After reading some of the material here, I kept trying to figure out which game system one is using, which economics system is being used as the base system, etc.
If we're talking about T4's Pocket Empires and Imperial Squadrons, some of what is being said makes sense. If we're talking about the split in budget as given in STRIKER rules, then we're looking at something that won't build a plausible Fifth Frontier War scenario.
The one thing I noted about the Fifth Frontier stuff and the T4 materials mentioned above, is that they will generate the same numbers of Battalions and System Defense Factors as are present in FFW. One thing about POCKET EMPIRES I noted a while back was that it translates RIU's into Credits and even sets a system for the exchange rates.
Now if you're working within that constraint, it will give you one set of numbers. If you're using High Guard and Striker, then you get another set of constraints.
As for Deep Meson sites - I have to wonder - do they even have an arc of fire? Firing THROUGH a planet's center doesn't seem to be any more difficult than firing away from the planet's center of mass. In addition, any site on the world can be "bore sighted" from any meson site. This means that space ports would already have been bore sighted by the guns themselves - making a planetary assault a dangerous business until ALL of the sensor systems are eliminated. Problem is - even a lone spotter watching the starport with visuals (the mark I Eyeball) can act as a sensor spotter informing the meson site where and when to fire, and where and when to fire for effect - which makes it an artillery piece which SHOULD be fielded by the Army.
If you're using IMPERIUM or INVASION EARTH as your foundation for the defenses of Reginia - then buying a whole bunch of ships, while nice, doesn't take into account the purchase of land forces in the form of Battalions, Armor, Grav Tanks, Lift Battalions, etc.
Until Marc Miller comes out with a system that permits one to budget the costs for fielding a battalion of men, etc - in addition to fielding ships - this is going to be a highly subjective task to pin down.
For what it was worth? When I worked on the issue of how much does a single Battalion cost, using GURPS GROUND FORCES as well as the other material in support of Naval ship building etc - I found that one Battalion in cost was about equal to three Destroyers. THAT is a cost sinkhole that makes me wonder if all these years, people have been arguing the wrong ratio...
It may very well be that the ratio of spending isn't 60/40 Navy to Army - it may well be that the costs are 60 Army, 40 Navy.
As someone else mentioned up thread - when you account for the cultural costs and governmental costs, what is left over for the military budget might not be all too high.
In all, have fun with the thread.
In all? I would LOVE to see someone actually Design star port defenses as if they were usable in a Traveller game utilizing vector movement. MAYDAY actually gave rules for the "distances" for the big guns relative to High Guard as related to laser ranges. I'd really have to wonder just how well the planetary system defenses function in an actual High Guard game, if the defender has 8 T-Spinal Mount meson guns guarded by Meson Screens at Max level for all of them. THAT would be really NASTY.
Stray Thought: If you have a Black Globe surrounding a meson site, how would that work?
