The military, A view from the other side
Day 1,181, 04:05
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Published in USA 
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by
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by Mysterious.Mind
Good morning America (always wanted to say that),
I am writing to you considering the recent army bashing you all have witnessed, fueled or fought against. Yes we all like to complain about stuff, but let’s get the facts straight.
First off I want to make it clear that today I reached the milestone of being a US Marine for 2 years. This means that I have had the honor to serve under Harlot, qn20, Lucky and basically each and every great leader the Marines have had since February 2009 to date. It also means I have been in the military long enough to witness it change and evolve over the years.
The main “problem” I see being raised by “the people” is that the military keeps its business under lock and key, instead of publishing the hard facts on forums or in articles in order for everyone to see. I really don`t understand how “you people” see the world, but it’s not all rainbows and flowers! And publishing sensible data like that would just be a VERY stupid thing to do. Why not give the enemy the exact times when each of us log on to fight while we`re at it?
As far as I know the military is accountable for their actions in front of the president & CO, but this doesn`t mean this information should be public. Why else would we have secure chat-rooms for the military? Why not do everything in plain sight on #usa-chat then?
Also the military wants the same thing you do, maximum damage for minimum cost. Don’t you think we want to rank faster & win the battles even more than the “average Joe”? So as far as that goes almost everyone works in the communes, and does food fights instead of weapon fights. The only branch that receives weapon(s) instead of doing all their food fights at once, are the Marines, because we have to put up a massive amount of damage in a very short period of time, and fighting bare fisted with food fights wouldn`t allow us to do that. So when that is required of us, yes we do sacrifice some long-term damage for a faster damage output. But that is also what brings us home the victory most of the time.
The military does not try and dictate the foreign policy of our country. If we would have really wanted to, we would have the means to do that. But we do not! Instead we do advise and express our opinion about what we consider would be best for our country. While yes it is true that a few people in the military refused to fight for Brazil for example, you need to understand that we, as military men who have fought for months or years alongside one of our “former” allies against one of our “new” allies do find it hard to switch sides.
Also a problem regarding our foreign policy that I have raised myself on the military forums was the fact that USA went on without a Natural Enemy for a period of at least 2 weeks or so. Sure that may not seem like much to you, but with a 0.5 bonus per day it would add up to 7 str for that period. That 7 str would mean that a fresh recruit in the “middle” branch in the military, the Army, would do 1 more damage today with a food fight. That extra damage considering 30 food fights and a branch of 100 people(this is a pure guess, I do not know how many members the Army has) would mean 30 k more damage done per day, without any added cost. Remember what I was saying about maximum damage for minimum cost?
The last thing I am going to address in this article is the role the military has. Besides the obvious primary role, fighting for our country and its allies when needed, the military is also responsible for helping and keeping a lot of newborn players in the game. Also I believe we are the largest group of active players in the country, and because of this help the economy run and also keep things interesting for the rest of the players, via fights, chatting on irc, etc. For these reasons I do believe we are awesome and don`t deserve to be attacked and accused like we have been the last few days.
Semper Fi!
Website where you can calculatel your damage and many more
I am writing to you considering the recent army bashing you all have witnessed, fueled or fought against. Yes we all like to complain about stuff, but let’s get the facts straight.
First off I want to make it clear that today I reached the milestone of being a US Marine for 2 years. This means that I have had the honor to serve under Harlot, qn20, Lucky and basically each and every great leader the Marines have had since February 2009 to date. It also means I have been in the military long enough to witness it change and evolve over the years.
The main “problem” I see being raised by “the people” is that the military keeps its business under lock and key, instead of publishing the hard facts on forums or in articles in order for everyone to see. I really don`t understand how “you people” see the world, but it’s not all rainbows and flowers! And publishing sensible data like that would just be a VERY stupid thing to do. Why not give the enemy the exact times when each of us log on to fight while we`re at it?
As far as I know the military is accountable for their actions in front of the president & CO, but this doesn`t mean this information should be public. Why else would we have secure chat-rooms for the military? Why not do everything in plain sight on #usa-chat then?
Also the military wants the same thing you do, maximum damage for minimum cost. Don’t you think we want to rank faster & win the battles even more than the “average Joe”? So as far as that goes almost everyone works in the communes, and does food fights instead of weapon fights. The only branch that receives weapon(s) instead of doing all their food fights at once, are the Marines, because we have to put up a massive amount of damage in a very short period of time, and fighting bare fisted with food fights wouldn`t allow us to do that. So when that is required of us, yes we do sacrifice some long-term damage for a faster damage output. But that is also what brings us home the victory most of the time.
The military does not try and dictate the foreign policy of our country. If we would have really wanted to, we would have the means to do that. But we do not! Instead we do advise and express our opinion about what we consider would be best for our country. While yes it is true that a few people in the military refused to fight for Brazil for example, you need to understand that we, as military men who have fought for months or years alongside one of our “former” allies against one of our “new” allies do find it hard to switch sides.
Also a problem regarding our foreign policy that I have raised myself on the military forums was the fact that USA went on without a Natural Enemy for a period of at least 2 weeks or so. Sure that may not seem like much to you, but with a 0.5 bonus per day it would add up to 7 str for that period. That 7 str would mean that a fresh recruit in the “middle” branch in the military, the Army, would do 1 more damage today with a food fight. That extra damage considering 30 food fights and a branch of 100 people(this is a pure guess, I do not know how many members the Army has) would mean 30 k more damage done per day, without any added cost. Remember what I was saying about maximum damage for minimum cost?
The last thing I am going to address in this article is the role the military has. Besides the obvious primary role, fighting for our country and its allies when needed, the military is also responsible for helping and keeping a lot of newborn players in the game. Also I believe we are the largest group of active players in the country, and because of this help the economy run and also keep things interesting for the rest of the players, via fights, chatting on irc, etc. For these reasons I do believe we are awesome and don`t deserve to be attacked and accused like we have been the last few days.
Semper Fi!
Website where you can calculatel your damage and many more
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what was that noise?
This sidesteps and misrepresents a lot of the larger issues being raised.
well said
I approve of this message.
"Because asking for accountability and proof of efficiency equals making every detail public?"
And if the president or member of the congress would have access to this data and he would tell you the military is efficient would you be satisfied? or would you then ask, how efficient is the military? is it more efficient than the militias? if yes, lets cut funding to the militias and give it all to the military, if not lets give it all to the militas, etc. Questions would be asked and more information would have to be revealed. Just like in a domino effect, it is just easier not to move the first piece.
"Questions and criticism do not equal attacks"
Yes because the articles and posts on the forum were just asking questions and not pointing fingers... Right...
"There are numerous means for retaining people. The current military structure does not have a monopoly on this."
I didnt say we were the only ones, but I dare to say we are the most successfull ones.
Well said Michael Porter
Don't get in the way of a global mod on the forums and a vendetta.
"Like I said, I asked questions in a forum military members do not regularly frequent. If you guys could not handle that you have serious problems in your structural integrity and right to run yourselves as you see fit."
lol. I'm sure if Congress tried to run the military, we'd no longer be a military superpower. A lot of people would probably just plain out and quit. I know I'd move to Canada if you guys tried to run us as you see fit.
"Don't get in the way of a global mod on the forums and a vendetta. "
Expand on this if you are capable. So far all you are doing is attacking me and my position on the forums with nothing but accusations.
"lol. I'm sure if Congress tried to run the military, we'd no longer be a military superpower. A lot of people would probably just plain out and quit. I know I'd move to Canada if you guys tried to run us as you see fit. "
Oversight does not equal controlling or running the military.
Michael Porter is right on the money. Also Infinity, you've been an eUS Marine... not an actual Marine. A lot of you guys seem to blur that line.
He use Voters 😛
Cptn obvious really is cptn obvious 😃😃
An ode to JCS:
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/civilians-sleep-well-at-night-because-rough-men-protect-them-1411950/1/20
voted with applause.
"That is a misleading arguement. Obviously some branches have different purposes. We have something called the Economic Council which could create reasonable formulas to gauge branch effectiveness based on their purpose and goal. If there was someone tracking this data we could determine branch effectiveness from month to month and respond accordingly to problems that evolve. Problems may simply be a branch did not recognize the effect of an ingame rule change. Formulas for the game itself are constantly changing."
And how exactly does it help you, me or anyone else for that matter if you "evaluate branch effectiveness"? It will only put more stress and strain on the COs in the branches, because they have to try and "look as good as they can" in the evaluation.
"Problems may simply be a branch did not recognize the effect of an ingame rule change. Formulas for the game itself are constantly changing."
Now this I can almost consider an insult. Most people that run things in the military are old enough(ingame) and and knowledgeable enough to realise the implications of game changes and game mechanics before a lot of people even realise something changed. So yes, saying that we do not understand game mechanics is a joke on your part I hope, because you simply can not seriously imply that the congress knows game mechanincs better than any officer in the military(+ a lot of military members)!
lol.
orgvoted and this article is full of fail.
1. "And publishing sensible data like that would just be a VERY stupid thing to do."
ACCOUNTABILITY is about PAST actions, not future actions. If you prove in the past that you actually are doing what you say you do, and doing it efficiently, then we would trust you in the present and future.
2. "Also the military wants the same thing you do, maximum damage for minimum cost."
Please, spare me. Read number 2 on Dimension's post. http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/an-expose-on-the-military-1675994/1/20
3. "The military does not try and dictate the foreign policy of our country."
The problem is that you DO dictate it based on your actions. If you throw the President the bird and decide to focus our military elsewhere, that can hinder foreign relations greatly. If the military decides to not fight in a PANAM battle, the rest of PANAM certainly won't be happy.
4. The military is also responsible for helping and keeping a lot of newborn players in the game.
Excellent. Then tell me why our retention rate is so effing terrible. As seen in your article clearly, in addition to the military as a whole, you act quite elitist - claiming that YOU are solely what runs this country, without YOU we might as well shrivel up and die. That very mindset is what turns newbies away. They feel so unwelcome, unintelligent, and unneeded that they realize playing this "game" isn't even close to being worth it.
5. "For these reasons I do believe we are awesome and don`t deserve to be attacked and accused like we have been the last few days."
Refer to number 4 about elitism.
Also, we are bringing you guys into the light, into review of what you have done. If you think that you aren't accountable to the general public, then you are sadly mistaken. That cockiness is exactly why the military is being so heavily scrutinized right now.
[removed]
This article doesn't really address the claims that every president seems to have a tough time dealing with the JCS. Members of the military are also compensated and receiving perks far above that of an ordinary citizen and it's gone to a few people's heads. So far this article hasn't changed my perception.
Voted
The military not being a terrible institution? Impossible.
Well, you certainly tried to answer number 4 but I'm going to assume anyone from the past 6 administrations could give you an example of where the military has tried to dictate foreign policy.
Semper Fi!
The military is an excellent institution and needed for our country's well-being.
But you can't honestly tell me that the military does not need accountability. You can't honestly tell me the military hasn't tried to dictate foreign policy.
I say this as a military member myself for almost two years.
You didn't respond to all of the questions brought up by the other side in this discussion, but I'm glad to see a response from the military.
"And publishing sensible data like that would just be a VERY stupid thing to do"
Somebody doesn't know what the word sensible means....
THERE BE LOTS OF TROLLS COMMENTING btw i hate trolls
"If we would have really wanted to, we would have the means to do that."
This is what's worrying.
Sossu: You've been worried most of your life. 😛
same malcontents and whiners, people simply unsuited for regular Military on their ongoing crusade to wreck what they can't control.
thanks for this article, Infinity13.
and thanks, Marines, for being our hardest hitters.
This game is more and more about military, everything else is secondary and purely role playing. Join the army and be part of something that matters.
This is getting interesting. A good read.
Ive been in the military and tried at a few points to enter the political arena. The military did their best to help me whenever I had questions and I love them for it, but as for politics, the very first time I asked a question about candidates I got trolled by every half assed fool that was aligned with them. Speaking from my own experiences even the lowest office holding ePoliticians in this game are far more elitist than any eMilitary I have met and I would have immediately quit without the military and the respectful community it provides.
There are a lot of opportunistic attacks being made on the military today. That said, many of the criticisms being made are both valid and informed, and made by long time military officers that care about seeing the military succeed. Those are useful criticisms worth considering in my opinion. Dim raised some valid points.
This reminds me of a bunch of poodles trying to see who yaps the loudest
that custer fellow sure can write !!
as a soldier I know that we are wasting a great amount of our funding. If the details of our finances were published then we could get a great amount of input to help us make beneficial reforms.
I do not want to violate OPSEC but the military generally fights at the same time every day and an idiot who looked at battles could easily find out what that time was if he/she made the effort.
We would lose nothing by publishing our info and making all of our moves public, in fact we would have a lot to gain.
First picture was British military. The US doesn't use that gun with the bayonet. The L96, I think. But I could be wrong on it's name.
I've served in the military of a couple different eNations and as a front-line guy, I can say that the Marines are the most conscientious and honourable group I have seen. The officers and Quarter Masters make incredible efforts to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. The automated supply system ensures there is complete accountability.
Frankly, I am in awe and -- as a real-life fraud investigator -- a little aroused.
The military exaggerates its importance and the importance of its bureaucratic artifacts like the bloated CoC and its OpSec. Too many officers and too few personnel - nothing like belonging to a platoon that has 3-4 members, a CO and an XO and is one of four in a division. Does anyone seriously think the enemy can't tell when MAs are taking place and keep track of a limited number of personnel with the strength necessary to swing battles?
Our military is all but unaccountable, even more so than our politicians.
Not V&S.
@Author
You're clearly sidestepping the issue. The point raised in Dimension's article is accountability and answering questions.
Two Solutions:
For accountability, just keep track of everything. I know it's a lot of work, I'm an accountant IRL, but it less of a hassle to answer these questions if you're on top of it. That means putting people who know what to do in the right place, and just showing the broad numbers.
P.S. Go look at the RL US congressional mil budget report for an example of legitimate face washing w/ words. If your mil bureaucrats haven't learned to hide things in plain sight with words like them, then you really need to review your personnel in logistics.
As for answering Questions,isn't that the reason that most mils have spokespeople that know what, and what not, to say? Especially if they don't say OPSEC to every single question. If a person w/ the mil asks u a question, the least u can say, besides BS-ing them, is "I don't know." Simple. End of story.
Let's not lose sight that we all are on the same side. The eUSA military is not and should never be asked account directly to the public. As an ongoing activity, Congress has increased and enhanced its communications with the JCS as recently as a month ago and has discussed ways to improve a variety of military related concerns such as how the process and costs of developing young soldiers can be best done in the new food fight based - hospital free environment we have nowadays another. Between JCS, DoD/SoD, Congress, CBO, and the EC; these are important concerns that are taken very seriously as it is the shared goal of all to work together towards even greater future success of eUSA as a military second to none.
Proud to V&S
Proud Soldier
Proud member of ST6 and Congress
Proud to fight alongside of my eUSA Military Bros. anytime, anyplace!
Brownie pts for Mr Porter.
No V/S
Gotta love hypocrisy. Some of the same people who are the loudest whiners are the same people who told me to shut my mouth when I asked for limited information about future planning that could have been good to know budget wise... Now they want to go the other way and act like the same military they defended less than a month ago is now an evil institution that must be destroyed for the benefit of all.
Of course most of the people I've seen whining are either would be presidents/leaders, elites or militia members who want their private armies to get more funding.
It will be a sad day when the military gets turned into a monthly circle jerk just so the president can put a crony in charge and so that congress can take three weeks to decide what kind of funding to give for the month. Our enemies will be thanking Congress and the whiners for the easy pickings the eUS will then be.
@GAC and Relorian
Those 'malcontents' seem to go on crusade against the eUS military about as often as you do against militias.
I don't think the military understands what politicians do, and vice versa. It's not healthy.
Good Luck! PANAM members!!
I wrote a short article about your alliance.
http://4fun.tw/j1DF
Sharing historical data doesnt seem like it should be a problem. Now that we are 3-4 weeks past the Iran campaign, telling the public (not just congress) how much damage each branch did in the Iran campaign and for how much money shoudnt harm ongoing operations. It doesnt tell our opponents how much damage we are capable of today, how money is being distributed for current campaigns, or who we are planning to hit next. It tells the taxpayer how much of their money was spent on the war, and how efficient that spending was.
Include a few examples to show what that efficiency means (ie a 1000 str citizen would spen x$/dmg while the mil averaged y) so people understand the numbers. If you want to get really ambitious, put together some independently created rough estimates of opponent spending to go with this. Give the executive or a few select congressmen a more detailed report, let them tack on their assurances that only a couple small inefficiencies were found, and that they are being addressed. This would all take some effort, but it would be great for relations between the military and the taxpayers who fund them, and likely be a source of pride for military members as well.