WarMeks may be the dominant force in any high-scale tactical situation, but they suffer from two major flaws- expense and availability. WarMeks are the height of current industrial design and require considerable resources just to build. While the technology is stable, a WarMek consumes a large part of any governmental or corporation’s budget per unit. This makes it impractical for such an expensive machine to be used for anything other than high-scale situations. Smaller operations, such as remote garrison work and overland insurgency, are usually better served by devoting less expensive hardware. Tanks and other vehicles are effective if only because several of them can be purchased and maintained for the same cost as a single WarMek.
The other factor, availability, is just as important. WarMeks are a recent development. Many countries in the world of 2089 do not have access to WarMek technology directly and must purchase them from other nations and corporate interests. This can create mercantile alliances that some governments do not desire to forge. In contract, the industry needed to build a tank is fairly easily accomplished. A country attempting to remain autonomous can construct a considerable force of wheeled, tracked, and even hover-capable war machines without becoming beholden to external interests. WarMeks are certainly the future of warfare, but for countries trying to contend with the present, the availability of vehicles determines the shape of their military structure.
Of course, the relative young age of WarMek technology is another key reason what many places still rely on tanks for their defense. A less wealthy nation may depend on its tank corps simply because they have had tanks for over a century and simply do not wish to or cannot afford to retool their infrastructure to accommodate what appears to be a promising but still new form of combat technology. Other countries might operate from a sense of pride in their vehicle corps, remaining resistant to the idea of WarMeks from a purely morale standpoint. Still others use their tanks because their terrain is perfect for the low profiles that vehicles possess over WarMeks.
One should never assume that an inferior weapon is an ineffective one. Vehicles are viable for many reasons, making them a vital part of any country’s defense. Not only does the lower cost of vehicular assets allow a country to field large numbers of them, but the technology base of a tank allows for mobile firepower on a framework familiar to most military personnel. It takes far less training to educate a tank driver than it does a WarMek pilot. This lets a country put several tanks into service without the training time and expense of WarMek companies or constant mercenary services.
Another advantage to tanks and military vehicles is the tactical concept of massed fire. Ever if a WarMek can carry better guidance systems and heavier weapons than a vehicle, a unit of eight main battle tanks opening up with their howitzers is still going to inflict a devastating barrage. Likewise, armoured jeeps with machine gun turrets are just as effective against infantry units as a WarMek’s heavy firepower, perhaps better as a jeep can travel through some forms of small, hindering terrain features that would be impossible for a WarMek to traverse.
The state of warfare before the invention of the WarMek was dominated by vehicles. While the tank is not the most effective war machine in existence any longer, it can still be extremely effective. Sound tactics, the right mix of equipment, and functional, timely support in the field can keep vehicles from becoming obsolete. In fact, with WarMeks being used primarily for first strike, high profile missions, a great deal of the real Armageddon War is still being fought with tanks and jeeps. Times may change, but some things remain the same. There are still places in the world where the sound of tank treads rolling over the broken ground of a battlefield still holds the same terror as it did when the Tank Mk I first changed the face of warfare in Flers, France in 1916.
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