From: "Doomriser" <doom.riser@3web.net>
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.vs.starwars
Subject: [PDD] ISB Ch. 4 "The Military"
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 13:11:01 -0400

Chapter Four
The Military

"The Navy has grown enormously since the decline of the Old Republic, but
its mission has largely stayed the same: to free the system space of member
worlds from hazards to profitable commerce, to assure the safety of member
worlds from attack from outside forces, and to bolster the planetary
governments in times of crisis. This last mission has grown more difficult
since the rise of the New Order."

Misc: Growth and role of Imperial Navy

"Under the Republic, the Navy could move in and put down unrest in a system,
secure in the knowledge that the majority of the governed species welcomed
their intervention. The New Order has changed the attitudes on many of the
constituent worlds. While the vastly increased firepower available to the
Navy has so far been more than adequate to compensate for any increase in
hostilities, the willingness of member worlds to resist the New Order is
expected to be a greater problem in the future."

S&S: The Imperial Navy has 'vastly increased firepower" since the fall of
the Republic.

Planetary governments had the right to call upon the Navy of the Old
Republic in emergencies. They would simultaneously petition the Senate if
the forces were to be engaged for more than seven standard days (most
actions could be concluded within that time). The only lengthy campaigns
were against the pirates located on the fringe worlds, and these were the
concerted efforts of several hundred worlds who at one time or another had
found themselves prey for pirates.

S&S: Most conflicts in the OR lasted for less than a week. But there were
pirate groups that could prey on _hundreds_ of worlds in their careers!

"Under new doctrine, individual planets are too insignificant to allow them
direct control over an asset as important as the Imperial Navy, even for
short periods of time."

Politics: The Imperial navy is more of a 'standing military' than the
militia or peacekeeping forces under the OR.

"This change has greatly boosted the morale of naval personnel. The officers
now know that the strategy is being set at a level of authority which is
best suited for seeing the whole picture. Naval commanders have the
authority and responsibility to execute their orders in the best manner
possible, and they know they shall be free from political interference while
doing so."

Politics: The Imperial Navy is free from most political interference

"The Navy has responded to its rapid growth by changing its command
structure, introducing intermediate levels of command which did not exist in
the Republican Navy. Most of the junior level officers were promoted to
these intermediate levels, while the senior officers kept their ranks but
had the scope of their command enlarged. An admiral in the Imperial Navy
commands forces over 10 times as great as an admiral did during the Old
Republic."

S&S: The size of the navy seems to have increased by at least a factor of
10, given that there is an equal or greater number of Admirals in the
Imperial Navy than in the Old Republic, yet they command >10 times the
amount of forces.

"From the men who fly the capital ships to the men who leap into the
cockpits of the TIE fighters, Imperial pilots are the mainstay of the
Imperial Navy. They are the necessary element in the military branch charged
with protecting the space lanes from pirates, smugglers, alien invaders, and
Rebels."

Tactics: Role of TIE Fighters

"The top pilots in the galaxy are found in the Imperial Navy. These pilots,
following the glorious and time-honored allure established during the
Republic, attend the premier academies throughout the Empire. Within these
fine institutions, the Empire teaches these men duty and promotes the idea
of maintaining order, as opposed to defending against aggression."

Misc: Perhaps the academy Luke and friends spoke of in ANH is one of these?

"In addition to their hands-on training, gunners learn to work with
specialized computer helmets that not only offer protection but are equipped
with macrobinocular viewplates and sensor arrays to assist with targeting
fast-moving fighter craft."

Tactics: No purely 'manual targeting' here, Trekkie cultists.

"To protect its vast number of capital ships without relying on the help of
the Army, the Navy has created a corps of troopers to act as soldiers. These
men, trained in traditional combat skills, also learn skills needed to
survive aboard the mighty vessels that patrol the galaxy in the name of the
Emperor.

These troopers wear the distinctive uniform and helmet once only the
province of the Death Star troopers. These soldiers dressed in all black are
deadly warriors, but they all serve other functions aboard Imperial ships.
They act as security, handle hangar traffic control, monitor sensor arrays,
and other duties when their combat skills aren't required."

Tactics: Role of naval troopers

"With the New Order, and especially since the massive build-up orders issued
after the Battle of Yavin, the Navy has received top-of-the-line equipment
throughout the upper ranks of the Imperial fleet. Only in the lower,
system-level units does the older, less-standardized equipment appear in
large quantities."

Misc: Suggests two levels of the Navy, an elite fleet arm and second-line
system-level units.

"If the Navy was rejuvenated since the rise of the New Order, the Army was
revived from the dead. During the days of the Old Republic the Army
degenerated into a poorly trained police force with fancy uniforms. They
performed garrison duty on member worlds, often as a barrier between
squabbling locals. The Navy was responsible for getting the Army to its
destination and for picking up what was left. There was lip service paid to
the concept of orbital support, but the Navy was stretched too thinly to
afford sitting in stationary orbit for the duration of a surface campaign.
The Navy jealously guarded its starfighters, so the Army was denied any
effective means of maintaining an orbit free of enemy spacecraft once the
Navy departed."

Misc: Possible explanation for lack of naval fire support in AOTC.

Tactics: Starships usually remain in orbit when supporting the army

"With the New Order, and especially since the abolishment of the Senate, the
Army has become the physical manifestation of the Empire throughout the
galaxy. Whether black-clad Imperial soldiers or white-armored stormtroopers,
the Imperial Army has grown into the mailed fist that pounds the
thousand-thousand worlds of the Galactic Empire into submission."

S&S: Again the "thousand thousand worlds"

"The Army took a different tack from the Navy when it experienced its
phenomenal growth. The army kept its ranks the same, but increased the
number of subordinate officers for each rank above. This decreased the ratio
of officers to troops and gave the Imperial Army a very lean fighting
force."

Tactics: The IA has a low officer>troop ratio

"Over three-quarters of the Army's officers were weeded out during the first
days of the New Order."

Politics: That's a pretty big purge.

"Army troopers make up a vast number of the Empire's planet-bound fighting
forces. These soldiers wear similar uniforms to the Naval trooper, complete
with helmet. But the Army wears a gray-colored uniform and partial armor for
protection.

These soldiers are trained only to fight, and they do it very well. They are
taught all manner of combat techniques. Hand-to-hand, blaster pistol,
grenade, and heavy weapons training are just some of the areas these
soldiers are expected to excel in."

Tactics: Role and training of Imperial Army troopers

"Like the normal Army trooper, assault crewmen wear gray uniforms and
partial body armor. They receive all the combat training given the trooper,
as well as the training needed to operate the ground assault vehicles. They
also learn how to best apply the Imperial mindset of rule by fear through
the use of their war machines."

Tactics: The armour crews are trained to understand the psychological
warfare aspect of machine such as the AT-AT

"Some say the stormtroopers were created to provide the Emperor with an
obedient force that was loyal to no one save him. Others note that these
specialized warriors were designed to provide adequate protection to the
varied worlds of the Galactic Empire with little preparation time. Whether
one or both of these are true, it remains that the stormtroopers fit the
doctrine of rule through fear very well indeed."

Tactics: Role of Stormtroopers. I think they are highly-loyal,
politically-reliable shock troops. They win the battle, then the regular
army occupies the area.

"Snowtroopers work in tandem with AT-AT walkers. These vehicles are ideally
suited for the extreme temperatures and icy terrain where snowtroopers are
deployed."

Tech: Walkers work well in icy terrain.

"Another special unit of stormtroopers has been established to handle
another prominent environment throughout the Empire. Aquatic assault
stormtroopers - or "seatroopers" - are trained and equipped to operate below
the seas of the thousand-thousand worlds.

Seatroopers can be deployed quickly via dropships, but are most often
assigned to aquatic garrisons where they enjoy the support of a fully loaded
base, special water craft (including modified TIE fighters), and powerful
AT-AT swimmers."

Tech: There are water variants of AT-ATs and TIEs

"While all stormtrooper armor provides limited protection against hard
vacuum, one elite division has been trained to operate exclusively in outer
space. Zero-G Assault stormtroopers - or "spacetroopers" - are deadly
commandos of the highest order, second only to the Imperial Royal Guard in
training, loyalty, and destructive capability. When it is necessary to
capture a freighter, space station, or other spacefaring vehicle,
spacetroopers are deployed to handle the job.

A spacetrooper platoon uses a refitted and heavily armored assault shuttle
to stage its operations from. A five-man command crew pilots the shuttle.
All communication devices are patched through the platoon commander's
station so that the commander can monitor the entire team's activities. He
issues orders from on board the shuttle, directing his troopers from within
the flying fortress.

The assault shuttle is a formidable attack vehicle in its own right, but the
40 spacetroopers it carries are walking arsenals. Each trooper wears a
standard stormtrooper shell, but then plugs into a full body armor encasing
that performs as a personal spacecraft and attack vehicle. Spacetroopers are
limited by the amount of power their armor can store, but they are trained
to employ their armament effectively and complete their specified mission
within a limited period of time. If unable to complete their mission within
the time limit, spacetroopers have standing orders to return to their
shuttle for recharging.

Because of their fearsome yet bulky outfits, spacetroopers perform best in
no-gravity environments such as deep space and non-atmosphere worlds."

Tactics: Role and training of Spacetroopers
Tech: Regualr Stormtrooper armour provides limited protection against hard
vaccum.

"Stormtrooper scouts are assigned to garrison posts. At a typical garrison,
scout speeder bike squadrons perform reconnaissance and patrol missions in
cooperation with AT-ST walkers. Imperial doctrine dictates that garrisons
remain active and aggressive, performing continuous patrols to establish a
tangible presence, even on "pacified" worlds.

Scouts use the explosively fast Aratech 74-Z speeder bike to perform their
missions. Be- cause speeder bikes require sensitive handling, Imperial
scouts wear highly specialized lightweight armor. This armor includes
macrobinocular viewplates and full sensor array, as well as a built-in
computer to analyze incoming data quickly. Without such aid, even the best
scouts would be hard pressed to operate speeder bikes at full speed."

Tactics: Role and equipment of Scout troopers
Tech: Note that Scout armour is more 'lightweight' than regular stormtrooper
armour, suggesting that it probably is unable to absorb the amount of
impacts or firepower that regular stormtrooper armour can.

--
-=Doomriser

"We've been very careful. The continuity is airtight. Believe me. We know.
We know."
-Brannon Braga