The UFP gets a real army

[Mike DiCenso]

I'm not convinced any of the AQ powers has the technology to build personal armour that can actually withstand their anti-personal weapons (especially on the higher settings).

Besides, even if they could - phasers scale very neatly. All you'd need against someone foolish enough to believe a sheet of metal will help him against your gun is, basically, a bigger battery and a higher baseline setting on your phaser. And you're all set.

I firmly believe this is one of the biggest reasons that even the more warlike races don't bother with armour.

I don't believe that to be true since in DS9's "Business as Usual" we see Quark in a holosuite demonstrating the Breen CRM-114 against the Dopertian interceptor and an armored robot-like thing that could also be a powered armor suit. It's seen her in this Trekcore image (remember Trekcore no longer allows hotlinking so cut and paste the URL):

http://ds9.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/ ... al_174.jpg


Also there'd be no reason at all for a weapon like the CRM-114, if reactive armor and forcefield shielding wasn't so effective.
-Mike

[Mike DiCenso]

I do disagree with leetboi's stance on AFV's though. You won't always have access to a ship, the transporters might be down etc. So something to ride around in that provides protection would be preferred to a truck.

The idea has merit since there is clear mention in VOY's "Elogium" of the Klingons having a "ground assault vehicle" that rides or hovers close to the ground given it had a device to knock aside animals in it's path. The Cardassians, as mentioned in DS9's "The Wire", have a mechanized infantry as part of their military, so it seems peculiar that Starfleet would not have something similar for it's combat operations.
-Mike

[sonofccn]

You can also add in for the spec ops troops the suits Picard's group was wearing in "Chain of Command" as well as the repelling gear they used.

I'am also a bit suprised no one has mentioned the portable mortar launcher Kirk used in "Arena" [TOS, Season 2] to launch a photon grenade with. That baby alone is worth it's weight in latinum for one of the squad to carry it and the photon grenade ammunition around with. Especially good for wiping out whole infantry companies, damaging/delaying or and possibly destroy armor companies, and probably the outright destruction of most enemy bases, command posts or other installations.
-Mike

Equipment( offense:Squad) two (2) TR-116 rifle modified with micro transporter and scanner. 1(one) photon grenade mortar also modified with micro transporter. I meant the Arena mortar coupled with a transporter type device like the TR-116 had to increase it's range.

I wouldn't become too enamored of micro-transporter enhancements to weapons, especially since we have seen numerous times where transporters can be jammed, which would then render the weapon useless in all but a handful of times during the combat action.
-Mike

Very true and I did consider that, after I got all excited making a "cool" army. Transport scramblers/blockers are quiet likely a fact of life on the Trek battlefield. In the event of such an occurance the mortar would still be capable of standard firing, merely at a reduced range which I feel is a reasonable risk. The TR-116 would have more issues of course being reduced to merely a slugthrower which phasers more than outshine, and with their own scopes can usurp it's previous role to an extent if required.

I am curious to any ideas you have cooking, if I may ask. Would you go basic grunts like I did or maybe something more power armor based?

[Mike DiCenso]

Basic grunts [tm], but for other types of units I'd have powered armor (if it's a mature enough tech in the ST universe) as part of the mobile mechanized infantry, and some spec ops units. In place of the current day squad light machine gun, I'd have something like the CRM-114 for hitting through shields and armor and anti-air (it was described as a suprisingly light, though expensive weapon).
-Mike

[Mike DiCenso]

Oh one other thing, I'd also make sure to equip infantry with at least something like the light body armor seen in first in ST:TMP and later in ST:IV to protect against shrapnel and secondary heat effects from nearby beam and artillery hits.
-Mike

[Praeothmin]

The TR-116 would have more issues of course being reduced to merely a slugthrower which phasers more than outshine, and with their own scopes can usurp it's previous role to an extent if required.

Except, of course, in places with dampening fields where all electronic equipment is useless (we've seen a few episodes where Phasers couldn't work).
Then the TR-116 would be an excellent weapon.
And those transporter nullifiers aren't present everywhere, and in open fields, the TR's scope can be very useful.
You see, it's not just the transporter that is useful, it's also the ability to see through most matter.
So, for example, since the TR-116 fires Tritanium bullets, its penetrating power must be comparable to a modern Barrett anti-material rifle.
You see the enemy hide behind a cement wall, requiring a Phaser to fire at level 12 for penetration?
Not a problem, use the TR-116, with the advantage of being able to aim through the wall, not just fire through in the general vicinity of your target...

[Mr. Oragahn]

Oh one other thing, I'd also make sure to equip infantry with at least something like the light body armor seen in first in ST:TMP and later in ST:IV to protect against shrapnel and secondary heat effects from nearby beam and artillery hits.
-Mike

Got pics of that armour?

Also, I remember seeing antigrav boots from TOS, presumably used by Spock or someone else. Is that a vague memory or what?

[Mike DiCenso]

Seen here in it's original TMP incarnation (pic is from TrekCore, so remember to cut and paste):

http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/albu ... hd1059.jpg

It's light armor, mostly providing protection for the torso.
-Mike

[The Dude]

Also, I remember seeing antigrav boots from TOS, presumably used by Spock or someone else. Is that a vague memory or what?

TFF, Spock uses them to get up to Kirk climbing the mountain and then uses them to get up the lift shaft later in the movie.

[Flashman]

Well, starting from the primary building block of an army, the infantry section, rough org would look so;

Alpha Team -
Section Leader (Corporal)
LMG Gunner
Ammo Bearer
Rifleman
Rifleman

Bravo Team -
Assistant Section Leader (Lance Corporal)
LMG Gunner
Ammo Bearer
Designated Marksman/Rifle Grenadier
Rifleman

Mostly agreed with The Dude's suggestions on kit, although I do think that the UFP could easily come up with a Semi-Powered Armour design that's practical for field use; main thought would be sensors/coms gear (including some form of datalinking system), and enough powered musculature to take the weight of armour and equipment.

The organisation levels above section need thinking on, although to comment on one other suggestion the lowest I can see mortars being attached at would be platoon level, and there it'd most likely be an analogue to the L9A1, mostly for firing illumination or concealment.

[The Dude]

I'm not sold on the power armour, partially because we haven't seen it but also because we have very little to go on in regards to how well Federation style technology does in foul weather, bad terrain (aka the Afghan moondust), how it reliable it will be, which impacts logistics.

I'm sure they could build some, practically any of the well known Sci-fi universes can but I'd like a little more info then "we can slap this, this, this and one of these on." The devils in the details.

[Mike DiCenso]

We have seen in TOS' "The Enemy Within" and TNG's "The Enemy", among others where phasers and communicators are used in extreme weather climates, the former an example of phasers and communicators operating in extreme cold, the latter of a hand phaser operating while being dragged through a very wet, muddy enviroment, and extremely powerful electromagnetic storms.
-Mike

[The Dude]

We have seen in TOS' "The Enemy Within" and TNG's "The Enemy", among others where phasers and communicators are used in extreme weather climates, the former an example of phasers and communicators operating in extreme cold, the latter of a hand phaser operating while being dragged through a very wet, muddy enviroment, and extremely powerful electromagnetic storms.
-Mike

Yes and what bearing will that have on what would be a very complex device with numerous moving parts?

I expect phasers and communicators to work in crap conditions but but power armoujr in ST is a virtual unknown

[Mike DiCenso]

It would depend on how the power armor is made. Is it a simple armature with plates, or is it something big and complex, like anime/manga giant robots? The only thing we have seen that would give us any indication are androids, like Data and the other Soong type, and the whatever it was the humanoid robot/powered armor thing used as a target in Quark's holosuite to demonstrate the CRM-114 rifle.
-Mike

[The Dude]

It would depend on how the power armor is made. Is it a simple armature with plates, or is it something big and complex, like anime/manga giant robots? The only thing we have seen that would give us any indication are androids, like Data and the other Soong type, and the whatever it was the humanoid robot/powered armor thing used as a target in Quark's holosuite to demonstrate the CRM-114 rifle.
-Mike

I have to look that scene up, I don't think I've ever seen it.