Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 1477

It struck me that with any military power, even galactic in nature, the maintainance of a peacetime military is quite extreme. We know that within the GTVA there is a great deal of turmoil. (NTF rebellion, Russik incident, aka Generic GTI conspiracy#2, the later events of Derelict and BWO)

The GTVA being able to retaliate after a surprise attack in a system with full force is blatantly unrealistic, and led to the NTF rebellion as well as the prolonged engagement in the systems within the campaign Warzone.

Realising the need for a force like this, would the GTVA resort to a small, expensive force designed for mobility? Special Operations Command and the GTI are only effective against known enemies and require a great deal of support from the GTVA security council. (due to Hades incident paranoia)

Overall, the idea in this would be that the Scythes of Twilight would go from a novelty "Elite V-T unit" rarely used in combat into an unofficial Rapid Response Unit or RRU.

What are the thoughts on this? A serious enough gamble for the GTVA? Or an unesscessary option?

Also, what are your ideas on the GTVA military reserves? Is this handled by required terms of service in the GTVA naval forces. (similar to Israel) Or are there "system guards" within the Beta Aquilae Convention. (despite the GTVA seeming unified in FS2, it is still an alliance of Terran system-states and the Vasudan Imperium, unlike the more centralized GTA of the Great War)

Note: The general opinion on these two matters will decide how two missions are handled, one dealing with system reserves in Deneb or lack thereof.

__________________
Ace
There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots; but no old bold pilots.
-Chuck Yeager

• [url="http://www.adamantpacified.org/"]adamantpacified.org[/url]|[url="http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/"]FreeSpace Watch[/url]|[url="http://dynamic4.gamespy.com/~freespace/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=9"]Nodewars Moderator[/url]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: The Cold Northland!
Posts: 8392

Reserves are probably handeled in the same way that the Americans do it. At least, thats the system I understand best (reserves in Canada aren't really very much). Basically, the pilots are airline pilots during the week, and reserve fighter pilots during the weekends. They use the slightly older technology and less effective weapons, but in time of war, they become a very important force to be reckoned with.

Same thing with the GTVA I bet.

__________________
- IceFire
Volition Watch Project Manager
[url=http://www.volitionwatch.com]Volition Watch[/url], [url=http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/blackwater]BlackWater Operations[/url], [url=http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/babylon]The Babylon Project[/url], [url=http://terra.sourceforge.net]Machina Terra[/url], [url=http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/ott/]Over The Top[/url]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 882

Well, my campaign is based solely on the idea that the SOC has been developed into a rapid reaciton taskforce.... able to operate above and beyond traditional lines of command, and given the latest in ship tech for this purpose.

__________________
VBB Survivor - Mar 2001 to 12 April 2002 - 1107 posts

Hit it 'til it gives up....

[URL=http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/reciprocity]RECIPROCITY[/URL] [URL=http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/reciprocity/demo.html]The Luyten Incident[/URL]
[URL=http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/reciprocity/casualtiesofwar/main.htm]Casualties of War[/URL]
ICQ: 119819902

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 1477

Well I'm not sure if the US/Cannuck method of reserves would be the way in the GTVA. Maybe some others have some good ideas too

On using the SOC as a rapid response force, it might work well for your campaign Aldo, but I'm thinking there are too many loop holes in the GTVA to be able to do that...

__________________
Ace
There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots; but no old bold pilots.
-Chuck Yeager

• [url="http://www.adamantpacified.org/"]adamantpacified.org[/url]|[url="http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/"]FreeSpace Watch[/url]|[url="http://dynamic4.gamespy.com/~freespace/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=9"]Nodewars Moderator[/url]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Denial
Posts: 84

well maybe since the SOC is really a type of Navy Seals or Special OPs group they can be a quick strike team, but with the whole reservets idea do waht Ice said, use us Americans for a templet, you know when green fighters get under pressure they buckel down and become an ungoldy force to deal with, its that whole fight fer survival thing. Secondly i would use the Scythes for just that reason a Rapid Response Team, or a surgical strike team hit the enemy as hard as u can ans hop out then bring in another lager team that u muster up after u launche the RRT and mop up

__________________
C:\WINDOWS C:\WINDOWS\GO C:\PC\CRAWL

C:\DOS C:\DOS\RUN RUN\DOS\RUN

I pray that when i go into battle, that i will shoot straight and be valiant, fight for what i believe in and for those i believe in, and if I die in battle let not my sacrifice be in vain. --Azrael, TheAvenging Angel

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Posts: 928

Since y'all mentioned my beautiful home, Israel, I thought I'd explain how things work over here.

At 18 years of age I was drafted into the army for a period of 3 years, during which I had the choice to try and go for officers course, which would have had me signed on for another year+. With a few exceptions, every eligible male or female citizen of Israel has to serve in the IDF. The exceptions are Yeshiva students and Israeli-Arabs - the former being for religious reasons and the latter for reasons which I never asked about, and don't know.

Anyways, after my 3-year service I was released into civillian life, but the IDF can (and has, and will) draft me for up to 30 (it may be 40 nowadays) days of reserve duty a year, split into pretty much however many times and whenever they want. :-/

I can get out of reserve duty fairly easily; if I was supposed to be out of the country at that time I could get out of it entirely (for that time), or if I become a student I would get half-length service, etc.

Reserve duty alternates between training periods with live-fire excercises, and active duty at checkposts or in patrol jeeps - that kind of stuff.

Now, about a RRU... Israel has been employing a cool "RRU" force around town for the last year or so. It (they, actually) is comprised of 2 dudes on a motorbike, wearing a combo of special police forces garb and leather jackets, and decked out in weaponry to the gills. Sub-machine guns, pistols, knives, batons - and those are the weapons that we (the public) can see. They zoom throughout town, looking for suspicious people and just generally keeping their eyes open. So whenever something bad happens, whether it be a terrorist attack or the collapse of a wedding hall ( ), those dudes are usually the very first official people on the scene. They're waaaay cool.

__________________
"He who laughs last thinks slowest."
"Just becase you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you."
"To err is human; to really screw up you need a computer."
Creator of the [url="http://www.geocities.com/sandvich/"]Sandvich Bar[/url]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: England
Posts: 632

Well we(British) have our Rapid Reaction force. Usually they are elite Royal Marine units that buzz off to places like Sierra Leone and Afganistan. Comparing that to the GTVA i'd say the GTVI or SOC would probably be sent in as a Rapid reaction team. Although small in number, they are highly trained and can contain the problem until the big guns arrive.

__________________
See the Shivan Kill the Shivan

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 1477

Of course here in the United States only males are eligible for the draft, and I'm not sure if any change to that is in the near future.

Also, in the United States, I know for a fact that the local reserve forces aren't using out of date tech compared to most of the airforce. Oregon has slightly newer planes then Washington state, but Washington has nukes

Even then armaments in both states are current, though Washington has fewer FA/18s then Oregon.

__________________
Ace
There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots; but no old bold pilots.
-Chuck Yeager

• [url="http://www.adamantpacified.org/"]adamantpacified.org[/url]|[url="http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/"]FreeSpace Watch[/url]|[url="http://dynamic4.gamespy.com/~freespace/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=9"]Nodewars Moderator[/url]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Lo-Fidelity All Star
Posts: 2273

Rapid Response Force? The T* is intended to supply fighter cover for such groups, since it's faster than any destroyer. Probably the newest and best stuff, but not necessarily the heavy, since they'd have to hit hard but above all, early.

__________________
WE ARE HARD LIGHT PRODUCTIONS. YOU WILL LOWER YOUR FIREWALLS AND SURRENDER YOUR COMPUTERS. WE WILL ADD YOUR INTELLECTUAL AND VERNACULAR DISTINCTIVENESS TO OUR OWN. YOUR FORUM WILL ADAPT TO SERVICE US. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: The Cold Northland!
Posts: 8392

quote:

---

Also, in the United States, I know for a fact that the local reserve forces aren't using out of date tech compared to most of the airforce. Oregon has slightly newer planes then Washington state, but Washington has nukes.

---

__________________
- IceFire
Volition Watch Project Manager
[url=http://www.volitionwatch.com]Volition Watch[/url], [url=http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/blackwater]BlackWater Operations[/url], [url=http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/babylon]The Babylon Project[/url], [url=http://terra.sourceforge.net]Machina Terra[/url], [url=http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/ott/]Over The Top[/url]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 1477

True, but the way it sounded, you were saying that the reserve forces were using almost out of date tech.

__________________
Ace
There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots; but no old bold pilots.
-Chuck Yeager

• [url="http://www.adamantpacified.org/"]adamantpacified.org[/url]|[url="http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/"]FreeSpace Watch[/url]|[url="http://dynamic4.gamespy.com/~freespace/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=9"]Nodewars Moderator[/url]

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged