[X] Plan: Foundations for Maneuver (Manufacturing Remix)
[X] Plan: Foundations for Maneuver
Our guys aren't going to be complete idiots. If there is such a massive issue with horses, then they're going to find ways of dealing with it to one degree or another. Even if that means it's not actually 'horse-based' logistics or the like.
As for horse logistics only being useful during the 'early Interwar period', be aware that most of the German logistics train was horse-based as far as I'm aware during WW2. They had some motorisation but nowhere near as extensively as say, the USA or even the USSR (I think for the latter). We don't have the 'bottomless' funds and industry that European Powers have for building up said motorisation, though we're absolutely going to want to be phasing some in during the upcoming World War at the latest. Just not a wholesale replacement until the immediate Post-War period where enough development of technology and industry has occurred to more or less replace that wholesale across the world.
Well, maybe not for China or South-East Asia but those had some issues (lack of industry for China and JUNGLES EVERYWHERE for SEA) which limited just how useful it was.
The wikipedia page is saying that the local donkeys should be resistant to African Horse Sickness. So, might I suggest mule-based logistics if that's going to be an issue? Not quite as fast as horses, sure, but plenty fast to supply infantry, and even aside from the disease resistance the carrying capacity and endurance is a nice bonus.
[X] Plan: Foundations for Maneuver (Manufacturing Remix)
[X] Plan: Foundations for Maneuver
Our guys aren't going to be complete idiots. If there is such a massive issue with horses, then they're going to find ways of dealing with it to one degree or another. Even if that means it's not actually 'horse-based' logistics or the like.
As for horse logistics only being useful during the 'early Interwar period', be aware that most of the German logistics train was horse-based as far as I'm aware during WW2. They had some motorisation but nowhere near as extensively as say, the USA or even the USSR (I think for the latter). We don't have the 'bottomless' funds and industry that European Powers have for building up said motorisation, though we're absolutely going to want to be phasing some in during the upcoming World War at the latest. Just not a wholesale replacement until the immediate Post-War period where enough development of technology and industry has occurred to more or less replace that wholesale across the world.
Well, maybe not for China or South-East Asia but those had some issues (lack of industry for China and JUNGLES EVERYWHERE for SEA) which limited just how useful it was.
The problem is that our officers aren't even trained: yes, there is a little officer training school in Kismayo, but we have to rely on Japan to train more of them at this point.
Moreover, we don't have a service that is like the US Army Ordnance Branch, responsible for testing the validity of any of our idea: so, yes, our guys aren't going to be complete idiots but if there is such a massive issue with horses, then they couldn't going to find ways of dealing with it before a massive amount of funds will be wasted. They'll just assume that we already thinked about that.
Is better if we build a framework for improving our army from the bottom up: we don't need all the fancy logistics if we don't have enough officers with decent training and a testing agency that can tell us if there are some problems
The problem is that our officers aren't even trained: yes, there is a little officer training school in Kismayo, but we have to rely on Japan to train more of them at this point.
Moreover, we don't have a service that is like the US Army Ordnance Branch, responsible for testing the validity of any of our idea: so, yes, our guys aren't going to be complete idiots but if there is such a massive issue with horses, then they couldn't going to find ways of dealing with it before a massive amount of funds will be wasted. They'll just assume that we already thinked about that.
Is better if we build a framework for improving our army from the bottom up: we don't need all the fancy logistics if we don't have enough officers with decent training and a testing agency that can tell us if there are some problems
What makes you assume that the people who live in the area aren't going to know the existing 'tips and tricks' used by the local population to deal with the 'Horse Mortality' issue?
We aren't the British Ministry of War, or the American War Department, or the Japanese Ministry of... War? who have spent the majority of their lives living far away from the problem. Now, this is basically the reason for half our issues at a minimum, but if it's a local problem, we're actually better off than they would be. Provided we're not expecting 'perfect' solutions once the actual problem is identified and the scale of said problem learned.
There are reasons after all why getting some native Military Training System operational are going to be the second 'Big Problem' we're going to want to tackle beyond basic issues such as completely ineffective logistics, supply and information on the military. And no, we're not going to solve those issues in their entirety, but getting to the point where our biggest issues are caused by Officer and Troop Incompetence or lack of a specific type of weapons system is a good enough ending point to move onto tackling said second 'Big Problem'.
What makes you assume that the people who live in the area aren't going to know the existing 'tips and tricks' used by the local population to deal with the 'Horse Mortality' issue?
We aren't the British Ministry of War, or the American War Department, or the Japanese Ministry of... War? who have spent the majority of their lives living far away from the problem. Now, this is basically the reason for half our issues at a minimum, but if it's a local problem, we're actually better off than they would be. Provided we're not expecting 'perfect' solutions once the actual problem is identified and the scale of said problem learned.
There are reasons after all why getting some native Military Training System operational are going to be the second 'Big Problem' we're going to want to tackle beyond basic issues such as completely ineffective logistics, supply and information on the military. And no, we're not going to solve those issues in their entirety, but getting to the point where our biggest issues are caused by Officer and Troop Incompetence or lack of a specific type of weapons system is a good enough ending point to move onto tackling said second 'Big Problem'.
The problem is that we don't dictate how the reforms were made down to the lowest level: we give ideas and direct the personnel in the armed forces, and some of the ones out of them, to resolve the issues. If we don't create a proper pipeline to get better Officers and NCOs, the problem won't be limited to "Officer and Troop Incompetence" but also to armed forces structures built and staffed by them, and this will be difficult to correct later as they will be entrenched in the bureaucracy of the new armed forces.
Remount service and horse logistics are absolutely essential IMO. We're using cattle to tow guns and porters to carry supplies - that's gotta change. I doubt we can afford to skip straight to motorized logistics.
As for appeasing our political bosses, I'd recommend Carabinieri reform. Sure, the army itself needs reform, but the Carabinieri are in an even messier state, they're the bulk of our armed forces, and it's on the President's mind.
I think Natruska's proto plan is on the money. We have limited resources and credibility; better to choose some limited objectives we can achieve and get to a better baseline before we try knocking out huge expensive (and socially complex) things like a giant system of military schools.
Reforming the Carabinieri is the best available political mandate and it will eat a bunch of political capital and time anyway.
I am very interested in integrating the military/militaries in the long term, but I absolutely think that is a huge political lift (and risk) in the short term. Most strong-institution-building measures like that (or a massive education system, or serious anti corruption campaigns) are high risk, high cost, high reward measures. If we were a rich, established country with a bunch of state capacity to fall back on, they'd be no-brainers, sure, because we could eat the costs. I don't think the Reewin military has that much support to work from yet.
That makes sense. My preference would be to try to get logistical problems solved and political support built over this set of years (logistics upgrades wins support from the army, in addition to the carabinieri reforms winning support from the ruling party), and then in the next set of high level objectives try to attempt something more politically dicey once we have some support, credibility, and basics under our belts.
The fact is that while sounding, this plan is built on the fact of appeasing the politics and waiting to be seen as reliable for the military. The problem is that is built around a problem that seems simple to resolve (the logistics of the armed force), but in reality is much more difficult to do (we have to take into consideration the climate, what type of horse to use, how to resolve the issue of the African Horse Sickness, the possibility to use more than one type of pack and drafting animal, and so on). Moreover, this will also waste time due to shortages of trained officers and NCOs that will carry out these reforms: because currently, we don't have a large enough training pipeline.
On the matter of accumulating political support, my plan takes into account the question in a similar way to the precedent: by reforming the carabinieri (that will appease the ruling majority) and by building a national defense industry (that will receive support from all the parties, including the armed forces personnel).
My plan is also based on building a solid and reliable framework on which we can build more and better reforms in the next turns than if we start by addressing the logistic (that is non-critical at this moment: we won't get in a war anytime soon as the Italians don't want to anger the British and Japanese by invading us, and the British don't want to anger the Italian and Japanese by doing the same). Finally, my plan will also reduce costs in the long term as we can implement later reforms in a less costly way: this is an investment whit large and long terms gains in the future.
The goals of my plan are these:
We need to put the basis for our military cadre to implement more reforms, it doesn't matter if we have the best equipment and services if our officers and soldiers don't know how to use them best. This will also ease and streamline our modernization process as we have a more military and technologically savvy officer cadre to carry out our reforms. This will save us the issue of removing incompetent officers later when they entrenched themselves in the army bureaucracy, which will take us more time than if we do it now.
A broader Artillery & Ordnance school will do similar things, but also expand the ability of the procurement and R&D service of designing and creating new tools. This will help us by handling the testing of our ideas, thus preventing the most costly mistakes. While also having useful employment in the civilian field, mainly infrastructural projects, thus giving us more political support.
The annexed schools will also raise literacy and reasoning capabilities among our ranks, increase the capacity of taking the initiative and maintain it. Plus, the morale of the ranks will increase and more people will join the armed forces as they will be able to exit the military with a comprehensive education that will help them in life after the service.
We need an espionage service to get a grasp on other military latest developments and at least some information on the units stationed around us.
Reforming the carabinieri will get us political support from the President and the Majority.
We also need a nationalized arms industry that will help us starting to modernize and will wean us from being reliant on foreign imports.
So, please, vote for my plan:
[X]Plan: Lay The Foundation and Get Our Priorities Straight 3.1
-[X] Establish an officer training school with an ROTC program detached to the others few schools in the country
-[X] Establish an artillery school with technical tertiary school specializations (is better to call it an Ordnance school)
-[X] Establish a Council-controlled Information and Analysis Office
-[X] Reform the Carabinieri
-[X] Create a domestic, nationalized arms manufacturing industry
P.S.: sorry for bothering you all, but I really think that this is our the best way forward, while Potato Anarchy's approach is too timid and will bite us in the long term...
I've should know better, but at the moment I was desperate: I felt like I wasted my entire Sunday trying to argue for my plan only for being surpassed... But I really should know better and not be so annoying by pinging everyone.
[X] Plan: Foundations for Maneuver (Manufacturing Remix)
My main concern for this plan is that we might have to retool our factories later once we standardise cartridge size... Although maybe it won't be that expansive and kickstarting domestic arms industry early might be worth it.
[X] Plan: Foundations for Maneuver (Manufacturing Remix)
My main concern for this plan is that we might have to retool our factories later once we standardise cartridge size... Although maybe it won't be that expansive and kickstarting domestic arms industry early might be worth it.
It'll take so long for a factory to get up and running at full speed that we can probably squeeze in cartridge standardization before it's ready. Having an arms industry will also help when we need to rework a bunch of old guns to fire a new round. We also don't need to do a full standardization while only producing one cartridge, either, since we can keep buying bullets abroad.
IMO, the bigger thing is that we could start mass-producing pack howitzers, mortars, and AA guns. Those are big force multipliers, and we have lots of steel to use for it.
So, here is my take on the Map of Reewiin (i am working on this from Thursday 30th): I used some ethnic maps on the Internet to know what areas are occupated by the ethnic groups that are part of our nation, then I individuated the reference points listed by the QMs, and finally used a topographic map to draw the borders in a way that matched the more "natural" ones.
The original version I drafted Friday has Reewiin own most of the areas of Ethiopia inhabited by a Somalian majority, but, after some PMs with the QMs, the borders were pulled back to around the current Ethiopia-Kenya border.
The result was the map that now I submit to you all.
EDIT: I have on the way a map of the territories that Reewiin claims based on historical and cultural reasons and bonds. What do you think, is a good idea?
Legend:
-⭐Bur Gaabo, capital city
- ◼️ Kismayo, trade port
-A: Lake Turkana, western border
-B: Mount Marsabit, inactive volcano
-C: Wabi Jubba river, eastern border
The Map
Judging from the information I have on hand on Thursday-Friday, I determined that Reewiin is made up of:
the areas west of the Webi Jubba river, so the areas inhabited by the Southern Ogadeni and Western Marehan, subgroups of the Southern Darod Family of the Somali People;
the areas east of Lake Turkana, so the areas inhabited by:
the Samburu People: in my map, the region inhabited by them is split in two by a mountain range, so, for the sake of it, the Samburu in our nation are the Samburu Woto (meaning in their language, and I searched for the correct word to create a fan-name, Samburu to North)
the El Molos People
the Rendille People
the Burji People
the Borana People except for the northern ones: so the Gabra, Sakuye, and the Borana that don't speak Yaabelloo
the Western part of the Somali Family Hawiya: so the areas of the Degodia and Western Ajuran subgroups
the Aweer People
So the original version of the map is made by including these people in the borders of the Reewiin Nation. See the sources for more information.
I think the best way to control that lake depending on how deep it is...would be to make 1 or 2 gun boats armed with a pair of 152mm (6-inch) cannons, two 75mm anti-torpedo boat gun's, and a couple 13.2mm heavy machine guns.
And i say 13.2mm because the 13.2mm Hotchkiss Heavy machine gun should be available right off the bat.
Or in other words it should be possible to get a license to manufacture our own next turn.
