Re: Communication and Travel

> Ever visited a Mennonite Farm? Or was that Hutterite? I can't 
> remember which it is (or both) - but they have FULL machine shops
> that make some commercial ones look like nothing. And this includes
> computer driven CAD/CAM rigs, which are getting cheaper, smaller and
> more capable. It is entirely within the range of imagination to
> imagine a single farmstead (with adequate raw materials) turning out
> 20-25 serviceable assault weapons in a week. Now raw materials,
> ammo, primers, etc. become a bit of an issue, but you'd be surprised
> what a colony of people who live by being self sufficient because
> most of the time help is not nearby or DNE can do. 

Can Mennonite farms produce apache attack helicopters, missile 
systems, AWACS, strike fighters, M1 tanks. Nope. Farm machine shops 
on colony worlds won't be able to make state of the art hardare 
either. A guy with a rifle (ten guys with rifles... 100 guys with 
rifles?) Aren't much threat to state of the art systems. (q.v. road 
to basrah)

You also talked of luring the elite troops into ambushes etc. I 
understand the Vietnam parallels, and the desire to perhaps have 
scope for such problems (perhaps for RP potential, or just for that 
'feel). However, elite units have come a long way (and learned a lot 
of lessons) as well as advanced technolgy and sensor systems looking 
carefully down from space.

My thrust is.... civil based defense is at a severe disadvantage from 
top of the line military units with space superiority. A real 
garrison with planet or orbital defenses and/or fleet presence is the 
best line of defense, and probably the most economic. The role of on 
planet grunts would be for them to hide (with stealth technology) and 
conduct guerilla actions in preperation for relief by their own 
fleet, who will no doubt want to take the place back again asap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Richard Slattery	     richard@mgkc.demon.co.uk
I have nothing to say, and I'll only say it once. 
     Floyd Smith, NHL Hockey coach
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~