This is a continuation of the other Marines posting from tonight.
Those bored with me, or revolted by all this militaristic talk can
skip to the next item. The rest of us can then make fun of you at our
leisure (just kidding) :-).
To continue: What good are MCATs, MAFs and MABs? Remember
that this was all designed for a pre-rebellion campaign. The Imperium
had its share of enemies, but much of the IN and IMC's job was
internal peacekeeping. Small firefighting units were a major element
of Imperial military doctrine.
In general, all groups (subsector fleets) would have at least one MAF
available, either intact or divided and deployed as three MCATs.
The Sector Fleet would have a full corps of Line Marines available at
various bases, with their large troop transports, but the fleet would also
have a number of MABs available. In unruly sectors, there might be 5 or 6
MABs, while a small or quiescent sector might only have one or two.
In terms of deployment, I always gave each subsector at least 1 patrol
squadron. This would consist of about a dozen destroyers or destroyer
escorts, with one escort carrier (a 25,000 ton carrier with a reinforced
wing of fighters) and some form of light cruiser (Gionetti or Azhanti
High Ligtning, depending on my mood). This squadron would also
have either an intact MAF or 3 MCATs attached to it. If the subsector
had multiple patrol squadrons (pirates, illegal alien problems), the MCATs
might be split up among the squadrons or additional MAFs assigned.
The MAF/MCAT would be used in the usual "show the flag" operation
or as a rapid intervention team to defuse critical situations. Such a
deployment would also alert one or more of the fleet's MABs. If a
situation arose requiring a full MAB, that deployment would alert the
other MABs and the Line Marines in the sector. If those forces are sent
in, the Sector Duke would probably need to seriously consider
mobilizing the IA. Since MCATs, MAFs and MABs all have dedicated
transports, they could respond to any situation in a week or two, while
the Line Marines and IA forces are busy locating transports and stuffing
all their gear into cargo modules. Anybody who has watched the US Army
trying to load one armored battalion onto a train will appreciate just
how long it takes to move such forces, even if some equipment is
pre-packed or prepositioned.
Anybody have any feedback? Come on in, the water's fine.
PS - Regarding A. Langford's quest for non-metallic guns. Have a
look at some books on medieval sieges. Many of the larger
bombards were made of wood, bound together with brass rings.
I also think I remember a picture of a hand gun from that period
made of similar materials.
PPS - This month's Popular Science has an article on Fuel Cells, which
have caused me a certain amount of grief in my current TNE
campaign. One problem; the technology involves hydrogen
and oxygen freed from water or methane, but FF&S says that
fuel cells use hydrocarbons (gasoline to us non-chemists). Can
anybody shed some light on this?
Again, none of the above reflects the views of my employers. No way,
no how.