Modern Warfare & Power Armor

Nukes and the like are not feasible because everyone ends up dying. The most commonly used and important weapon of modern warfare is still the (not so humble) assault rifle. This is because most regional conflicts are fought in third world trouble spots with a low socioeconomic status.

In the case of larger wars fought by well supplied nations, the side with the best technology and information is victorious. This includes having good battlefield communications coupled with technology, such as motorised units that can quickly respond to incoming threats, good general intelligence, such as where the major industrial base is vulnerable and the right equipment and weaponry to help the soldier in combat.

Air support is just one example of a vital advantage. You must have a greater industrial output to produce more and better planes to stay superior. The enemy builds SAMs, you develop electronic countermeasures. They develop counter-countermeasures and you develop a new plane with counter-counter-countermeasures and the cycle continues (wasting money and resources but hey). You must be able to strike the right targets rapidly and survive the enemy's own attacks.

If hypothetically, better personal armour could be developed cheaply it would be of great use to the armed forces to maintain life. If we actually could make anything even close to power armour, it would not be decisive in changing anything because the enemy would be developing the same technology or something totally different that would still help win a war for them. It would be useful for hunting the 'terrorists' in the third world, but would likely be a huge waste of resources.
 
Yes it could be a hudge waste of resorces, but you under estimate the value of a heavy asualt troop who could peniltrate enemy defences with out being cut down by defensive fire. Beside the abilty to take out strategic targets the morale advantavge would be significant. If I was a enemy trooper and I seen my bullets boucning off of my target I would be scared crazzy. This technology could be used for assassinations and specal operations to great success, never under estimate the power of the indivual to change the world around him. One man can make a huge difference even in modern warfare, especaily if they are nearly invonarable
 
The point is it would only cause a pointless arms race between wealthy nations, even though it would be useful. However the fact that building bigger and better weapons can be counterproductive has never stopped many people before.

If you want to assassinate some terrorist leader, it would be much more effective to snipe him or, if you like it collatoral damage/Israeli style, kill him with a helicopter gunship. The cost of training one man is far less than spending billions on unpredictable R&D. The power of the individual! (supported by a well developed intelligence network, a good rifle, good training and a whole lot a luck)
 
The great strength of powerarmor is its use in urban areas i think. Heavy weaponry yet it can enter buildings and sweep them (or take up positions in them).

More of our conflicts tend to become guerrilla wars between high tech army and low tech rebels.
 
More of our conflicts tend to become guerrilla wars between high tech army and low tech rebels.
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That's the main reason to try to develop such a thing as power armour, but it doesn't justify it.

People should try to avoid starting such unbalanced 'policeman' wars by helping the countries own government to remain stable through support, understanding and advice. If you are convinced that the primitives cannot look after themselves, it would be much cheaper and 'traditional', to just supply one side or warlord with weapons, training and intelligence and then hope to clean up the mess of his dictatorship at a later date. Oops, that didn't work, the new dictator is even better equipped and more dangerous than the regime before. You cannot look after everything. Moral of the story, if you think you are interfering too much, just stop and mind your own business.

My moto in extreme situations,
"resort to plan B"
'But there is no plan B idiot'
"Then I'll just have to think of one wont I"
 
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