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Surface Warfare in the 23d & 24th Century...
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Baloo: [QB] We have seen very few instances of surface warfare in Star Trek. We therefore have very little to go on when speculating on how such warfare is conducted, apart from a few, perhaps atypical, instances shown on screen. Invading a planet from space is, to say the very least, problematic. Although many planets are given populations of perhaps a million or so inhabitants, I would imagine that strategically important locations could have populations of up to several billion. During WW II, the United States was able to field a total military strength amounting to approximately 10% of its population. A planet with a billion inhabitants might be able to field a military strength of perhaps 100 million. Additionally, a planet, while impossible to hide (at least with typical 23d and 24th century technology), would usually have a clear view of the surrounding space. Lacking superior stealth capability (as with the 23d century [TOS] Federation), an approaching force could be spotted by sensor outposts well in advance of arrival. A defending force of ships could easily be hidden in an asteroid field or on small moons within the system, and could perform hit-and-run attacks against an invading force. If sufficiently strong, a defending force could go head-to-head against an invader, reducing its strength prior to a ground assault. Surface installations and orbital defensive stations would further reduce an attacking force's strength. Once in orbit, however, it seems an attacking force would have the advantage over surface-based defenses. They could use a wide variety of sensors to detect and target important ground-based installations. If the sole purpose of the invasion was to destroy the population of the planet, they could simply incinerate the surface with phaser fire and torpedoes. If the objective is to occupy the planet and subdue the populace, however, the task is not so simple. If you sit up in orbit and simply blast any military formation you spot, you would still destroy significant amounts of the planet's eco-system. You could never be certain you had gotten all the combatants, and you'd still be stuck in orbit, without secure locations to send your forces to sieze control of the planet's infrastructure and resources. Despite the advances in technology, even in the 23d and 24th century, you still need ground forces. My question is, what form do these forces take? In our own time, a proper military force requires the following elements (and perhaps some more I've overlooked): [list=1] [*]Infantry, the only type of force that can indisputably take control of and hold territory, [*]Artillery, which can provide massed firepower in large sustainable amounts, [*]Armor, which provides a great deal of mobile firepower, yet remains vulnerable to infantry in close quarters, [*]Counter-armor forces, including "tank killer" ground vehicles and specialized anti-tank aircraft, [*]Intelligence-gathering capability, provided by aircraft, sattellites, and remotely-piloted vehicles, [*]Air Forces, which provide long-ranged precision striking capability, allowing one to attack an enemy's infrastructure and troops massing in the rear for an attack, [*]Support elements, such as supply, messing facilities, and medical support. [/list] Let's discuss how each of these elements is implemented in the 23d and 24th century world as shown in Trek. Where an element's form has been superceded by technological advances, the function will very likely still remain, but will simply take a new form (example: horse cavalry has been superceded by tanks, helicopters, and mobile infantry). --Baloo [/QB][/QUOTE]
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