Re: Missing Bat

From: Mark Galeotti <mark_at_...>
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 06:56:33 -0000


Just popping in to make one comment

I hope this makes our lives easier, not harder, but remember that the LE does not have a formal, ranked chain of command. This is not a modern army in which a general automatically outranks a colonel.Instead, the ranking officer is whoever the higher powers say it is. The Lunar military has a plethora of senior officers, often with very different formal titles based on their home cultures, so there is nothing a priori to say that Tatius -- who admittedly is no doubt of higher social standing and political clout -- needs to be in charge. Jorkandros was designated to lead the army and the operation, and that's that... until politics mean that he is replaced. (In other words, it is possible for Tatius to be present before he is in command, and all these ieas about political machinations around the Bat could indeed reflect his efforts to discredit J and be appointed i/c).

In some ways, the best model is of a modern, multinational force, in which there could be, say, colonels from several national armied present. Political decisions will decide which of them is actually in command of the overall operation.

All the best

Mark

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