Our Earth Invading the DC Wastelands

[Vagrant0]

We would make landfall, and sit there for about 6 years while politicians use the war as a scapegoat for why they repeatedly turn down any potentially helpful laws or actions which might improve things locally. Civil rights groups would protest the government for sending soldiers into a hazardous radioactive area where they might be shot, eaten, or just come back home with an unwelcome glow (or just various cancers). Various other groups would be protesting for occupying a place we have no business being, for trying to subdue local forces, and trying to impose our beliefs on another group of people. Radx and similar would not be approved for use among our soldiers because there would be a competing pharmaceutical company in our own reality who makes a similar (if much less effective and comes with dozens of uncommon (about 1 in 4) side effects) product that they have patents on, and have enough paid lobbyists to ensure that an alternative treatment never sees the light of day. After those 6 years the cost of the war would be "too great" so we would spend another 4 years slowly rotating our troops so that they aren't exposed for too long at a time, decreasing numbers on the ground, and using the reduction in forces as a political tool for getting votes.

 

Nevermind the animal rights groups who would be fighting tooth and nail for mirelurks, radscorpions, and other defenseless (possibly) endangered animals to become protected species (essentially making it a crime to shoot at one as it rips your fellow soldiers to death),

 

 

All the technology in the world doesn't matter when the ones calling the shots aren't able to use it without risking their chance or re-election, or if there is money to be made from not using it.

 

Never forget that most of the US really didn't have any interest in fighting in WWII until after Pearl Harbor, and that was a time before you had a national news media to spin the facts and teams of lobbyists to ensure that company interests were being protected.

[McclaudEagle]

The most dangerous threat during the invasion would most likely be the Enclave. They have a superior level of training and equipment to all the other wasteland factions, and are only one of three factions known to be able to operate Vertibirds. The Vertibird is the strongest and most dangerous weapon in their arsenal. Pitting one against some wastelanders would be no problem for it. Pit it against an AH-64 Apache, or even a jet fighter and it wouldn't stand a chance. The Vertibird is primarily a bomber/utility aircraft, and as such would be at a significant disadvantage against purpose built attack aircraft.

 

The Lyon's Pride BoS wouldn't be much of a problem either, as they're very small in number, have lesser training and equipment than the Enclave and also have the threat of the Super Mutants to deal with, they'd be fighting on two fronts. Also, unlike Raven Rock, the Citadel would be an easy target for a bombing strike including bunker busters to knock out the silo door. A bunker buster would probably also work on Raven Rock. Whilst the BoS do have Liberty Prime, the only weapon it'd be able to use is the laser it uses. Liberty Prime would not last long against several missiles from a jet fighter or a bombing strike, especially as the aircraft in question would easily out distance the robot.

 

Super Mutants and Raiders would both suffer for the same reason. They set up camps and defend them, and rarely travel outside of them. This would make them vulnerable to aerial assaults, or even against ground assaults. Considering their severe lack of training and poorly maintained equipment, they'd be easily outmatched by properly trained soldiers.

 

The M1A2 Abrams tank has the most accurate fire control system ever created, and can accurately hit a target up to and over 2 miles away. This would make it highly effective against fortified enemy positions, even at long range. As most combatants would not possess high yield explosives, the only threats to a tank would be the Fat Man and Missile Launchers, Vertibirds and the terrain.

 

Another important factor is logistics and population. As most of the ammo and weapons used in the wasteland are pre-war, it's unlikely there'd be a large enough production to maintain a war against an army that has mass production backing it. Also, due to the low population of the wasteland, it'd be almost impossible for the factions to last in a war against a military that could almost indefinitely call in more troops and equipment.

 

All in all, the hardest part would be the occupation, not the invasion.

[Maharg67]

The most dangerous threat during the invasion would most likely be the Enclave. They have a superior level of training and equipment to all the other wasteland factions, and are only one of three factions known to be able to operate Vertibirds. The Vertibird is the strongest and most dangerous weapon in their arsenal. Pitting one against some wastelanders would be no problem for it. Pit it against an AH-64 Apache, or even a jet fighter and it wouldn't stand a chance. The Vertibird is primarily a bomber/utility aircraft, and as such would be at a significant disadvantage against purpose built attack aircraft.

 

The Lyon's Pride BoS wouldn't be much of a problem either, as they're very small in number, have lesser training and equipment than the Enclave and also have the threat of the Super Mutants to deal with, they'd be fighting on two fronts. Also, unlike Raven Rock, the Citadel would be an easy target for a bombing strike including bunker busters to knock out the silo door. A bunker buster would probably also work on Raven Rock. Whilst the BoS do have Liberty Prime, the only weapon it'd be able to use is the laser it uses. Liberty Prime would not last long against several missiles from a jet fighter or a bombing strike, especially as the aircraft in question would easily out distance the robot.

 

Super Mutants and Raiders would both suffer for the same reason. They set up camps and defend them, and rarely travel outside of them. This would make them vulnerable to aerial assaults, or even against ground assaults. Considering their severe lack of training and poorly maintained equipment, they'd be easily outmatched by properly trained soldiers.

 

The M1A2 Abrams tank has the most accurate fire control system ever created, and can accurately hit a target up to and over 2 miles away. This would make it highly effective against fortified enemy positions, even at long range. As most combatants would not possess high yield explosives, the only threats to a tank would be the Fat Man and Missile Launchers, Vertibirds and the terrain.

 

Another important factor is logistics and population. As most of the ammo and weapons used in the wasteland are pre-war, it's unlikely there'd be a large enough production to maintain a war against an army that has mass production backing it. Also, due to the low population of the wasteland, it'd be almost impossible for the factions to last in a war against a military that could almost indefinitely call in more troops and equipment.

 

All in all, the hardest part would be the occupation, not the invasion.

 

I agree that all of the above would be true in the first phases of any invasion but Wastelanders would have had to become very adaptable to changes in order to survive. The Enclave, the BoS, other factions would soon have to give up on conventional warfare. Even the super mutants and the raiders would quickly learn to change tactics. The various factions would leave their bases behind, would vanish into the subway systems, would go into cave systems, would vanish into the ruins.

 

Where would the defenders get much of their equipment and supplies; like all guerrilla fighting forces they would steal them, loot them, from the invaders. Even in the military history of our world this has often been the case from the French Resistance in World War Two, to those opposing the Russians in Afghanistan to the VietCong in Vietnam and so on....

 

It is also amazing how home made weapons can be made in harsh conditions with few resources; submachineguns have been made from chairs and such like. There are pipe-bombs. Snipers that know an area can use even a basic hunting rifle to deadly effect.

 

The war would drag out and become unpopular. Perhaps the invaders would send some hitech samples back home of such things as holotapes, holoprojectors, androids, robots and stimpaks that would make big corporations even richer than they are and yet have some big general effects on the home world.

 

Sooner or later the invaders would begin the 'win the hearts and minds' approach that has so often been done in the past. This may be very successful given how desperate the situation is for many Wastelanders. In other words bribery would work better than military action in the long run. Food, medicines, assistance with improving settlements, assisting in the suppression of threats like super mutants, giant scorpions and far more, all would help to make local peoples into friends and allies rather than enemies.

 

Forming an alliance with the BoS might be far easier than doing so with the untrustworthy Enclave. Working with the BoS against the Enclave, the super mutants, the raiders, would do both allied forces a great deal of good. The same would be true if the invaders formed an alliance with the New California Republic.

 

In other words, the carrot and stick approach.