User blog:Draevan13/An examination of the Third Dominion's military

Preface
As I recently started playing Skyrim again after long months of ESO, I've decided to make this blog that I had planned on doing a few months ago, but never got around to.

Allow me to preface this with two statements: one, I may of course be utterly wrong in my beliefs on this topic, and two, this is a blog regarding the Third Dominion, not the Skyrim Civil War. I'm sure tired of Stormcloak vs Imperial arguments, so let's try to stay on topic in the comments. If it gets too out of hand I'll have it deleted.

So, let's get to the topic at hand: the Third Aldmeri Dominion.

Regarding composition of forces
In previous discussions about the Dominion and their war with the Empire, I've seen statements along these lines pop up: The Dominion's armies are made up only of Altmer, no Khajiit or Bosmer fight for them. I disagree with this, and will explain why.

Previous incarnations
Let's examine what we know about the previous incarnations of the Dominion. The Khajiit and Bosmer do indeed fight alongside the Altmer in them, so we have precedent. Granted, neither the First nor the Second Dominion were as bigoted and racist as the Third, but I fail to see why that would change anything. Fighting in a military isn't necessarily a privilege. Conscription, for example. Even the most hateful and racist cultures in the real world have used those they deemed inferior as cannon fodder.

Non "pure" Dominion forces
Case in point, we do see two Khajiit operatives serving the Dominion as assassins: J'datharr and Shavari. Admittedly they're not frontline soldiers, but it is clear evidence the Dominion isn't against using non-Altmer to carry out their will.

Another point I've seen to prove Altmer-only Dominion forces: you only see Altmer troops in Skyrim. This is true, but the only Dominion we see are Thalmor or Thalmor Justiciars. They are not frontline Dominion troops. The Thalmor are the ruling body of the Dominion and are "pure" Altmer only, and Justiciars are sort of like the Soviet KGB. Again, these are not Dominion troops.

Another point to disprove Altmer-only troops: the Thalmor are even bigoted against their own race! Talking to Altmer Legate Fasendil, you learn that the Thalmor killed many Altmer refugees in Sentinel in an event known as the Night of Green Fire. We know that not all Dominion frontline troops can be "pure" Thalmor as they are a small minority of that race, so we know that the Thalmor do use those they deem "impure" in their forces. If they're willing to use "impure" Altmer in their armies, why not Khajiit and Bosmer?

Shared beliefs and gratitude
Now I usually hear this argument at this point: why would the Bosmer or Khajiit serve the Dominion as troops? Well for one, they are a part of the Dominion, and for two, they've done it before. Both races, despite not having shared values and beliefs with the Altmer, have served in both previous incarnations of the Dominion. For the Khajiit, it was gratitude for the aid against the Knahaten Flu. We see a similar occurence in the Fourth Era: the Khajiit believe the Thalmor returned the Moons to the skies. Some people say "So what"? Well, even the most cursory of examination of the Khajiit will show the Moons are of the utmost importance to them. Their religion, culture, and even physiology are closely tied to the Moons. It's not very hard to see why they would pledge themselves to the Dominion's armies after the Thalmor supposedly returned the Moons.

Logic
Next up: logic. We know that Mer reproduce slower than men. Why would the Thalmor not use Bosmer and Khajiit? Even the most bigoted Altmer would be an utter fool to not use every tool at their disposal, especially after losing so many troops in the Great War. Whatever else we can call the Thalmor, they're not stupid. They've displayed cunning and great intellect throughout history. Certainly they wouldn't consider the Bosmer, Khajiit, or even their fellow Altmer as equals, but using them as cannon fodder doesn't show respect or equality.

In conclusion
To sum up, I believe their is ample evidence to show why the Third Dominion would use Khajiit and Bosmer as frontline troops. Previous incarnations of the Dominion have done it, we see the Thalmor use those they deem "impure" to carry out their will, and it would be just plain stupid not to use them given the Dominion's disadvantages.

Feel free to discuss, that's why I make these blogs.