[WarMachine]

Originally Posted by Damocles

Simpification is not outside the objective parameters. It is what a rational military conducting an interstellar war would do.

...Except that no military force is rational....since a rational military force would run away.

Not logical. If after a conventional assault; you lose the landing force, you will attack again with over whelming force to obliterate resistance to secure the landings; even if your objective is ^going for a conventional military invasion of an inhabited world^ due to ^some imperative in their programming to minimize planetary-level bio-sphere damage.^ The operative here is ^secure the landings.^

Somehow, "...attack again with overwhelming force..." doesn't equate to slagging the planet from orbit. If Step 2 or 3 is a near-C rock, why invade bother to invade conventionally in Step 1?

Yes, we're dealing with rouge robots; and yes, in an empirical environment, a "V-Ger"-type entity wouldn't care about a whit for a biosphere optimized for "carbon-based lifeforms", but we're talking about the Cylons, not VGer.

Is the "Chicxilub Option" available? Certainly. Would the Cylons order its use? Absolutely -- but only under the correct circumstances...for which we have no real cannon evidence, as all of the planets we see the Cylons garrisoning have (apparently) intact biospheres.

[Removed stuff on India and China]

Based on the data provided, I still have to disagree with you. While China would certainly revert to the warlord model, India would as well. A LOT of Chinese would perish, but the numbers would be dwarfed by those in India.

US national recovery is slated to take 40-120 years. Its in the warplan. We start with 1890's technology, and build back the infrastructure.(It could be a lot faster, depending on how soon we get the steel and concrete industries back up, and rebuild our railroads.). One thing is for certain. We'd be flying again in fifty years.

And we would do it as a NATION. That is something for which the planning is most definitely oriented. Communications first, and fast.

Despite the Katrina fiasco.

I can't speak for Europe.

As always;

Let me say first that I am ignoring TTAPS - Carl Sagan should have been ashamed for signing off on such unscientific drivel.

That said, your statement above is strictly subjective, warplans notwithstanding, and entirely restricted to a very limited nuclear exchange. A Chicxilub-scale event, either in Mexico or either ocean reasonably close to US shores, or a 'slate-wiper' bio-weapon with a c.80% lethality will torpedo the US at a stroke, and leave only a memory.

And based on what I see of current government operational capabilities at all levels, a limited nuke exchange will do the same.

ObCBSG:

*There is circumstantial evidence, based on dialogue, that an unknown level of nuclear bombardment occured on at least Caprica.

*There is circumstantial evidence, based on dialogue, that biological agents were employed on at least some Colonies

(ref. from "Saga": Apollo and Jolly's conversation aboard the Rising Star concerning checks on foodstuffs for both radiation and "Pluton Poisoning")

Inference: With a combined nuclear, biological and extensive conventional attacks, Colonial survivors in the Colonies' Homeworlds probably won't last very long, anyway, whatever Virgon's defenders can pull off.

Note that all bets are off if the Cylon Empire collapses in civil war.