IST Embassy Staff Package - Skills in the Wake of the Y2K War

[Last Free Human]

I've been working on the package for IST Embassy Staff again and was thinking that in an increasingly hostile anti-UN anti-IST world the IST's would put some emphasis on training their people to resist sieges and defend themselves against threats to the embassy proper. To that end I was thinking of some kind of IST Embassy Staff Boot Camp where they would learn the following skills:
Guns/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX [1]; Soldier (A) IQ [2]; Brawling (E) DX-4 [0]; Electronics Operation/TL8 (Comm) (A) IQ-5 [0]; Electronics Operation/TL8 (Security) (A) IQ-5 [0]; First Aid/TL8 (E) IQ [1]-10; Guns/TL8 (Shotgun) (E) DX-4 [0]; NBC Suit/TL8 (A) IQ-5 [0].

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Comments?

Am I correct in assuming that the IST Embassy staff are all IST employees and not local contractors due to the often sensitive nature of IST work?

Regards,

M
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

[robkelk]

I thought it was just the USA that was going "anti-UN anti-IST", not the entire world ...?

That's a package that would give anti-IST people a reason to dislike the IST, and as such would be very closely scrutinized and debated by the CLE. The embassies already have power-armoured security forces; they don't need everyone else on staff to be able to pick up a weapon and fight, or to follow orders other than "take cover now" in a crisis situation. Boot Camp is for soldiers, not diplomats - if a diplomat needs to fight, he's failed in his real job.

On the other hand, I'm all in favour of training everyone in First Aid. There are enough hazards even in an office environment that people should know when to use a blanket and when to use an AED, and what records need to be kept in both cases.

As for not using local contractors, that's the easiest way to show the local populace that you're not interested in being friends with them, thus fueling whatever "anti-UN anti-IST" sentiment there might be in the area. I would expect CLE to order the embassies to make use of local contractors if at all possible.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Mamorien]

I, in turn, thought the US was only going "anti-UN anti-IST" under the Buchanan administration.

[Bob Schroeck]

In the wake of World War 3, the prevailing attitude in most of the world will be pro-IST again. However, as the saying goes, you're always preparing for the last war, so there's some merit in LFH's suggestion.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Last Free Human]

All very good points, I may tone it down a little, but considering that IST facilities tend to be targets in a world of super-villains and I would guess the odd terrorist attack or two, I can see a case for being a little pro-active in not simply providing attackers with what amounts to an office building full of potential hostages. I will probably tone down a bit, removing Soldier and changing Brawling to Judo (for a more self-defense minded stance). In my own campaign I've had the embassies specifically targeted by aliens, over-run by zombies, attacked by terrorists, blown up in my timeline's version of 9/11 (an attack backed not by midle-eastern fundies but by Holy Circle backed THAMF cells) and suborned by an attempt to duplicate the responsible for La Fusionne. So it probably makes more sense in my timeline, but could have a place in the mainstream version. They wouldn't call it boot camp, maybe "Siege Protocol Training"? They would allow for staff members to opt out if their personal, moral or ethical sensibilities dictated they should, but the expectation is that the employees know how to handle themselves in a crisis.

Guns/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX [1]; Judo (H) DX-6 [0]; Electronics Operation/TL8 (Comm) (A) IQ-5 [0]; Electronics Operation/TL8 (Security) (A) IQ-5 [0]; First Aid/TL8 (E) IQ [1]-10; Guns/TL8 (Shotgun) (E) DX-4 [0]; NBC Suit/TL8 (A) IQ-5 [0].

Cheers,

M
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

[Mamorien]

I may tone it down a little, but considering that IST facilities tend to be targets in a world of super-villains and I would guess the odd terrorist attack or two, I can see a case for being a little pro-active in not simply providing attackers with what amounts to an office building full of potential hostages.

That makes at least as much sense to me.