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Starfleet just doesn't seem to feel the need for a standing, well trained ground force I guess. They'd rather give ships officers and crews phaser rifles and tell them to secure the next hill.

Rochey wrote:I think it's quite obvious the MACOs didn't exist in the 24th century. They'd have been seen if they were.

Yeah - they would have needed filler footage for the other 55 minutes of "The Siege of AR-558" after the MACO's won the field in the first five.

Mikey wrote:

Rochey wrote:I think it's quite obvious the MACOs didn't exist in the 24th century. They'd have been seen if they were.

Yeah - they would have needed filler footage for the other 55 minutes of "The Siege of AR-558" after the MACO's won the field in the first five.

So true. The MACOs really do know how to kick a$$ and take names.

I'd always assumed that the MACOs and Starfleet merged, with the MACO ideals dominating the security departments of starfleet starting in the 2200's

Starfleet security displayed nowhere near the level of competance that the MACOs did. Hell, just look at AR-558, where they were unable to stop the Jem'hadar closing the melee distance despite the fact that they were charging through a chokepoint. Hell, one guy with an AK-47 could probably have taken them all down as they came through.

Doubt it - AKs are too short ranged, and have too small a magazine capacity. A GPMG team could certainly have held it though.

Very well.

I still think they merged, the MACO's would have been watered down in starfleet, so their battle able system wouldn't be as strong, especially by the 23/24 cenuries, there weren't many wars the federation was involved in.

I agree they were merged. My point was that they became just as useless as the rest of Starfleet and became the Glorious Redshirt Corps.

ok, i wasn't sure

in that case, I agree with Rochey.

The next Trek needs to have a Marine Corps.

Well, it's TOS, so there may be some common sense there.

Deepcrush wrote:The next Trek needs to have a Marine Corps.

I agree that we need Ground Forces but I wouldn't call them Marines unless they are based on English Marines from the days of Sail. If your just going to base them on modern US Marines you might as well call them the Fed Army or something along those lines. After all we already have Security to handle on ship problems and they can still handle light problems on a Planet. For bigger problems you call in this Army thing, whatever they decide to name it.

I think the modern USMC would work just fine. They serve on land, sea and in the air in equal measure. Thats what I feel the UFP needs. Troops able to serve aboard ship and also serve as the UFP's ground army. When times go hot, I want a Marine at my side.

The USMC aren't really marines in the traditional sense - they're simply a normal army attatched to the US Navy, with amphibious assault training. I agree with KM that the Federation needs a combination of marines, for shipboard security, landing parties, and leading planetary assaults, and a proper army for conducting large-scale surface operations.