Message no. 1

From:	The Powerhouse <P.C.Steele@*********.AC.UK>
Subject:	Cyber and the military
Date:	Thu, 2 Dec 1993 13:36:12 GMT

An interesting discussion has sprung up, so myself who knows little more of the
military than what I glean from the knowledge of the members of this list, will
speak up :)

The main thing appears to be cost, what is cost effective. Well, while I see
that a cybered military would be better able to take out targets, I can also
see the arguments against prohibitive cost. So here's my view.

Most low level admisitration - no cyber.
High level (pure) administration - datajack and maybe headware memory.

Techies - Datajacks, program carriers (in S1 but junked from S2 but not from my
game :> ) and headware memory.

Low rank infantry - Smart gun link. The advantages of this are too great to not
get it. It may cost 2 500 to put the thing in but the army can probably save
10K in what it needs to train the soldier to become a better shot. I would
also suggest the synaptic accelerator as this (I believe) is low cost and
provides enough of an adcantage to keep the mortality rate down,

Medium rank infantry - SGL, synaptic accelerator or boosted 1, datajack

High rank infantry - same as above + possibilty of new eyes.

There you have it, your basic troops, not much cyber but what they have is
cheap and effective. Most of the other things cyber can do can be provided
for by good equipment, better body armour, helmets with built in everything
etc...

Pilots, tank drivers etc would all have VCRs and datajacks.

For special forces etc give them the good stuff, you know what I mean.

Phill.
--
Phillip Steele - Email address P.C.Steele@***.ac.uk | Let's get out there
Department Of Electrical & Electronic Engineering | and TWAT it !
University Of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England |
Land of the mad Geordies | The Powerhouse