NationStates Jolt Archive

Update: Okay, I finally got my military's numbers in order. Before I bring it back though I'm going to figure out the specific statistics of each vehicle, something I should have done long ago. Hopefully I can get my military back IC by the end of break. Hopefully. Anyway, please do me a favor by not attacking me while I continue to figure this out.

Original message: I'm trying to finally put together specific specifications for my Military (that is, planetary combat forces; land, air, and sea) but I've come across a major dilemma. Facing the fact that my current numbers are absurd, I've placed a temporary self-ignore on my military until I can figure out something half realistic. My problem is thus, and I'm hoping that my fellow future nations can provide some advice. My manpower looks good, but I'm having an unprecedented amount of difficulty getting realistic but effective numbers for ground machinery (artillery, tanks, APCs, etc.), aircraft (fighters and bombers), and navy (carriers, destroyers, patrol boats, submarines). The problem isn't so much building the craft, but how to get them across the void to where they'll be needed. I looked at the option of building transports, but I'd need an ungodly number of specialized ships to carry everything, and they'd all be horridly vulnerable while delivering their payloads. So, here's my question to you:
Without using teleportation, how can I effectively transport such large vehicles across space and deliver them planetside under hostile conditions? Advice on your own forces would be most appreciated, as well as anything else you have to offer me in the way of ideas. I guess the big question is: is there any way to do that that's even remotely economical? I can't help but think there must be some way, but I'm frankly at a loss.

Well.. after reading quite a lot of sci-fi books and RPing in futuristic settings, i have never seen someone carry all that military personnel and vehicles (land, sea) to another planet (as you ponder onpossibly doing).. usually it is planetary bombarment of key military or strategic targets to soften up opposition, then landing infantry forces with fast assault vehicles and some heavy vehicles to root out dug up positions along with some AAA and artillery.
Naval assets are almost useless to take along because you are going to destroy harbors and land assault forces inland to take over those positions.
As for transporting all that materiel over the vastness of space onto another planet, well, you do that after you have cleared the enemy's spacefleet off the target planet, after that, some sort of aerospace fighter for protection of landing forces is in order (e.g. clearing tracking installations and SAM sites and such, and for air superiority too of course).

Says the old man of Watermill Village:

"All of you... you forget that you are of nature. You distance yourself, believing convenience to be better at the expense of what is really important. A slow, simple life can be much more fulfilling than the spastic buzz called 'civilization.'

"War... bah. Simple is best, and easy, and clean.

"Don't forget to leave a flower by the stone at the end of the bridge."

http://www.aisb.org/~ddj/dreams/pic8.jpg

Yeah, we have our Armada all squared away, so space combat is "go", but orbitally attacking a planet isn't always the best way to go. Ground forces cover a lot, obviously, but you need artillery and armor to get the job done, especially in futuristic settings. I guess you're right about navy for the most part, but air force would be very helpful in planetary battle, and they need someplace to stage from. Perhaps we could have an orbital super carrier... I don't want to use slipfighters (at least not normal ones) for planetary combat, their energy weapons would be mostly useless and they have way too little in the way of projectile weaponry.

A supoercarrier is not a good idea (one good shot and all your equipment goes to hell..) better to have several large carriers with planet landing capability or armored shuttles to land your assets.
Indeed you need plenty of ground forces, but you have to remember that you have to clear a path down to the planet surface and secure the LZ for deployment of forces, and make short work of anti spaceship land based weaponry.
It all boils down to plan how much ground forces you need to take the planet, maybe at first not many, only enough to secure a beachhead and slowly (or quickly) and continously send reinforcements in.

I can't accept that. I know there's a better way, even if I seriously have to drop transporter enhancers across the surface of an entire planet.

I've thought about this a bit...with my other nation not this one.

I would say attempting to use teleporation into a battlezone is potetially benifical/problamatic. Yes it would make landing troops much easier, but considering the basic 'mechanics' a disruptive signal by enemy ground forces would reduce entire landing groups into piles of dead...well...a massive mess. That would need to be cleaned out of the landing zone.

The 'hard' way, actually landing forces to form a beach head might be more tactically intelligent. Minimizing complete and utter failure.

OOC: Can't really add much to what A&H said. After all, all nations cannot transport all of their military might across the ocean, space or whatever. Maybe you can use what some other nations do - like Raem or Tor Yvresse: establish a webgate and "gate" in troops that way. Or something similar. You still have to establish some kind of beach head and there will be limits on how many troops and/or equipment can arrive through a gate.

I'd love to, but Xanthal doesn't have that kind of technology. The best we can do in that sense is a TDG (TransDimensional Gateway), and if we tried deploying troops through one of those it would probably rip apart the planet, thus creating a more permanent (and violent) solution than anyone ever intended. Teleportation is feasible, but enhancers would need to be deployed somehow to ensure safety. On a planet I can nix the Navy, but I need an airforce. So let me hear you on that. What's the best way to get air superiority fighters planetside? Would it be at all unreasonabe to stage them from orbit?

Bump for news update.