NationStates Jolt Archive

Which branch of the military do you think should be put in charge of military operations in space? I mean, you gotta be prepared for these things, pretty soon we'll be pumping out Star Destroyers and X-wings ya know ;) :D

im inclined to go with the airforce

Air Force. Either that or a new military branch, but really I think it'd be nice to get the air force something to do... especially since Navy and Army already butt in and have their own aircraft operations.

obvisiously the air force, they're the ones that do it now.

hmmmm... I'm going to trademark the word Spavy right now!

Vote for Navy.

Space ships = Submarines in Vacuum.

We all know that space is there so that aggressively pacifistic overactors (who shoot to kill) can seduce green women.

But I'd go for something similar to the US marine corps, as this force has a variety of functions and capabilities that allows for rapid reaction to a variety of threats.

Thats right... Space Marines!

I say Navy should get actual space ships and such, but Naval Infantry (Marines) should get non-earth objects, like planets, moons, asteroids, and such.
Just the way it works now, applied to space.

pretty soon we'll be pumping out Star Destroyers and X-wings ya know ;) :D
I find this, along with the insult to Trekkies in the poll, offensive. http://digital-breakdown.com/debate/images/smiles/icon_neutral.gif

But seriously, it should be the Air and Space Force, methinks.

air force already has space command, maybe it will go the way the air force did, originally part of the army, then decided it was time for a new branch.

maybe the coast guard can feel important for once, and they can rename themselves the atmosphere gaurd:p

Hmm...

If we start churning out space destroyers and X-wings, I'd say put the navy in charge of the big stuff, the air force in charge of the little stuff, and the marines in charge of anything that doesn't happen ship to ship.

Hmm...

If we start churning out space destroyers and X-wings, I'd say put the navy in charge of the big stuff, the air force in charge of the little stuff, and the marines in charge of anything that doesn't happen ship to ship.
So the marines run the starbases? Yeah, that's a great idea.

*insert amusing situation regarding Marines and the daily operations of a starbase here*

Air force. They have been the impetus behind most of the space exploration and science since either began, and should continue to direct the program, at least as long as it is manageable within that department. Afterwards, a new branch should be created if neccessary. A navy operation would be senseless with a focus on technicality of language rather than practicality, and a choice of the army being behind the system would be equally, if not more, non-sensical.

*vomits*

Military wing of NASA. They're the only group that puts people into space on a regular basis, and once we get serious about space travel and combat their other missions will fast become irrelevant.

We all know that space is there so that aggressively pacifistic overactors (who shoot to kill) can seduce green women.

But I'd go for something similar to the US marine corps, as this force has a variety of functions and capabilities that allows for rapid reaction to a variety of threats.

Thats right... Space Marines!

So you mean Navy because they are under the Department of the Navy.

air force already has space command, maybe it will go the way the air force did, originally part of the army, then decided it was time for a new branch.

maybe the coast guard can feel important for once, and they can rename themselves the atmosphere gaurd:p

I was thinking pretty much the same thing. There's not enough space activity yet to justify its own military branch, but if it became large enough, then it would be worth examing.

For that matter, a space force may be so mobile, you could wind up with a Star Trek scenario where the military just merges into one big entity.

Vote for Navy.

Space ships = Submarines in Vacuum.

Exaaactly...being a Navy man myself I can tell you that we are ooobviously the best choice. I mean, were the smartest, we are already used to living in cramped quarters and in the most adverse environments this planet has to offer.
We have our own combat drones(Marines) for suicide missions. And our own air force(which has more combat experience and is far more mobile). Forget about the Air Farce, their all overfed and undertrained. Army is exactly that. Who else is there? The Coast guard? LOL! Only if aliens are smuggling drugs from Alpha Centauri. And even then they would be useless, as has been proven. So it has to be Navy all the way.

<snip irrelevancy>
Do you have a puppet called Pillus?

Space *should* only be used for peaceful exploration. Believing that isn't unrealistic, because I know what will inevitably happen anyway.

Military wing of NASA. They're the only group that puts people into space on a regular basis, and once we get serious about space travel and combat their other missions will fast become irrelevant.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Whoo...that was hilarious.

NASA is an incredibly bloated, corrupt, ineffectual agency. It should be terminated. Let the private sector come in more, I say. I know there's going to be SOME of them willing to do exploratory stuff. Hell, if it comes to it, I'll FOUND a company for that.

...

Dunno what I'd call it though. Any suggestions? =/

Do you have a puppet called Pillus?

No but Pillus is latin, as in:

"Habeas detrimentus pillus"
> - You have insufficient javelins!

Pillus being Javelins.

Latine loqueris?

NASA much? Or perhaps a new organization.

In order to save money we should privatize our space fleet. I say let it be run by the Umbrella Corporation - but have congressional oversight.

The Air Force has already had its fingers in this pie for a very long time. They pioneered a lot of the NASA programs at the sharp end and along with the aerospace industry have been behind a lot of the militarization of space. Currently, projects like the scramjets and other X projects being currently worked on in secret. At best the Army might have control of some ground based silos to launch ABM missiles or particle weapons from. Other than making use of satellites to indirectly support their operations, neither the Army or Navy are going to be calling the shots in space.

The biggest determining factor that will limit war in space is cost. Once you pull the trigger your toys are as vulnerable to attack as your enemy’s orbital toys. No one wants someone going after their satellites and space stations with a weed whacker. The costs are just too much to replace them. And when a nation does deploy an orbital warship they’ll be too afraid to lose it to make much use of it, because of the enourmous cost in money and resources.

The Bruce

I'd say a seperate military should be created for them. A separation between space forces and planetary forces seems logical. Planetary forces would specialize in action on the planet they are from (navies, air forces, armies) and would specialize on their planet's environment. Stellar navies would have more than just one planet to cover, and therefore shouldn't be bound by planetary conventional military.
Stellar troops would have different jobs to do than planetary troops, since they would be there to protect space ships, board enemy space ships, or invade other planets. Planetary troops would defend their home.
Considering the costs it would take to maintain an effective stellar navy, I think any unilateral Navies doomed to fail due to budget constraints. If a massive stellar navy were to be assembled and maintained, it would be to thwart a potential alien threat and would involve at least most of the industrial nations cooperating.

I must agree. We have to create a cost effective method of constructing and maintaining a space fleet before we even consider it as a possibility. I advise orbital construction facilities myself. But in all likelihood, it will be the private sector that shall dominate this.

... But in all likelihood, it will be the private sector that shall dominate this.

I believe the contract has already been awarded to Halliburton - they're expected to bring it in for well under 40 gazillion-trillion dollars.

Maybe we could award an "X-Prize" for the first firm to manufacture a working Gunstar (tie goes to the least wasteful deathblossom).

Obviously, The best thing to do would be to create a whole new Department for Space Forces.

Space *should* only be used for peaceful exploration. Believing that isn't unrealistic, because I know what will inevitably happen anyway.

There may still be hope - if the Antarctic Treaty can hold, why shouldn't there be a similar Non-terraqueous Treaty?

There may still be hope - if the Antarctic Treaty can hold, why shouldn't there be a similar Non-terraqueous Treaty?
Because the Americans wouldn't be able to pronounce it..

it all depends on what sort of tiems cale/space warfare era you mean.

If it is vaguely near future (post modern) stuff with ships based in and around earth with earth still devided alogn existing nationalist lines then it will likely be an airforce territory (although knowing american interservice politics the navy and army will both push for thier chunks of the action, particularly if combat infantry is required). The British solution will be to form "Joint Force Space" and will use personel from all branchs of the armed forces.

Into the far future when earth's popualtion has spread to the stars then we will see dedicated sapce command structures, if we still have a contested earth then likely the america forces will be largely similar to the stucture from the Aliens films, ie United States colonial marines have thier own light ships, transatmospheric aircraft and ground forces, the navy will have bigger ships and supply/transport vessels, the airforce will operate a wide rnage of task specialised "fighter" craft and the army will operate ground froces with heavier equippment than the USCMs, the British will likely just merge everything into the royal navy.

I will admit i don't have the foggiest about how chinese, russian or other national based forces will organise but i imagine that the airforce will take control during the post modern phase and then it will reform into a space navy.

I will admit i don't have the foggiest about how chinese, russian or other national based forces will organise but i imagine that the airforce will take control during the post modern phase and then it will reform into a space navy.I'd imagine the Russians would put any new space forces in their existing department of Rocket and Space Forces.

Because the Americans wouldn't be able to pronounce it..

I'm sure we could cook up some handy initialism or acronym for them to use: International Non-Earth Peace Treaty, or suchlike.

Space *should* only be used for peaceful exploration. Believing that isn't unrealistic, because I know what will inevitably happen anyway.
What will happen?

The department of the navy. Hooyah.

Rain tungsten hell apon our foes.

Rain tungsten hell apon our foes.Question is: Why would anyone need an expensive space fleet for that when there are more cost-effective means to do so?

Question is: Why would anyone need an expensive space fleet for that when there are more cost-effective means to do so?

We are Americans. Everything we do is in excess.

I think it would create a new section of the armed forces with Army, Navy and Airforce components merged, but it wont happen until the world can work together.

hmmm well theres the part of me that thinks that space should be reserved for peaceful exploration. The other half thinks that if we send all the war mongering bastards into space then they can fight it out all the like and we decent folk and live a blissfully fallout free life below on earth while peacefull exploring the rest of space that isnt being blown up

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Whoo...that was hilarious.

NASA is an incredibly bloated, corrupt, ineffectual agency. It should be terminated. Let the private sector come in more, I say. I know there's going to be SOME of them willing to do exploratory stuff. Hell, if it comes to it, I'll FOUND a company for that.

=/


Ah - what country do you live in? It certainly isn't the US. The United States' NASA is lean to the point of starvation, probably has the lowest level of institutionalised corruption of any part of the government (due to it having no guaranteed budget of any kind), and does amazingly effective space missions on shoestrings. What does yours do?

As to the OP - it's really very simple. The Air Force is on top, and will stay there. Once we properly militarize space, we'll abolish the Army, since it can no longer do anything effective, and reduce the Navy to submarines...until we can detect subs from orbit, at which point we'll abolish it entirely. He who controls the high orbitals, controls everything.

Question is: Why would anyone need an expensive space fleet for that when there are more cost-effective means to do so?
It's to fight the commies, duh. They've already got Mars - the RED Planet - and have designs on Pluto, damn them.