You lead a Socialist Invasion of Planet Libertopia (RAR!)

[Dr. Trainwreck]

It isn't a good idea, period. To pacify such a planet you'd need more troops. Unwillingness to bomb cities is even worse; not only it severely limits what Space Soviet Union can do, it disregards that every modern force, in order to win an actual war, has bombed civilians. The US has done it, like, over 9000 times.

But the real problem is much bigger. In your haste to create a pretext for your scenario, you've made up this situation: the Space Soviets willingly spare 2 million power armoured men, 200.000 special forces, an entire artillery corps, a full air wing, two armies' worth of IFVs, 1 million support personnel, 4 million pioneers and an entire naval battlegroup... to occupy a total backwater that has barely bothered them militarily? While they fight a war with a power supposedly as large as they are? The Imperium of Man in 40k is more sensible than doing this, and they're fucking GRIMDARK.

[Irbis]

yeah, because that tactic has worked so well for the USA historically...

It worked despite much stricter RoE and whole Islamic world pumping weapons, volunteers and money into resistance. Without money, supplies (which are much more high-tech now, meaning harder to produce "underground") and fresh fanatics to die Resistance loses. It's inevitable.

Certainly the partisans are stupid and will NEVER simply reocuppy cleared cities once the Soviet marines move on to the next one over to comb it for guns. Because the iraqi insurgents totally didn't do that with Fallujah over and over again

Orbital scanners and limited inter-city transport. Oh, well, let them try, any meaningful amount of arms will take so much space we'll detect it and kill carrying rebels

Err...they actually didn't? They didn't even TRY to search every single home for weapons, and the "small acts of sabotage" often involved company-level actions. Or division-level, like the Warsaw Uprising.

Yeah, they didn't search every home, and yet, they managed to disarm pretty much everyone - hence the need for such stupid inventions as Liberty pistol. Thanks for proving my point.

As for these company level actions, first, you exaggerate, second, they only succeeded against small, third rate units. Bring power armour into account, and the first group of rebels to try will end in body bags.

Ditto for Warsaw Uprising, is was a handful (few thousand of barely armed men) not even at division level that was handily crushed by collection of worthless garrison units with very few real line troops participating. Do it against modern army and all you do is spare them cost of trial of most motivated rebels. Remember Fallujah?

On planetary scales, you'll be chasing insurgents around in circles - you clear one city and leave for the next one, and they'll move right back in. It's a freakin' planet - 1.3 billion people is enough to build a whole lot of cities, and it provides even more convenient hiding places where you can temporarily stash weapons.

Yes. But if we control transport, situation looks like in Warsaw uprising - there are arms, but most were hidden in neighbouring forests and German-held quarters of city, that actual rebels were unable to collect them and fought using maybe 1/4 of hidden arms. That was against occupier with far worse surveillance than today, try it and maybe 1/20 of hidden arms will be picked for fight.

As for outside support...the Space Soviet Union is at war with some presumably quite powerful enemy, so saying "LOL NO OUTSIDE SUPPORT" is kinda unwarranted. So the insurgents have to do is make it annoying and unprofitable to hold the planet, they don't need to defeat your awesomesauce marines in direct battle. That's what the lutherans are doing.

Orbital blockade? That's pretty big barrier, and we only control the planet if we control orbit, so it's a given.

It's not like high command is going to let you just park a bunch of massive battleships over the planet forever so that they can do absolutely nothing but blockade some backwater. The battlefleet will have to leave, eventually, the blockade will have to be relaxed, and thus voila outside support can start coming in.

Orbital defence platforms, then. Remember IRA? They not only had Irish support, arms shipped by truckload from USSR, American money, and smugglers adept in penetrating British border, and yet, they failed to even make a dent in British garrison. Why, enlighten me, if fight is so easy for resistance? How the Brits constantly found and confiscated arms caches despite not having scanners or anything? Same with Iraq - half million guns equalling US rifles were dispensed to populace during war, plus arms shipped from Iran and Syria during occupation, and yet, US Army never released grip despite being relatively "polite" and not having our arms superiority.

[madd0ct0r]

Commandant Irbis - your plan is stupid.

Where did you get the idea you have magical weapon scanners?

Seriously - your tactic would struggle if you had the pscyocopter from future track 7 (they could detect anger), let alone anything less.

How many troops do you estimate you will need to control each city of 1 million? How many for each town? How many for the roadblocks to control transport? How many to setup and maintain the orbital defence platforms?

You fail to understand your enemy Kommandant. They are not one elephpant that can be tied down with a thousand stakes. They are a snakepit, and a man who wades into one trying to tie them to each other will get bitten. The poison will run deep, and every new bite will make you, and your men, a little weaker. The snakepit is not important enough for us to try to choke it with bodies.

Without money, supplies (which are much more high-tech now, meaning harder to produce "underground") and fresh fanatics to die Resistance loses. It's inevitable.

You are pushing against the very bastion of capitalism, Libertopia and you do not think money will be poured into the rebels? You threaten the mega-corps very existence and yet assume they will not act against you? As supplies have grown more high-tech, so have manufacturing. Viet Cong soldiers took unexploded Amerikan bombs and used them to fuel their own war effort. I heard American GI's, loaded down with high tech supplies, died screaming on a length of bamboo dipped in shit.
Amercian Vehicles are now immune to small arms fire, and yet blood is still poured upon the sands. IEDs - are they difficult to make 'underground'?
Rebels will equip themselves with whatever works that can be made. They will not choose to copy high-tech difficult designs when basic fertilizer is so much more effective.

As for fanatics. Kommandant, you do not understand your enemy. Your enemy is Libertopia, an entire planet that subscribes to the notion of the rugged individualist. Put into competetion with each other, they fall apart. Placed under pressure, with their liberties threatened by roadblocks, surveillance, random searches and punishments for breaking your laws...
They will never surrender, and will fight on with sharpened stones and human waves if they must.

Your primary mission is to prevent Libertopia supporting the Lutherans, and your plan will work for that.
Your secondary mission is to convert Libertopia to Socialism, which your plan will only do over their dead bodies. Compared to that, orbital bombardment would be more merciful and cheaper for us.

Kommandant Irbis, can you show your plan will work?

[Feil]

As comrade madd0ct0r points out, there's no particular need to fight a war, since we can fragment the corrupt capitalist bourgeois oppressors by exploiting the fact that corporations don't care about anything other than the bottom line, unlike the misinformed proletariat of Libertopia, who has been conditioned to hate socialism. The Libertopian threat to the USSW can be disarmed without firing a shot, thereby freeing our forces for battle against the Lutherian menace. If, for whatever reason, comrade Chairman Zor insists that the planet be conquered and rebuilt, rather than merely pacified, that is a a much more difficult mission, and will either take decades of patience or many more soldiers to accomplish with reasonable chances of success.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Ideology is ideology. A few of the lolbertarians can be swayed, others can't and won't. Those you crush, or push them into attacking the 'turncoats' in a civil war.

But now that I think of it, even if SSU gets into a land war, what can the enemy do? Cooperate and coordinate? They're Randians. Also, their elites are conditioned to psychopathy? If psychopathic soldiers were a good idea, why so many militaries today want well-adjusted people? They will be literally trash.

Also, Irbis, never use the Nazis as an example of occupation. Nazi occupation was not easy, nor effective, nor humane. It was an endless loop of brutality, revenge killings, cleansing and assassinations only broken up by advancing Allied or Soviet forces. If you think that a model of doing nothing until attacked then venting on massive numbers of innocents is ANYTHING OTHER than ineffective and despicable, then... I can't even begin to describe it. But you're wrong.

[ryacko]

There is a very simple solution.
Sell half of your equipment to the corporations on the world. Sell a capitalist a noose, and he'll hang himself!

After the resulting anarchic depopulation, there should be enough troops to colonize the world.

[Panzersharkcat]

If they've lived this long while so heavily armed without wiping each other out, why would they do it now?

[PeZook]

It worked despite much stricter RoE and whole Islamic world pumping weapons, volunteers and money into resistance. Without money, supplies (which are much more high-tech now, meaning harder to produce "underground") and fresh fanatics to die Resistance loses. It's inevitable.

Funny that you keep saying lazor guns are hi-tech, but forget technology also simplifies manufacturing ; AKs are basically sci-fi tech by the standards of 1750, but can be made by in small-time machine shops today (and their ammo, too ; There's a little shithole town in Afghanistan which manufactures AK knockoffs and ammo)

Orbital scanners and limited inter-city transport. Oh, well, let them try, any meaningful amount of arms will take so much space we'll detect it and kill carrying rebels

Yeah, IF you can detect weapons from orbit and fry the couriers with orbital strikes the occupation will be a cakewalk, but I fail to see why that is an assumption you should automatically make ; Especially since the locals CAN manufacture powered armor and hi-tech lazor weapons of comparable quality to yours, so who says they have no countermeasures to sci-fi sensors?

Yeah, they didn't search every home, and yet, they managed to disarm pretty much everyone - hence the need for such stupid inventions as Liberty pistol. Thanks for proving my point.

So I guess the tens of thousands of pistols, rifles, grenades and submachine guns held by French and Polish resistance were a mass German hallucination, then?

As for these company level actions, first, you exaggerate, second, they only succeeded against small, third rate units. Bring power armour into account, and the first group of rebels to try will end in body bags.

I don't exaggerate ; Operation "Tempest" mobilized 100 thousand soldiers. In fact they were formed into BRIGADE-sized units, which included support formations such as field hospitals.

Ditto for Warsaw Uprising, is was a handful (few thousand of barely armed men) not even at division level that was handily crushed by collection of worthless garrison units with very few real line troops participating. Do it against modern army and all you do is spare them cost of trial of most motivated rebels. Remember Fallujah?

Uh..."a few thousand"? Between 23 and 36 thousand soldiers were mobilized by the underground. And yes, they were inadequately armed, but that was due to decisions made earlier to move weapon stores out to the country in preparation for Tempest. Funnily enough, the Germans were unable to intercept those shipments and Tempest units were well armed and able to fight regular field actions in the countryside.

Still, the uprising managed to tie up the city's garrison for two months, and it would've been a total catastrophe to the Germans had the Soviets provided any serious support.

Yes. But if we control transport, situation looks like in Warsaw uprising - there are arms, but most were hidden in neighbouring forests and German-held quarters of city, that actual rebels were unable to collect them and fought using maybe 1/4 of hidden arms. That was against occupier with far worse surveillance than today, try it and maybe 1/20 of hidden arms will be picked for fight.

1/20 of hidden arms but also 1/1000 the occupation troops per unit area. The insurgents don't need to fight you where you're strong ; Just scatter when you bring the Fist Of Socialism into an area, wait you out and crawl out of the woodwork when the awesomesauce marines go deal with a crisis some place else.

You won't be able to adequately control all transport on planetary scales with only 4 million pioneers to run everything. You will have to use locals, and thus insurgents will be able to threaten, coerce or buy off the people involved into helping them move contraband.

Orbital blockade? That's pretty big barrier, and we only control the planet if we control orbit, so it's a given.

True, but as I pointed out your battlewagons won't stay up there forever. So just bide your time, wait, accumulate resources before starting major operations.

Orbital defence platforms, then. Remember IRA? They not only had Irish support, arms shipped by truckload from USSR, American money, and smugglers adept in penetrating British border, and yet, they failed to even make a dent in British garrison. Why, enlighten me, if fight is so easy for resistance? How the Brits constantly found and confiscated arms caches despite not having scanners or anything? Same with Iraq - half million guns equalling US rifles were dispensed to populace during war, plus arms shipped from Iran and Syria during occupation, and yet, US Army never released grip despite being relatively "polite" and not having our arms superiority.

Both examples had vastly higher concentrations of occupational troops per unit area and a pool of replenishments so that troops could constantly rotate in and out, resources that flowed to both places, AND the occupier wasn't engaged in a war someplace else.

Funny thought: when the massive battlewagon fleet is taken away from you, your troops will have to have lives on-planet.

[Feil]

This plan would be easier with a different set of tools, but might be able to work with the ones we have.

Simply put: be missionaries, not colonists or conquerors. Build your own towns, protect their borders, and establish yourself as a (the) safety net for the people who fall through society's cracks. Allow free migration to and from, albeit through checkpoints to prevent weapons from entering the town. Provide jobs, health care, necessities, and a fair wage. Execute armed reprisals on any organized groups who try to prevent people from immigrating to your cities, but otherwise leave the Libertopians alone.

The corporations will rant and rave as you drive up their labor costs and push down the prices of necessities, but what are they going to do? Wage war on you, with their pitifully under-equipped militias?

[ryacko]

If they've lived this long while so heavily armed without wiping each other out, why would they do it now?

Many aborigines had a spear for every man and conducted many wars.

Destroying the balance of power really makes the shit hit the fan.

[Panzersharkcat]

If they've lived this long while so heavily armed without wiping each other out, why would they do it now?

Many aborigines had a spear for every man and conducted many wars.

Destroying the balance of power really makes the shit hit the fan.

For one, the OP never stated they constantly fought amongst themselves. Really, for all its faults (many of which I don't think would occur, but that's a different topic) the libertopia described keeps peace among themselves pretty damn well. Second, they're not a bunch of guys banging rocks together. They also have a comparable level of technology, with some troops equipped with power armor that can go toe-to-toe with USW's stuff. Not really a comparable situation.

[PeZook]

This plan would be easier with a different set of tools, but might be able to work with the ones we have.

Simply put: be missionaries, not colonists or conquerors. Build your own towns, protect their borders, and establish yourself as a (the) safety net for the people who fall through society's cracks. Allow free migration to and from, albeit through checkpoints to prevent weapons from entering the town. Provide jobs, health care, necessities, and a fair wage. Execute armed reprisals on any organized groups who try to prevent people from immigrating to your cities, but otherwise leave the Libertopians alone.

The corporations will rant and rave as you drive up their labor costs and push down the prices of necessities, but what are they going to do? Wage war on you, with their pitifully under-equipped militias?

That would work great up until the point when Space NKVD begins abducting and torturing counterrevolutionaries...so...day 2

[Beowulf]

It worked despite much stricter RoE and whole Islamic world pumping weapons, volunteers and money into resistance. Without money, supplies (which are much more high-tech now, meaning harder to produce "underground") and fresh fanatics to die Resistance loses. It's inevitable.

Funny that you keep saying lazor guns are hi-tech, but forget technology also simplifies manufacturing ; AKs are basically sci-fi tech by the standards of 1750, but can be made by in small-time machine shops today (and their ammo, too ; There's a little shithole town in Afghanistan which manufactures AK knockoffs and ammo)

It's Pakistan, and it's only going to get easier to make firearms from today. How long until I can buy a 3d printer that can do stainless steel at .01 mm feature size? And not in the theoretical sense, but rather for a price I could afford. Probably less time than you think. And with that, I've probably got a pretty decent firearm if I'm willing to wait the time necessary. Might not be accurate to 1km, but most people can't shoot that well anyway.

--

Really, there's no way hard power can manage to successfully pacify the opposition without turning the planet into a self lit parking lot. Soft power may work, but then you get into the nitty gritty of whether it'll even work, given the differing psychological profiles, and the fact that communism hasn't historically worked...

Building missionary towns may work... but it may end up being used by people who see you as suckers to extract wealth from you. "Hey, you can go there, pretend to be destitute, get a bunch of food free!" Or whatever.

[ryacko]

For one, the OP never stated they constantly fought amongst themselves. Really, for all its faults (many of which I don't think would occur, but that's a different topic) the libertopia described keeps peace among themselves pretty damn well. Second, they're not a bunch of guys banging rocks together. They also have a comparable level of technology, with some troops equipped with power armor that can go toe-to-toe with USW's stuff. Not really a comparable situation.

300,000 Government Infantry: Equipped in foreign made power armor comparable in performance to Emancipator suits and armed with similar gear. However, these are operated by people who were subjected to and survived a eighteen month long brutal training course that washes up 91% of recruits, a fair number of them fatally. The result is not a general competent soldier, but a highly trained special operations soldier with a tenancy to psychopathy due to the shit his drill instructors sent him through. Numerous cashes of supplies have been set about in case of occupation.

2 million vs. 300,000.
Yeeah...

20 million corporate security officers: Men and women employed to keep order, drilled and capable troops. They usually have a flak vest and helmet (and sometimes additional leg and arm armor) that offers protection against shrapnel, low power laser and combustion firearm fire and are typically armed with a combustion sidearm and a 30 to 48 kilojoule laser assault rifle (100 round cell, 600rpm) and some grenades. Laser Light Machine guns, Gauss sniper rifles and grenade launchers are employed at the squad level. Anti-armor and anti-air rocket launchers and mortars at the company level.

This implies that the status quo isn't entirely appreciated. In any case, the society isn't very well described. I think it would be safe to say that this world isn't homogeneous, there could be perhaps far away communes, and perhaps riotous unionists, and maybe factions in the government, which could potentially be manipulated to fight each other. If there are caches of supplies, the first step is to either seize or destroy them.


It's universally agreed that there is not enough manpower to occupy the world. Although on one note, the US successfully destroyed several insurgencies in Iraq composed of Saddam loyalists within a year or two.

Building missionary towns may work... but it may end up being used by people who see you as suckers to extract wealth from you. "Hey, you can go there, pretend to be destitute, get a bunch of food free!" Or whatever.

Real world missionary towns worked because they were Christian gulags.

[ryacko]

Just want to add something else: if you destroy the government and the security police, the whole world will likely turn into Somalia. Perhaps there should only be alliances with the resulting factions.

Although Libertopia might just actually be Somalia.

[Panzersharkcat]

For one, the OP never stated they constantly fought amongst themselves. Really, for all its faults (many of which I don't think would occur, but that's a different topic) the libertopia described keeps peace among themselves pretty damn well. Second, they're not a bunch of guys banging rocks together. They also have a comparable level of technology, with some troops equipped with power armor that can go toe-to-toe with USW's stuff. Not really a comparable situation.

300,000 Government Infantry: Equipped in foreign made power armor comparable in performance to Emancipator suits and armed with similar gear. However, these are operated by people who were subjected to and survived a eighteen month long brutal training course that washes up 91% of recruits, a fair number of them fatally. The result is not a general competent soldier, but a highly trained special operations soldier with a tenancy to psychopathy due to the shit his drill instructors sent him through. Numerous cashes of supplies have been set about in case of occupation.

2 million vs. 300,000.
Yeeah...

Doesn't change my point of them not being a bunch of backward tribals banging rocks together. If used smartly, the power armor troopers can do a fuckton of damage to an occupying army.

This implies that the status quo isn't entirely appreciated. In any case, the society isn't very well described. I think it would be safe to say that this world isn't homogeneous, there could be perhaps far away communes, and perhaps riotous unionists, and maybe factions in the government, which could potentially be manipulated to fight each other. If there are caches of supplies, the first step is to either seize or destroy them.

Or that's something that nobody there would bat an eye at, considering there is serious literature in libertarian academia suggesting private armies funded by insurance companies to defend against invasion.

[ryacko]

Doesn't change my point of them not being a bunch of backward tribals banging rocks together. If used smartly, the power armor troopers can do a fuckton of damage to an occupying army.

I see. Three hundred thousand soldiers are just going to be roaming around doing damage. How?

Do you know how occupations work? Have you read anything on COIN? The point of an insurgency isn't to kill the enemy. In battle ten insurgents will die for every invading troop. Why? The invaders have a logistics chain, equipment will be repaired and maintained, they can be medevac, superior organization, etc.

The point of an insurgency is to establish an opposing authority and government, through violence if need be. The aim of this invasion is to establish a new socialist government with an insufficient number of troops that will allow the locals to easily oppose centralized rule.

Or that's something that nobody there would bat an eye at, considering there is serious literature in libertarian academia suggesting private armies funded by insurance companies to defend against invasion.

I'm a libertarian and I take that literature as jokes.

[Panzersharkcat]

I see. Three hundred thousand soldiers are just going to be roaming around doing damage. How?

Do you know how occupations work? Have you read anything on COIN?

Not for about two years, so I will concede on that bit as I am completely and utterly rusty on that. It still changes nothing about my point about them not being in a situation similar to something like the Musket Wars, which was what you were trying to do.

Or that's something that nobody there would bat an eye at, considering there is serious literature in libertarian academia suggesting private armies funded by insurance companies to defend against invasion.

I'm a libertarian and I take that literature as jokes.

Well, it depends on the type of libertarian you are, I suppose. Point is, it's entirely possible that that type of libertarian is taken seriously. I was going to discuss some other aspects but that'd be a derail.

[ryacko]

Not for about two years, so I will concede on that bit as I am completely and utterly rusty on that.

It's been a while since I've read on guerrilla warfare, but I still remember the basic concepts espoused by Mao.

What I'm trying to do is

Although on one note, the US successfully destroyed several insurgencies in Iraq composed of Saddam loyalists within a year or two.

Compare the current situation and it's aftereffects to a large array of conflicts, none of which will completely apply, but partially apply.

Because at no point in human history has there been an invasion of a libertarian state by a technologically superior socialist force to establish a socialist society, and thus a number of conflicts should be examined.

I'm an American, so I only know of American aborigines.
http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0300/sto ... _0118.html

The Plains Indians acquired guns in the 17th century from French and British Traders. However, these weapons did not replace the bow and arrow. While both guns and bows and arrows were used for hunting and warfare, the gun was preferred in battle because of its greater range, accuracy, and penetration. Guns also contributed to the migration of the various Indian tribes as the tribes who received access to guns first, forced neighboring tribes to move further west.

That article I linked barely touches on the carnage wrought by tribes acquiring muskets.

[Panzersharkcat]

It appears similar to the Musket Wars in New Zealand. The tribes there who acquired muskets gained a massive technological superiority over those who didn't and tried to wipe out tribes that didn't. Why I didn't think of the American Indians, being an American as well, is beyond me. Ah, well. I don't think that really applies to this state since they are roughly at technological parity. There wouldn't be anything as big a leap from bows to muskets here. It'd just be laser rifle to slightly better laser rifle.

[ryacko]

It appears similar to the Musket Wars in New Zealand. The tribes there who acquired muskets gained a massive technological superiority over those who didn't and tried to wipe out tribes that didn't. Why I didn't think of the American Indians, being an American as well, is beyond me. Ah, well. I don't think that really applies to this state since they are roughly at technological parity. There wouldn't be anything as big a leap from bows to muskets here. It'd just be laser rifle to slightly better laser rifle.

Iraqi Army
-worse training
-worse body armor
-worse equipment
-worse weapons
then the Coalition


Socialist Invasion versus Libertopia
-has more troops with better equipment and body armor
-more tanks that are equal or better
-more...

Libertopians have 300,000 troops with better training, but 300,000 vs. 2 million isn't going to do squat. 2 million highly trained troops against 20 million troops with practically no body armor with creamed.

I wouldn't call it a slightly better laser rifle.

[Panzersharkcat]

It appears similar to the Musket Wars in New Zealand. The tribes there who acquired muskets gained a massive technological superiority over those who didn't and tried to wipe out tribes that didn't. Why I didn't think of the American Indians, being an American as well, is beyond me. Ah, well. I don't think that really applies to this state since they are roughly at technological parity. There wouldn't be anything as big a leap from bows to muskets here. It'd just be laser rifle to slightly better laser rifle.

Iraqi Army
-worse training
-worse body armor
-worse equipment
-worse weapons
then the Coalition


Socialist Invasion versus Libertopia
-has more troops with better equipment and body armor
-more tanks that are equal or better
-more...

Libertopians have 300,000 troops with better training, but 300,000 vs. 2 million isn't going to do squat. 2 million highly trained troops against 20 million troops with practically no body armor with creamed.

I wouldn't call it a slightly better laser rifle.

Err, it's not practically no body armor. They have decent stuff, from what I take from the OP, and they're pretty well trained, too. They also outnumber the space USSR almost 8 to 1 in tanks, something that didn't happen in the Coalition. I think in a straight war, it'd be more akin to the Germans and the Soviets or the Chinese and North Koreans against the Americans in the Korean War. If you want to go in the realm of gaming for a comparable situation with power armor vs non-power armor troops who significantly outnumber them, take the New California Republic against the Brotherhood of Steel or the Enclave. Sure, they had crappier equipment (armor equal to good leather armor) but in every battle, the NCR outnumbered the Brotherhood or the Enclave, both factions who exclusively use power armor, at least 10 to 1. At HELIOS One, it was 15 to 1 against the Brotherhood. And even in the event of a space USSR victory

[ryacko]

Err, it's not practically no body armor.

You're right. They are protected with body armor sufficient to protect against the laser equivalent of .22 LR.

They also outnumber the space USSR almost 8 to 1 in tanks, something that didn't happen in the Coalition.

No. Space Soviets outnumber Space Randians 1:9 with 10,500 hover tanks.
Space Randians have 1,500 skytanks, and 80,000 ground tanks.
The Druzhina can move at 350 km/hr.
The Corporate Security tank can move at 80 km/hr.
The Boudicia can move at 415 km/hr, but are less armored and are more likely to be destroyed in any massed engagement.

Use the Druzhina's speed to choose when and where to engage the Corporate Sucurity tanks.

[Panzersharkcat]

Huh, I just realized I never finished my previous post. Ah, well.

Anyway, I meant as far as total numbers of tanks go. I maintain that by the inadequate number of troops given to the Space USSR, victory will be very difficult, even after inflicting disproportional casualties on the Space Randians, and may end in a draw. The best way for the takeover to happen is not by military means but by economics and numbers. Offer them a trade deal they can't refuse and gradually move people in until the number of socialist-leaning people outnumber the amount of Objectivist-leaning people. It'll take a lot longer but cost far fewer lives.

[ryacko]

Okay. Standard troops versus troops in power armor wihch require antitank weapons to destroy. The balance is deciding tipped in the socialist favor.

2,000,000 People's Space Marine Corps troopers using KSrX-25 Emancipator power armor. It weighs 600 kilos, can hover a meter above the ground and carry its user for a kilometer at 300 km/s and can resist anything short of heavy machine gun fire, which it can take a few rounds of in certain areas (the head and the joints are the most vulnerable). The standard model is equipped with a ALS-40 Laser Repeater capable of 600 60kj pulses per minute that can fire continuously for 15 minutes and a secondary 30kj semi auto laser pistol, but these suits can also be outfitted with 15mm Rail sniper Rifles that can threaten APCs, GS-14 Vulcan Plasma throwers (range 20 meters), 40mm automatic grenade launchers and two missile ranks each with six anti-tank, artillery or anti-aircraft missiles. These soldiers are trained in basic policing to help with occupation and among them are some seasoned veterans.

Basically a small tank.

20 million corporate security officers: Men and women employed to keep order, drilled and capable troops. They usually have a flak vest and helmet (and sometimes additional leg and arm armor) that offers protection against shrapnel, low power laser and combustion firearm fire and are typically armed with a combustion sidearm and a 30 to 48 kilojoule laser assault rifle (100 round cell, 600rpm) and some grenades. Laser Light Machine guns, Gauss sniper rifles and grenade launchers are employed at the squad level. Anti-armor and anti-air rocket launchers and mortars at the company level.

Doesn't say they have heavy machine guns on squad level... so... they'll need to use anti-armo and anti-air rockets...