Re: [GZG] FTverse colinies

[Tony Wilkinson <twilko@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert Mayberry wrote:
> I think you make a really good point about purchasing capital ships on
> the open market. If you're only going to have one, the build/buy
> decision is pretty clear. Except that some cultures will build their
> ships anyway. The Israelis (both current and future) have no
> confidence that even their military allies will actually come to their
> defense; they work on the assumption that they'll be betrayed and/or
> abandoned and so try to make their military as autonomous as possible.
> It's likely they'll build their own ships unless the economics are
> totally untenable.
>   

I think with the Israelis it's not so much that other militaries won't 
come to their aid as civilian governments might not sell them spare 
parts. The French tried to do this with the Mirage fighter and also held 
onto some patrol boats that the Israelis had actually paid for. (The 
Israelis ended up stealing the boats  and  reverse engenineering the 
Mirage, with improvements). Just as you were arguing that FSE ship 
design can keep the small power buyers on a leash to the FSE, the small 
powers might decide to take the risk and build their own ships to keep 
their independence. The ability to supply and maintain a fleet would 
play a big part, perhaps bigger than you have suggested, in determining 
what sort of fleet a small power builds/buys.

Just my two bob's worth.
Tony.


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