What division of the US Army would Power Armor fall under?

[Omegacron]

I'm toying around with an idea for a mod, but I want it to be as lore-friendly as possible. That said, I'm trying to figure out what division of the U.S. Army would be primarily responsible for the possession & maintenance of power armor. Within the Fallout universe, was power armor assigned to any specific branch/unit like Mechanized Infantry, Armored Cavalry, etc? I'm leaning towards Mechanized Infantry, since the opening scenes show men in power armor walking alongside normal infantry soldiers.

 

And aside from that question, what would be some likely regiments in the Boston area? Assuming that the timeline diverged from our reality somewhere between 1945-1951 (as there is no mention of the Korean War ever taking place), I would probably want to use something from that era. The earlier question is far more important, however - I can always make up a regiment name/number if I need to.

Edited May 25, 2017 by Omegacron

[iXenite]

Prototypes of the T-51b Power Armor were constructed in Fort Strong by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2075. They were completed by 2076. As for the Fallout timeline and our timeline, they diverge after the Second World War. As for what unit used the Power Armor, only people in the Army's Mechanized Cavalry Regiments or special units were allowed to use Power Armor.

 

Power Armor Information:

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Power_armor

 

Fallout Timeline:

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline

[Omegacron]

Prototypes of the T-51b Power Armor were constructed in Fort Strong by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2075. They were completed by 2076. As for the Fallout timeline and our timeline, they diverge after the Second World War. As for what unit used the Power Armor, only people in the Army's Mechanized Cavalry Regiments or special units were allowed to use Power Armor.

 

Power Armor Information:

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Power_armor

 

Fallout Timeline:

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline

 

Wow - I spend a lot of time on that wiki and somehow I've never come across that Power Armor page. Thanks a ton!

[PoorlyAged]

Pretty much all military equipment falls under the Government Services Administration. There are specialized procurement offices for equipment types (personal weapons, crew weapons, uniforms, etc.). Once equipment is distributed to units, equipment is parceled out to supply or maintenance units (armories, tank bat, motor T, flight squadrons, etc.). From these units, weapons and equipment are assigned to individuals and in some cases individuals are assigned to weapon systems (read crew served weapon systems like armored vehicles, tanks, aircraft, etc.).

 

The US Army does participate in the development and testing of equipment. However; once the development process is complete, manufacturing is turned over to civilian companies (IE the lowest bidder).

 

We used to put stickers on our gear. "Warning, this <insert item nomenclature here> was manufactured by the lowest bidder". They were quite common on the first shipment of M16 Rifles.

 

Edit. grammar and punctuation.

Edited May 25, 2017 by PoorlyAged

[MightyZ0G]

 

The US Army does participate in the development and testing of equipment. However; once the development process is complete, manufacturing is turned over to civilian companies (IE the lowest bidder).

 

We used to put stickers on our gear. "Warning, this <insert item nomenclature here> was manufactured by the lowest bidder". They were quite common on the first shipment of M16 Rifles.

 

Edit. grammar and punctuation.

they don't bid any more.

most of it is made by UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) who don't need to bid for contracts as their workforce are virtually slave labour and their costs are rock bottom as they get paid for the workforce AND the products they manufacture. no free enterprise with a regular paid workforce can compete against that which is why UNICOR are not allowed to compete in the public market and are limited to government contracts.

 

we're talking everything from fatigues up to Patriot missile systems being manufactured by forced labour.

 

[/RANT]

[PoorlyAged]

Well, that is what I get for relying on a memory that dates from the mid 1960's.

[Raycheetah]

 

 

The US Army does participate in the development and testing of equipment. However; once the development process is complete, manufacturing is turned over to civilian companies (IE the lowest bidder).

 

We used to put stickers on our gear. "Warning, this <insert item nomenclature here> was manufactured by the lowest bidder". They were quite common on the first shipment of M16 Rifles.

 

Edit. grammar and punctuation.

they don't bid any more.

most of it is made by UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) who don't need to bid for contracts as their workforce are virtually slave labour and their costs are rock bottom as they get paid for the workforce AND the products they manufacture. no free enterprise with a regular paid workforce can compete against that which is why UNICOR are not allowed to compete in the public market and are limited to government contracts.

 

we're talking everything from fatigues up to Patriot missile systems being manufactured by forced labour.

 

[/RANT]

 

I'd be interested to know when (and under what administration) that change took place. =0[.]o=

[montky]

@Omegacron

an excellent lore question, and I'm intrigued to hear the answers,

as this'll hone the exegesis and keep things lore-consistent hehe.

that's partly the idea behind the FO:Bible, an exegesis for all things Fallout.

 

its attention to detail like that, which made Stargate have such verisimilitude,

so much so, to the point where active service people were in-uniform and on that show.

with all that detail, we suspend our disbelief about the gate,

(though, the gate was ostensibly a metaphor more for the internet, cyber-warfare and how that was handled.)

 

of course, what follows is tentatively

the fallout lore from where I see things, and might be very different to other folks' FO lore or

their personal continuities, and may be very different from 'official' continuities altogether hehe.

It's a pastiche mainly from Ellison-Adamowicz-Avellone continuity,

influenced by chats with other fans and fan-clubs ('apocrypha' to some) etc.

 

as to the second paragraph of Post #1 of this thread;

the answer is;

Potentially, many.

It depends how they're issued.

 

 

 

The T45 would be partly a joint collaboration of DARPA

(or, its earlier ancestors in the Fallout timeline, OSS and a "joint strategic command inter-force" collaboration).

This is similar to ATLAS, Augment Suit #7 and PETMAN projects of the present real-world era-

the culmination of 45 years of joint collaboration between private firms and multiple defense contractors and joint collaboration.

In real life though, most of the funding streams have come from private firms or from the Airforce.

 

Once they were built, I'd say most would be treated as a Tank or vehicle,

so they'd be just like a Jeep or an Abrams or Sherman in the Motorpool.

There'd be rules on where and when they could be used, as, just like tanks, the Power Armor could degrade road surfaces and pavements not designed to handle the vehicle. "Manual mode only" on pavements etc - no powered systems, would mean lugging your power armor around

like a knight in their full armor with all the horsies turned off... and, carrying the horse on your back.

it was a real workout, and potentially quieter than full operation.

often "manual mode" or "by the manual" was a punishment, in addition to compliance with local ordinances.

 

some uses for power armor would also be analogous as a Forklift and logistics tool.

Semi-autonomous suits (inclusive of sentient systems etc) would be more Intelligence,

stealth-buoy or other special finishes would be intelligence or to 3rd party refit.

 

So, you'd use the nomenclature say, from Jane's Fighting Monthly, for each of the branches or forces and commands.

I think the vast majority in the 2050s-to-2077 would be Army issued.

with Navy, Airforce and "other agencies" having the next most procurement,

and such as the "EPA", "TSA" etc... being issued with it on a needs basis.

 

Take for example, Mariposa AFB and "The Master" etc.

Mariposa was an AFB, which was effectively annexed by the Army detachment encamped there.

the idea was to consolidate the armed forces into fewer bases...

However, that division of Army was "Enclave".

This culminated in Maxson defying the orders of a 'superior' (as highest ranked Airforce remaining on-base,

he was a Capt. and the order was from a 4-Star General)

and refusing to acknowledge orders issued from another command or force,

as the orders issued by the General at Mariposa, violated international law and the AirForce Code of Ethics.

Essentially, Maxson invoked Nuremberg Defense and seceded.

 

whereas, the bulk of what would become the BoS and Starfleet,

are descended from Airforce or USSC (United States Space-Command),

analogous to The United States Air Force Systems Command and United States Air Force Space Command...

where the navy have UNCLOS in addition to other concerns,

space command has International Space Law, the non-proliferations treaty and other considerations...

 

The airforce used their power armor frames primarily as a logistics and semi-autonomous base defense patrol system.

some were involved as paratroopers or embarked area dispersal and rapid response.

so, those such issued units were issued to the AirForce Supply and Logistics Command.

 

-----

I cannot take full credit for the above:

the real-world BoS and Enclave fan clubs and hobby societies, much like the Star Wars 501st etc

are very detailed in their roleplaying and recreation efforts hehe.

 

So, some potential units in the boston area around 2077 issued with power armor;

 

AirForce Systems Command, CIT. (this would be "Regional HQ/"The Brass" for the area)

--- ZAX and other memristive control systems and entities are being researched as a focus. P.A.M. and I.M.A.M. likely arose from this...

Army Applied Research Division, CIT,

--- mainly coatings and new armor or munitions technologies,

Air Force Space Command, Revere Array,

---- a key relay station for synchronizing space assets, and vital to re-establishing the BoS Archimedes program.

Air Force Space Command/intelligence, Lexington (not under Slocum Joes).

--- this appears to be a melting pot between different agencies and contractors, though overall administered and controlled by the USAF.

 

National Guard Defense Reserve near County Crossing.

- unclear which suits were assigned there, if any at all.

 

Coast Guard Facility - they didn't seem to operate power armor,

though did have some enclave stuff nearby and may have operated naval variants

"diving suits" and recovery equipment. this would be in a logistics role.

 

It is unclear if the Marine Corps maintained a facility near Boston.

one would think they would have, probably prior to and as part of, the Annexation of Canada.

 

Army Signals and Relay Station Outpost Fort Hagen

Army Intelligence Outpost K21b

Army Supply Depot 84NE

Sentinel Site (it is unknown which forces or commands were in control).

Special Site Poseidon Offshore Facility

(all Poseidon facilities may be listed as "Army Depot - Location |redacted|" etc, though that depends on what "the Enclave" is.)

 

 

 

---

I hope this gives some options and ideas for how that might be.

[MightyZ0G]

 

I'd be interested to know when (and under what administration) that change took place. =0[.]o=

 

UNICOR was founded in 1934. I don't know which administration gave them the military contracts but they have had them for at least 10 years

[sinlessorrow]

 

ÃÃÃÂ

I'd be interested to know when (and under what administration) that change took place. =0[.]o=

ÃÃÃÂ

UNICOR was founded in 1934. I don't know which administration gave them the military contracts but they have had them for at least 10 years

Where do people like you and poorlyaged come up with this crap?

 

Is it like some fan fiction turned reality?

 

A rebuttal isn't even needed. You just need to do 10 minutes worth of researching into ACC-R.

 

Also the GSA has never been the Government Services administration. It's always been the General Services Administration.