[Raellus]

I think the best way to handle those, "what the heck?" issues with canon is to work out a plausible explanation. I prefer that approach to complete RETCONs. If not all of the U.S. Army sided with MilGov, it stands to reason that not all of the USN did either. There's your escorts right there (although I do like the idea of including some Coast Guard vessels). I don't see it as too far out of the realm of possibilities for CivGov to possess enough refined fuel oil to power a fleet on a one-way trip to Europe (if not a round trip). Perhaps the commanders of the divisions sent to Yugoslavia were true believers- loyal CivGov men and ardent anti-communists who believed in fighting for a free, CivGov-aligned Europe. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Anyway, here's an idea that occurred to me- a way to target enemy forces in harbor without quite as much collateral damage as an airburst or ground strike nuke. Both Soviets and U.S. developed nuclear torpedoes in the 1950s and '60s. I suppose that it's possible to program such a torpedo to run straight and shallow. It seems like it would be a pretty ideal anti-harbor weapon- that one could bag several vessels and damage piers and such without wrecking inland areas (most major ports abut cities). Thoughts?