General Sigel dropped his confused expression. He was far more concerned with his rival appearing as a more knowledgeable military scholar than arguing about this strange conversational twist.
“Yes, of course, but that’s not the real issue. The resources required to train, equip and supply an unwieldy mass of conscripts are better spent providing extra training, equipment and supplies to the small number of warriors among them. Why have an army of three million drafted soldiers, where only a third actually fight, when you can have one million volunteers giving 100 % and supported by triple the resources? That’s the American way. Every man and woman that forms the tip of our spear chose, with their eyes wide open, to be there. They volunteered twice. Once to join the military, and then again by choosing a combat arms specialty.”
Sensing he was losing control, Gosling decided to quit while he was ahead. “I’m sorry, but that’s all the time we have for tonight. Thank you so much for your insights, gentlemen.”
Both of his guests found their mikes immediately shut off before they could get another word out. Gosling stared straight into the camera and smirked.
“So there you have it, mates. Both sides are rushing to hammer out the kinks in their draft plans. Check out our website for exclusive deferment tips and tricks from veteran draft dodgers. Don’t forget to sign up for our instant news alerts to stay on top of this breaking story. Good night, America. Stay safe!”
“What do you say, Ms. Sinclair? Pretty impressive, huh?” Jessica found it hard to match the pep in her escort’s voice as she followed his proud gaze. The acres of sporting fields on the former US Air Force Academy’s grounds were now one giant tent-city. This URA officer had already shown her their multi-million dollar golf course being used as a tactical driving school for armored vehicles. They even offered to let her shoot a machine gun at one of the hundred firing ranges she toured. What more was there to see?
“Without a doubt, you are quite busy, but how much do you think all these preparations are worth? By even the most conservative estimates, the Federal Army outnumbers the URA military at least two to one.”
The man frowned and pried his eyes off Jessica’s chest. “We have more than 10,000 volunteers training at this facility alone, and this isn’t even our largest camp. I’m not authorized to tell you the total number, but we’re evening the odds every day.” He slid a little closer and cocked his head. “And I’m in charge of the whole program here.” Puffing out his chest even further, he added, “I’ll probably be a general soon.”
Jessica controlled her laughter. She knew the rank structure. He was only a lieutenant colonel. Two big steps to go before he found a star on his shoulder. On the other hand, the egotistical prick might be telling the truth. The URA Army handed out promotions like party favors. The combination of fear, anger and financial reward went a long way to explaining how they’d built such a large army from scratch in only a few months. Unfortunately, she had to abandon that line of questioning. The censors would never allow it.
“Yes, but do you really have the time? Doesn’t it take forever to turn civilians into soldiers? I have a, um, friend in the military. He says basic training takes six months just to get the men up to the lowest standard of proficiency.”
The officer smiled with a new measure of respect. “Nice to meet a reporter who understands our world. That’s true. As a matter of fact, we need another year of in-unit training until the new recruits really know what they’re doing. Takes a lot of time to build team cohesion as well. You can’t just stick four random people in a tank or infantry fire team and expect them to cooperate smoothly.”
“Then you agree? This rebel army is a paper tiger and is at a severe disadvantage against federal forces.”
Her guide shook his head. “You were so close to understanding. Quality-wise, we’re about evenly matched. We’ve had a lot of deserters join our ranks. Especially from the Army and Air Force. That helps us while also crippling cohesion in federal units.”
Jessica flipped her voice recorder on. “Now that I didn’t know. I assumed the desertions were spread evenly throughout the service branches. The official reports say about 1/3 of the old military came over.”
“On average, yes, but there were vastly different levels of loyalty by branch. For example, almost 40 % of Army personnel deserted, sometimes in whole units, versus only 15 % for the Marines. The total was about 30 % for the Air Force versus 20 % for the Navy.”
This was brand new information to Jessica, and, she suspected, probably classified. She had to keep him talking. Jessica casually leaned into her guide’s face and squeezed her breasts together. Her eyes were the very picture of awe-struck. “Wow, but why?”
“Well, who really knows? Everyone’s rationale for fighting is different. Many people are genuinely terrified of the dictator. Some want revenge, others don’t care and are here because of loyalty to a family member, hometown or whatever. Hell, I think some are just looking for a paycheck and adventure. With Marines and sailors, my theory rests with military culture. You see, they have a much more frequent deployment tempo and less sedentary stationing than soldiers or Air Force personnel. Consequently, they are far more likely to call the Corps or the Navy their home and stay loyal than the other branches. A similar phenomenon occurred at the start of the last civil war.”
“Ok, but you all are still vastly outnumbered. What does the URA hope to achieve with this hopeless last stand?”
Her prodding seemed to annoy him and he went back to pre-defined talking points. “Our valiant men and women have the moral edge. We’re fighting for freedom and the restoration of American greatness; not just to keep some politician in power.” Jessica sighed and turned the recorder off. She heard the propaganda everywhere she went.
He caught the hint. “That’s not bullshit. Think about it. Someone who has made a conscious decision to break with their safety net for ideological reasons will likely fight more aggressively than those just going with the flow. Such as service members who stayed loyal out of tradition or just refused to leave their comfort zones. That’s a subtle cultural and psychological difference that will have a huge impact on the battlefield.”
“Fascinating, but these people here aren’t ex-military. What does all this have to do with these civilian volunteers?
In his mind, he was melting her panties with his encyclopedic knowledge of military affairs. “Oh, you’d be surprised at the war readiness of the ‘civilian’ population. While usually overlooked by society, there are 22 million living veterans in the United States. Six million of them are still of fighting age. Meaning they served from the First Gulf War or later. Think about it. That represents a relatively young, already trained manpower pool larger than the active duty militaries of Russia, China, India and the old USA combined.
“Heck, over two million are youthful combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. In almost every conflict in American history, the country started with a large levy of amateurs and had to build from there. This time we’re starting with a horde of extremely experienced combat veterans. True, most of our junior soldiers are hastily trained civilians, but every leadership slot, from sergeant to general, is filled by a professional.”
Jessica spun that into a catchy article title. “Ok, the lethal dividends of a generation spent at war. I see your point, but every veteran can’t be willing to pick up a rifle to fight.”