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So then how would you build both a Marine Force and UFP Army?

The same way a modern nation, say America for example employs both Marines & an Army.

Basically what I would do is train all those generally useless "security" folks on Ground Combat etc, call them Marines. You will have to recruit more but that gives you a base to start with. This group should be smaller than your General Army since they would mostly be called upon as a leading edge and should be backed up by your Regular Army as quickly as is feasible. Basically this would give ships the ability to perform operations in a short notice type situation. We have seen so many times where a Ship enters a System, or is called to a Crisis, this type of thing is exactly what the Marines should be used for.

You recruit a much larger Army for general defence of your Planets and as a followup to a successful Marine "landing". The problem with just recruiting one or the other is that a soldier assigned to a ship for a long time is going to loose proficiency with Ground Based operations, particularly the large scale type. Letting the Marines handle the short notice missions since they are there and trained allows the Army to focus solely on Ground Combat.

Seems like a sound idea, but we're talking about a Starfleet which is stuck in reverse as far as that mentality.

Ex.: I watched TSFS again the other night. When McCoy breaks into Spock's quarters, Kirk orders a security detail to meet him there. They arrive dressed in cuirasses and helmets; which armor pieces are presumably proof against at least sidearms, as Starfleet doesn't use a g.i. HTH weapon. By "AR-558," Starfleet sent its troops into a pure dedicated combat mission armored in... shirts.

Hey, I don't remembering anyone claiming these ideas were likely to be implimented, merely that they'd been a good way to solve the Federation's perennial issues surrounding non-naval combat.

Ah. Being "good ideas" actually makes it less likely that they'd be adopted.

True. Perhaps they're better off as speculation of how the Fed military was organised in Kirk's time.

Yet more proof that people in TOS were far ahead of TNG in terms of common sense.

Hay Man,

I grew up on TNG!

The fact that the series as a whole is good does not change the fact that it depicts the Federation as incompetant, genocidal and communist.

Hay Man,

I grew up on TNG!

And?
It's an excelent series, far ahead of most of the other Trek series. That doesn't change the fact that the Federation it depicts is devoid of any shred of common sense..

true, but i still feel obligated to defend it, just as the people that grew up on TOS (or were fan's of) may feel obligated to defend it.

You're welcome to defend it. However, it's important to realise the show's flaws, and limit your defence to the defensible.

Exactly, TNG gave us many wonderful things, one of the biggest IMHO was the resurrection of Trek to TV. Movies are nice but you get a lot more from 24 45 min episodes per season than a few hours of a movie. But yeah, their Ground Combat and even their Space Combat was severely lacking. Of course some of the blame can be put on budget/technical limitations but when you come out and say that Tactics are not required teaching and your only Combat Maneuver is to sit in one place like a rock while your opponent blasts away at you (whether or not you are in space or on the ground). That only works if their weapons can't hurt you and yours can destroy him with a single shot, otherwise is just asking for way too much trouble.

My Marines/Army thing is just how I think it could operate if the writers had the balls or brains to do it (they only need one or the other not both). We already have Security Personnel who I am sure with more Training on the Subject of Ground Combat and Tactics could be useful in that role, at least in a pinch. It is also of value to note that they could use a refresher on Repelling Boarders & Boarding enemy ships since they never seem to do well in these areas. Even when lead by the First Officer and a Klingon Tactical Officer who has experience fighting in the biggest War in recent history they stand behind a wall and shoot at each other rather than sending a small team around behind the Remans to attack them from both sides, I'm sure this could be done since their always seems to be a second route to everything.

Picture it.........A small starship warps into a system and fires what appear to be several dozen torpedos at a planet, then U-turns and warps out. Follow the tors entering the planets atmosphere, glowing hotter and hotter, until at a certain point it breaks away revealing a planetary assault trooper. The NEW Airborne Rangers!!!!

lol, Mark

and technically, i never said that TNG had great ground assult, i just said that i grew up on TNG.
"you guys are putting words in my mouth!" lol.jk.