Ice Hellion
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Capellan strategy
« on: June 26, 2007, 09:59:36 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic
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Security level: Alpha/Alpha/Alpha
Priority: Alpha/Alpha/Alpha
From: Deputy Director Alan Milunsky, Foreign Service Department
To: Deputy Director Nicholas Spikes, Information Analysis
Copy: Director Robert Petrovka, Terran Intelligence
Subject: XXXX
Nicholas,
My agents have managed to intercept parts of a memo sent to Barbara Liao by an unknown member of the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces.
I do not know if it is true or if it is just a maskirovka, targeted at throwing us into confusion. But either way it is frightening.
I do hope that your guys will be able to help us with this.
Alan.
As Master Sun said : « The art of war is of vital importance to the State. »
This is why I took the time to write down a few ideas on the challenges that await in the unknown future our great State.
I hope you will find some of my ideas interesting or that they will be able to launch the debate.
As most Inner Sphere States, we have been through the horrors of the Amaris' Coup without too much damage and destruction. However the Periphery and the former Terran Hegemony suffered a lot from these fights.
These facts should help us devising an efficient strategy.
We are surrounded by four neighbours: the Terran Republic (the former Terran Hegemony), the Free Worlds League, the Taurian Concordat and the Federated Suns.
The Terran Republic has been hit pretty badly by the Amaris' Coup and the departure of the former Star League Defence Forces with General Kerensky.
Right now, they are focusing on the rebuilding of their former strength.
The Free Worlds League is a large state made of several smaller states. This means that the central state might be dependant on a parliament (unless martial law is running) to use its huge forces. Also there is also the potential for several smaller states to disagree with the central one, and not to send forces to help it.
The Taurian Concordat was once a thread but nowadays it does not possess its former strength. Its inhabitants would probably fare well in defensive operations but they have way too much problems with their everyday survival to get involved in offensive operations. When you add to this their paranoia with the Federated Commonwealth, it is unlikely that they might represent a real thread for us.
The Federated Suns is a major state but it has two main weaknesses: it is huge (meaning it has to keep everything) and its army is mainly a paper tiger.
It is surrounded by 4 States (the Taurian Concordat, the Draconis Combine, the Terran Republic and the Capellan Confederation), two of them being openly hostile: the Draconis Combine and the Taurian Concordat.
The Capellan Confederation does not have the strongest army or the most planets. This means we would not be able to fight on two hot fronts for a really long period of time. However, our citizens are loyal, hard working and ready to sacrifice everything for our victory. This is probably one of our most important assets.
After this quick overview, I shall classify our different neighbours in three different categories: harmless, dangerous and highly dangerous.
The Terran Republic is for now harmless. We can let a token defensive force watching the borders. The former Terran Hegemony will have enough to do with the rebuilding of its defences and economy while fending raids or attacks by the Draconis Combine.
This means that for now, we will have to consider the Tikinov area lost for us.
The Taurian Republic is in the same situation with its attention being for now on the Federated Suns.
The Federated Suns is dangerous. However, we have two advantages: its army (which cannot be everywhere) and its neighbours, which are more threatening to him than the Capellan Confederation. Therefore, we should have good defences on the border and “convince†by every means possible the Taurian Concordat and more importantly the Draconis Combine to probe or attack the Federated Suns.
If we can “prove†to the Draconis Combine that the Federated Suns Armed Forces are a worthy opponent, I am sure that the DCMS will go against it like a bull against a moving target.
The wrath of the DCMS combined with our defensive shield should be enough to keep us of any attack by the Davions.
Another option to use is to let down for now the Chesterton worlds while reactivating the Chesterton Liberation Battalion and giving it enough help to create major problems for the Federated Suns at the lowest cost for us.
This leaves us with only one true enemy for now: the Free Worlds League. This is a dangerous foe with a powerful navy but with no real experience in large-scale coordinated combat operations.
Why is it our foe? The Lyran Commonwealth has the industrial might to overcome everyone. This combined with their preference for heavier units will probably dictate them a defensive strategy, making it hard for the Free Worlds League forces to overcome them. Even a planet hopping strategy would not lead them anywhere as key planets in the interior of the Lyran Commonwealth are even more protected than the borders and heavy forces are ready to launch counter-attacks.
The Terran Republic has a more modern navy and I doubt that the Free Worlds League is ready to lose its biggest assets or get involved in a long and heavy fight against better naval assets.
The smaller Periphery Realms are no match for the wrath of the Free Worlds League and they might rather sign trade agreements or turn them into vassal kingdoms through “pressuresâ€.
This leaves only one viable target: us.
We are neither too big nor too small. We are an interesting target that is worth the investments made to invade us.
We already have seen what options we should favour for the Federated Suns, now what should we do against the Free Worlds League?
In most cases, defence is superior to attack and a good mobile defensive force with strong units to launch counter-attacks should be enough. However, we do not have the space needed to conduct such operations for a long time.
Therefore, the other option is to launch preemptive strikes. But we do not have the strength needed to deal the heavy damages that would prevent the Free Worlds League to attack us.
Then what should we do? Nothing? This would be the worst of the limited options available to us.
However, we are not without resources. Our own experiences and those of our ancestors show us the right things to do: bring warfare to another level, a level that crosses the usual borders of common military wisdom.
This means using all the weapons available to us, including deception or removal of hostile by all means necessary.
What is the greatest strength of the Free Worlds League? Its navy.
What is its greatest weakness? That it is made of several Provinces.
What should we do? Divide them and attack its main strength when we have the opportunity to do so.
How can we achieve this? Several different moves are possible.
One of them would be simply by “helping†some Members of the Parliament to find the “truthâ€. It might request us sending something or us just not sending their secrets in the open.
We should not win the entire Parliament (which would be difficult and nearly impossible to do without attracting too much attention). What we should do is build a small but active group of official opponents to the policies of House Marik that might hurt us. They might even gave us some advantages by allowing inefficient people (nominated by us) to reach high level of power.
To keep their loyalty, we would allow SAFE to find evidences of betrayal on honest MP. This would make our converted people fear that it might happen to them and get the Free Worlds League into a paranoiac mood.
To make the Free Worlds League goes deeper into this paranoia, I would suggest using Admiral Jurdan Chang's tactics. However, they are known as being ours and we should be also careful not to give too much indications of our involvement in those attacks.
This is why the best solution would probably be to use “pirates†from the Periphery to create insecurity in the border worlds.
The final result would be to wear down their navy, used to protect their vulnerable merchant fleets, while increasing our number of ships and giving our “friends†in the Parliament more tools in their righteous fight against their central government.
Another option would be to give our Andurien owned worlds to an important member of the Free Worlds League, important enough to be jealous of the Marik family but insignificant enough to be far away from the throne. The Humphreys might be the perfect target for such a move. We would obviously request them to become independent from the Free Worlds League and we would sign an alliance of “equals†with them.
This might weaken us a little bit in the first years but we will win more by expanding our sphere of influence while appearing to be the “good†guys. On the long run, we will protect them, forge their military, control their economy; they will be nothing more than a puppet state that with some help will beg for our protection.
The Free Worlds League has only two options: go and fight the newly independent state (with the risks linked to it including rebellions and legitimate counter-attacks from us) or accept it and face a more vulnerable territory (with us having more bases) and a sudden rise in independent natural “feelings†coming from all over the League.
Meanwhile, we should also concentrate on the military side.
What is the basis of the navy of the Free Worlds League? Aerospace Fighters and DropShips.
What is the meaning of this? A lot of Combat JumpShips with lots of collars, making them among the most expensive naval units except for the ones of the former Star League. However these units are specialised ones, little more than big jump engines within a space capable frame. When you add to this the collars and facilities for all the DropShips, you will understand that there is not enough free weight for a decent amount of armor. Therefore, those Combat JumpShips have paper thin armor
Obviously, the efficient way of fighting such a behemoth is to strike at its vulnerable assets.
How can we do that? Simply by striking where they are the most vulnerable while feeling the most secure: after a successful jump next to their own bases or rearguard areas.
This means infiltrating unidentified merchant ships with captured JumpShips or within regular supply convoys and making them lay fields of space mines or explode or board vital ships.
Such a tactic can only work if we get enough reliable information on movements of convoys, identification codes and so on.
This is where the Maskitovka has a major role to play...
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In Turn they tested each Clan namesake in trial against the Ice Hellion's mettle. Each chased the Ice Hellion, hunting it down. All failed to match the predator's speed and grace. Khan Cage smiled and said, "And that is how we shall be."
The Remembrance (Clan Ice Hellion) Passage 5, Verse 3, Lines 1 - 5
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Re: Capellan strategy
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2007, 10:12:42 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic
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interesting write up Ice. Its sort of what I was thinking the capellans were scheming but you wrote it up much better then
I could have.
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Takiro
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Re: Capellan strategy
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2007, 02:13:15 AM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic
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With the exception of a few mistakes this is a fine piece for Fanbook 5. Great job!
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Ice Hellion
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Re: Capellan strategy
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2007, 07:50:37 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic
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Mistakes as always
And feel free to write a little more (I did not make it to the Maskirovka part yet).
We could have the entire Capellan HQ writing things here
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In Turn they tested each Clan namesake in trial against the Ice Hellion's mettle. Each chased the Ice Hellion, hunting it down. All failed to match the predator's speed and grace. Khan Cage smiled and said, "And that is how we shall be."
The Remembrance (Clan Ice Hellion) Passage 5, Verse 3, Lines 1 - 5
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Re: Capellan strategy
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2007, 08:54:17 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic
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I would love to hear other stratgems on the CC situation.
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"It is better to be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt."
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Re: Capellan strategy
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2007, 05:05:46 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic
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How about a report from a different agency...cant remember what their other one is atm. Maybe giving different suggestions on what they should do? Maybe someone who thinks that they shouldn't invade anyone maybe just raid all of their neighbors while they are distracted. FWL with the Terrans, FS with the Dracs, and the Terrans with both the FWL and the Dracs. Attacking enough to be a pain but not enough to be considered a threat.
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Expect it most when you expect it the least.
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"America is not a lie; it is a disappointment. But what is worse than being disappointed? It is not even to know what you're missing."
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Re: Capellan strategy
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2007, 07:20:32 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic
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Another agency in the Capellan Confederation?
Pure raiding would be perfectly suited to a classical situation but here they are trying to still play a major role.
If I remember well my history readings, raiding is the weapon of the weak. This is what France did against England when it was on the losing side of the naval warfare.
I thought about it but discarded it, at least for the first moments of the 1st Succession War.
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In Turn they tested each Clan namesake in trial against the Ice Hellion's mettle. Each chased the Ice Hellion, hunting it down. All failed to match the predator's speed and grace. Khan Cage smiled and said, "And that is how we shall be."
The Remembrance (Clan Ice Hellion) Passage 5, Verse 3, Lines 1 - 5
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Re: Capellan strategy
« Reply #7 on: July 03, 2007, 06:20:03 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic
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Quote from: Ice Hellion on July 02, 2007, 07:20:32 PM
Another agency in the Capellan Confederation?
I believe he means besides the CCAF. Possibly a report from the Maskirovka?
Quote from: Ice Hellion on July 02, 2007, 07:20:32 PM
Pure raiding would be perfectly suited to a classical situation but here they are trying to still play a major role. If I remember well my history readings, raiding is the weapon of the weak. This is what France did against England when it was on the losing side of the naval warfare. I thought about it but discarded it, at least for the first moments of the 1st Succession War.
Yeah the Capellans aren't that weak. In fact the Cappies have their choice of targets were as the Terrans well... The 1st Succession War is generally a raiding war. Fast strikes to destroy your enemies infrastructure followed by planetary conquests. With the Terrans infrastructure crippled in advance the League and the Combine just bypass phase one.
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Re: Capellan strategy
« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2007, 07:14:00 PM » Quote Modify Remove Split Topic
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A Maskirovka report.... That could be interesting but full of traps and double senses.
I think you are right Takiro about the situation of the Capellan Confederation and the way the 1st Succession War would be fought. This is why I tried to explain a little the reasons behind my choices.
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In Turn they tested each Clan namesake in trial against the Ice Hellion's mettle. Each chased the Ice Hellion, hunting it down. All failed to match the predator's speed and grace. Khan Cage smiled and said, "And that is how we shall be."
The Remembrance (Clan Ice Hellion) Passage 5, Verse 3, Lines 1 - 5
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