militias

[jatay3]

How are militias orginized in Traveller?
I have a few ideas adapted and elaborated from the system used in the pre-starflight IDF(and presumably by others like the Swiss who use simmilar military systems).
Each unit has it's code name. This would be flashed on the datanet. Only a member of the unit coresponding to the code name has the countersign which enables him to read the instructions given(most notably rendevous point).
Orders to notational(nonexisting)units are periodically fed into the net so that none can tell simply by the frequency of orders if a mobilization is in progress.
The result would be the ability to field a large force very quickly.
If the militia in question is based on more than one planet this arrangment can still hold-it simply requires that allowances be made for the time it takes a courier to arrive.

 

[mike wightman]

Interesting idea.

I can see some adventure possibilities already

 

[parmasson]

As there are about 11,000 worlds in the CT universe I can see there being at least 11,000 organizational schemes.

 

[jatay3]

The IDF's system originally used radio to do essentially what I described-the elaboration I spoke of was do to changes in technology in several thousand years.
I don't know if the Swiss do use a simmilar system-but I would not be supprised.

 

[jatay3]

Interesting idea.

I can see some adventure possibilities already
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the computer goofs and the PC's find they are in the wrong place?
Some Sylean Rangers land with instructions to tap into the computer and deploy the target worlds force without getting caught?
Spies trying to still the mobilization codes(PC's either as the spies or preventing the spies)?

 

[Golan2072]

IMTU's Serpentis Quadrant Alliance uses a militia system. In addition to the Revolutionary Army (the Alliance's long-service, constant-readiness ground forces), each world has an independant Militia Council. The Council is a sort of a "ministry of defence" elected locally and independantly of the other two parts of the government (Economic Council and Administrative Council) which is responsible for local (orbital and ground) defence.

For my fellow Striker fans, military budget is always 8% of the local GNP in the Alliance; 30% of this goes to the Alliance central government (both navy and army), 30% to the Orbital Defence Forces, 10% to the planetary Cadre Army and 30% to the Militia.

All suitable (i.e. healthy and without a criminal record) Alliance citizens who do not enlist to another military branch (Army, Navy, Scouts or Marines) go through two months of initial Militia training at the age of 18 (the first two months of their first term of service); after that, they spend one day per month in refreshal training, in addition to one week per year of condensed military training (that's 19 days a year total). Each Militia member posses a rifle (Assault Rifle or ACR, depending on world TL), some ammo and a flack jacket at her/his home. When the need arises (invasion, natural disaster or other need), call-to-duty codes are transmitted in the planetary datanets and/or radio and TV (depending on TL).

All units are regional; the regional Militia center also holds the vehicles and additional equipment for the unit (typically battallion-sized).

The Planetary Cadre Army is a long-service force controlled by the planetary Militia Council which serves as the nucleus of the Militia force in the case of an invasion, as well as providing training and services to the Militia during peacetime.

 

[jappel]

Like Parmasson, I doubt there is a single mechanism in use in the OTU (and don't forget that 11K worlds only covers the Imperium - lots of other worlds out there!).

On some worlds, the local TL will limit the mechanisms available. Some worlds may totally lack militia; they may have a pacifistic culture, or have a government type that precludes or prevents an organized militia, or a law level that keeps weapons out of the hands of all but the active military (and the hardcore criminals and underground, but that's another story).

What works on a relatively densely-populated, mid-to-high-tech planet won't work nearly as well on a world where outside of a few towns and the starport, the populace is widely dispersed, and the local technology or resources won't support the kind of communications network you're suggesting.

Also, what do you mean about "if the militia in question is based on more than one planet"? Can't think of too many places in the OTU where a multi-planetary militia, answering to a common authority, exists. But it's a big universe.

Not to say your idea isn't a cool one and wouldn't work in some places. In fact, I suspect that variants on this theme are the norm where possible.

- John

 

[jatay3]

"if the militia in question is based on more than one planet"? Can't think of too many places in the OTU where a multi-planetary militia,
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I was thinking of a militia force maintained by a pocket empire outside the Imperium

 

[jappel]

I was thinking of a militia force maintained by a pocket empire outside the Imperium

Reasonable enough. From your other thread though, are you talking about the Sword Worlds? Even there, the various worlds don't really answer to the Confederation government.

You talk about large forces. I hope you're thinking of them in terms of local defense forces. The professional military shorthand for a militia force committed to offensive operations is "cannon fodder". Exceptions exist, of course, but they're damned few. Especially in modern warfare, it takes a substantial amount of training to be effective in offensive operations. There's a reason those US National Guard units spend months at a time training up before deploying to Iraq, despite the members all having gone through basic and some form of advanced training, plus "one weekend a month plus two weeks a year".

Also, something to consider: the critical weakness in the "Swiss militia" system is that it's not suitable for long-term, sustained operations. Why? Because you've converted a goodly chunk of your workforce into your military. This can't go on for too long without having severe effects on your economy.

Militias have a place and can be effective, but there's some real constraints limiting their effectiveness to a defensive role most of the time, and you can only use them for so long before Bad Things happen to your economy.

- John

 

[jatay3]

Also, something to consider: the critical weakness in the "Swiss militia" system is that it's not suitable for long-term, sustained operations. Why? Because you've converted a goodly chunk of your workforce into your military. This can't go on for too long without having severe effects on your economy.
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quite so.
actually the primary use of militia in a sustained war is as a recruiting pool. a country which has all it's military age-group already gone through the equivalent of basic has an advantage.
In the case of Israel, or Switzerland neither expect to fight a war a long way from home.
I am not necessarily thinking just of the Sword Worlds. But yes it would have political difficulties there.

 

[Golan2072]

Originally posted by jappel:
Also, something to consider: the critical weakness in the "Swiss militia" system is that it's not suitable for long-term, sustained operations. Why? Because you've converted a goodly chunk of your workforce into your military. This can't go on for too long without having severe effects on your economy.

The Alliance militias IMTU are local defence/disaster relief/anti-criminal posse forces, not invasion forces. Militias and reserve armies work well when they are close to home, especially if they are defending it. This is how the Israeli reserve forces work (when the fronts are a few dosens of kilometers away from your home, you can conquer territories with a mixture of regulars and reserve soldiers).