Turn 7 (39AE): Forging the Spaceforce Results
Budget: -725B Or
Government Support: 61
The Green Coalition for all its promises of greening has taken the arguably politically expedient route and focused recent policy proposals more towards the increase of defense and infrastructure expenditure over the hardest part of greening. The grid itself shut down the last emissive power plant years ago but the necessary expansions are only slowly underway with the demands of a resurgent manufacturing and defense manufacturing sector. Industrial decarbonization has been a sacrifice for the politicians, with funding that was originally allocated towards subsidizing nonemissive industrial facilities spent on a mixture of military funding and expanding essential infrastructure. The PPP and PDL for their part have encouraged the shift away as the damage done to the planet has been effectively halted to all extents, saving the planet from accelerating warming even if the current conditions have caused a definite breach of the three-degree envelope globally, if not the four-degree envelope.
Because the youths have had little better to do, the practical change in policy has almost immediately resulted in more active unrest from the over-committed with little to do. Over seventy different universities have had sit-ins along with large ostensibly peaceful protest movements over the betrayal of the government, demanding an immediate recall election for the Green Party members that "betrayed" the very goal of the party that got them elected. The actual damage of the protests has been minor as student activists have proven unable to physically force their will on the state or do anything that would notably push policy but such a large movement springing from nothing is certainly an indicator of what is to come. For their part, representatives of all of the parties have committed to a new program focusing on equitable economic development and expanded welfare, ensuring a minimum living standard no matter employment as significant portions of the population are rendered practically unemployable.
The rise in effective unemployment has been prevalent both in conventional rates and in workforce participation rates as the under-educated have been removed from employment. Automation in the direct service sector has gone to a point that most personnel can be isolated to security and error-checking roles, squeezing the sector for jobs. Even the old-fashioned delivery drivers have been replaced by more efficient drones and automated vehicles, eliminating millions of jobs. Those with degrees have endured far better in the job market but even they have seen a narrowing of positions as professional education has proven the most durable. Those that have already established themselves previously have of course proven the most durable in employment but Youth unemployment and underemployment have reached almost half of the population with little done to address it outside expanding state-income systems.
Both types of radicals have only expanded with mass WP and PSC actions moving through the streets, often fighting with the other and causing more property damage than the GP radicals ever could. The PDL for its part has been cast as either a vacillating saboteur of social progress unable to end capitalism or some idiotic conspiracy to put down the nation. The PPP itself has arguably gotten far more criticism from the right than the left, classifying them as a puppet of the PDL and WP through some convoluted means. Both movements have grown in numbers especially amongst the youths as they have little to do but protest and brawl in the streets. This has only been made worse by the presence of social media, as it has proven a consistent and negative radicalizing influence for all political strata.
Climate disasters have only increased in scope with a further increase in hurricanes along with the formation of two hypercane systems over the last year. Both managed to miss any significant settlement with a few small towns vaporized as a part of the warming of the oceans, with little that can be done about it. Heat waves have also become a fact of life with sweltering heat of almost fifty degrees around the equator at high humidity pushing up water demand and reducing productivity in outside areas. Desalination programs have finally shined through and water rationing outside of water use for agriculture and decorative measures have been effectively eliminated. To keep power production going the coalition has authorized a whole political campaign for the construction of twenty 10 GWe fusion reactors for consistent and stable mainline power and to supplement the nuclear and solar grid.
Generally, phases go from wanting something to a prototype, to low-rate production(LRP), to full-scale production. Once you have a prototype or something in LRP, you can request changes to it to bring it into line with requirements either military or political
Anti-Orbital SSBN: With experience in the construction of hardier ship sections and the slowly reconstructing naval industry, the specifications for a new ship have been restrained to match what the industry can deliver. Operational depths of at least a kilometer and a half for sustained patrols have formed a core requirement along with the demand to stay submerged and in a ready state for at least a full year per patrol. Defense for the boat is expected to come more from stealth and difficulty of detection, necessitating the ship to stay deep in the ocean outside of any possibility of conventional detection. The boat itself is expected to field at least six multipurpose forward tubes as a secondary system and self-defense armament while the primary onboard system is a separated triple-missile complex in a conventional SSBM tube. The latter has already been developed for other applications, only necessitating the development of a specialized compartment for deep-water launches. (97)
[]Emire Boat Company: Bringing in a conventional design with a slight deviation from wartime production in that it is built as a monolithic hull instead of a cheaper mass-produced dual hull design. Their largest offering is experience in the development of electronic systems and a team that has been assembled from historic submarine workers in wartime, keeping experienced personnel in the system. The hull itself is to be built along more conventional lines rather than the more extreme proposals using HEA sections for weight reduction. Quieting demonstrators have proven more than adequate and much of the powerplant is coming in from ASP who have succeeded in delivering modernization reactors for orbital strike assets.
[]Avalon Shipbuilding Plant: A bid that is made to show off the nuclear power plant more than any particular factor of shipbuilding, the considerable operating depth of the submarine is expected to allow for high-speed transportation at an acceptable degree of quieting. By going with a more advanced reactor incorporating a gas core MHD pinch the program can parallel orbital programs while also massively reducing the quantity of fissioning fuel and allowing for operational refueling. Electronics sections are expected to be supplied by Lunos and Avalon's yards have not built a submarine for forty years with most of the team newly recruited. The rep has talked at length about beating the depth requirement considerably through the use of high entropy alloys and new printing techniques, but the capability has not been demonstrated or used to any significant extent.
[]Bun Naval Group: The most ambitious embracer of hull construction techniques, the Bun offering is focused on increasing dive depth as much as possible along with strongly increasing automation. Reduction of the crew to sixty along with evacuation measures are expected to make the boat one of the most comfortable to serve on with a combined system promising to allow for underwater patrols of up to three years. The reduction in crew spaces has extended supplies and enabled the transfer of space-based algal trays onto a submarine, ensuring that fresh food can continuously be supplied. Crush depths are not expected to be significantly greater than the specification, but the use of printing for sections of the pressure hull will lower costs per unit considerably if it can be demonstrated.
Light Vehicles: A commitment to a lightweight platform for infantry transportation has logically been associated with a tight packing format and a disassembly-capable vehicle that can be directly packed on top of itself in a cargo hold. The roof of the vehicle is expected to be a detachable light polymer system capable of deterring rain while the front windshield and surface are made to be resistant to rifle fire. Engine power requirements have been instituted, learning from previous examples with a minimal grade of traversal and stability on several types of terrain. As it is expected to be adopted for any number of roles, the primary configuration is expected to be a three-row vehicle with a theoretical capacity for seven light infantry or five heavily equipped infantry. Secondary configurations are expected to be developed in the form of a two-row reduced system with rear storage of munitions for a flexible upper mount. (66) (40B Or Cost)
[]Milta Automotive Works: Milta's initial pioneering efforts on the development of printing technologies have logically proceeded from the first IFV production. Now, instead of using the technique for the production of armor, the mass automated production of a new vehicle loosely based on the 4x4 Cyclone. The chassis itself is directly carried over from the civilian offering but the entire upper works is expected to be designed as a modular system for conversion between the vehicles. When the rear seat is removed and the upper chassis is mounted a RWS mount will be opened for any variety of weapon systems. Further, they have an already prepared engine for the vehicle with few issues in pushing it to rapid production. The frame itself is likely to save some weight relative to the specification but not significantly exceed it in any way. (Moves to LRP) (20B Or Cost)
[]UNISA: Unique in the offer to rapidly scale production despite most printers being saturated, the UNISA rep is entirely convinced that an almost entirely printed car can be produced with few issues. The engine block itself is expected to be rapidly cast with the body formed from a monolithic printed unibody. Using the most advanced alloys of any of the designs, the vehicle itself is expected to weigh almost 500 kg under the specification if it can be delivered. Protection onboard is expected to be negligible outside the frame itself, but even that is expected to provide a limited degree of IED splinter resistance. Weapon mounts on the vehicle are all contracted out to Lunos but that is similar across the bid and Sygner and is not inherently a demerit. (Moves to LRP) (20B Or Cost)
[]Avalon Industrial Trust: Prioritizing a refitted ruggedized vehicle already in production over more advanced offerings, the Avalon bid is effectively a redesigned SUV. The car itself is adequate for the requirements with the engine already in production along with most parts of the vehicle having some commonality with the civilian model. The packing requirement is not going to be met even according to the blithely optimistic rep, but Avalon promises that production can effectively start in months instead of years. Further, they already have a series of prototypes for evaluation and those have managed to meet every performance requirement if barely. Offroad testing has also found the new vehicle deficient but not extremely so for the role it has been tasked for. (150B Or) (Immediate Mass Production) (Ends Program Next Turn)
[]Sygner Automotive Group: For once in its existence Synger has offered something entirely original rather than a variation on either a civilian or derivative design. Using a new suspension system along with an entirely printed HEA chassis the rep entirely believes that the protection requirement of heavier vehicles can be achieved without compromising overall requirements. The thicker unibody frame is expected to protect the crew from smaller IED explosions while the packed fiber liner is expected to catch most artillery fragments. It of course is not resistant to getting shot by anything approaching a heavy machine gun or even armor-piercing rifle fire from the side, but it is expected to be far more durable relative to the other offerings. The layout is conventional with the same setup as the others, with a notable advantage in that the roofing assembly can be flat-packed alongside the internal storage of most RWS mounts. (Moves to LRP) (40B Or Cost)
Surveillance Drones: A long-distance loitering drone capable of linking towards uplinks in orbit and cruising to most points of the planet from either a catapult launch or airfield will be essential for observational capacity. The platform itself is almost certain to later be refitted for the carrying of ordinance but that is considered to be secondary relative to the massive technical demands of long loiter time and new electronic systems. Compact high-magnification thermals and optics will be the core product of the program no matter what bid is taken, providing a new basis for spotting fires. (71)
[]Conventional Straight Wing: The cheapest and arguably easiest platform to develop and build out would be something from practically sixty years ago. A simple turbofan engine can give the drone all the power it needs while the straight wing will enable a longer loiter time. The inherent loiter time advantage of a straight-wing design is the key factor favoring it, as it would have several policing applications rather than exclusively serving as a weapon. Payload specifications mandate the carrying of at least one ton of ordinance in a maximum configuration along with the capacity for limited air-to-air self-defense. Further, a minimum loiter time of forty-eight hours along with a twelve thousand kilometer range is expected to provide cross-island strike capacity. As the design would inherently be poorly suited to low-altitude penetration work, the requirement is considered superfluous as the system will not last in any remotely contested airspace. (Cheapest) (Around 100B Or Cost)
[]Turbofan Subsonic: Developing a drone system that can cruise in the high subsonic range will pose several aerodynamic challenges, but it will create a far more flexible system. By shifting towards higher speeds and a design that can make compromises to reduce radar cross-section without fully committing to stealth, limited low-altitude penetration work can be conducted. Further, by increasing the speed and engine power a dual loadout system will be mandated as there is expected to be a separation between a short and long-range configuration. Range standards of up to eight thousand kilometers in a slick high-altitude configuration are expected from the bids. In a maximum ordinance configuration, a two thousand-kilometer penetration range at low altitude is mandated as the drone is expected to form the primary airborne strike platform. (Around 200B Or Cost)
Militarized Orbital Frigate: The most pressing question for the orbital frigate program that must be determined before any money is committed is what role the frigate will be meant for. The current shortage of dockyard space from the mining ship construction program means that there is plenty of time to refine the design and create something of a unified battlefleet approach. We currently do not know with what weapons orbital warfare will be fought at any specific scale. If the alien enemy can miniaturize its fusion drives to fit into a missile-bus much less a missile, it's expected to be the dominant form of combat without significant developments in countermeasures. If particle beams and lasers end up dominating instead due to improvements in thermal management then it would lead to entirely different conclusions. Previous frigates have been built as generalists on the hull of transport more than dedicated combat ships, but their role needs to be narrowed no matter what the future of space warfare looks like. (95)
[]Conventional Frigate: Continuing the naval concept from the need for a light and agile warship, a space frigate built around a point defense armament with some support systems is logical. The ship itself is to be armed with a limited stock of missiles along with a dedicated heavy laser system and accompanying radiators with fibers running the length of the hull to several emitters. Kinetic close-in systems are expected to be mounted for close-range in-orbit work but are unlikely to see any use outside emergency missile defense or supporting troops assaulting a habitat. (Small Sized Ship) (Cheap) (Multirole)
[]Heavy Frigate: A frigate is only definitionally an escort ship with no strong provision on its exact size. Increasing the scale of the craft allows for the mounting of far larger dedicated laser and missile systems onboard. A particle beam in any sense cannot be mounted due to internal volume and thermal restrictions but other systems can be. Technically a compromise design, increasing the size of the ship will allow for a solid base of fire from which the rest of the fleet can be constructed. The largest benefit of a larger ship comes in the design of the FTL system, as the hull will be designed with room to incorporate a drive immediately derived from the testbeds. (Medium Sized Ship) (Multirole) (FTL)
[]Particle Beam-Interceptor: Coming from a partially radical design school, the theoretical availability of particle beam weaponry is expected to significantly change the outcome of most orbital combat. The limitations of focused nuclear weapons involve the narrowing of range and as the alien enemy has fusion torches, any missiles we launch are unlikely to catch a target at any reasonable range. By mounting an oversized powerplant it is possible to create a ship with a light point defense laser armament and built around rapid maneuvers with an experimental particle cannon. Thrust will have to be incorporated on a side axis imposing several radiological challenges, but a viable design should be able to fight the alien enemy outside the range of current conventional arms. (Small Sized Ship) (Specialized Anti-Ship)
[]Heavy Laser System: Point defense fire will be decided by the amount of energy that can be committed to a laser system which is decided by the total dissipation of heat away from the laser system. Developing a heavier ship with a significant heat removal capacity along with the flexible transfer of power to a series of large lenses will provide the best point defense performance. Committing much of the internal volume to laser systems will reduce the capability of the ship but having surplus heat dissipation capacity and the power grid will allow for several heavier electronic systems to be placed onboard. Limited internal volume and the massive demand for power and thermal systems will limit the craft to a pure laser defense ship but it will significantly improve fleet defense against missiles. (Medium Sized Ship) (Specialized Point Defense)
[]Siloship: By reducing the demand for thermal management systems and freeing internal volume for the storage of a variety of types of missiles the new generation of frigates can significantly improve fleet capacity. The missile may have severe limitations when fighting ships that can manage as much acceleration and delta-v as those of the alien enemy but it can still serve adequately in orbit. Further, by carrying a number of missile payloads more specialized experimental point defense systems can be placed on board and developed alongside the program. Casaba howitzers have yet to be used at a large scale but the use of shaped nuclear charges promises to revolutionize point defense against tightly grouped attacks. (Small Sized Ship) (Specialized Anti-Ship)
Rank Structure Reform: Limiting the advancement of those in administrative roles and ensuring a full separation of the command system can keep the combat arm functional. The officers who are going to be promoted to captains in the orbital forces need to have a history of combat command, not administering oxygen on a cylinder. This will cause some discontent with the current officers in administrative roles but they should never have expected to be promoted. (42)
With the clear need for an army expansion trying to finagle something approaching a reform of the rank structure was immediately protested with several generals becoming politicians overnight, protesting the effective demotion of officers in front of the parliament. Parliament for its part has not been inherently hostile to the separation of ranks and the maintenance of combat troops but the opposition has fought hard against it with some even talking of the need to separate military interests from civilian ones in orbit as a reinterpretation of the current reform. This erroneous view has been shouted down universally but pushing harder to reorganize the civilians can lead to consequences that cannot be controlled, especially if some idiot becomes convinced that civilians can adequately manage the necessary high-enrichment nuclear reactors.
[]Push it Through: Any complaints of parliament and the parties are illegitimate when it comes to military matters. The army can fully act on its own to ensure that civilian adjacent officers stay in their comparative posts to avoid reducing the initiative and training of the fleet. Hundreds will complain over the army acting unilaterally without debate and over-writing civilian authorities but the power to do so has been issued for a reason. The officers involved are certain to try to make their excuses but that can be safely ignored. (Massive Political Cost) (Possible Consequences)
[]Informally Implement: Instead of formalizing an act in which no officer from the civilian branch can be promoted into combat branches, an informal separation can be maintained. It is expected that no promotion will be authorized into anything approaching a combat command from a civilian adjacent source. The rejected officers will of course complain but by maintaining strong combat posting requirements much of the work can be done without too many disruptions. A few officers of mixed background may still get in, especially in the case of a rapid expansion but that is a minor cost compared to becoming the latest parliamentary controversy. (Major Political Cost)
[]Maintain Rank Equality: Retreating from a political quagmire may be the least bad option available as parliament has decided it wishes to discuss the problem counterproductively. Letting the civilians wear themselves out over the discussion is better than forming a concrete opinion of it as it is impossible to convince a politician out of an opinion they have convinced themselves on. Some negative press is almost certain both from giving up on the program and from the attempt but better some controversy over ineffective reform than the civilians getting ideas about auxiliary space assets. (Some Political Cost)
Talk with Civilian Leaders: Having prolonged discussions with the civilian leadership in these trying times is essential to ensure no one panics and that the government can stay together. The current government is certain to have a massive increase in support if it can manage to get the backing of the army and appear to be doing something to protect the general public from the new threat. Dealing with them will likely be more a case of attending several dozen gatherings and reassuring hundreds of civilians that the situation is under control. (28)
Briefing important members of the cabinet and parties on the state of a possible war and how ready we are has not gone optimally. Most have reacted indecisively with the effective projection of total extinction within the order of a few months assuming total resistance to the best possible extent against what we would expect from a full-scale invasion. Further, the expectation of beachhead producing ordinance and the damage to the local geology from such operations have caused several to flake for moments before re-collecting themselves, increasing suspicions of poor morale. For some of the opposition, the moment of most stress ironically came when more funding was not directly asked for, only a continued commitment of what was sent over, likely leading them to conclude that the projections were not some unconventional fundraising measure.
Expand Bunkerization: The civilians are still demanding an increase in bunkerization across urban areas in case of light bombardment along with prepared evacuation routes. The expanded project will be more expensive than the prior program but provisions for ensuring that the majority of the urban civilian population can be brought underground at least for a time are going to be popular. The shelters themselves are only going to have a few weeks of food and water, but that is the best that can be done with the current level of spending. (150B Or) (Massive Political Support) (57)
The bunker system has received further funding with several hardpoints established under urban centers and hardened against likely airburst impacts. The bunkers themselves are only to be stocked with a week of food and water for maximum expected habitation but the species has survived worse in worse conditions. Much of the construction work itself is expected to take years as digging facilities out of the earth is neither quick nor efficient. In areas of lower density, partially underground sealable concrete structures have been constructed as a cost-saving measure, improving durability while keeping costs low. Despite the simplicity of the structures, civilians have been very positive about their construction with constant praise for opening up slots for the general public rather than only for administrative figures.
12-Hour Moratorium Vote by Plan (QM Note, I Am splitting the turns, results turns will be mostly the outcomes of programs while planning turns are where social happenings/important news/new program options are)
