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Captain Seafort wrote:
From what we've heard, the Cardies have probably got the best ground forces in Trek, since we've heard references to APCs ("The Darkness and the Light") and mechanised infantry ("The Wire").

If that's the case than the Cardies could sit in their APC's and gun down the Klingons without getting touched.

Rochey wrote:Wow, mechanised infantry. Next thing you know, and we might actualy hear someone talking about tanks!

Mechanised doesn't automatically=equal awesome. Panzer-grenadiers were mechanised to, in half-tracks.

The problem wasn't a lack of manpower but a lack of firepower. Against an opponent armed with assault rifles, machine guns and jury-rigged mortars, a police force is going to be somewhat outgunned.

I don't know if you guys have this but we have what is called SWAT. Special Weapons And Tactics. We use them for such problems.

It's more likely to do with distribution of resources. The Klingons tended to be used as the alliance's ground troops, while the Feds formed the bulk of the space forces.

From what we've heard, the Cardies have probably got the best ground forces in Trek, since we've heard references to APCs ("The Darkness and the Light") and mechanised infantry ("The Wire").

It also seemed to me that the Dominion left the Cardis to soak up a lot of the ground fighting. This may have been to keep up the numbers of Jem's open for use in the fleet. That would have left the Cardis to face the bulk of the alliance in ground combat on their own. I also wonder why the Cardis were so useless when they revolted. How is it that they didn't rip apart every building and station that the Dominion held? Also it would have been smart for the Dominion to soak some losses for a while and give the cardis a break.

Lastly, am I the only one who thinks that the Breen were mostly useless! They had the EDW, but outside of that their ships were about as tough as paper.

The Dominion's use of Cardies to saok up the ground-pounding when Jem's would certainly be superior man-for-man is probably the result of the Founders' disregard for their erstwhile allies.

Deepcrush wrote:

The problem wasn't a lack of manpower but a lack of firepower. Against an opponent armed with assault rifles, machine guns and jury-rigged mortars, a police force is going to be somewhat outgunned.

I don't know if you guys have this but we have what is called SWAT. Special Weapons And Tactics. We use them for such problems.

We've got armed response units for most firearms incidents, and the SAS CRW squadron for exceptional incidents. These are, however, only useful for isolated incidents, as are the SWAT teams. Against a large, well armed and equipped insurgency, with a habit of setting up their own well-equipped roadblocks and launching regular mortar attacks on police stations and military bases, you need a permanent military force patrolling the streets to deter anything more serious, and maintain a semblance of normalcy. Plus the occasional house-to-house sweep to arrest suspects and search for arms dumps, which usually required at least a company in support.

This is all in the cities - down in Bandit Country foot patrols were needed to try and prevent arms smuggling over the border. Aerial reconnaissance was out of the question, since anything but high-speed nap-of-the-earth flying was inviting a SAM attack.

I somehow doubt your SWAT teams, or any police force, would be able to do that continuously for over twenty years.

Mechanised doesn't automatically=equal awesome. Panzer-grenadiers were mechanised to, in half-tracks.

I know, I was being somewhat sarcastic.

We've got armed response units for most firearms incidents, and the SAS CRW squadron for exceptional incidents. These are, however, only useful for isolated incidents, as are the SWAT teams. Against a large, well armed and equipped insurgency, with a habit of setting up their own well-equipped roadblocks and launching regular mortar attacks on police stations and military bases, you need a permanent military force patrolling the streets to deter anything more serious, and maintain a semblance of normalcy. Plus the occasional house-to-house sweep to arrest suspects and search for arms dumps, which usually required at least a company in support.

This is all in the cities - down in Bandit Country foot patrols were needed to try and prevent arms smuggling over the border. Aerial reconnaissance was out of the question, since anything but high-speed nap-of-the-earth flying was inviting a SAM attack.

I somehow doubt your SWAT teams, or any police force, would be able to do that continuously for over twenty years.

It sounds like you are fighting a war. Where is all of this going on? Are you talking about Ireland?

I think in the north of Ireland they tended to skip the police and go straight to the army, when dealing with the IRA a lot of the time.

Deepcrush wrote:It sounds like you are fighting a war. Where is all of this going on? Are you talking about Ireland?

We were - Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s. In the early 60s, while there were the usual sectarian tensions, there wasn't anything like the scale of trouble that occured later.

You claimed that for trouble to brew up in the US to the extent of requiring widespread military deployment was impossble. I'm pointing out that all it needs is a group to get vaguely organised, and within a few years you'd have a situation similar to Northern Ireland on your hands.

Rochey wrote:I think in the north of Ireland they tended to skip the police and go straight to the army, when dealing with the IRA a lot of the time.

In theory the police were meant to be in charge of any incident. In practice, particularly in the 70s, the local army senior officer was in charge and the RUC were present as observers and to conduct arrests. That was at least partially because the RUC were, at best, less trusted than the army by the Catholics, and at worse just another bunch of loyalist thugs.

Damn, at least our internal wars had rules to them.

It also seemed to me that the Dominion left the Cardis to soak up a lot of the ground fighting.

Or the Carrdasians had to use Dominon tactics. How many jams were lost.

I also wonder why the Cardis were so useless when they revolted.

The inital revolt destroyed the main cloning facilites, they stoped the Dominion offencive, got the Breen weapon.
The secon revolt daeged the Dominion long range communication.
The third revolt saw the Cardasian fleet turn on the Dominion.
Well they weren't realy useless, Damar just didn't have the support of the whole army, but when the whole army turned on the Dominon that ensured alied victory.

mlsnoopy wrote:
The inital revolt destroyed the main cloning facilites, they stoped the Dominion offencive, got the Breen weapon.
The secon revolt daeged the Dominion long range communication.
The third revolt saw the Cardasian fleet turn on the Dominion.
Well they weren't realy useless, Damar just didn't have the support of the whole army, but when the whole army turned on the Dominon that ensured alied victory.

Hey that makes the Cardies into the Italians.

Actualy, I believe that amount of revolutions combined with the uselessness of it's military makes the Cardassians French.

*runs before Seafort sees what was posted*

Cpl Kendall wrote:Hey that makes the Cardies into the Italians.

Pfft. The Cardies were a) useful to their allies, and b) didn't run away at the sight of a force half their strength. Until I see evidence about how they build their gearboxes, they're nothing like the Italians.

Captain Seafort wrote:...how they build their gearboxes

Classic.