System Defense Mechanisms

[Bryan Moore]

This is somewhat of an offshoot from the Sol After Dominion thread...

What defense mechinisms should the Federation have in all of its key systems. No talk of ships, please. I'm talking stationary in-system things.

I'd recommend various defense platforms, certainly.

I'd think you'd want multiple subspace listening posts, so that any large fleet would be detected a decent time out. Even more importantly, would some sort of tachyon detection grid at the outskirts of a system be useful, in case of cloaks?

I also would like to see something developed to pop a ship out of warp before the system. From what we see, warp fields can be somewhat delicate, so I can't imagine it'd be too difficult to develop something that'll inhibit warp drives within the system or within a certain distance from the key planet.

What else should we add?

[Vic]

I don't see why tachyon fields, and gravitational detectors, possibly also sensitive enough subspace sensors to detect cloaked ships couldn't be set up.

[Tsukiyumi]

I don't see why tachyon fields, and gravitational detectors, possibly also sensitive enough subspace sensors to detect cloaked ships couldn't be set up.

They had a sensor net along the Romulan border, right? One around Sol shouldn't be too tough to implement. Great idea.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Planetary shields should be feasible. They had them in 'Whom Gods Destroy' around a prison planet.

[Bryan Moore]

I'm all for a planetary shield.

What we really SHOULD have, is some sort of consistency from system to system. Though, I guess the UFP isn't exactly consistent.

[Graham Kennedy]

I'm gonna be controversial here and argue that they shouldn't have fixed defences beyond those needed to hold off random pirates and raiders. A modest planetary shield, and half a dozen or so orbital stations each equal to a basic Miranda class or so.

As General Patton once said, "Fixed defenses are monuments to man's stupidity." Has there EVER been a case where fixed fortifications truly succeeded in their task? I'm no historian but from what I've picked up the enemy inevitably overcomes or bypasses them.

At the very best, fixed defences are utterly incapable of winning your war. The very most they can do is make your defeat costly for the enemy.

If we take the Federation to have 150 or so full member planets, and you are going to spend resources equivalent to 10 or 15 major Starships on defences for each one, those same resources could give you a fleet of over 2,000 major starships. That's two THOUSAND Galaxy, Nebula or Ambassador class ships. To my mind, that is a far, far more useful force because it can be defensive, but it does it by going out and intercepting the enemy before they come anywhere near your planets. But, they can also take the war into enemy territory and ensure that the fighting is done there. They can actually WIN your war for you.

Absolute minimal fixed defences for me!

[Deepcrush]

When thinking about this remember that anything that is purely a fixed defense is a waste. Thats why I like DS9 so much. It served a host of purposes. Defense, logistics, home base, trade, all of which are needed in any system you go to. If you built a bunch of guns platforms then you're really just spending what could go towards ships. If you build stations that fit all the above then the resources are well spent.

[Mikey]

I'm somewhat of a mind with Graham and Deep here. I keep thinking, "It's the Maginot Line... in space!

Warships are certainly more flexible in their application. That said, I think if there is a need for fixed facilities - like Spacedock/Starbase 74-types, or orbital office-types - it only makes sense (given the UFP's lack of ever having had to manage resources) to have them all be as well-defended as possible, including giving over drydocks to more defended types of stations.

And definitely a string of picket stations/listening posts/etc.

[Sionnach Glic]

A few orbital and ground based weapons arrays could be a good deterrant, particularly since (due to the lack of size and power restrictions) they could be quite powerful. But I agree that the main wars would be fought with fleets, with planetary defences just there to provide minimal protection or a delaying mechanism.

[Teaos]

Remember ships need crews to run them, crews are hard to come by, need training, and recruiting. Ficed defences dont need crews... well at least not as many.

[Deepcrush]

If the SF went back to its TOS style for recruitment then they'd have plenty of crew. Their biggest hold back in TNG is that they seem to want only those of 208,000 IQ or above. The top .00000000000000000000000000001 % of the population.

[Teaos]

Which is probably a good thing when it comes to command, engineering and science officers but useless for basic crewmen.

[thelordharry]

Hide a shed load of Dreadnoughts in secret locations I say

[Vic]

Heh.......Katana Fleet

[Deepcrush]

We're not talking about ships. Just stationary items.