How would you invade a planet?

[Dangerious P. Cats]

Assuming you have a late TL8/early TL9 military and some super science space travel for a military modelled as much on modern earth militarise as possible given that they are from space (I don't know much about abut modern military structures so I'll leave it to the experts) how would you go about invading a planet that is essentially earth (except that there are enough cosmetic differences that the planet's inhabitants constitute aliens, but TL8ish with equivalent social structures). The reason for the invasion is that the planet has breathable atmosphere and compatible Eco-systems that your superiors want mostly in tact. Gear wise you have space carrier ships the equivalent of aircraft carriers and space battleships the rough equivalent of battleships. The only weapons of mass destruction you have are tungsten projectiles that can hit with the force of a nuclear bomb and biological weapons are not terrible workable. Otherwise you have gear equivalent to that of the modern military, maybe slightly more TL9, though all flying vehicles are assumed to be able to fly in both space and atmosphere and you don't have a terrestrial navy of any kind (really just a space army and space Air Force). The planet you're invading is much like earth, mostly tech level 8, different nations of varying size that squabble a bit, international bodies that try their darnedest to stop the squabbling, different languages and cultures about the place. While rudimentary translation of the major languages is possible you also have little intel to go off. They will probably unite in defence though.

So, what are your invasion plans?

[Mateus]

They do not deploy any sort of tank or armored mechas? Only "air force" an infantary?

[David Johnston2]

My invasion plans start with finding a set of local allies to play off against those those who won't play ball and landing there. That's how most successful colonization ventures work.

[trans]

Are you in a hurry? If not particularly, really really try to get better intel and use diplomacy to divide and conquer. It worked for the conquistadors, together with unplanned bio-warfare.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

My invasion plans start with finding a set of local allies to play off against those those who won't play ball and landing there. That's how most successful colonization ventures work.

Yep. This sounds like a situation where it's easy to win the war and lose the peace if you just go in with guns blazing. Or rather, with rocks dropping on everything that sticks its head up. It'd be easy to wipe out significant infrastructure and large-scale organized resistance, but unless you're willing to make the current inhabitants completely extinct, that's a bad idea, since you'll end up facing a perpetual guerrilla war.

So, then, the first step is to wait until my side understands the native languages and gets a reasonably detailed understanding of local politics. Then find a major conflict, or at least a cause for conflict, select an ally, and back them up when any cold war goes hot. Leverage that into "protectorates" or other administration over subject territories, and get them dependent on higher-tech imports. It's evil, but it's proven pretty effective.

[Nereidalbel]

Find a virus that is lethal to the locals and highly contagious, but unable to make the species jump to humans. Abduct small numbers of locals. Infect them, and carpet bomb major cities with plagued corpses.

[Nosforontu]

The big problem you have going in is that will be a lot simpler to commit fairly wide spread genocide than it will be to actually engage in a standard military campaign versus a planet with a few billion people on it several thousand nukes and military tech not that far behind you on a general scale.

Maybe an early offer to accept their worlds surrender when that offer is refused. A handful of tungsten strikes, as a demonstration of ability followed by several thousand strikes launched as a single salvo that are designed as very near misses to drive home the point that you are very capable of committing genocide as plan B if the invasion is going to be problematic.

Follow that up with the old divide and conquer strategy while your navy launches unmanned satellites with tungsten rods from God on board that can target large military forces of the defender hold cities potentially hostage. You also want orbital satellites with really good Point Defense on board designed to shoot down ICBMs or Cruise missiles from orbit.

Finally if you are going against an earth styled world you want your satellites to be fairly reliable at detecting nuclear reactors/weapons and target such areas early on with strike forces either satellite or your strike craft.

You probably want to set up a few Automated factories Semi-Visible to the planet you are invading that start cranking out robot infantry for pacification duties. The implication being each time you kill one of our soldiers all you are killing is a machine that we can easily replace, but its likely going to get several of you killed in the process.

In fact you might for several years want to hint to the people on the planet that all of the forces they are killing are simply easily replaced machines (your own biological's might remain well outside of the range of any insurgents for a few years after the last major resistance movement is crushed).

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Nosforontu

You probably want to set up a few Automated factories.

"Amateurs study tactics; professionals study logistics". The factories and their resources are the key point if it comes to fighting. What does the space-based force have in terms of resources?

One reason the divide-and-conquer and toehold strategies are more likely than raining down jump troops and rodding targets everywhere is that it gives you a resource base. Unless the invaded planet has so little will to fight that the initial shock of lost battles makes them capitulate, the invaders will need a supply base that can match a planet.

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

My invasion plans start with finding a set of local allies to play off against those those who won't play ball and landing there. That's how most successful colonization ventures work.

Yep. Cortez is a good model for this sort of invasion. Trying to take on everyone at once -- and thus uniting them against you -- is a good way to buy yourself a headache you don't need.

Of course, the stereotypical Earth invader might not understand human psychology well enough to use "divide and conquer" very effectively. (cf. the Race in Turtledove's original "Worldwar" series.) That makes for a good story, but a troubled attack plan.

[reverse_atomic_roger]

I'm going to use real earth country names for demonstration purposes...

Im assuming you have enough troops to maintain a reasonable global presence. Otherwise you either dont keep control or you have to go with the genocide option. In which case you tungsten rod them from orbit. Its the only way to be sure.

Keep your space ships hidden. Drop a single inanimate tungsten rod on an American military base. Either they assume it was the Chinese and retaliate, or they do nothing. If they retaliate you wait for the worlds superpowers to wear each other down, then move in with your fully rested, well equipped troops. If they don't retaliate you launch another single tungsten rod. Repeat until there is retaliation or you run out of targets.