Why the USAF is Vital
Israel Stevens
So I read Gnilrap’s excellent article (go read/vote) and he’s right about almost everything in there. Communing is pointless; the only real way to sustain a Military Unit is via cheating or massive gold buying.
But he missed the most important function of the USAF and the reason why they cannot be dissolved.
They are critical to our national foreign policy.
Let me explain.
The way eRepublik is structured currently, everything revolves around the Military Module. Battles are what matters. The economy and media modules are dead and the political module is on life support. But not the military module.
Because of that, the most important tool in foreign policy is damage. It is far and away more effective than any PM, IRC conversation or article. Winning on the battlefield trumps everything. Being able to effectively coordinate damage towards important battles is how international friendships are made. When MU’s show up in force for important battles, their presence is remembered. And so is their lack of a presence.
Many Brazilians cited the lack of American support in their battles as the primary reason why they flipped sides. If those MU avatars aren’t rolling across the screen, people notice.
But why does that make the USAF important?
This is the USAF’s number 1 role because they are controlled by the President. And the President also sets our foreign policy.
Because of this, the President needs to be able to direct significant damage to important battles that may not be on the scope of our plethora of private MUs.
Some of our most well known MUs are under no obligation to fight where the President wants. eUS Military/Marines, Seal Team 6, Praetorian Guards and Easy Company are all 100% private and do not answer to the President or anyone in government.
The President must have a way to direct damage. From a Military Unit (or collection of) that cannot deny him. To dissolve the USAF, is to take away a President’s ability to be an effective leader for our country. It removes his ability for form and sustain friendships, and puts it into the hands of the MU Commanders.
If the USAF did not exist, then for all intents and purposes, our foreign policy would be entirely in the hands of our various MU commanders. They would be the ones directing the damage, and no amount of PMs, IRC convos or articles from the President and Secretary of State could replace that damage.
If we were to handicap our President like that, we would very quickly find ourselves in a ‘tribal state.’ We would have a collection of tribes (MUs) all vying for domestic political power and international influence. And our politicians would be vying for their support.
Whoever bought the most gold, and built the biggest MU, would have ultimate political power.
The USAF does serve a vital role. But that doesn’t mean they are perfect. Do we really need 5 branches? Probably not. They could be pared down into 3 with ease. And there is the constant need to run efficiently and make sure that they are spending the public’s money in the most effective way possible.
To advocate for the dissolution of the USAF, isn’t looking at the whole picture, and would ultimately decimate our foreign policy and domestic political situation.
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Comments
First reserved for reason.
Exactly.
And that's pretty much why I joined USAF in a nutshell... without realizing it. 😛
Meow! ♥
P.much this.
Voted.
Voted
Voted
Those of us acknowledging USAF's weaknesses and looking to examine details on what's actually necessary are not necessarily looking to dissolve the USAF. I, for one, am curious about details in funding, and whether or not all the branches are entirely necessary, but I do believe that the USAF does serve a valid purpose and should continue to exist for the foreseeable future. I readily defend the USAF and recommend against harsh treatment or budget cuts aimed at them, but I'm always interested in to what extent *all* of it is necessary.
Those wishing to see the USAF done away with are not looking at their very real benefits. Those wishing to see USAF grow and become *the* force are equally blinded. I'm interested in nothing beyond what is ideal for everything to function with the fewest problems.
TLDR; Voted, good article.
Never thought of it like that although maybe the ineffective branches can get removed or reorganized.
I think FT and AF should be absorbed into eUS Citizen's MU, with respective COs as 2nd Commanders. Internal structure of each needn't change necessarily but imo it would consolidate some active bodies where needed and possibly improve newer player experience.
I don't want to see a national military disbanded but I do want to see it improved. Without the big ego drama.
Honestly FT and AF should be absorbed into EUS Citizen's MU and while your at it you should merge RS and UM into one MU thus going from 6 state sponsored (FT,AF,RS,UM,SF+Citizen's) to just 3 (FT/AF/Citizens, UM and lastly SF)
I'm not really sure how UM is structured/disciplined since Mantle became CO, you may well be correct. If it remains as relaxed as it was prior, RS/SF might be the better merger? Dunno fo sho.
I do think inre: D1 & D2, we'd have a better shot at harnessing damage and actively engaging on-site under the President's directives than sending them through existing circus hoops. Seems like more hassle than it's worth to the average new guy.
RS has already been disbanded, UM absorbed a lot of their people.
The Citizen MU is a death trap where people go when they don't want to get involved in meta. The game sucks, we all know it. The only way to actually get people interested in the game is the community, which means meta-game. FT has a solid program, AF is making strides to improve the retention and community there, and RS/UM/SF all have solid communities that people get to and want to stay in.
The Citizen MU commanded directly by the President should never be a death trap. It should be a direct line IN GAME for any new or returning player to 'safely' get reacquainted with mechanics & reconnected with the community. Period.
SF, FT, AF, RS and UM should all be absorbed by eUS Civ MU, why fund all those MUs when one would do the trick; only reason this hasn't happened is personal egos....
Funding 4 MUs is equal to funding one big MU that is the same size as 4 MUs.
...only if ALL the soldiers were to move, one fourth will be lost because they wish to stay with their unit and another fourth to other MUs: so maybe half will actually continue being funded by the government....
It would also be more efficient running one instead of six units (eUS Civ, SF, UM, FT, RS, AF)....
You are dumb.
Here is the thing. I have been a part of what is now AF for well over two years. I've served as commander twice. I think I can say that nobody has done more in AF than I. If I was told AF is disbanded, you need to move to eUS citizens mu, I'm off to two click in SF.
why?
I second the why.
It wouldn't be disbanded, it would just be mechanically a single unit. Nothing for how it operates would change.
pretty sure Gnilraps was suggesting defunding, not dismantling the USAF.
"Some of our most well known MUs are under no obligation to fight where the President wants. eUS Military/Marines, Seal Team 6, Praetorian Guards and Easy Company are all 100% private and do not answer to the President or anyone in government."
reiterating what I wrote to Gnilraps' article... it's Leadership's responsibility to get all American fighters on board and fighting the same fights-- subsidized or not. that's what leadership is-- leading ALL the people, ALL the fighters.
All four of those units are Top 5 MUs, the only USAF in the Top 5 is Special Forces; which was at one time an independent MU...
Defund all of USAF except the eUS Civ MU....
Since when has the CIvMU been govt funded?
@Brother Jebediah, in excess of a year and a half, perhaps longer. They once received a small allotment under Interior.
@ Franklin Stone: Rogue Squadron was never an indie MU. It was always part of the USAF. It was created for Div 3 fighters, get them all under one command. There was some controversy with how members were originally recruited, which pissed off some of the command of USAF, and as I recall we were never failing back then.
The only USAF MU that was ever independent is the Ultramarines.
You are dumb.
Lets see...you are only 4 months late in answering this and since the government has actually folded RS into SF and UM; guess it wasn't so dumb after all...
Just curious, but since the Ultramarines were originally a private MU why weren't they the ones folded in rather than Rogue Squadron?
The Special Forces have never been independent... they were created as a government branch and will never be anything but.
That may be true, but I am pretty sure that Ultamarines and possibly Rogue Squadron were both independent and failing MUs when they became USAF branches....
However the point here is America needs only one MU under the control of the President, the rest should be unfunded and either become independent or be absorbed by the eUS Civ MU....
No, CHS, Rogue Squadron was formed as a USAF branch, and UM was doing fine as a private MU.
Well, I am not digging through the eUS Forums to find the proof, but RS was formed a week or more before they became USAF and UM was suffering supply shortages; the whole argument back then was America needed their damage and therefore the government needed to fund them....
I dunno what type of "proof" you think you'll find, CHS, but UM was fine as an independent militia and Rogue Squadron (which was formed out of the Air Force) was always a branch.
"it's Leadership's responsibility" x2
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It is worth reiterating! Put another way: what does money have to do with an MUs allegiance? Allegiance is a decision. Great leaders persuade team members to make decisions that are beneficial to the team. It is not obvious to me that the US armed forces' culture of service to the president will evaporate when the money stops. It is certainly not obvious that winning back regions and game tiles is only important if you get paid to do it.
The Civil War during America's invasion of eCanada demonstrated that MUs, can do their own thing even if they "answer to the President". A talented leader creates a desire to help the team; money creates a kind of obligation. Desire usually trumps obligation, but it is hard work to cultivate and sustain. There is that transparency thing again 🙂.
Thanks for saving me the need to comment on Gnil's article, as this pretty much sums up my only reservations to his ideas.
I think the follow-up on this is what a lot of people have already said about possible consolidation and re-examining our infrastructure with a closer eye on the current mechanics of the game. Simply put, damage is the only real currency in eRepublik, and our success and influence is based off nothing more than our ability to harness and direct damage. At this point, it seems that our weaknesses are most apparent when our meta-foreign policy disagrees with those eUS citizens who control large chunks of damage. It's as if we're running a corporation with the people capable of directing the most damage as the biggest shareholders and the NSC as the board of directors. Our full potential is only brought forth when the board and major shareholders agree and act as one. The CP is the CEO pressing the buttons, and Foreign Affairs people are Spokespeople with little concrete power.
Honestly, if game mechanics keep shifting in this direction, I think we're going to have to ditch a lot of our antiquated infrastructure, accept the fact that we're now nothing more than a set of tribes, and start doing our best to unify the tribes under causes we can all agree on. Personally, I don't like admitting that, since I know a lot of folks have spent considerable amounts of time and real life money perserving and enhancing the infrastructure we have now, but sometimes, the admins knock our sandcastles down, and unless game mechanics take another shift (one that reimplements strategy and slides power closer toward the CP and those elected in the political module), we'll eventually have to admit that those who control the most damage have as big an effect on policy as anyone else.
Regardless, voted. There seems to be a number of thought-provoking articles floating around tonight. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I'd like to see this trend continue.
Any MU that receives Federal funding must indeed obey Potus orders and at the first sign that they are not doing so funding should be cut.
And don't forget, government MU's don't really pay work tax. The WaM they are taxed on is just funneled right back into the MU. In that way the govt. can control MU and the politics of it's members. Very similar to communism. \o/
Glad I don't do what's right. I suck. People should hate me. I'm so stupid I should just leave and never come back. 😃 nostringsonme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np0solnL1XY
I can't speak for other units, but I've been a UM commune basically since it was founded (by me) and I've never taken supplies, cash for taxes, cash for RM, or anything like that. That stands true for all of our commune owners, excepting RM money, as a few people take on a full load of workers and need some...I just work 4, and I cover that with WAM.
so the US has what, 1 maybe 2 regions? The USAF is doing one hell of a job of directing damage for the president alright.
I like the part where you said "The president and politicians would have to via for the support of private MU's"
THat there is the reason for your article, you and the other goons that think you run the country refuse to bend the knee and ever give up one ounce of power, and look where that plan has gotten the eUSA. THe same idiots in congress every month, a revolving door of the same presidents over and over, all that gets is a wiped country with high ass taxes.
It's time for a new plan.
Try none....
Oh my! I will say I like most of the "goons" but they are set in their ways and that way is not working. I was once one of the"idiots" in Congress and most mean well but are pressured and swayed by big talk. Other than those smoothed edges I wholeheartedly agree.
My new plan was to pull up stakes and move. So far that is working great. Still have problems here and sometimes people are not agreeable but at least we are changing things for the better. 🙂
I am trying to get new people into Congress each month. I finally got my chance last month. But, none of the idiots will listen to new ideas or strategies.
I was in congress once, it was the dumbest thing I have ever experienced
HHH, the reason we are down to 1 region is because of the damage difference between us and the bad guys.
Bullshit....
Franklin, I understand that you're new but beer isn't spinning wool here. Seriously, just check this; http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/-tbre-alliances-of-the-eworld-day-2145-2326725/1/20
TWO controls 60% of the damage. That's a fact.
That said, the eUS hasn't lost its regions by difference in damage alone. Its biggest shortcoming has been foreign policy over the last twelve months. If the USAF are critical to said foreign policy, perhaps there's a glitch in the theory here. 🙂
So, Tenshitbo and Oblige said that we can not win battles without CO's, so the tax hike was for CO's. Yet they have not offered up any CO's and we lose, so where does the money go?
The people running the country are doing it wrong, if you want cool facts, then there is a fact, hack.
Typical response from someone playing the game less than a month. Wtf do you know? If you want to learn, ask questions, don't post dumbass retorts on topics you don't know shit about. CoT + allies does not come close to equaling TWO + allies. That's a well-known fact.
You have a very good point Vasilis.