Kalos,
I’ll try to answer your questions briefly and succinctly, although doing so does not come naturally to me.
By 2000, there are about 75,000 survivors distributed throughout the Valley of the Sun. This represents in the vicinity of a 95% drop in population from pre-Exchange levels. Sizeable numbers have fled, but there’s no way around the fact that much more than half are dead.
By 2000, there are about 400,000 survivors in SAMAD. This represents about a 15% drop from pre-Exchange levels. Sizeable numbers of the pre-Exchange populace are dead, but many of them have been replaced by refugees from Phoenix and elsewhere in the state.
Gangs and warlords in the Valley of the Sun are equipped and organized similarly to their counterparts on Manhattan. For a TO&E of 111th Brigade, I’ll refer you to the archives. The 111th has reserves of ammunition for its weapons, plus the ability to manufacture more. By Twilight: 2000 standards, both quantity and quality are acceptable, though not lavish. The larger warlord governments in Phoenix probably have some capacity for refilling small arms ammunition. One or two might even have a gunsmith who can repair or construct firearms. Beyond that, though, the medieval realities of the situation prevail.
Artillery and armor certainly are helpful and useful assets, though it’s dangerous to overestimate their value in an urban environment. Thomason hasn’t sent them into Phoenix for a couple of reasons. First, and foremost, is the Mexicans. The ongoing threat from the south has kept Thomason focused on training first the 111th Brigade and second 3rd Brigade (Arizona State Guard). The plan all along has been to send 111th Brigade out of SAMAD only when 3rd Brigade was capable of providing security in the absence of the main force. As one can imagine in the Twilight: 2000 world, bringing 3rd Brigade up to speed has been a time-consuming process. Had the Second Mexican Civil War not broken out, resulting in Sonora Army withdrawing to southern Sonora and Second Mexican Army taking control along the Arizona border, it might have been some time yet before Thomason felt comfortable sending the entire 111th north. So while the idea of dividing and conquering is a good one, Thomason wasn’t ready to try it until he had forces in hand that could secure SAMAD.
Webstral
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