Werewolves in the military

[Anubis]

(Inspired by the "hypothetical law thing" topic)

What if werewolves were in the military?

How would other human soldiers see them, how would their superiors treat them, what are the advatages and disadvatages, how would the enemy react, and what are the potential problems that could result?

[Terastas]

The first thing you'd see happen is those five star old farts (the ones that treat war like a John Wayne movie) talking about segregating werewolves from the military the same way they try to keep gays out. To the opposite effect, I think private contractors would see lycanthropy as a performance booster. That said, the first werewolves in the military I believe would be mercenaries.

I don't think a private contractor would hire someone just because he has lycanthropy, but I definitely think they would encourage their operatives to acquire lycanthropy. With advanced training and lycanthropy, said mercenaries will excel in the field (think Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction with the infinite health cheat). Following the success of the mercenaries, the military might offer some of their special ops the chance to be given lycanthropy. Then following the success of the special ops lycanthropy program, similar offers of infection would be enacted by the four major branches of the military (army, navy, air force, and marines). At the same time recruits are given the option to acquire lycanthropy, that's when lycanthropes will start getting accepted into the military.

[Set]

How they'd treat werewolves who want to join...I think Terastas summed it up well enough. But then again I suppose it also depends on how it works. Transforming only on full moons would set too many time restraints on them for anything all that useful.

I think their enemies, if they'd never saw a werewolf before, would be scared s***. Then they'd get used to it and try to find werewolves for their own armies. Everyone always steals everyone else's strategies and technology if it'll give them an advantage. Werewolf soldiers would eventually become the norm throughout the world.

[Rhuen]

I think it would end up a super-soldier trained like Marines type deal like with Captain America.

If the werewolves are the savage blood thirsty types though I would see it ending up like with the monster vampires in Blood+ (where the Military higher ups would sneak the monsters into battle arenas so they would ruin moral of the combatants and attack with out mercy or concern for international back lash potential enemy srrong holds, and hunt down the lone groups hiding out in mountains and jungles (humans may not be able to find them, but a blood thirsty monster that smells the blood of your wounded and wants to devour humans (and the enemy being the only humans in those areas "with some acceptible losses" as they say for civilians and un-informed military personel.)

[Terastas]

I think their enemies, if they'd never saw a werewolf before, would be scared s***. Then they'd get used to it and try to find werewolves for their own armies. Everyone always steals everyone else's strategies and technology if it'll give them an advantage. Werewolf soldiers would eventually become the norm throughout the world.

I agree with the scared s*** part, but whether or not they would use lycanthropy themselves more or less depends on the force in question. It came up a lot in the religious thread, for example, that wolves are considered an impure animal, so organizations like Al-Qaeda and other Muslim extremists would be strongly opposed to the existence of werewolves and call for more violence against the increasingly werewolf-friendly United States.

For the most part, however, I think anyone with any military agenda would want the advantage of lycanthropy. Most non-fundamentalist states would pursue it as a possibility.

[Zombie]

To have werewolves in the Army (the only branch I familiar with, as I was in the Army) you would need a super-dominant Senior Drill Seargent, and two slightly less dominant junior DSGTs. Then you would set up your platoon of up to 65 recruits. After say, 10 weeks (regular infantry school is 14 weeks) you would have a graduating class (accelerated course learning for "enhanced" privates) You would still need two weeks for jump school (For Airborne) and 8 weeks for Ranger school (for ~duh~ Rangers) and an accelerated Sniper course (stalking and camo could be lightly touched upon, but not really needed, thanks to the troops natural abilities) and for those who could hack it, a standard OCS course for Commisioned Oficers. I think most who signed for Infantry duty would sign up as 18-series soldiers (Special Forces) 18s go through a 99-week (!!!!!!) training course, and the best of them are sometimes scooped up for Delta Force. I believe an accelerated 18-series program would be adopted, and there would be dedicated werewolf SF fireteams and DF units.

If you have any questioms about military procedure, just ask.

-Zombie

[Rhuen]

To have werewolves in the Army (the only branch I familiar with, as I was in the Army) you would need a super-dominant Senior Drill Seargent, and two slightly less dominant junior DSGTs. Then you would set up your platoon of up to 65 recruits. After say, 10 weeks (regular infantry school is 14 weeks) you would have a graduating class (accelerated course learning for "enhanced" privates) You would still need two weeks for jump school (For Airborne) and 8 weeks for Ranger school (for ~duh~ Rangers) and an accelerated Sniper course (stalking and camo could be lightly touched upon, but not really needed, thanks to the troops natural abilities) and for those who could hack it, a standard OCS course for Commisioned Oficers. I think most who signed for Infantry duty would sign up as 18-series soldiers (Special Forces) 18s go through a 99-week (!!!!!!) training course, and the best of them are sometimes scooped up for Delta Force. I believe an accelerated 18-series program would be adopted, and there would be dedicated werewolf SF fireteams and DF units.

If you have any questioms about military procedure, just ask.

-Zombie

why would something with an attention span closer to the K9 corps be in an accelerated course?

[Anubis]

I think that generals would start to abuse the usage of their werewolves soldiers. using them in dangerous situations that no even they would come out alive.

Just like in the Halo universe the Spartans are viewed as "disposable heroes." They'll stop thinking about they're we'll being turning into a back lash from the lycanthropic community, condemning the military on how they treated their fathers, brothers, and sons.

Also Lycanthropes maybe hard to order around like any other soldier. Their instincts to dominate will make it hard for commanders to get them do what they want.

unless they get an alpha figure to be the face of their commanders. Some one that they can take orders from. Some one they know that is much stronger than them, that the type of charisma that other werewolves can respond to.

Like in my fiction, the ry'ou(werewolves) are difficult to get them follow orders by a human. They get a trusted ry'ou to be the unofficial leader or alpha male, some one that the ry'ou can respect and follow orders from.

Because it's not only an instinct to dominate, and only follow any one that shows them, that they are better suited.

It also could be an issue of trust. Humans treated werewolves pretty badly in the past and they might have racial motive for not listening to their human leaders in the heat of battle.

[Wolf of the Wind]

considering we still live in a racist world today, werewolves would be put into "speacial ops" were the ods are just insane, survival rate is in ratios that no one would want to hear.

BUT... if werewolves would be in the military, then there would probably be a whole speacial branch specified to them only.

of course all personel in the division would be wolf and human contact would probably be from the five star old farts.

if there is such a division it would probably be the reason to such tacticle advantage the U.S. has over enemies.

im a pacifist my self so abuse of Were's in the military would kinda tick me off.

odds are, Weres in the army are treated like blacks were in the 1940-60's....

[Terastas]

I think Anubis is right that there would be some mistreatment, but I don't know if it will have a severe backlash from the lycanthropic community. If you go back on what I said about the initial segregation of lycanthropy from the military, the first werewolves would be private contractors, the people that would have been given the tough jobs anyway.

Though I don't think there would be a backlash from the lycanthropic community, I think the commanders in the military would do anything to avoid causing one. That's why if they wanted lycanthropy in their special forces, I think they would go about it by infecting the current special ops instead of recruiting new werewolves into it. Again, just like with the private contractors, it's the people that were going to be given the hard missions anyway.

On top of avoiding a potential backlash from the public, as Zombie stated, it would take ten to fourteen weeks for a rookie werewolf to receive the minimal training -- a werewolf recruit wouldn't be ready for the special forces until the next year. Lycanthropy meanwhile takes 28 days tops to mature, so it would also be less time consuming to offer lycanthropy to the special forces they already have trained.

If you figure lycanthropy starts at the highest risk ops and goes down through the ranks, lycanthropes would be permitted entry into the military roughly about the same time similar lycanthropy volunteer programs are adopted by the four primary branches.

If there is any backlash from the community, I think it will be from the religious right and other similar military "purists." I can picture, for example, lycanthropy among special ops and other high-risk divisions becoming a requirement. It makes more sense since lycanthropes are more likely to survive (and therefore the 99 weeks of training they receive is less likely to be lost), but there are enough Christian "military families" that inevitably someone will be upset that they can't join the best of the best without receiving any protective "impurities," and anything the religious right can make a big stink about, they will.

[Zombie]

Rhuen- Accelerated courses would be used to take advantage of a soldier`s natural abilities (stregnth, speed, etc..) and get them into more specialized training (ie: closing with and destroying the enemy, hand-to-hand et al) A recruit who can run 12 miles with a full pack and armor in the first week wouldnt have to worry about much in the way of physical fitness! There are tons of things to learn about movement, night fighting, camo, evasion and escape...waaay too much to list here.

Anubis- The topic that you brought up about the dominant/submissive instinct is why there would have to be dominant alphas to be Commisioned Officers and Senior Staff/Drill SGTs. NonCommisioned Officers (Corporals to Command Seargent Majors) take their orders from Commisioned Officers (2nd Lieutenant to Five-Star) so the ranking structure would have to reflect that with stategic placement of dominant alpha types in higher ranking positions. Instead of one Brigadier General (1-star) running a base, there could be two, or a were Colonel who doesnt have trouble taking orders from a "normal" human.

Wolf OT Wind- Once the were troops start getting Silver Stars, Purple Hearts and Medal of Honors, they will be looked upon as true-blue, apple-pie and Mom American Heroes, and that would be invaluable as good press for the were community at large, making any group look a lot better in the eyes of the general public, leading to quicker acceptance in the general population. All they would need would be a modern-day were Audie Murphy.

[Terastas]

Once the were troops start getting Silver Stars, Purple Hearts and Medal of Honors, they will be looked upon as true-blue, apple-pie and Mom American Heroes, and that would be invaluable as good press for the were community at large, making any group look a lot better in the eyes of the general public, leading to quicker acceptance in the general population. All they would need would be a modern-day were Audie Murphy.

Thanks. That was something I thought of in the original thread, but forgot for this one.

Come to think of it, the initial criticism from the werewolf community would be over the original ban on werewolves, not the way they are treated once in the military. Taking into account all the political flak they would take from the religious right just by acknowledging their own existence, I think a lot of young werewolves would look for a means to prove their good intent to the human majority. I think a lot of werewolves would see the military as a means to do so.

Realistically though, even if a werewolf could finish his 18-series training in 2/3 the time, it would still be over a year before he could be placed on active duty. By the time he graduates, lycanthropy in the special ops could have been proven successful and made mandatory.

As for the four major branches initially. . . Well, on one hand, there would be the purists trying to maintain that John Wayne image of the military, and on the other hand, you'd have the realists, who would want anyone willing to fight to be able to fight (especially in wartime), especially if they had enhanced regenerative capabilities. The compromise would be another "don't ask don't tell" policy, only unlike the policy regarding homosexuals, you'd get in just as much trouble for asking as you would for telling.

[wolfpriest]

Sorry man we are already in! HAHAHAHA! Really we are....

[Lukas]

he first thing you'd see happen is those five star old farts (the ones that treat war like a John Wayne movie) talking about segregating werewolves from the military the same way they try to keep gays out.

just to be a nickpick there are no 5 star generals, the only 5 star generals where Macarthur and eisenhower

[avogadro522]

This thread reminds me of a movie I caught on the SciFi Channel once called Metal Beast (I think), it involves the military trying to cultivate werewolf warriors with bad results (no shocker there). I think a lot of what would happen depends on the nature of werewolves themselves. Somebody brought up the issue of shifting only on full moons and I think that's an important point. There comes a point where the benefits of one or several nights of increased physical ability doesn't outweigh the emotional and psychological strain of being a werewolf (especially if it is a forced upon situation), the unpredictable strategic and structural consequences it would have on the military, and the effects on soldiers' personal lives after returning home as a werewolf if they weren't shifters before entering. These consequences might be more acceptable if lycanthropy was usable on a regular basis, but that remains to be seen.
I don't know much about the military besides what I've learned from the anecdotes of my army friends, so I will defer to wiser and more informed members on these matters. Still, it would add an interesting element to war, a new spin on biological weapons as it were.

[Wolf of the Wind]

Once the were troops start getting Silver Stars, Purple Hearts and Medal of Honors, they will be looked upon as true-blue, apple-pie and Mom American Heroes, and that would be invaluable as good press for the were community at large, making any group look a lot better in the eyes of the general public, leading to quicker acceptance in the general population. All they would need would be a modern-day were Audie Murphy.

Thanks. That was something I thought of in the original thread, but forgot for this one.

Come to think of it, the initial criticism from the werewolf community would be over the original ban on werewolves, not the way they are treated once in the military. Taking into account all the political flak they would take from the religious right just by acknowledging their own existence, I think a lot of young werewolves would look for a means to prove their good intent to the human majority. I think a lot of werewolves would see the military as a means to do so.

Realistically though, even if a werewolf could finish his 18-series training in 2/3 the time, it would still be over a year before he could be placed on active duty. By the time he graduates, lycanthropy in the special ops could have been proven successful and made mandatory.

As for the four major branches initially. . . Well, on one hand, there would be the purists trying to maintain that John Wayne image of the military, and on the other hand, you'd have the realists, who would want anyone willing to fight to be able to fight (especially in wartime), especially if they had enhanced regenerative capabilities. The compromise would be another "don't ask don't tell" policy, only unlike the policy regarding homosexuals, you'd get in just as much trouble for asking as you would for telling.

a werewolf in the military yes, might be trying to prove himself other wise with the human population by joining the military and serving. but chances are that has already happened. and like i said earlier we live in a racist world. so a werewolf could have gotten a friggen purple heart like 3 times and a medal of honor but still be looked down apon.

[Rhuen]

What's with all the werewolf racism, looked down on, poor widdle mutant from marvel comics stuff?

Not sure what image of the werewolf we are thinking of here but it sure as hell aint the same one.

One side: furre wolfman harrased in the lunch room for being different even as he does well on the battle field (:coughmutantcough:)

Otherside: top secret weapon or urban pacification, sentient or not, still kept real secret and part of a team of the same thing or gorup. Not intermingled with rest of military.

the second there is like The vampires in Blood+/How the company wanted to use the Xenomorph aliens.
Or could be like groups like the Avengers and such run by SHIELD where its a group of powerful beings together to fight extreme conditions where normal humans would get slaughtered.

Honestly I would prefer the uber secret monster team or Project Metal beast type stuff for some weird integrated X-men world rip-off.

[RedEye]

Hmmm... I think we've already done this... BUT:

Were's would be one of the "Black Ops" types of organizations. I seriously doubt that there would be much racicst activity, since nobody would know they were around.
They would require very little training-Wolves already work as a group, with a social heirarchy, and learn to obey orders as puppies.

Let's say you're a Werewolf. Would you choose a life of sneaking around and hiding, or one where in return for protecting the Great Pack you got to live as you are on a Military reservation; safe and protected; with mates and children...all for just a little wet work now and then?
I know what I'd do.....

[Aki]

Werewolves, while having great capacity for having special divisions, could be integrated with normal military units, I think. Maybe have them as a set position in squads. You got your guy with the squad-based weapon, the sniper, etc. and then you've got the werewolf or werewolves.

Melee specialist, ranger, etc. Fills a bunch of roles well. Tactically they're also an asset. Have the humans lay down suppressive fire, then let the 'wolves circle around and engage the enemy in close. They can't run - they'll get shot - and if they stay they get torn to shreds.

[Terastas]

a werewolf in the military yes, might be trying to prove himself other wise with the human population by joining the military and serving. but chances are that has already happened. and like i said earlier we live in a racist world. so a werewolf could have gotten a friggen purple heart like 3 times and a medal of honor but still be looked down apon.

By some, yes, but not nearly as many before he served in the military. There will always be racists, but their preaching will eventually die down from a political force to an irritation.

Compare it to the Ku Klux Klan if you will. They used to be the ruling force in the South, but they've since devolved into nothing more than (pardon my language) trailer trash attention whores. There will always be purists and radical fundamentalists, but the great majority of people are not attached to stereotypes.

If a werewolf has already served, that will just make things progress faster. Instead of werewolves fighting to join the military to prove themselves, all they would have to do is admit to being werewolves while wearing their decorated uniforms. Again, there would still be discrimination, but anyone with an agenda against werewolves would have a much harder time enforcing it.

[Wolf of the Wind]

What's with all the werewolf racism, looked down on, poor widdle mutant from marvel comics stuff?

Not sure what image of the werewolf we are thinking of here but it sure as hell aint the same one.

One side: furre wolfman harrased in the lunch room for being different even as he does well on the battle field (:coughmutantcough:)

Otherside: top secret weapon or urban pacification, sentient or not, still kept real secret and part of a team of the same thing or gorup. Not intermingled with rest of military.

the second there is like The vampires in Blood+/How the company wanted to use the Xenomorph aliens.
Or could be like groups like the Avengers and such run by SHIELD where its a group of powerful beings together to fight extreme conditions where normal humans would get slaughtered.

Honestly I would prefer the uber secret monster team or Project Metal beast type stuff for some weird integrated X-men world rip-off.

no, nothing to do with movies or comic books, just think about it. If the Military did use werewolves for whatever then why don't we know about it? because: the world probably just isn't ready for that type of information to be revealed to the public, (same theory with aliens, just watch men in black lol ) why? then i get into a racist biff thing. thats my view on it.

[Terastas]

Hmmm... I think we've already done this... BUT:

Were's would be one of the "Black Ops" types of organizations. I seriously doubt that there would be much racicst activity, since nobody would know they were around.
They would require very little training-Wolves already work as a group, with a social heirarchy, and learn to obey orders as puppies.

Let's say you're a Werewolf. Would you choose a life of sneaking around and hiding, or one where in return for protecting the Great Pack you got to live as you are on a Military reservation; safe and protected; with mates and children...all for just a little wet work now and then?
I know what I'd do.....

That might be the current status of werewolves in the military. However, it wouldn't make much sense to keep the existence of werewolves a secret after the "community" werewolves have revealed themselves. After that, they would only remain "black ops" in the sense that they would cover up the fact that there was already an all-werewolf task force until the force could be quietly disbanded and the werewolves reinstated in other lycanthropy-friendly programs.

[wolf4life]

(Inspired by the "hypothetical law thing" topic)

What if werewolves were in the military?

How would other human soldiers see them, how would their superiors treat them, what are the advatages and disadvatages, how would the enemy react, and what are the potential problems that could result?

lol why would a werewolf join the army?

[Aki]

(Inspired by the "hypothetical law thing" topic)

What if werewolves were in the military?

How would other human soldiers see them, how would their superiors treat them, what are the advatages and disadvatages, how would the enemy react, and what are the potential problems that could result?

lol why would a werewolf join the army?

Why would a sane man join the military?

Same thing, really.

Also, if said werewolf lives in a country with mandatory army time, well, not much of a choice, eh?

[wolf4life]

lol true....