Does the Frozen Watch make sense?

[cosmicfish]

There have been a number of threads touching on the FW, and the more I look at it the more I think it is a problem area.

First, the FW as described lacks the basic equipment needed to survive in case of an emergency or even do their jobs. If something breaches their bolthole, they're screwed. If they are needed to replace individuals, they better hope those individuals left gear behind or that the Team they are joining has found a supply depot, because otherwise they have... coveralls?

Second, this is exacerbated by the fact that they are intended to be used in case of Project losses. Meaning, the more dire the need for their activation, the less likely that other Teams will be available to transport and equip them. Replacing a Team member doesn't just mean dealing with the fact that they might not have the most useful equipment, it means dealing with the fact that they don't have ANY equipment.

Finally, and what really brought about this thread, is one other big problem: How are they supposed to be used, even when things are going relatively "well"? Let's go into more detail.

FW "Teams" are composed of individuals in a variety of specialties, are intended to be used to fill individual vacancies. They are not a functional Team themselves. Their bolthole is... a bolthole. A facility that survives in large part due to the fact that it is concealed, and is designed to be abandoned.

So what happens when Team ABC-123 needs a new MARS member and finds the nearest FW bolthole? They open it up, activate the guy they need, equip him from their copious stores, and then... what? The rest of those poor so-and-so's are now in an exposed position. Are they ALSO woken up and brought along as unnecessary personnel overburdening the Team's resources? Are they left as is, in the hopes that no one (in a likely hazardous region) will find and exploit the exposed bolthole? Or is the Team expected to spend a week or more carefully restoring the landscape and hoping that no one witnessed the revelation of the buried treasure?

I guess my point is this: Perhaps the best place for the Frozen Watch is right where the rest of the backups are stored: Supply bases like Starnaman. Such facilities are already protected, already expected to operate as fixed locations after activation, and already have the weapons and vehicles and other supplies that a newly-woken FW teamer would need to be able to go out and do their job. It seems to solve a lot of problems at once.

And if they are to be out on their own, why not just make them a functioning Team, with equipment and vehicles? The Project never assumed a "lone Team" scenario outside of emergencies, even during the Recon stage, Teams should expect to have other Teams on their perimeter that can render aid. Teams can trade personnel or equipment as needed, why not replace the FW with a Combined Teams? A Combined Team is just a FW "team" with vehicles, weapons, and some team training time. If Team ABC-123 takes losses, the powers that be could certainly pull a member or two from other Teams that could handle the loss, or disperse the remaining ABC-123 personnel to supplement other Teams.

Any thoughts?