Quote from: Ian AbsentiaIn case anyone is wondering, this is related to my Mariner project.

i forgot about that!  those cover mockups were awesome

yeah, quire's right, you've got what you need already.

Quote from: SettembriniBeware that force is not equal to expertise.

So there might be people in each force that have the exact same skills. Logistics personnel or maintenance people, or clerks.

Point taken.  Like with the original Traveller, precious few skills will be sole domain of any one career.  You know, looking over the original LBB character generation tables, the Army and Marines careers differ by all of three skills, and are otherwise identical -- the only significant difference is that it's harder to get a commission, promotion, and survive in the Marines.  And yet, in all the years that I've played the game, I have never once attempted to roll up an Army character.

Quote from: GunslingerYou could sum these professions up with one word...contractors.

As a scientific consultant to a major contractor to the DoD, note the qualifiers that I wrote into the Scientist description.  The US Merchant Marine is, of course, a civilian organisation that falls under the command of the US Navy during time of war.  The Others are basically con men, mad priests, and temp workers.

!i!

Marines do have what are effectively "special operations" units.  The Recon and Force Reconnaisance Marines serve in the Long Range Reconnaisance/Direct Action Raid role.  There are also MEU-SOC's--Marine Expeditionary Units (Special Operations Capable) which are battalion-sized units of "line" marines who have been trained en masse to perform certain spec-op functions (like retrieving pilots, large-scale raids, etc.)  There's just an institutional reluctance to label certain marines as "special forces" because the Marines as a whole are considered to be an elite military unit.  There was also the fear that any Marines labeled "special forces" would be poached to the Special Operations Command.  That did, in fact, happen this year.

    Even where the service functions overlap, there are distinctions between the uses to which they are put by each military branch.  The Air Force is the main "air asset", but culturally they specialize in air superiority (the fighter mafia) and long range/strike bombing.  Naval air is mainly strike bombing with the fighters intended to screen the carrier group.  Marine air is uniquely oriented towards close air support, something the AF has been famously reluctant to commit significant assets to.  Army "air" is helicopter attack gunships and transport.

All this so far is specific only to United States forces, and to some extent British. Most countries, even those in NATO, have lost or have never had serious power projection capabilities like the U.S.

Remember that while most second- and third-tier countries have an army, navy, and air force, their training and doctrine vary widely. Some air forces' main function appears to be "looking cool", some navies' function appears to be collecting protection money, and while many countries have "marines", they're really more like "elite" light infantry, where "elite" means "had to bribe someone to get in because they get better pay."

Quote from: balzacqAll this so far is specific only to United States forces, and to some extent British. Most countries, even those in NATO, have lost or have never had serious power projection capabilities like the U.S.

Duly noted.  Again, I'm trying to develop a universal mission statement and assignment description in one or two sentences for what the average modern soldier or sailor does with his or her career.  Individuals -- particularly player characters -- may diverge from that "average" career significantly.  Still, I'd love to get a perspective from nations other than the US.

QuoteSome air forces' main function appears to be "looking cool"...

Saudi Arabia?

Quote...some navies' function appears to be collecting protection money...

Thailand? Viet Nam?

Quote...and while many countries have "marines", they're really more like "elite" light infantry, where "elite" means "had to bribe someone to get in because they get better pay."

Hmm...pretty much any country in the world.  You have to admit, though, having particularly spiffy uniforms does, indeed, engender esprit de corps.

!i!

There's also the issue of the type of army.  American, British, and many other NATO countries use a strictly volunteer regular army.  The draft is there but only for serious emergencies that may never come up.  Lots of other countries, however, are based on the conscription or universal militia model.  Conscription for a two or four year hitch as a young male is common in many Latin American nations as well as in Israel.  The attitude of a character who is doing military service due to national obligation rather than as a choice will affect how they approach their career in the military.