"borrowed" this from LT. Storm on JBL

What Joe sub group would be the most useful, both in the Joe universe ans in Real life? I'm talking both in function and Practical application in today's world with all the terror threats, environmental concerns, global security concerns...etc.

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It depends if you consider the 6 packs booth the desert patrol and a serious Heavy assault squad would be contenders

Steve

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I can't vote on this.

There is no Dino Hunters option.

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D.E.F. seems to be the only group with practical applications, but only if the ultimate goal is Elimination, not Arrests. especially as far as eliminating gang violence, border violations and drug trafficking in the U.S. I could see them going against major nationwide gangs that local police cannot handle, and working or even recruiting from Homeland security and Immigration/ Border patrol.

Night force wold work in theory, but aren't most of our normal special forces already trained in night operations...?
...and who brings a HOWITZER to "covert" ops??!!

Eco Force would only work if they went after guilty Businesses and executives with the same zeal and tactics as Drug traffickers. I think Businesses would get the hint if Dow Chemicals got raided with armed soldiers and grenades.

Most of the rest would be impractical.. possibly due to a lack of adversaries. We wouldn't need a Star brigade until other countries gained space capabilities, or an extraterrestrial threat was identified.

Tiger force and Slaughters marauders wouldn't be any more, or less useful than the rest of G.i.joe.

Battle force 2000 is obsolete, says so even in the name! not to mention they would clash with Mega marine tech.

Do I even have to mention Ninja Force? Unless they're working with the CIA as government "sponsored" assassins, whats the point? (I guess they could be sent to find and eliminate Al Quieda)

Sky Patrol works in theory, but again, no more or less effective than other Joe units. Plus those shinny silver planes would get spotted miles away and shot down before they get anywhere near a drop zone.

The Mega Marines aren't necessary NOW, but would be in the near future, as an elite group testing and using newer technology. I could see the Mega marines being the first military group to utilize Delta 6 accelerator suits and mecha.

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You don't have to ask if the Dino Hunters are useful. Everyone knows they are.

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Wait a minute. Shiny planes equals bad, but bright neon uniforms with play doh armor equals good? Are we talking about the teams mission statement being practical or their toys?

Special Forces train for night missions and train for airborne missions, but Night Force and Sky Patrol are made up of Joes whose primary focus is to either attack in the blackest of night or from above. Just because a soldier is trained to go in the desert or the snow doesn't mean they are better suited than someone like Dusty or Snow Job who have extensive training and experience in those types of environments? The same can be said for Night Force or Sky Patrol.

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Is the RDF considered a sub-team?

How about the International Action Force?

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I chose Night Force and Drug Elimination Force.

Night Force, at its core, is the G.I. Joe equivalent of a covert ops strike team, and that's almost always useful in military operations. Although in a real life scenario I would suspect that their vehicles would not have bright red trim and glow in the dark markings...

Drug Elimination Force because of what it represents -- a dedicated effort to reduce and even eliminate drug trafficking at as high a source as possible. We need to be doing more of this in the real world.

I'd consider including Star Brigade as a third option if they were a little more plausible, because I believe that we need to be involved in more manned space exploration.

And it's a shame that it would probably be way too politically incorrect for the Joe Team to form a special unit along the lines of a Border Patrol team.

The least useful, to me, would be Ninja Force and the Eco-Warriors, just because of the implausibility of military ninjas, and because I don't think environmentalism is something the military needs to be involved with.

Lunartix and Manimals = threat identified.

Plus Destro and BAAT's, and Blackstars...Cobra is in space.

Although I was more specifically talking about the practical application of the unit in real life, rather than the toys.

example: Tiger force may look cool, but they're no better than regular Joes. Big Brawler in tiger uniform should be no better than regular Big Brawler.

(I know... blasphemy)

My point about Mega Marines is that their technology might override their need for traditional military camouflage. Who needs to hide if your suit is bulletproof and you can outrun missiles?



good point.

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Looks at all the shiny silver jets in my History Of Aerospace in my old Air Force ROTC textbook.

What you two talkin about PLuv and KoP? Funny thing about a shiny silver Mig flying over you in Vietnam - it don't matter when you see it - you ain't got nothing on the ground that will shoot it down!

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Actually BF2K was the battle force for the new millennium. They've got about 990 years of pwnage left.

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I chose Ninja force. Cause they are ninjas.

DEF would just take my weed, so I didn't choose them.

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I went with BF2K because they're a sentimental favorite, popping up out of nowhere in issue 68 as they did, then the toys were on sale within a mere month or two! In the 80s we knew every item that would be released in the coming year fairly early, but these guys were never announced until their release was just about upon us. In realistic terms, they serve as transportation specialists (which the team is always in need of) and field testers of the latest tech.

Also voted Sky Patrol, since airborne insertion would be critical to many Joe operations. My SP also serve as RIO's and partner up nicely with all the original pilots, forming ten distinct pilot/gunner/radar intercept officer teams, so transportation is a factor here too.

Both teams also share a special niche in the above list in that they bring a selection of all-original characters to the fore, rather than pulling regular established Joes out into a sub team.

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Really, as they were marketed, I don't find any of them too useful for an Army unit, except a couple.

BF2000: The premise is somewhat useful and realistic: testing new gear under actual wartime conditions.

Slaughters marauders: cool vehicles, but as a unit they served no purpose!

Night Force: Useful specialty, but I'm pretty sure even regular soldiers are trained to fight at night.

Eco Warriors: No real-world analogue. Armed forces usually destroy any environment they are in, even in peace time.

Tiger Force: Yeah, these guys were named after a unit that committed numerous war crimes and atrocities in Vietnam. Smooth move, Hasbro.

Drug Elimination Force: Our armed forces should NOT be engaged in this, plain and simple. For so many reasons, but I won't go into politics.

Mega Marines: Worst of the lot!

Star Brigade: A little too Sci-Fi for my tastes.

Ninja Force: A little too many ninjas for my tastes.

Sky Patrol: The Winner!! I used them as a dedicated CSAR (Combat Search & Rescue) team. When other Joes were injured/trapped/lost behind enemy lines, Sky Patrol would parachute in and get them out safe!

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