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Originally Posted by Olefin
I disagree Fusilier - the French have a much smaller navy than the US and its not like they have no other obligations
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Was. You don't know if it is smaller anymore. The French were not mentioned as being involved in naval actions during the war. It is speculation as to how many French warships, besides the Frigate Balny, were lost. Going by French Naval assets on hand during that time, they very well could outnumber the listed US ships mentioned as being still seaworthy.
An estimate to what the French might have had at the start of the Tw2000 war could be...
2 Aircraft carriers
1 Helicopter cruiser
1 Missile cruiser
20+ Frigates/Destroyers
Over a dozen corvettes (small frigates)
About a dozen submarines
Some armed amphibious ships
Any museum/reserve ships that they put back in service like the US navy did
Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
And the US has an active small carrier in the region. The RDF didnt mention Foch or Clemenceau being there and that is what it would take to be bigger than the US.
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Perhaps the French have either the Foch or Clemenceau in Djibouti. Kept back far enough from the threat of Soviet aviation, but still in the region.
I don't really know what you mean by the French needing a carrier in the area to be bigger than the US presence. While a LHA is a valuable asset for amphibious operations, I don't see it as something that is going to affect naval dominance. How many operational Harriers, do you imagine it to be still carrying after participating in combat against the Soviets in Iran?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
Most likely we are looking at four to five ships at most, maybe as few as three plus various support ships.
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"Most likely" perhaps to you, but I disagree. I don't believe the French are going to put their largest overseas force in a volatile theater, which sits atop massive oil reserves, and not keep a sizable navy nearby. They've already demonstrated that they could safely deploy divisions and expeditionary forces around the world, far from France, after the nuclear exchange.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
Plus the US fleet in the RDF isnt fully described - the small patrol ships that are mentioned in the module arent defined and there has to be some larger support ships for that task force - at the least an oiler and some kind of support vessel
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Small patrol ships is a moot point to me. If France is going to be taking on Kuwaiti, Saudi and Iraqi oil, they'd probably put some mine hunters and patrol boats in the area too.
"Has to be" doesn't exist in Twilight 2000 to me. Military forces work with what is left over, not with what they are used to having. There very well may not be any support ships still afloat. I also don't see how this changes things. The French had support ships too and have an active supply route back to France... so personally, I think they'd be the ones you could be more certain to have support vessels.