In The Pink

I feel compelled to write here the reasoning for the choice of the 'MarsGas' pattern uniform otherwise known as pink of the 1st Sqdn, the Fenland Air Assault Regiment as there have been a couple of comments (in good humour) about this choice of colour scheme. However, firstly I would like to thank everyone who has moseyed on over to have a look at my humble blog after posting it on Dropship Horizon and TMP. Also thanks to Eli @ DH for his response and support.

Once more into the pink...

As I have mentioned before this sci-fi project was originally going to be in 6mm, and the idea behind it was going to be a second Wars of the Roses style affair set quite far into the future. However the idea, obviously, has evolved into the Dis-United Kingdom. However, the undertones from that original idea has transferred across as this project/concept has evolved.

Therefore the uniforms and colours used for the armies of a second Wars of the Roses would have been bold and livery would have been a dominant feature of each factions armies. Making it a colourful and intriguing affair (at least in my head anyway) and later on down the line I may still evolve this original concept.

The second reason behind the bold colour schemes is as follows:

Heat signature imaging exists today and is not considered massively hi-tech these days. Other forms of digital imaging exist also and are becoming more and more advanced year by year. Therefore the potential for modern battlefield imaging exists today. Vehicles and aircraft are or could easily be quipped with this equipment as required today. However, the problem at the moment is that there is no way to differentiate between 'friendlies' signatures and enemy signatures. The only way to be sure is if no 'friendlies' at all are anywhere near the imaging zone. The other way to try and differentiate between 'friendlies' and enemy are strobe markers that can be picked up by imaging equipment at distance, however this is not a surefire guarentee and accidents can still happen.

However, I believe that on the near future battlefield imaging equipment and reconaissance will play ever increasing vital roles in planning operations and will easily be able to differentiate between enemy and 'friendly' units.

Lets say a special type of dye was developed, maybe a thermal dye that shows up distinctly on heat signature imaging equipment that will denote friendly units by being injected into the bloodstream before operations are conducted, and therefore determine positions of enemy units no matter the proximity between the two in the area of operations. This dye could also be developed to be mixed into the paint of vehicles and aircraft alike allowing full combined arms operations, all controlled via the imaging equipment by command and control assets. These can then pin point throughout the operations all enemy positions through sensors and imaging equipment.

Maybe further into the future, remote DNA analysis imaging equipment will exist where all friendlies DNA is entered into a database and any non-matching DNA according to the database automatically crates an alert to all units in the area of operations who can then pin point non-friendly DNA. However the imaging equipment would have to be able to penetrate vehicles as well i.e through materials such as metals.

Maybe all friendlies would emit ome form of very distinct electronic or EMP that would denot them as friendlies, this would then be easily applied to vehicles and aircraft as well. Then any lifeforms or heat signatures not emitting these specific signals would be classed as enemy and again pin point enemy positions to all friendlies in the area of operations.

Also, what about drones and UAV's that will play an ever increasing role in battlefield reconaissance. With more and more advanced sensors and scanning equipment delivered back to a central large command and control post, early detection of enemy units and positions will become much more prevalent in even the near future battlefield.

Then you have potentially the invention of sensor greandes and or bombs. These could, on detonation, release dozens, hundreds or even thousands of small sensors and scanners into the middle of suspected enemy positions and even well behind enemy lines for reconaissance and grand operational/campaign mapping that would again feed data and imaging back to central command and control posts. These would again allow a massive amoutn of intelligence gathering that would once again pin point enemy positions in the area of operations.

All of these factors on their own render the need for camouflage on troops uniforms little more than symbolic. However, if all of these factors are combined then camouflage is rendered completely impotent and the evolution of the sci-fi battlefield would render camouflage extinct. This then means that there is a potential for the return to symbolic livery as was seen in the medieval period including the Wars of the Roses. So there you have it, wine stain or pink is the new camo of the sci-fi battlefield!

However, this then brings us onto the problem of civilians if the native populartion hadnt bugged out at the first sign of trouble. How do you differentiate between enemies not emitting or showing the right signal/DNA and civillians who wouldnt emit the right signal/dna?

Well, this is the explanation that I am going to use for the Dis-United Kingdom:

At the New Birmingham Convention in the state of MidGuard, all nine superstates sent representatives to discuss the problem of the diminishing civilian population as a result of years of conflict and anarchy in the Dis-United Kingdom. The diminishing population was having a detrimental effect to farming, industry and economies as a whole and a severe population shortage was becoming a severe reality. Disease and malnutrition were rife as a result of the semi-post apocalyptic wasteland the Dis-United Kingdom had become.

As a result of this convention, an inter-state co-operative was set up called the Borderless Medical Service whic was to provide mobile as well as static medical facilities across the Dis-United Kingdom and all 9 super states had to contribute an equal amount of resources and money per lunar year (LY)(12 Lunar cycles).

As well as this new medical service. Each civilian in each state was to be issued with Emergency Civilian Transmitter Equipment (ECTE). In times of war for whatever reason, all effected cvilians would turn this small pack on which would then identify them to all military forces regardless of whether they were friendly or not would be alerted to their exact locations and identify them as non-military threats on their sensor and imaging equipment.

All nine super states made a special pledge to adhere to this and to not use the ECTE for any other purpose than to protect their own civilians. Any super state found using the ECTE for any other reason would automatically face military action as the remaining 8 states would declare war on the state that had abused the ECTE and the New Birmingham Treaty.

So there we have it. Pink is right, pink is might!

Toodaloo for now
Rhys