GA tactics

I thought of this a few days ago, and it is stuck in my head. With the outer systems ready to go up in flames, the GA could put the hurt on to the League just by running around the periphery liberating protectorates a sector at a time.

Give a task group to O'Malley, another to Blaine, and go liberate Genovese and another sector. While you're at it, send D'Amato to Maya to "liberate" Maya, now that they have that little secret clause in Erewhon's treaty with Haven. This way, they aren't rebelling (at least, not openly).

Between Lacoön and the action out on the verge, the federal budget gets cut in half by the end of another 8 months or so.

No need to send anything in to blow up Sollie shipyards, if it takes 5 years to build a new waller from scratch.

After all, how many will remain in the SLN when the paychecks stop?

Rob

At one time I thought this was the inevitable strategy for the GA. Send TGs around the periphery first, cut into the SL resource base then tighten the cordon on the Shell until it falls to the GA then go for the Core.

it is a fairly reasonable plan.

simple, effective and unlikely to suffer appreciable casualties.

kenl511 wrote:At one time I thought this was the inevitable strategy for the GA. Send TGs around the periphery first, cut into the SL resource base then tighten the cordon on the Shell until it falls to the GA then go for the Core.

I think a more likely strategy might be to follow up Lacoon II with an "and all the surrounding high populace traders" set of task forces.

Let's say raiding force is set up to implement a "cruiser or larger navy free zone" 50 LY or a twice the "3 systems radius" in diameter, whichever is larger. (By radius I mean, I mean the shortest distance between the 3 biggest systems nearby the wormhole, trade value wise). Task force comes over each hyper wall and announces trading terms and exclusion of SLN units, OFS, Gendarmarie, etc. Including trade offers to rejoin the wormhole networked universe...

Any liberated system is going to have to be (1) qualified to look after itself domestically without OFS/Gendarmerie involvement, and (2) able to defend itself, on its own or with GA support, against counter-revolutionary FF attacks.

(1) means potential nation-building system by system. Some systems are going to be able to do that with fair ease - Meyers, for instance. Saltash would have some trouble, with the two factions having to work together this time. Mobius is a more typical case, I fear, where you've got a revolutionary group that has to assume power and make a working system of it. That can go wrong very easily. The GA may have to replace the Gendarmerie as peacekeepers and an interim military police, while helping locals set up their own government that can stand up, as soon as possible, without them there - oh, and not look like the GA is just the OFS in a different uniform. That's tricky and demanding of personnel.

(2) means penny-packet GA pickets, which will suck up light forces in a hurry. LAC groups and system defense pods aren't available in that quantity, even though they'd likely be the best and most economical solution. A better one is going after FF forces and destroying them or accepting surrenders, so that the newly liberated systems don't have a threat locally and can risk having trivial or no space defenses. Meanwhile, FF forces are likely to start hiding at least and likely raiding where they find no opposition, so finding them will be harder. And on top of that, the Alignment can hit wherever with single Sharks, hurting newly liberated systems and making them call on anyone for help. If the GA won't - or can't - they lose face and respect, and the Renaissance Factor likely will be willing and "able" to stop those phantom attacks. (Though that's risky for the Alignment - it may make the RF suspiciously capable. Just smearing the GA with the inability to defend their friends is pretty good from their POV.)

I don't reject the strategy. I think it's a fine one. I just think there are serious challenges to it that aren't yet addressed.

You mean it isn't happening already? I thought that was part and parcel of the Harrington Plan.

Bolding on the part I'm discussing.

JeffEngel wrote:Any liberated system is going to have to be (1) qualified to look after itself domestically without OFS/Gendarmerie involvement, and (2) able to defend itself, on its own or with GA support, against counter-revolutionary FF attacks.

(1) means potential nation-building system by system. Some systems are going to be able to do that with fair ease - Meyers, for instance. Saltash would have some trouble, with the two factions having to work together this time. Mobius is a more typical case, I fear, where you've got a revolutionary group that has to assume power and make a working system of it. That can go wrong very easily. The GA may have to replace the Gendarmerie as peacekeepers and an interim military police, while helping locals set up their own government that can stand up, as soon as possible, without them there - oh, and not look like the GA is just the OFS in a different uniform. That's tricky and demanding of personnel.

(2) means penny-packet GA pickets, which will suck up light forces in a hurry. LAC groups and system defense pods aren't available in that quantity, even though they'd likely be the best and most economical solution. A better one is going after FF forces and destroying them or accepting surrenders, so that the newly liberated systems don't have a threat locally and can risk having trivial or no space defenses. Meanwhile, FF forces are likely to start hiding at least and likely raiding where they find no opposition, so finding them will be harder. And on top of that, the Alignment can hit wherever with single Sharks, hurting newly liberated systems and making them call on anyone for help. If the GA won't - or can't - they lose face and respect, and the Renaissance Factor likely will be willing and "able" to stop those phantom attacks. (Though that's risky for the Alignment - it may make the RF suspiciously capable. Just smearing the GA with the inability to defend their friends is pretty good from their POV.)

I don't reject the strategy. I think it's a fine one. I just think there are serious challenges to it that aren't yet addressed.

You are right they can be big problems with breaking up the SL. You will draw trouble to these places that you liberate if they do not have some kind of defense. Pirates can occupy the high orbitals and conquer a planet as we saw in War of Honor. Either to try and keep it or more likely to strip and leave with what they can carry. Other governments with warships could also try to expand their star nation at the expense of others. I think no matter what you do, it's going to get messy and the GA doesn't have the ships to be everywhere to keep it from getting really messy locally in lots of places.

cthia wrote:You mean it isn't happening already? I thought that was part and parcel of the Harrington Plan.

Well... Admiral Gold Peak initiated something of the sort in Madras Sector because the Alignment forced her to, and it's consistent with the strategic plan. This hadn't started ahead of that, probably in part because it's definitely aggressive and avoiding looking like an aggressor is another important part of the plan.

Kizarvexis wrote:You are right they can be big problems with breaking up the SL. You will draw trouble to these places that you liberate if they do not have some kind of defense. Pirates can occupy the high orbitals and conquer a planet as we saw in War of Honor. Either to try and keep it or more likely to strip and leave with what they can carry. Other governments with warships could also try to expand their star nation at the expense of others. I think no matter what you do, it's going to get messy and the GA doesn't have the ships to be everywhere to keep it from getting really messy locally in lots of places.

You know - another nation trying to expand itself with warships may not be a bad thing, under these circumstances, if it means defending those new systems with those warships, and decent enough government. The Andermani, for instance, do deliver that much to their conquests. It's a shame they're not closer to the protectorates. I suspect/hope that Maya will be expanding precisely that way.

It's something to encourage on the GA's part - unfortunately, it's precisely what the Renaissance Factor will be doing. The GA isn't working quite according to that plan, but maybe close enough for the RF to emerge as a strong power still.

It occurs to me that SLN building and training programs may not be things to stop or discourage if you've got any hope of putting the resulting ships and crews to work for local defense forces instead, or those of new regional successor states. They surely will need those ships and crews - if you can get the League to pay for them, awesome! Same goes for existing Frontier Fleet units. Unfortunately, the GA is about as likely to be able to recycle SLN units, crews, and officers into reliable successor state ones as Sarnow has been able to do that for Silesian naval resources: barely at all. At least the Frontier Fleet ships will be available in a lot of cases, and if you're not comparing them to (deep breath) Manticoran, Grayson, Andermani, Havenite, Erewhonese, Maya Detachment, Beowulfan, or Alignment units... they're okay!

To me a part of the plan also must include showing the SL Transtellars just how helpless the Mandarins are in their ineptitude in dealing with the problem of reality. That group of fine upstanding citizens (Transtellars) will jump ship in the name of protecting their businesses and try to cut deals with the "Manties" that allow business as usual (BAU).

Of course part of the entertainment will be watching their reaction at finding out that BAU will not be allowed! Can imagine Eloise or Elizabeth's reaction to the idea? High Ridge fall would be minor in comparison....