for the Joshua Ryan for President Campaign

Following his time as Speaker of the House, Joshua Ryan would go on to serve as both an agent in the Vindex Intelligence Agency and as the Secretary of Treasury for a short time under President David Rohan.

In the months leading up to election-day, Joshua Ryan would establish a campaign headquarters in uptown Vindex City, Viridis. With the help of his associates and allies, Ryan was able to capture several different demographics of voters in Vindex Nation. His opponent for a majority of the race was Eoin Mills, the Secretary-General of the United Nations at the time and somebody who Ryan had served with in the Vinish military when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A picture of the Joshua Ryan For President campaign headquarters in uptown Vindex City

As time went on, and the publicly-broadcasted debates began occurring, Joshua Ryan solidified himself as the favorited candidate. In months leading up to election-day, polling had taken place in several Vinish news networks to make an educated guess as to who was most likely to win the Presidency. Joshua Ryan had won in a landslide nearly every time. Following the last public debate that took place, Eoin Mills would drop out of the race.

This would lead to an even further landslide on election-day, Joshua Ryan winning against other candidates with nearly triple digits. On July 11th, 2020, Joshua Ryan would be sworn in as the 14th President of Vindex Nation.

Presidency

During the Ryan Administration, one of it's greatest feats was it's budget. At one point in the Presidency, the budget reached around seven million dollars with Secretary of Treasury Brody McLallen which was an all-time high since several administrations before. Because of this, the Ryan Administration was able to expand several of it's programs.

There were very few campaign promises that President Ryan was unable to fulfill, one of these being his low-income housing that he had advocated for. However due to the Emperor's inability to, the low-income housing was never constructed.

Almost all of the departments saw progress under the Ryan Administration. The Department of Health and Human Services constructed it's new department headquarters under Secretary Thomas Canes, the Department of Justice would experience one of it's biggest drug busts in history with the DEA seizing over 12,000 narcotics during one raid, the Department of Defense would take on multiple military operations and would be responsible for quelling the Rebellion for a majority of the time President Ryan was in office, and the Department of State would become rejuvenated under Secretary Ted Hastings who President Ryan valued as one of his best cabinet members and close associates. The Vindex Intelligence Agency would be tasked with more counter-intelligence gathering, with President Ryan making the decision to move biological weapon control to the Drug Enforcement Agency which was meant with a small amount of backlash.

Throughout his presidency, Ryan adhered to a political philosophy of dynamic conservatism. Oftentimes, while he believed change and progression should be valued, it should also go hand-in-hand with conservative practices.

For his recreation, President Ryan was an avid fisherman but also enjoyed engaging with the citizens of Vindex Nation. Often times he could be seen in Seawall by either the bank or the college.

The Rebellion

President Ryan was staunch in his beliefs against the Rebellion, having served against them during his times in the Vinish military, from the time he was a Corporal to when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Because of this, President Ryan was harsh in his treatment and his government's treatment of members of the Rebellion.

During his administration, one operation had taken place where Department of Defense personnel were deployed to a rebel stronghold rumored to house rebel supplies and stolen currency. Met with rebel fire, Vinish military forces would win the conflict and would obtain the rebel's caches of weapons and stolen currency.

With one of his main goals being to destroy the Rebellion, President Ryan would succeed so by the end of his Presidency with little-to-no rebel presence within Vindex Nation.

Foreign Affairs and Military Operations Abroad

President Ryan would bring Ted Hastings on as Secretary of State for the Ryan Administration. With Secretary Hastings, President Ryan would make an attempt to better relations with the other nations, notably Malta. However, due to his own past and tensions still existing, Wilden and Vindex Nation would still be at odds.

Very few military operations abroad took place, however, most notably was when President Ryan had the Vinish military deployed via carrier strike group to target the Saud Kruger island where terrorists were seeking refuge. The Vinish military would see major success in this operation, driving out the terrorists from their place of refuge with no friendly casualties during the operation. Despite the success from this operation, this would stir conflict within the Vinish congress due to congressmen questioning the President's ability to order such an operation.

Working closely with the Secretary of State, the Ryan Administration was able to sign treaty agreements with the other foreign nations which would disallow terrorists from taking refuge in foreign nations. Along with this, more diplomatic visits would take place between the nations. While not working well with Wilden's Prime Minister at the time, President Ryan and the Wilden King would be on good terms and would work closely.

Veteran Affairs and Businesses

Taking office on July 11th, 2020, President Ryan had a long list of policies and campaign promises he had wanted to enact. With strong support for small businesses as well as the veterans, one of his first acts was that he established the Veteran Affairs program which popularized and promoted veteran discounts at several Vinish businesses, including at Reddington Industries, SuB News, and Specter Company Limited. In doing this, Ryan attempted to promote both veteran welfare and Vinish businesses located around Vindex Nation.

Relations with Congress, Impeachment of Vice President Laff

President Ryan's relations with the Vindex Nation House of Representatives was rocky for a majority of his term due to the stronghold that the Nationalist Party had on the congress. Despite this, however, President Ryan would remain close to then-Speaker Ryan Huston, who would eventually become the President of Vindex Nation. Due to this close alliance that Ryan and Huston had established, Ryan was able to keep some grasp on the House of Representatives and some of it's operations.

A couple of times had members of the Nationalist Party, most notably Tadakatsu Honda, tried to call for the impeachment of President Ryan. With very little evidence and very poor grounds for impeachment, these impeachments were never taken serious and were waved away.

However, this was not the case for Vice President Leo Laff. After an exchange at the Seawall Bank, Speaker Huston had alerted President Ryan to the strong possibility of the impeachment of his Vice President. Witnesses say following a conversation between the President and his Vice President, Leo Laff would resign from his office. In his stead, President Ryan would appoint Thomas Canes to be his next Vice President, being promoted from Secretary of Health and Human Services. Replacing Canes would be Crepe Adams, who would serve in this capacity for several more administrations following the Ryan Administration.

End of Presidency

Due to the completion of all of his promised policies and proposals despite a few he was unable to enact, Joshua Ryan would resign from being President of Vindex Nation and would allow for Vice President Thomas Canes to take over, who would then allow for Secretary Matthew Cyrus to take over.

Before resigning, Joshua Ryan would release a handful of pictures that would expose certain members of the Nationalist Party for possible fraud and attempting to take actions against Vindex Nation to aid their own political ambitions.