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Space military branch - Navy or Air Force?

Which branch should a space military branch be based on?


  • Total voters
    42
In a keeping with my Constitutional Military premise I would have to pick The Department of the Navy (which oversees the Marine Corps and the Navy). This is the only professional peacetime force the US Constitution allows. The Navy already has Air, Ground, and Sea covered and Space would be added if needed.
 
I think one would be hard-pressed to not agree that the Marines are the best of the best of the best. I know. I used to instruct them. I speak more from a point of perspective. I mean, it's the NAVY, that is famous for giving the Marines their ride to work.

Saying that the Navy is best suited for the question posed in the thread takes nothing away from the Marines. As I said, in the most important applications, it's Marines all the way baby. Ooo-rah.

But regarding the topic at hand, it's Navy all the way. No one compares in the air to a Navy avaitor. All our branches do their job and do it well. No other nation in the history of mankind can compare to the US military. Marine's ARE the cream of the crop of that military. Except, perhaps, in this particular application. Just my opinion.

P.S. I served on a carrier with too many Marine's to count. The duties, compared to the navy's, were not even close to comparable. The Marine's job was a whole different ball of wax, than the sailors. Nothing comparable at all. But I thank god we had those Marines onboard. They reminded us, and pointed the way everyday, what it means to be an OUTSTANDING military person. They are a very tough act to follow.

While I see your point about the navy, if we really think about what a space force would need to do (land, take, and hold planets or space stations, patrol vast areas, strike quickly on enemy targets both in space and in atmospheres), the navy couldn't do all this without structural changes though they could do most. So maybe a combination is best similar to Starship Troopers (without Van Dein). Space would be the rise of the battleship again considering it would be easier to attack with just missle and artillery. And I do love my battleships.
 
633658534851368481-spacemarines.jpg
 
This is, indeed, a very key point.

It matters not what current military branch(s) this hypothetical space military is based upon, there must be provisions made for a force of Space Marines.

It is required - one could almost say it's a law of nature.
 
I've always thought it'd be a good idea to manufacture our own Death Star and TIE fighters.
Death Star perhaps - although it was a bit overkill.

TIE fighters, no.

TIE fighters are cheap throwaway fighters, designed to be used in large numbers - better to go with the X-wing and family - more survivability for the pilots, not to mention being more flexible platforms - TIE fighters can't jump, as an example.
 
The genetic mutations required would be a bit of a non starter for most Americans though to create a space marine force

They don't have to be identical to the "Space Marines" of 40K fame.

Just the name, really. Perhaps some power armor. Plenty of weaponry.
 
The Navy - Marine Corps team would be ideally suited for the role. Most of current Navy and Marine Corps methods would transfer easily to space travel and would offer the best foundation to build upon.

If such a Scenario became commonplace, I think it safe to say that the Navy and Marine Corps would transition entirely to space duties with terrestrial duties becoming sole responsibility of the Air Force and Army.
 
Some states will have to be Forge States.
Why?

We don't have to have the limitations of the 40k world - wherein they forgot how to build all the crap they need, and must rely on the only remaining automated factories to make stuff.

If my extremely limited knowledge of that sci-fi world is correct, that was the main reason there were ”forge worlds” – cause nowhere else had forges, due to no one knowing how to build more.
 
Space naval vessels and space craft carrier the uss b.larset . The naval space warfare center in Indianapolis , Indiana. Not sure? but the air force space command center is lots better soundin and Its in indiana too. So either one is ok I reckon.
 
Let's say space travel becomes common place, enough so that we're able to militarize it. What branch, including ranks, should it be based on - the Navy, the Air Force, or something else?

Most speculative fiction about space militaries have such a force be based on the navy. However, space seems to be the natural territory of the air force. So which should it be?




We've already addressed this.


US Space Command (USSPACECOM) (U)
 
It never ceases to amaze me how folks will watch Star Trek or other Sci Fi and think that is how our military in space will be.:doh Here is reality and some facts you can look up on the net:

-The USAF is the US OFFICIAL agent for military actions in space, period.
-The Navy passed it's largest space systems (Known as "The Fence") over to the Air Force in '04 as a result of this recognition. Naval Space Command has 350 people, Air Force Space Command has 37,000. Which do you think has the greater role in space?
-From 1957 to 1964 ALL the major space projects and research were by the Air Force until the Demilitarization of Space Treaty was signed and amost every Air Force projected was dropped. NASA took over as the US role in space. ALL military payloads delivered in space are the responsability of the USAF.
-In 2006 the Air Force had a separate and somewhat secret space shuttle program with it's own group of military astronauts out of Vandenberg that was shut down when the shuttle program had limits set and ended. Space projects are VERY expensive as seen by all the program cuts NASA has undergone.
-While the Navy loves to brag about how many NASA astronauts came from the Navy, little know is that the Air Foce limited the number they would recommend while the Navy didnt limit and encouraged applications and recomendations. For the curent group the numbers are about the same.
-Each branch has a specific jurisdiction and mandate; the Navy's role is protect and defend American interest as a SEA based force. The Air force has to do the same from the AIR. Space is the next medium over the air so space is an extention of Air Force jurisdiction just as air is over the sea and then Navy uses the air above the sea in the same way with what is a sea-bsed air force. This is why the Air Force will be the military agent in Space in support of all US actions. Should the treaty be violated, the Air Force will take lead in the development of space use just as it did before the treaty was signed.

Keep in mind that while one can watch all the episodes of Star Trek and romantasize a naval space fleet in space, the reality is with the space treaty in place, the Air Force is responsible for any defensive activity in space and not the Navy. If I were to consider a sci fi show show for a probable scenario in the future, it would be more like Stargate and not Star Trek.
 
The question wasn't which branch space would be under, the question is which branch it should be based on. The obvious answer to that is the Navy. Large, movable base of operations. Hostile environment. Self-sufficient structures. Long supply lines. That's all Navy. Why reinvent the wheel when the Navy's model has worked fine for centuries? There will be some differences but I don't believe anyone (at least I'm not) advocating having the Navy take over space. Space will present it's own issues and have it's own missions, it needs to be it's own branch.

I can see where the Air Force might be the best choice to handle ground to orbit operations, though, instead of the Space service.

BTW - Sci-fi writers don't use the Navy out of some romantic notion, they use it because they don't want to reinvent the wheel, either.

The question is moot really. Last I knew NASA was under Airforce jurisdiction. So it would probably stay the same.
NASA is a civilian space agency not under any military jurisdiction.

It's debatable really. The Navy is a smart choice because the command structure of a large spaceship would probably work like a Navy ship, so it would be the smart choice, but some Science Fiction stories do go with Air Force, like Stargate SG-1.
But with a couple of exceptions in the last seasons there were almost no spaceships. Those fighters may be space capable but they sure weren't ships.
 
.... how far did you new guys have to go back in order to dig up a 2 year old thread... jesus... necromancy is a big no-no.
 
.... how far did you new guys have to go back in order to dig up a 2 year old thread... jesus... necromancy is a big no-no.
I didn't realize it was an old thread - it was on the main list and looked interesting. :shrug:
 
I didn't realize it was an old thread - it was on the main list and looked interesting. :shrug:

Not you. The other guy who dug it up.

09-14-2010, 01:18 PM
 
There is a difference between a pilot and an avaitor. Navy rules. But the USAF is cool too. Love 'em both.
 
Let's say space travel becomes common place, enough so that we're able to militarize it. What branch, including ranks, should it be based on - the Navy, the Air Force, or something else?

Most speculative fiction about space militaries have such a force be based on the navy. However, space seems to be the natural territory of the air force. So which should it be?

I'm going with the AirForce on this one, since among the military they're leading the way into orbit, until space-flight is relatively established, then the space division will brake off and become it's own branch.
 
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Of course, in Stargate, the Air Force-run ships were designated "USS," which probably would not be the case. USAFS or something like that, more likely.
 
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