Survival of the Outworlds Alliance

[Phalanx]

So has there been any explanation for why the DC did not just outright conquer the OA?
The fact that there aerospace , and conventional pilots are better than the DC's was one factor, but that seemed to me to be such a satisfactory answer. We know OA worlds were conquered by the DC during the Succession Wars, so what stopped Kurtia from absorbing the whole thing(like Steiner did with the RWR)?

[snakespinner]

Lack of military resources to hold on to all the planets.
Having a enlarged border leaving it open to FS raids.
Most of the planets were under developed and would require substantial resources that were not available.
The list goes on.

[dgorsman]

Possibly the same benefits as the FRR - it's a buffer state that reduces the strategic front with the Fed Suns.

[Maelwys]

So has there been any explanation for why the DC did not just outright conquer the OA?
The fact that there aerospace , and conventional pilots are better than the DC's was one factor, but that seemed to me to be such a satisfactory answer. We know OA worlds were conquered by the DC during the Succession Wars, so what stopped Kurtia from absorbing the whole thing(like Steiner did with the RWR)?

There are a couple of reasons.

First, did the DC conquer any of the OA worlds during the Succession Wars? I know they took some during the Reunification Wars, but IIRC, the border is pretty static, atleast from a quick glance at the maps in the various Succession Wars books. I suppose some conquering might have happened in the 3SW.

Second..what's Kurita going to get out of it? The OA has been dying since basically the Amaris Crisis. Its not like they're going to get a planet with a robust, thriving population with a decent technological level. In most cases they're going to get a planet that can barely support itself. And they're going to get dozens of these. There will be a few exceptions, but for the most part, they'd hardly be worth the effort. The one exception is going to be the mech/fighter factory in the OA, and those are already selling to the DC.

The Dragons abhors weakness in its enemies. During the 1st Succession War, Kurita turned away from its early victories against the Lyrans because it was too easy. They like fighting the Davions because they fight well and thus more honor in the victories. Not much honor to gain while fighting against enemies that can't really defend themselves.

Where are they going to get the troops? During the Succession Wars, except for the 4th really, most of the conflict has everyone easily matched. Sure, the DC has garrison troops in its interior, but they're there for a reason, and you're looking at pulling supplies and JumpShips from the front lines to fight an enemy that doesn't get you anything, except more to garrison.

The OA survives (inasmuch as the OA's existence during the Succession Wars is considered survival) for a simple reason. Its not worth the effort to conquer it.

[DOC_Agren]

And didn't at 1 point the FS ship merc to the OWA to help them fend off DC forces?

But yeah over all it not worth the time and energy to take it over and hold it.

[Hawkeye Jim]

And didn't at 1 point the FS ship merc to the OWA to help them fend off DC forces?

But yeah over all it not worth the time and energy to take it over and hold it.

Wasn't that the Pitcairn Legion?

[DOC_Agren]

Wasn't that the Pitcairn Legion?

I was thinking that they repeated that "sheepdipped" force again against the DC as well

[Kovax]

Bottom line is that most of the OA planets are barely worth taking, but the DC and FS will do whatever they can to make sure that the other of them doesn't get them.  The OA has just enough of a defense to tip the outcome of a regional fight between the two contestants, so whoever attacks the OA first is at a disadvantage.

[Phantom000]

Bottom line is that most of the OA planets are barely worth taking, but the DC and FS will do whatever they can to make sure that the other of them doesn't get them.  The OA has just enough of a defense to tip the outcome of a regional fight between the two contestants, so whoever attacks the OA first is at a disadvantage.

I could see Kurita and Davion fighting a 'shadow war' for the OA. Trying to manipulate events so that they can seize control, or expand their influence in the region without risking vital military resources.

Davion secretly supports one political party to help them win local power, turning the OA into a FS alley.

Kurita encourages pirates to raid OA production facilities near the border, crippling their economy and weakening Davion's local allies.

It would hardly be unprecedented, a lot of stuff that happened during the Cold War was the result of NATO and the Warsaw packed plotting against each other with local governments as their pawns so its not hard to imagine the successor states doing something similar.

[kaliban]

Most of the worlds closer to DC were severely destroyed during the Reunification War and would not worth to be conquered. The others, more distant, remained more populated and would be much more difficult to keep.

Even so, both DC and FS had the means to invade the OA but by doing so they would weaken their defenses on other regions. Besides that the OA kept good relations with both and there was no reason to do so.

In short, very little to gain and a lot to loose.


PS: I prepared a short description of each world of the OA by 3025. There is an impressive number of worlds once very developed that were entirely or almost entirely abandoned after the Reunification War:
https://owa3025.blogspot.com/p/all-worlds-described-outworlds-alliance.html

[Natasha Kerensky]

Canon-wise, the explanation goes back to the first Periphery SB, which used the “Piranha Principle” to explain why the Great Houses had never conquered the various Periphery states and bandit kingdoms.  Sarna has a summary:

Major Periphery powers have prospered as a result of the "Piranha Principle". A larger Inner Sphere state, for example the Free Worlds League, would be able to conquer the Magistracy of Canopus. However, the effort required to subdue the Magistracy would require the League to lower its defenses against both the Lyran Alliance and the Capellan Confederation. The cost required to subjugate a major Periphery power has allowed larger Periphery realms relative peace. Though Periphery realms have experienced several wars, only twice, during the Reunification War (2577-2597) and the Amaris Civil War (2767-2780), has the undivided attention of the Inner Sphere military-industrial complex been aimed at Major Periphery powers.

https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Periphery#Major_Powers

[BrianDavion]

the state of the periphary also means thatfrom a purely pragmatic POV the gains wouldn't outweigh the losses. if the FWL did say invade the MOC, the canopian worlds, simply wouldn't counter balance the worlds lost to the CC and LC