RA Designation: Special Committee Dragoons
Leader: Former Associate 39
Specialization: Future Warfare
Role: Experimental Airborne Infantry
Biography
Associate 39 entered the Association in 1868. All his life he had a keen interest in military history and the development of tactics. Before his admission, he was a military observer in various theaters of war, including the American Civil War.
In 1870, after exploring various Outside militaries with Tier 4 equipment or even more advanced, he compiled a letter summing up his concerns about the possible implications this might have for the future of warfare, and the defense of Atlas against Outsiders.
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Esteemed members of the Chair,
I write to you about my concerns regarding the defense of Atlas against more advanced parties than ourselves. I am not just talking about Outsider incursions, but also about protecting the status quo against parties illegally developing their own Tier IV, and more advanced, weaponry.
I would like to take the first Napoleonic Empire as an example. Can you imagine what might have happened to developed weapons like the Gatling Gun? This single weapon would have made all of the contemporary tactics obsolete. This clash of the old and new ways of warfare or best recognizable in both Napoleon's campaigns and the battlefields of the recent American War. It is old verbiage, but I think it bears repeating. Generals always plan for the previous war.
I beg of you, don’t assume our armies are prepared to fight the wars of tomorrow.
I’ll summarize my concerns as follows
Know thy enemy: A cliche, but it is a cliche because it is true. One of the Association's main objectives is to gather as much information on any threats to the security of Atlas as possible. This should not change. However, I would prefer the Association would put more effort into analyzing the various groups' military capabilities and tactics. And(!), inform all national armies of this.
Logistics: Any general’s first concern should be to provide adequate supply, be it in numbers of men, food, or equipment. An army that cannot feed Mars is not an army at all. Especially with the unpredictable nature of Void Breaches and the lack of intelligence on other factions, and their abilities, in the Multiverse, we have no means to respond. The future, in my opinion, is in airpower so our armies no longer depend on rivers and roads to transport men and supplies.
Production facilities: A supplement to the above. Developing weapons is one thing. Producing these is another. Based on my observations, our rivals can produce what we do by ten folds, at least. Not only that. Even if production capacity is increased, we lack the knowledge and machines to mass produce any weapons. Before any attempts at the advanced weapon, research is made. Advanced production should take priority. Otherwise, any advanced weapon’s prototype is worth as much as the paper it’s blueprint is depicted on.
Tactics: It bears repeating. Even if the conditions above are met, these weapons must still be wielded by skillful hands. New weapons require new drills, new maneuvers, etc. Troops must be trained with the equipment, know when to use the equipment, and how to respond to the new weaponry. Manuals must be made. Trails must be completed. An entire academy can and should be, dedicated just to this subject alone.
Total War: Finally, we need to talk about an uncomfortable subject. The Mobilisation of Society itself. In a prolonged war or worldwide threat, defending all the civilian populations is impossible. Neither can a nation that is unprepared defend themselves. Unfortunately, we can't make securing the citizenry a priority when we are fighting a foe or phenomenon that gives no quarter. Nor can we fight, or waste resources on, a battle that does not contribute to our goal of destroying the threat in question.
I am talking about using the able population as an essential war asset that is capable of saving itself. While military forces are occupied with fighting the opposing force, it should be the task of civil authorities to secure their respective populations and ensure the infrastructure and industries remain functional. Like soldiers need to master their arms, administrators need to learn how to manage a society that is under siege. That also means that engineers have to prepare War-Time shelters and production facilities. Places where a workforce and essential industries can be housed during the catastrophe; be it war, be some anomaly.
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Project Bellerophon
In the wake of Associate 39’s warnings the Regulatory Board of Rift Related Activities (Ra), in concordance with various governments, agreed with the formation of Project Bellerophon. A top-secret academy with students from various nations around the world who are to train with ‘future weaponry’ and develop tactics accordingly.
The project is overseen by and funded through Ra, who is also responsible for its secrecy, and to ensure its ‘students’ do not leak any confidential information.
Its officers and instructors consist of experts inside their respective fields, and some former Associates, including 39, who resigned from the Association.
Special Committee Dragoons and the relationship to the Association of Ishtar
Project Bellerophon and the Association often become confused. Some Associates often do not realize Bellerophon is its own organization. In correspondence and reports, the project is referred to as, Special Committee Dragoons.
The Dragoons are Airborne Infantry that usually acts as a rapid response unit, be it Special Intervention, emergency extraction, or armed escort. Due to their nature, they attempt to keep a low profile prefer some small hit-and-run operations.
The Dragoons have recently perfected the ‘Nimrod’ Airborne Infantry Vehicle. An open-topped Anti-Grav boat designed to transport infantry into a combat situation. These Vehicles are powered by ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ The Nimrods allow them to deploy rapidly and are capable of providing limited machine-gun support. However, Nimrods are vulnerable vehicles that cannot expose themselves to enemy fire. Also the fuel source of the engines ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓. This requires a thorough cleansing of the area to prevent further calamity.
