Author Topic: Counterpoint: Protest against large UDN military  (Read 36 times)

Offline The Empire of Ocatana

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Counterpoint: Protest against large UDN military
« on: December 05, 2015, 01:10:59 pm »
As the Minister of Defense over the UDN, I find it necessary that I, the Emperor of Ocatana, write this Dispatch to explain the necessity of size for the UDF and my reasons for organizing it as such.
Before I start I think it is important for everyone to read the purpose of the UDF as stated in the constitution (Article 6, section 2):

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The UDF stands as a coalition of member nations of the UDN for the defense of the region as a whole. It is important to recognize the position of the UDF as a defensive mechanism for the UDN, it has no obligations to protect members of the UDN that have aggravated conflict from foreign powers, lest those foreign powers threaten the UDN as a whole. Protecting the values of Democracy and personal freedom that the UDN has been founded on.

First off, it is well stated in the constitution the chief reason for the UDN. This is a region founded to protect nations in the world. Article 6 (section 1) of the constitution states, "The UDN was founded in an attempt to provide security against other powers in the world, and one of the greatest assets in creating a secure region is a strong military."

SIZE OF THE UDF: On first glance, the size of the UDF seems daunting. We currently are approaching 1.5 million infantry employed as marines and legionnaires. However, when compared to the sheer size of the UDN, that number is minuscule. In my country alone, there are 50 million civilians. Now add that to the other 57 nations in the UDN and you will find the population of the UDN is almost 2 billion. I could make the argument that we don't have enough unified defense forces in the region.

SEARCH PLANES: The notion of reducing the number of search planes in the aerial and naval forces is ridiculous to me. I value the lives of our military forces greatly and I find it extremely important to have a flexible force of search planes to help locate downed pilots and sunken ships.

ICBMs: The World Assembly recently repealed provisions that restricted the development of nuclear weapons by countries around the world. It is important that we as a region have retaliation in place for such a huge threat.

REPLACING PROFESSIONAL ARMY FOR CONSCRIPTION: This was suggested as a way of cutting cost for our forces. In reality it would greatly increase the cost of the UDF. With the UDN population at about 2 billion, we would have a huge influx of recruits that would only lead to an increase in the size of the UDF. With costs far to unsustainable. Furthermore, countries with conscription already in place, like mine, would run into legal issues with civilians being drafted for both armies.

ARMY RANK SYSTEM: I do agree that we should look into this. Perhaps ensuring that Those in charge of certain military forces are safe from being replaced by a change in regime (new consul) unless impeached by the Assembly or Great council.

SPY (UNITED INTELLIGENCE AGENCY): Intelligence is important in order to effectively prepare for possible and imminent threats to the region. If you are concerned about rights being violated we can make the authority that the UIA has control over more clear, but that would be redundant. As stated in the Bill of Rights in the UDN Constitution:

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No governmental authority of the region has the power to suspend or disregard the Constitution or the Legal Code for any reason.
"

The rights in the Bill or Rights include the right to due process and a fair trial, protection against abuse by government authority, and that power is derived from the nations a part of the UDN. I would also like to emphasize that the UIA is not a domestic surveillance mechanism.

I hope this has added clarity to the situation.

Minister of Defense
The Empire of Ocatana
« Last Edit: December 07, 2015, 05:39:24 am by Detreadan »

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Offline Allicia

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Re: Counterpoint: Protest against large UDN military
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2015, 05:28:41 pm »
I agree with your interpretation Ocatana. I'm going to quote the treatise and respond to it point-by-point.

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The UDN Army and Navy possess a large number of equipment and manpower that is unnecessary in proportion to our size and budget. The Army should be used solely for self defense as we shouldn't be perpetrators of peace and democracy.

As Ocatana stated, an army is created so that a nation can have peace. We are not imperialists. It is important to understand that we are a state with an army, not an army with a state. Our army structure is completely subservient to our elected leaders and they can be fired if they are deemed incompetent, threatening, or imperialistic by the Consul. In order to have a competent army, a region needs to spend roughly 15% of so of its' budget on it. An army requires constant resources, materials, and subsidies in order to continue its' tradition of professionalism and success.

In fact, if we cut funding to our army now, we will simply create more expenses through other means. How will our nations deal with the loss of trade that comes from the trading from iron and coal mines, to cargo ships, to steel manufactures, and so on? The Army is a major employer of citizens not only through actual battle, but also through the production of resources that are required to keep it moving. It is a major reason for technology to progress as there will always be military competition in this world. If we fail to provide for our army now, we will lose the army tradition that creates a successful corps.


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As such, I would like the following actions to be taken:

1) The number of gunships, attack helicopters, and medium and heavy bombers be reduced by 3/4

So how do we expect to fight off tanks? Our military would literally be smashed by a handful of tanks. Gunships and attack helicopters are the precise counter to the innovations that have been utilized on many modern tanks. Likewise, without any bombers, we will be unable to bomb logistical centers of our enemy. By cutting expenses and reducing our air capabilities, we will prolong a war by making it more bloody. Air power is what allowed trench warfare and the idea of the defensive being successful to decline. You wish to bring that back and thus bring back the casualty rates that it brought on humanity.

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2) The number of search planes be reduced by 3.5%

So shall be find the enemy through the use of magic? Search planes will allow us to judge our enemy's capability prior to a war. If they can respond adequately, we know they will be a threat in the air. Likewise, we can assume their land and sea forces are up to par. If they do not respond, we can get eyesight on their military capabilities and their spots of vulnerability. This means we will be able to end a war even quicker if it needs to begin.

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3)All ICBMs be destroyed to prevent extensive damage to other countries and democracy

Due to recent World Assembly proclamations, a nation without ICBMS is a nation that will be targeted by one with them. The only way to dissuade those that have the ability to destroy a region with the push of a button is to utilize that same technology against them. Why put your faith in other nations to not harm us if you will not put your faith in our elected officials to not use their ICBMs?

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4) The total aircraft and personnel be reduced by 3/4

Same reasoning as before. The Air force is the most critical component of a military. How does a navy win their battles? Through aircraft carriers. What do they use? Aircraft. How does a land army bomb defensive positions, get information, suppress fire, and create breaks in an enemy line? Aircraft.

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5) Number of legionnaires and tanks be reduced by 9/10

Do you have a plan on how to reintegrate that amount of people into society? Likewise, by current numbers, that will leave us with 90,000 soldiers and 3,000 tanks. The enemy wouldn't fight such a force. They would arrest it.

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6) Money released be used to support developing countries in UDN

These countries are being supported by the military. We have to station the military in these areas in order to keep the peace and make sure the government does not fall to warlords in the population. By defunding the army, you destroy the communities that have been built up around the bases that these soldiers are stationed at. You also forget that the developing nations provide quite a lot of the resources that are created into tools for the military. By destroying their major buyer, you destroy their economy. This will simply make those nations into a money sink rather than a productive piece in the machine that is the UDN.

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7) The regular Army be abolished and a National Service system (2-year conscription programme) be introduced to curtail and limit defense budget.

So we spend a year training these conscripts and they spend a year in the field? Do you realize that is basically just as expensive as our current military system? Not to mention many of our special forces are actually trained over a 2 year period, if not more, so they would literally have no agents. If your solution is to make the training time shorter, then all it will cause is a weaker army. Likewise, the morale of the army will reach an all time low, as will the conduct of it, as the people in uniform do not want to be in it.

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8) Army rank system be diversified to enable effective leadership of army divisions and prevent accumulation of personnel in a leadership rank

An army derives its effectiveness by the experienced veterans within it. A unit full of greens is useless and will die. A unit full of veterans is extremely effective, but fails to learn new abilities. Now, if you mix the two, you end up with two units that will be able to succeed in the field as they have someone to lead them as well as someone who is always growing. The Romans used this system. The Prussians used this system. We will use this system.

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9) Abolishment of spy system to fully adhere to our democratic system

So how do we know if there is corruption within our rank? How do we know if our Consul wasn't an agent planted by our neighboring regions? How do we maintain peace if we cannot keep track of the capabilities and war plans of the regions around us? Knowledge is quite literally power.

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10) Strict eradication of corruption and nepotism in the upper ranks to ensure that our military is sufficiently efficient and can progress without interference from corrupt officials and commissioned officials

That's all well and good, but unless you have a plan in order to make the military more efficient, it's just a thought. Though I do not see why the Consul would continually appoint corrupt officials in office, nor do I see why the public would elect corrupt officials. Getting rid of corruption seems like an excellent campaigning point to make for a rival running for office.