Twilight 2000 2.2 Paramilitary/Gendarmerie Careers

[ChalkLine]

One of the things not addressed by T2k is the various European paramilitary or 'gendarmerie' careers.

For the English-speaking world these gendarmeries don't exist. This is because historically the British feared that police forces would be used as an internal army against the population to enforce government will. As such they demanded demilitarised police forces when they were first introduced into Britain due to a cultural fear of the police used by Napoleon. These Napoleonic police not only kept the peace but were also a political secret police that perpetrated atrocities. Anyway, enough of the history.

Often in Europe the 'federal' branch of the police are paramilitary. A classic example is the French Gendarmerie, after whom the concept is named.
They combine police with what is essentially light infantry duties and can be used for rear-area security, military policing and light combat duties. I like playing these guys because as a civilian who plays alongside many military people they are 'sort of but not quite' military and thus give me a reason for not having a clear understanding of military culture and procedure.

The difference between the paramilitary police and the federal police in Twilight 2000 is quite large. Gendarmerie often use APCs, autoguns and other military equipment and are trained in military-style operations while also maintaining their roles as police. Although this gap has closed significantly since the inception of The War on Terror the difference is still large. This means the careers for police in the main book and even Paul Mulcahy's awesome stuff doesn't really suit these organisations.
Does anyone want to have a stab at making them here?

[StainlessSteelCynic]

One thing to note about some gendarmerie units is that they actually are military units that also have civilian policing duties. The are not a federal police force but an army unit that takes on federal policing roles. The French Gendarmerie Nationale and the Portuguese Guarda Nacional Republicana are examples of such military units whereas the Swiss Gendarmerie is purely police.

[Vespers War]

Originally Posted by ChalkLine

For the English-speaking world these gendarmeries don't exist.

There's at least one exception, though it's due to the French language and a quirk. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are also the Gendarmerie Royale du Canada and King George V made them a regiment of dragoons (awarded in 1921 for service in the World War so they could display battle honors for the three squadrons that served overseas).

[Olefin]

The Gendarmerie Nationale are mentioned in the East Africa Sourcebook as part of the forces trying to keep order on the French Indian Ocean island possessions. They would also be active anywhere that the French are trying to keep order, whether it be in France, in any of their possessions or as military police in the areas they took from the Netherlands and Germany.

They function more as the military police. The Belgians also had units like this that were disbanded but for T2K you would assume were integrated into the French Gendarmerie as well along with their vehicles and equipment.

[CDAT]

Originally Posted by ChalkLine

One of the things not addressed by T2k is the various European paramilitary or 'gendarmerie' careers.

For the English-speaking world these gendarmeries don't exist. This is because historically the British feared that police forces would be used as an internal army against the population to enforce government will. As such they demanded demilitarised police forces when they were first introduced into Britain due to a cultural fear of the police used by Napoleon. These Napoleonic police not only kept the peace but were also a political secret police that perpetrated atrocities. Anyway, enough of the history.

Often in Europe the 'federal' branch of the police are paramilitary. A classic example is the French Gendarmerie, after whom the concept is named.
They combine police with what is essentially light infantry duties and can be used for rear-area security, military policing and light combat duties. I like playing these guys because as a civilian who plays alongside many military people they are 'sort of but not quite' military and thus give me a reason for not having a clear understanding of military culture and procedure.

The difference between the paramilitary police and the federal police in Twilight 2000 is quite large. Gendarmerie often use APCs, autoguns and other military equipment and are trained in military-style operations while also maintaining their roles as police. Although this gap has closed significantly since the inception of The War on Terror the difference is still large. This means the careers for police in the main book and even Paul Mulcahy's awesome stuff doesn't really suit these organisations.
Does anyone want to have a stab at making them here?

Some thoughts, as an American I am trying to figure out where in our system these would fit. Looking up the word Gendarmerie and I came up with "A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military component with jurisdiction in civil law enforcement."

For the military you have Active, Reserve, and Guard (Army and Air Force only) except for the Guard they can not by law be used in a Civilian Law Enforcement capacity. You do have your Military Police (go by different names depending on the branch) but they as far as I know do not have police powers off base unless dealing with military.

For law enforcement we have federal, state, and local (includes city and county). Al tho not Law Enforcement or Military we also have security that can in some cases kind of fit into an almost Law Enforcement role (some times does fit into). Some federal security officers have no police powers but are equipped as well as the military.

So my best guess unless I am missing something would be here in the US the closest would be things like NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) were they are federal civilian police working inside of the military, so they have authority both on the civil and military sides.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by CDAT

Some thoughts, as an American I am trying to figure out where in our system these would fit. Looking up the word Gendarmerie and I came up with "A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military component with jurisdiction in civil law enforcement."

For law enforcement we have federal, state, and local (includes city and county). Al tho not Law Enforcement or Military we also have security that can in some cases kind of fit into an almost Law Enforcement role (some times does fit into). Some federal security officers have no police powers but are equipped as well as the military.

So my best guess unless I am missing something would be here in the US the closest would be things like NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) were they are federal civilian police working inside of the military, so they have authority both on the civil and military sides.

In several police departments and sheriff's departments in the US, there may be a Reserve component (they are called in only when manpower requirements exceed the normal staffing of the department), and a group of officers who have finished police academy training, but are awaiting/applying for employment in the actual police or sheriff's department. These also are sometimes called in for short-time employment when the manpower requirements exceed manpower available. These "police promotable" (to borrow an Army term) members do not wear uniforms when not being used by the police departments, do not require police equipment, have no arrest authority, and are not authorized to carry an issue firearm.

In a Twilight 2000 situation, all of these members will be called up, but until the November Nuclear Strikes, will probably be called up piecemeal.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by CDAT

Some thoughts, as an American I am trying to figure out where in our system these would fit. Looking up the word Gendarmerie and I came up with "A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military component with jurisdiction in civil law enforcement."

For the military you have Active, Reserve, and Guard (Army and Air Force only) except for the Guard they can not by law be used in a Civilian Law Enforcement capacity. You do have your Military Police (go by different names depending on the branch) but they as far as I know do not have police powers off base unless dealing with military.

For law enforcement we have federal, state, and local (includes city and county). Al tho not Law Enforcement or Military we also have security that can in some cases kind of fit into an almost Law Enforcement role (some times does fit into). Some federal security officers have no police powers but are equipped as well as the military.

So my best guess unless I am missing something would be here in the US the closest would be things like NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) were they are federal civilian police working inside of the military, so they have authority both on the civil and military sides.

We don't have large paramilitary groups like Guardia Civil or the Gendarmes, the exception is the Coast Guard.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

In a Twilight 2000 situation, all of these members will be called up, but until the November Nuclear Strikes, will probably be called up piecemeal.

There's a good chance many may have been conscripted or volunteered into the military by then though.

[CDAT]

Originally Posted by .45cultist

We don't have large paramilitary groups like Guardia Civil or the Gendarmes, the exception is the Coast Guard.

After my last post I was thinking that the Coast Guard might also fit, even though they are not military (only kind of sort of are, but not), and maybe the guard when called up by the Governors.

[rcaf_777]

Originally Posted by Vespers War

There's at least one exception, though it's due to the French language and a quirk. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are also the Gendarmerie Royale du Canada and King George V made them a regiment of dragoons (awarded in 1921 for service in the World War so they could display battle honors for the three squadrons that served overseas).

Yes and No

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police/Gendarmerie royale du Canada has been use as a military force, a military police force and police force during its history

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was formed in 1920 by the merger of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police (RNWMP), founded in 1873, and the Dominion Police founded in 1868. The former was originally named the North West Mounted Police (NWMP), and was given the royal prefix by King Edward VII in 1904. Much of the present-day organization's symbolism has been inherited from its days as the NWMP and RNWMP, including the distinctive Red Serge uniform, paramilitary heritage, and mythos as a frontier force

RCMP Military Honours

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were accorded the status of a regiment of dragoons in 1921. As a cavalry regiment, the RCMP was entitled to wear battle honours for its war service as well as carry a guidon, with its first guidon presented in 1935

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Battle Honours are

North West Canada 1885 (As the North-West Mounted Police)

The North-West Mounted Police mobilized a force of 500 which fought alongside the Canadian Militia in 1885

South Africa 1900–02 (As the North-West Mounted Police)

During the Second Boer War, members of the North-West Mounted Police were given leaves of absence to join the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR) and Strathcona's Horse. The force raised the Canadian Mounted Rifles, mostly from NWMP members, for service in South Africa. For the CMR's distinguished service there, King Edward VII honoured the NWMP by changing the name to the "Royal Northwest Mounted Police" (RNWMP) on June 24, 1904.

The Great War: France and Flanders 1918, Siberia 1918–19 (As the Royal North-West Mounted Police)

On August 6, 1914, a squadron of volunteers from the RNWMP was formed to serve with the Canadian Light Horse in France. In 1918, two more squadrons were raised, A Squadron for service in France and Flanders and B Squadron for service in the Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force

1937 the RCMP mounted the King's Life Guard at Horse Guards Parade, leading up to the coronation of King George VI.

The Second World War: Europe, 1939–45 (As No. 1 Provost Company (RCMP)

In September 1939, at the outset of the Second World War, the Canadian Army had no military police. Five days after war was declared the Royal Canadian Mounted Police received permission to form a provost company of force volunteers. It was designated "No. 1 Provost Company (RCMP)", and became the Canadian Provost Corps. Six months after war was declared its members were overseas in Europe and served throughout the Second World War as military police.

[Raellus]

In the U.S.A., the various State Guard (sometimes referred to as [insert state name] State Defense Force) units- not to be confused with the [State] National Guard- are probably the closest thing to a Gendarmerie outfit we've got.

Here are a couple of examples:

https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/e...te-guard-5301/

http://www.gasdf.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Me..._Defense_Force

AFAIK, most, but not all, states have such a force, but I imagine in a T2K scenario, the state legislatures and governors of states that don't would quickly authorize them.

I don't recall seeing mention of such units in any of the CONUS campaign modules, but they should be included.

[Vespers War]

Originally Posted by Raellus

In the U.S.A., the various State Guard (sometimes referred to as [insert state name] State Defense Force) units- not to be confused with the [State] National Guard- are probably the closest thing to a Gendarmerie outfit we've got.

Here are a couple of examples:

https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/e...te-guard-5301/

http://www.gasdf.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Me..._Defense_Force

AFAIK, most, but not all, states have such a force, but I imagine in a T2K scenario, the state legislatures and governors of states that don't would quickly authorize them.

I don't recall seeing mention of such units in any of the CONUS campaign modules, but they should be included.

Currently, there might be 20 states with state guard units, since some have dissolved in the last decade (Alabama in 2014 and Massachusetts in 2016 are two I know no longer exist). At the time of the Twilight War, the following states had active state guard units: Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts (starting in 1994), Michigan (1988-98), Mississippi (starting in 1986), New Mexico, New York, North Carolina (1988-96), Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah (until 2001), Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, for a maximum of 23 states from 1994-96. They vary widely in size - New Mexico currently has a total of 25 State Guard. A lot of them also receive no weapons training (in 2014, a DOD IG survey of 19 guards found only 4 authorized weapons training); they're disaster response personnel who fill in for the National Guard if the NG is deployed overseas or supplement the NG if they're called out for an emergency.

Also, note that membership in a State Guard does not exempt one from being drafted, because it's not Federal service. Also, military reservists may not serve in State Guards per 32 USC 109.

In the late 80s, Utah had to dismiss all but 31 of their state defense force because of infiltration by neo-Nazis and felons. In the T2K universe, it's possible that State Guards would have been similarly infiltrated by New America, particularly in the Virginia and Maryland regions (West Virginia has no state law authorizing a Guard unit).

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by CDAT

After my last post I was thinking that the Coast Guard might also fit, even though they are not military (only kind of sort of are, but not), and maybe the guard when called up by the Governors.

The Coast Guard is actually a LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY in the eyes of the US Government thru and thru. This is why there HAVE to be Coasties on Navy vessels participating in drug operations. The Navy is NOT RECOGNIZED as a Title 18 agency under the Law. Posse Comitatus would make their involvement Unconstitutional EXCEPT that it is the Coasties who perform the actual arrest. I don't think the US COULD have a legitimate military unit with powers of arrest without violating the Posse Comitatus Act (restrictions on policing with the armed forces).

[CDAT]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

The Coast Guard is actually a LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY in the eyes of the US Government thru and thru. This is why there HAVE to be Coasties on Navy vessels participating in drug operations. The Navy is NOT RECOGNIZED as a Title 18 agency under the Law. Posse Comitatus would make their involvement Unconstitutional EXCEPT that it is the Coasties who perform the actual arrest. I don't think the US COULD have a legitimate military unit with powers of arrest without violating the Posse Comitatus Act (restrictions on policing with the armed forces).

Yes, they are except when they are not. They recruit like the military, are paid at the military pay rates, are subject to the UCMJ. So even though they are not military, they really are kind of, and then during war they become part of the US Navy.

I do agree with you that I do not think that the US can have one. The best I can think of is things like NCIS where they are federal agents working for the military, but not part of the military, or possibly the Guard when called up by the Governors as Posse Comitatus does not apply the the Guard except when on federal orders. But then we also have way more federal law enforcement agencies than any other nation (I think).