Over the last few years we have seen a dramatic military build up in our region of the galaxy as all the major powers have been building new warships and also in some cases forming military alliances, especially in the shape of the DDS. Smaller powers have also been getting in on the act also with the DDS, especially, benefiting from the desire to build naval power.
However what are the navies of minor powers like Molab and Putri 500 for? Why are they buying Isometrics, Pentekonters and the like? At first glance it seems obvious, to defend against foreign aggression, but which aggression? Do Molab really expect that a handful of ships, never mind how good, can hope to survive against a HCS invasion fleet? How good would the Putri 500 fleet be against a mass ABBO attack (they used around 200 ships in the brief Dino-ABBO war and that is quite a small force for them).
The answer is these minor powers do not expect to hold against major foes but what buying into the DDS system does afford these powers is the potential to interoperate with the DDS and join with them in fighting off a major foe. Quite whether the DDS would assist Molab or Putri 500 is another question of course.
Their navies are effective against more minor foes and also general policing and sovereignty. A fleet can also give these minor powers some clout. Even though Molab would not win against the HCS it is likely a war would be costly for the Clones which then makes the strategic calculations more difficult and makes relations with rival powers more on a level footing. The presence of a fleet also gives the minor power more confidence and prestiege. That is why Molab and the like are throwing billions at their fleets, and the DDS are very glad they are!
