Modern World STGOD Concept

[Thanas]

That looks much better, Timothy.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Orion culture is an extremely strange one to outsiders. This isn’t helped by the traditional dislike for “Outlanders,” which has only been exacerbated in recent years as a sense of smug superiority has set in regarding all foreigners and their “inferior” systems of government. This is also not helped by the fact that the Kingdom has never lost a war (a fact often repeated loudly by Orion citizens, even though very few wars half been fought).

The government was, originally, a constitutional monarchy with much of the power being devolved to the Lord President of the Senate (formerly the Tribal Council). The number of Senators is decided upon every ten years, immediately following the Census. One Senate seat is created for every 100,000 citizens, rounding up. At present the Senate has 612 members. Elections occur at the same time as Senate seats are decided on, with each party receiving 1 seat for every 100,000 votes cast. Whilst elections occur every 5 years, special elections can occur due to the death, resignation or impeachment of the incumbent or due to an internal party vote-of-no-confidence in a given Senator.

However, since the Ascension of King Alexander the Second in 1989, the ideals of the once-destroyed Paradise Party have begun to dominate. The King has been gradually reclaiming authority, and an unprecedent number of Amendments have been ratified by an increasingly-ineffective Senate. Now, the King wields near-absolute power. Despite this, public support for the monarchy and the Orion way of life remains very high. There have been a few dissenters, most notably Senator Portman, who, shortly after an Amendment was passed returning law-making authority to the King, famously said “This is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause.” It is perhaps no coincidence that two weeks after that statement she was removed from her office after being charged with sedition.

Orion society itself is a world of contrast. Children become adults at 16, at which point they have full citizenship and are permitted to marry, vote, own firearms, hold public office and join the Armed Forces. Same-sex marriage is legal in Orion, and always has been, as it was deemed “illogical” to deny a couple a marriage license. Similarly, most recreational drugs are legal in Orion, with the government taxing them accordingly and providing quality-control. More serious drugs like heroin or cocaine are available as part of state-sponsored treatment programs in order to break someone’s addiction. As a result, there is virtually no black market in Orion.

However, despite these progressive laws, which some have described as “a perfect model of a society,” Orion’s legal system is much more draconian. The Kingdom retains the death penalty and there are numerous offences that can earn someone a firing squad (the traditional method of execution). The most serious crime against others (as opposed to the State) is murder, as it is seen as destruction of knowledge and potential, something that is abhorrent to the Orion mindset. Additionally, any assault or injury that leaves someone with permanent brain damage is treated the same way as murder, as you have damaged someone’s mind and robbed them of potential growth.

Prisons are considered punishment, not rehabilitation. The most common description of an Orion prison (made by Orion citizens) is “Harsh but fair.” Prisoners are often used for labour, and while they are paid for their work (wages that are held in trust until their sentence ends) it is often hard and sometimes dangerous.

Orion foreign policy is a strange thing. Due to various political decisions in the Britonian War, the Kingdom exists in a state of “eternal war” against Britonia and her successor states. This often leads to diplomatic clashes with Rheinland. Various other nations voiced their opposition when Orion deported all the inhabitants of three Britonian colonies and then destroyed every trace of the settlements themselves.

The Kingdom’s attitude to other states ranges from “they are useful partners” (Arcadia, formerly Corona, Rheinland) through “we have no interest in them” and finally “they are the scum of the planet” (San Dorado). Despite these well-known attitudes, Orion has a policy in place that it will never start a war but it will destroy any attacker. Indeed, once war has been declared, the Orion state mindset switches to “this war ends when they’re all dead.”

[Thanas]

Previous posts:

Rheinland history
Rheinland economy
Geography, Political System, Law, national quirks
Army ORBAT - might change

Rheinland Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe is the newest member of the Armed forces. Their official motto is "Do you feel lucky, Bomber?", a reference to the days of the eighty years war.
The Luftwaffe is focused mainly on fighters and interceptors designed to defeat any approaching strategic or tactical bomber swarm. Their main weaknesses lie in the fact that they are more of a tactical tool (what with the lack of strategic bombers) and are more concerned with defensive than true offensive actions. As such, they are a good tool to gain air superiority, but critics charge that outside of tactical bombers they don't really know what to do with it once it has been achieved. To that, the Luftwaffe responds that their main purpose is to support the Army and to defeat enemy bombers, not turn into Bombers themselves.

The Rheinland Luftwaffe has two main components, the active, professional force, and the Luftmiliz, mainly secondary and older planes flown by reservists, only ready after a mobilization period. The Luftmiliz planes are usually Rheinland planes being withdrawn from active service near the end of their service life and being stored in depots to be activated during crisis. Critics have called for the Luftmiliz to be abolished as they consider it nothing more than cannon fodder, but the Luftwaffe considers it good to have a pool of experienced pilots around, even if they would be flying outdated planes. After all, quantity has a quality of its own and old planes are better than none.


Organization:

Luftflotte is the term for the overall command over an area. Currently there are 4 Luftflotten.

Luftlotte 1: Stationed in Rheinland proper, mainly concerned with defending the industrial areas of Rheinland proper.
Luftflotte 2: Stationed in Rheinland proper, primarily concerned with supporting the Rheinland Army. Controls nearly all the bomber aircraft.
Luftlfotte 3: Stationed in Westrheinland, primarily composed of maritime surveillance and long-range patrol aircraft. The smallest of the Luftflotten.
Luftflotte 4: Stationed in Ostrheinland, often considered the stepchild among the Luftlflotten.

Command structure:
Staffel: 12 aircraft
Gruppe: 2-4 Staffeln, 24-48 aircraft
Geschwader: 72 aircraft in 6 Staffeln
Korps: 2-4 Geschwader (144-288 aircraft)
Schwarm: 12 Geschwader (864 aircraft) - currently there are no Schwärme present in the Rheinland Luftwaffe, though plenty operated in the Eighty-Years war.

The two main manufacturers for military aircraft are Rheinland Flugzeugwerke (RFW) and JHD Flugzeuge. Both are semi-stated owned, with the nation holding most of the shares and the right to block any sale of technology or aircraft.

Aircraft inventory list:

Combat aircraft / ground:
Rheinland RFW Walküre (A-10 Thunderbolt) - primary CAS aircraft 120 active, 240 in reserve role with the Luftmiliz
Rheinland JHD Geier (Gunship) - ground-attack aircraft which slowly is gaining acceptance. 36 active

combat aircraft / multirole / air
Rheinland JHD Tornado (Panavia Tornado) - formerly the top fighter-bomber of Rheinland, now relegated to reserve role. This aircraft was developed in partnership with San Dorado, who provided most of the Electronics, thereby leading to it being the first Rheinland fighter aircraft not being named after a bird. 480 left in reserve role, to be reduced to 120 by 2020
Rheinland Windhund (Mig-31) - In response to public hyperventilating over new strategic supersonic bombers this aircraft, sacrificing much in exchange for immense speed and range, was purchased from foreign sources. However, the design limitations meant that it never was that popular with the Luftwaffe and it was soon relegated to a reserve role with the advent of the Adler. Rheinland still has a few active squadrons to conduct longrange patrols along their northern border and across the sea. 36 active, 204 in reserve role (generally expected to go completely out of service in both active and reserve role by 2025)
Rheinland JHD Möwe (Harrier) - VSTOL aircraft of Rheinland (numbers see Rheinland Navy)
Rheinland RFW Seeadler (F-14) - former primary carrier fighter aircraft, now in reserve role. 360 in reserve role, to be expected to be completely out of service in 2020
Rheinland RFW Adler (F-15) - the primary interceptor aircraft of Rheinland, though it is getting up in age. 600 active, 120 reserve Planned to be relegated to reserve over the next decade, replaced by the Steinadler.
Rheinland RFW Falke (F-16) - the primary multirole aircraft of Rheinland and the greatest export success of RFW in terms of military hardware. 840 active, 480 reserve. Planned to be eased out by 2025 in favor of the Typhoon or Habicht.
Rheinland RFW Seefalke (F-18) - carrier aircraft of Rheinland, for numbers see Navy.
Rheinland JHD Typhoon - multirole fighter to replace the Falke. Though designed entirely by JHD, it carries on the tradition of naming JHD Arcraft after heavy-weather elements after the success of the Tornado. Its purchase became necessary after the design for the Habicht took two decades longer than anticipated. 120 active, 1200 total planned by 2025
Rheinland RFW Steinadler (F-22) - the newest aircraft, slated to replace the RFW Adler over the next decade. 120 active, 720 total planned by 2025.

In development:
Rheinland RFW Habicht (F-35) - a new multirole aircraft currently being designed to replace the Seefalke and maybe eventually the Typhoon. Service entry expected for 2020.
Rheinland JHD Kolibri (currently undisclosed)

Transport/Auxilliary Aircraft:
JHD Eule I-IV (several types of AWACS and battle management craft) 76 active, 12 reserve
JHD Seeschwalbe (P-3 Orion) - see Navy
JHD Nestvogel (KC-135 Stratotanker) 612 aircraft
JHD Muttervogel (Airbus A330 MRTT) to replace the JHD Nestvogel completely by 2020
~1000 training aircraft
~600 transport, multirole and SAR helicopters
several types of Electronic warfare aircraft, undisclosed number
undisclosed number of transport aircraft, enough for major airlift operations and VIP transport. The goal of the transport arm is to be able to airlift one legion and supply it for a month, as well as service the needs of the diplomatic corps.
Rheinland airforce operates an undisclosed number of drones.

Commentary: Mostly an up-scaled version of the US Air Force. As you can see, JHD is the arbus analogue (If that wasn't clear enough from the economy) and produces most of the larger aircraft whereas RFS is the pure combat aircraft producer. Unlike the US Air Force, this one however lacks any type of strategic bombing capacity due to the history of Rheinland. I would assume that Rheinland is a major exporter of aircraft to other nations, mostly in civilian aviation, but military can be sold as well.
The weaknesses of the Air Force is mainly the missing strategic bomber concept. It has no strike power against the hinterland of enemy nations, though it trades that for an increased role in Air superiority. It does however posess a large tanker capabilities as in the advent of war the fighters would have to be able to be relocated to and from Ostrheinland.

Other weaknesses include the purchase of planes that gave Rheinland no real advantage in the past (like the Windhund) when the money could have gone to other, more capable airframes. As you can see from the numbers, the Luftwaffe is currently in the process of changing their entire aircraft inventory, meaning that after 2025 the following makeup will be seen:
- Steinadler being the primary interceptor/fighter role
- Typhoon being the primary multirole
- Habicht entering service to eventually replace the Typhoon
- new designs to be tested to replace the Steinadler
As new planes enter service, old ones are pushed down to the Luftmiliz, which will mean the going out of service for the Tornado, Windhund, Möwe and a reduction of numbers in the other types.
- threw in a bit of past cooperation with San Dorado selling some electronics to Rheinland
- I am not sure who originally sold the Windhund to Rheinland, presumably some country which mainly uses RL USSR equipment. Maybe the UOCSR in exchange for help during the 70s?
- The Kolibri will be a surprise to be unveiled in the IC thread.

[Steve]

If I might ask, Thanas.... at that population, you're effectively a superpower if you're at first world economic level. GDP of 12 trillion roughly if per capita is 30,000, and that's a low ball.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Some revised stats on Orion:

Formal name: The Kingdom of Orion
Informal: Orion, The Kingdom
Adjective: Orion, Orions
Capital: Paradise City
Population: 61.2 million
Highest point: Mount Erebus, 3000 metres
Lowest point: Port Rigel, sea level
Government: Constitutional monarchy, becoming fascist state
Ruler: King Alexander the Second, Defender of Orion (and various other titles)
Major exports: rare metals, foodstuffs, small arms and ammunition
Major imports: consumer electronics, alcohol, recreational drugs
Military strength: (where 0 is disarmed state and 5 is superpower) ~3.5
Foreign affairs attitude: stubborn, sometimes aggressive

[Jub]

If I might ask, Thanas.... at that population, you're effectively a superpower if you're at first world economic level. GDP of 12 trillion roughly if per capita is 30,000, and that's a low ball.

On that note, when do we want to figure out GDP and the like? I don't want to type up too much more on my nation without knowing how powerful a nation I'm going to end up with.

[Steve]

The plan was that we'd assign you GDPs depending on what your concept for your country was and how well we liked it. Since you want to be a declining power, I can see something like a GDP reflecting a per capita of, say, 25,000? That's a bit above Second World countries like Poland and Hungary, but below the First World nations. Or you could go with higher per capita, reflecting some maintenance of economic vitality internally, but a smaller population.

Given a violent division like you've suffered, though, economic stagnation is likely.

[The Romulan Republic]

What about Corona's GDP?

[Eternal_Freedom]

And Orion's?

[Steve]

Given your militarization, E_F, it will effect economic strength, although I can at least see a per capita of 30k (that's slightly above Italy for reference).
You'd have a GDP of about 1.836 trillion then.

TRR, I'm trying to remember, you're a fairly thinly-spread mountainous nation, right? What population do you want?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Given your militarization, E_F, it will effect economic strength, although I can at least see a per capita of 30k (that's slightly above Italy for reference).
You'd have a GDP of about 1.836 trillion then.

Sounds good. Gives me something to work with. Now, time to find funding for nuclear battleships

[Steve]

Is SOrchus still with us? He needs to place his desired PCs.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Coudl you suggest roughly what portion of my GDP should be on military spending? I've heard that 5% is a silly amount, but we're a militarised nation, so 4%?

[Steve]

Depending on how militarized you want to be and how expansive your social services are, I can see something like 5% or even a tad bit more.

One thing we all need to remember is that our world's got lower defense spending in part because of nuclear weapons. Many countries, including virtually all of the First World, have alliances or arrangements with powers that are nuclear-armed, so they don't need to worry about fielding massive militaries because, well, they have that nuclear umbrella.

[Thanas]

I'd say 5% should be the maximum and definitely hold back a country over the long term. Heck, the US is spending 4.25% and that is while fighting a war in Afghanistan and paying thousands of mercs in Iraq, having a nuclear arsenal, strategic forces etc. I'm going to spend 2.5 to 3% at most.

[Skywalker_T-65]

I'm not sure where exactly Arcadia would be in GDP. Probably need to put some thought into that.

[The Romulan Republic]

Given your militarization, E_F, it will effect economic strength, although I can at least see a per capita of 30k (that's slightly above Italy for reference).
You'd have a GDP of about 1.836 trillion then.

TRR, I'm trying to remember, you're a fairly thinly-spread mountainous nation, right? What population do you want?

18 million people. Corona was going to have 9 million people, but I'm doubling it because my territory seems to be bigger than I intended (it was going to be only 21,000 square miles).

[Eternal_Freedom]

I figured spending would be more than RL because of no nukes. I reckon I'll stick at the modern US level of 4.25%, giving me an annual military budget of ~$78 billion.

[Siege]

Heck, the US is spending 4.25% and that is while fighting a war in Afghanistan and paying thousands of mercs in Iraq, having a nuclear arsenal, strategic forces etc.

Is it though? Or is the US affording those wars and all its toys by going into stupendous debt? Now if anyone wants to go down that route AxumFinans will bankroll your military to a point, but they're going to want something to show for it in return .

[Steve]

I'd say 5% should be the maximum and definitely hold back a country over the long term. Heck, the US is spending 4.25% and that is while fighting a war in Afghanistan and paying thousands of mercs in Iraq, having a nuclear arsenal, strategic forces etc. I'm going to spend 2.5 to 3% at most.

The US also has the world's largest single economy in one sovereign nation (the EU being made up of several sovereign nations), so 4.25% is a shitload of money compared to other states. Again, with economic consequences still likely, I can see someone going up to about 6-7%. I believe the US was around that level at times during the Cold War.

And Thanas, did you see my numbers on your population and per capitas? Siege and I are not in favor of GDPs going that high, since it just invites everyone to want higher GDPs and then it gets a little silly. I think the number we threw around was a max of around six to eight trillion GDP for a state. You'd have to have Mexico-level per capita at a 400 million population to fit that.

And TRR, if we gave you too much we can easily reduce it. I thought you were going to go with a highly mountainous interior that restricts the sizes of cities and keeps your population low for your area?

[The Romulan Republic]

I'm pretty happy with the territory I've got.

If you think 18 million is excessive, I can go with the original 9 million or something in between.

Edits: And yes, my country will be pretty mountainous. Though that doesn't preclude coastal cities (see Vancouver in the real world).

[Thanas]

And Thanas, did you see my numbers on your population and per capitas? Siege and I are not in favor of GDPs going that high, since it just invites everyone to want higher GDPs and then it gets a little silly. I think the number we threw around was a max of around six to eight trillion GDP for a state. You'd have to have Mexico-level per capita at a 400 million population to fit that.

I was unaware of that limit, I pretty much just threw the RL pop of the nations that are in my territory together. My mistake.

That means I have to redo my entire Orbat and strategy now as well as thinking about shrinking my territory as making analog-Europe any less densely populated won't really work without shrinking it.

EDIT: Though Westrheinland and Ostrheinland are not at first level. They are second-world, as I explained way earlier. Still, that probably puts me over.

[Beowulf]

The previous map with lat/Lon lines. They're at 30 degree intervals.

[Thanas]

BTW, before I redo my entire orbats again and redo my entire country and economy (again), I want to know the hard limits in this game. Because each change takes me about 16 hours to plan, I don't want to redo it again. I want to know what GDP constitutes first world, second world etc. I want to know how long mobilization is going to take, what the amount of economy entails, how high social systems will impact the GDP - in sort, I want a real set of rules. Otherwise I fear I will think long and hard about things again just to have them scrapped by one or two lines by the mods.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Okay, messing around with the GDP (this is all preliminary mind you, if Steve/Siege have a different number they think should fit Arcadia, go for it). I used France as a base to work with, seems prosperous enough without being super-economic like Japan. Population is a fair bit smaller than Arcadia though, so it may have gotten a bit higher than anticipated.

GDP: 3.42 trillion

Presuming I did my math right, that's Arcadia's population (~95 million) with the per-capita of France (~36,000). I figure that works since Arcadia is a heavy trader, at the crossroads between North America and Rheinland, and is fairly peaceful. I don't expect the military expenditure to be anymore than 2% of that at most really.

Like I said though, that's very much up for change if the mods feel it should be.