CO Faction: The "Magpies"

A well-organized and functional military force does not tend to encourage factionalism within its ranks, but such developments inevitably occur even at the highest levels so long as there are differences in mindsets and approaches. The USCM is no exception to this rule, and has seen three primary schools of thought become prevalent throughout its ranks. The paradoxically peaceable ‘Doves’ avoiding their nature as a fighting force to focus on humanitarian aid, the warmongering ‘Hawks’ seeking to crush all resistance on active fronts and bring back glory through victory, and the loose coalition of self-centered opportunists united under the banner of ‘Magpies’ for the sake of profit or personal opportunity.

These are not the formal titles for their associated political entities, as the bird terminology comes from long before these particular incarnations. Nonetheless, referring to a faction by its respective bird is more likely to spark recognition from the everyday marine than its official organization names.

The Military Organization for Development and Innovation

Faction Leader: UAAC Procurement & Requisition Adjutant, Lieutenant-General Kurt Schmidt.

Local Leader: USCM Division Logistics Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Lamdem.

Founded amongst officers and officials who were involved with the USCM’s founding in 2101, it was created as an organization that wanted to secure the USCM's future through establishing favorable relationships between the USCM and military innovators. This, invariably, led the organization to become highly supportive of the many corporate entities that supply the USCM with its guns, dropships, ammunition, and technological developments. Unlike the other factions, the MODI is, by its very principle, a faction that solely exists within the UA militaries. However, due to the very strong relationship grown between the USCM and most MODI-aligned entities, as well as a stronger distrustfulness of unaligned corporations that often supply the other UAAC branches, the USCM is the premier military branch in which MODI-aligned corporations have large support bases.

Average support amongst high-ranking requisitions officers for the MODI has been invariably strong throughout its existence, with requisitions almost always being the first to become aware of the integral role many R&D industries play in the USCM’s strong position. As a result, MODI’s leaders have often been those high-ranking requisition officers who are undoubtedly convinced of the effectiveness of MODI’s ideological cause. Despite this, MODI is inherently fractured by the nature of corporatism and competition. With aligned entities including foreign corporations, mega-conglomerates, ancient MIC developers, and even various government-contracted companies, it’s little wonder that individual members of MODI often tend towards certain sponsors more so than others. While the faction’s overarching goals remains the same, and the upper echelon generally ignores the individual squabblings to work towards maintaining the USCM’s technological edge, the vast majority of common MODI members typically accused of being in it for themselves or whoever is supporting them, whether that’s for the sake of easier promotions, generous benefits, or a cushy retirement plan after service. Yet is it generally impossible to say how common this practice is, with such cases usually being hyperbolized by the organization’s opponents.

Currently, the leader of the overall organization is UAAC Procurement & Requisition Adjutant Kurt Schmidt. He came to prominence in the faction after spearheading the practicalities of the Marine 70 programme and has been the leader of the MODI ever since. He has garnered very strong respect in the organization due to his discerning personality, and his focus on innovative weaponry gives the UA the edge in skirmishes, yet he is an aging man. Due to the little time he spends in cryosleep, and a job that has demanded much of him in the over 12 years he has been in the position, he has begun to be seen as someone stuck in the fighting style of the Dog Wars. Because of this, and some controversies related to him, some people within MODI have begun looking for his deposement.

USCM Division Logistics Commander Geoffery Lamden is a similar story. His tenureship under Colonel A.W. Shanks onboard the USS Arrow of Gold has led to an impressive level of military technological supremacy within his command in spite of his budget and supply being cut year on year. His policy of requisitions officers being granted all of the technologically advanced gear, so they may distribute it to the correct troops instead of conscripts or other wasteful troops, has led to a maximization of the effectiveness of the important gear he has to give out. Yet his command has also been criticized: his love of the M4A1 MK1 has led to the aging weapon still being in service (in a limited role) onboard most of his ships he has supplies; the supply of NVGs to troops under his command has been notoriously low, leading to rationing; and his emphasis on over-stocking of HEAP ammo has often lead to incidents with exploding cargo storages. Supporters within the MODI argue this is simply a man making the most out of a poor situation: MK1s have to be stocked because the attachment advantages of the MK2 aren’t realized with an attachment shortage; NVGs are being prioritized to FORECON to maximize their effectiveness and flare supplies are being increased to compensate for standard infantry; HEAP is required to be overstocked because of a shortage of fire support ammunition that means the standard infantry has to do more work.

Ideology

Note: These points reflect the general overarching attitudes of the faction as a whole. Individual members may or may not only reflect certain portions of the faction's ideologies, have their own beliefs that are not listed here, or even disagree with some but agree with others.

• Alignment: Politically varied, individuals are aligned by potential personal gain. Corporate. Internally diverse; corporate interests may conflict.
  • Megacorp alignments, MIC alignments, UA-government alignments, etc.
• When acting in the capacity of a USCM member, maintaining the reputation and corporate secrets of MODI-aligned entities is paramount. Obscure and destroy physical evidence.
• Everyone has their own connections. Don’t look too closely at someone else’s connections, or we will not protect you from the consequences.
• Disputes between different interests are not the responsibility of MODI to resolve. Should conflicting individuals draw outside attention, MODI will disavow them all and move on.
• Repeatedly proving your dedication towards MODI-aligned entities’ interests may provide financial, career, or other benefits.

Infighting and Sub-Factionalism

Magpies have the most internal factions, to the point where most ‘fourth factions’ fall under its banner tangentially.

Primarily, conflicts lie between the different major interests. Megacorporations naturally compete with one another, individual MIC companies want their own pieces without being conglomerated, and the UA Government has its own fingers in the pie with directly-associated companies attempting to maintain influence against technically foreign actors (i.e. W/Y) without overt intervention from the government.

Known Sub-Factions of MODI are:

• The Modernisation and Development Organization (MDO)
• The Conglomerate Cooperative (CC)
• The Industry and Development Cooperative (IDC)
• The Industry and Manufacturing Cooperative (IMC)
• The Corporate Cooperative (CC)

Popularity

The Military Organization for Development and Innovation commands respect and resentment in equal measure. Positioned at the lucrative intersection of military logistics, corporate R&D, and high-level procurement, MODI's influence is undeniable but far from universally welcomed.

Among requisitions officers, logistics commanders, and career-officers with an eye on advancement, MODI enjoys broad support. Its champions point to the technological superiority of the USCM as the cornerstone of its survival and effectiveness in the increasingly hostile era that it exists in. Its promises of fast-tracked promotions, generous benefits, and cushy post-service careers have a tendency to attract ambitious officers who have grown disillusioned with the ideological rigidity of both the CPO and HMM. However, this pragmatism breeds a very deep distrust among those not not directly benefiting from what MODI has to offer.

Among many frontline marines and traditionalist officers MODI is seen as self-serving, disloyal, and dangerously compromised. Its critics argue that MODI's connections with foreign megacorporations, and Weyland-Yutani in particular, undermine the sovereignty of not only the USCM but the United Americas as a whole, placing battlefield control and strategic assets in the hands of entities with agendas far removed from the interests of the United Americas.

Successes

MODI has contributed greatly to transforming the United States Colonial Marine Corps into one of the most heavily armed and professional fighting forces in the galaxy. They've achieved this not just through contributing to doctrine or battlefield strategizing, but through a relentless pursuit of cutting-edge military technology. Backed by corporate mega donors, MIC lobbyists, and a well-cultivated presence in Congress, MODI has secured a substantial defense budget earmarked specifically for R&D.

This has been achieved through the acceleration of the classically lengthy procurement cycle. MODI has made moves to expedite a process where weapons traditionally undergo years of development, testing, and bureaucratic hoop-jumping before being considered for active use in the field. Through a combination of aggressive lobbying tactics, internal political leveraging, and cooperation with MODI-aligned logistics personnel, the organization has all but ensured that many of its prototype weapons see combat testing long before they receive approval.

A prime example of this is the XM88 Heavy Rifle, a high-caliber, high-velocity marksman weapon that blends the stopping power of anti-material weapons with the portability of standard infantry arms. Originally developed as a corporate experiment without any confirmed buyer, the XM88 was pushed into combat usage by MODI during the Favela Wars in Greater Brazil where it proved to be exceptionally effective against lightly armored vehicles and mechanized infantry.

However, this philosophy has come at a cost. MODI's approach has led to uneven equipment distribution where favored units receive cutting edge technology while other marines are forced to rely on older and increasingly outdated arms. Nevertheless, MODI's results have proven difficult to argue with. Reports indicate that units equipped with MODI-backed gear demonstrate a 30-40% increase in survivability and mission complete rates. MODI officials also point to the broader strategic gains their weapons provide, being that faster cycles provide stronger deterrents against insurgents and foreign militaries.

Controversies

While MODI has contributed heavily to the technological edge possessed by the USCM, its deep ties to corporate interests have sparked several controversies within oversight committees and among military ranks. The organization's close ties with megacorporations like Weyland-Yutani has raised serious concerns about sovereignty and security within the USCM.

Critics, especially within the CPO and HMM, argue that MODI's influence too often places corporate profit above the welfare of marine personnel and the strategic integrity of the USCM, allowing private interests to shape its priorities, testing protocols, and even combat doctrine. There are ongoing fears that MODi's favoritism for certain contractors will or already has created a pipeline for corruption within the Colonial Marines, with promotions and resources distributed on the basis of corporate alignment rather than competency.

MODI's drive to deploy more experimental weapons for active field testing has proven to be both a blessing and a liability. While such advancements offer marines superiority in their firepower, field testing of unproven technology in live combat has led to major operational mishaps and unnecessary casualties. The experimental nature of these pieces of equipment also mean that maintenance and logistics training often lag far behind deployment, creating gaps in readiness that more traditional factions view as incredibly reckless.

Relations With Other Factions

Distinct from the Hawks and the Doves, the nature of the Magpies means that two individual members may have opposing viewpoints on the same matter. The perspectives listed here are the upper MODI leadership’s personal stances or opinions, but may not broadly reflect the majority of members unlike those belonging to the other two factions. Similarly, the other two factions refer to the upper leadership/uniting principles when referencing MODI, with the understanding that individual ‘Magpies’ may have significantly varying attitudes.

• MODI does not outwardly concern itself with the other two major factions in the USCM, due to its ideological state being on a different axis altogether; it has members that reflect both Hawk and Dove ideologies, as well as various others.
• MODI does understand that large portions of its ideology concern the Hawks and Doves, despite not inherently being politically incompatible; the prevalent presence of foreign entities such as WY being a concern for the Hawks, the constant development of weapon technologies for the Doves, and the influence MODI exerts over military matters being a concern for both the Hawks and the Doves.
• MODI also understands that both the Hawks and the Doves still have things they do approve of or want from MODI, such as non-weapon technologies to aid in the Doves’ causes, and constant cutting-edge developments to maintain the USCM’s armament superiority for the Hawks.
• As such, MODI essentially plays both sides with each other faction individually; it is difficult to consider it as a singular faction with its many facets, but it still retains the influence and size of a unified faction.

This status quo is accepted because MODI cannot afford to attempt to actively subsume the others; it is already teeming with infighting and individual motivations as-is, despite its outwards monolithic appearance.