Expendability is a concept that means that something or someone can affordably be lost or sacrificed.
Strategic use by the Brotherhood of Nod
It was used by the Brotherhood of Nod as a form of classification, applied to nations, settlements and persons. In the first two cases, expendability is given as a % breakdown, presumably of individuals.
It was used by Nod EVA in a briefing to refer to the Tiberium sickness infected villages in Gabon and Cameroon destroyed in the Sick And Dying mission, the expendability in this case being 100%. Each nation faught over in Africa during the First Tiberium War also had a breakdown. Gabon, a core Nod country occupied by GDI has a small 5% expendability but since it has Tiberium sickness, expendability is clearly also be a political measure of Anti-Nod sentiment.
Persons rated as expendable are evidently considered not to possess any legal rights by the Brotherhood of Nod and can freely be killed at the discretion of Nod commanders without any legal recriminations recognised by Nod or Nod governments.
This makes being an expendable under Nod rule rather similar in function to being an Outlaw in early systems of justice. However it is not known if all Nod governments, some of which are describes as democratic and all Nod factions accept the expendability concept in a full sense as indicating no rights whatsoever outside of a military context.
During the First Tiberium War curing Tiberium sickness was clearly considered futile by Nod and mass execution was generally seen as the solution instead; in their eyes this was the most efficiant way to prevent the spread of infection and perhaps also mercifully sparing them a slower more painful death.
Expendable Groups
- Those not supportive of the Nod-supporting organisations in an area.
- Those infected by Tiberium sickness or believed to be at high risk of being so
- Persons in combat zones who do not openly declare in favour of Nod.
- Deserters, traitors and spies.
- Rebels against Nod governments.
- Enemy military forces.
In converse then, there exists those who are unexpendable to Nod forces, those who loyally support Nod and are not infected by Tiberium sickness. These unexpendables would be the source for the recruitment of Nod personel. At the same time the possibility of the revocation of such status gives Nod rulers a means to compel the loyalty of their subordinates.
Expendability also presumably functioned as a form of conscription, creating a definite incentive for populations of areas or nations that have fallen or are in clear risk of falling to Nod to 'enthusiasticly' enlist in the Nod forces or support it in other ways to prove their unexpendability, thus exponentially swelling Nod armies with every new conquest rather than causing their forces to become depleted due to the need to garrison and police conquered territories.
It can be surmised that given the rather limited wealth, industry and population of Niger and Gabon, that the Nod conquest of the entirety of Africa was only possible due this effect; as Nod forces conquered each new area in Africa, would-be unexpendables rapidly enlisted in their forces until they had an army large enough to conquer the whole continent.
Expendability of African Nations at point of Nod takeover
- Chad: 80% (Neutral Republic)
- Benin: 75% (GDI Democracy)
- Egypt: 75% (GDI Republic: First conquest)
- Zaire: 72% (Neutral Republic)
- Central Africa: 65% (Neutral Republic)
- Mozambique: 65% (GDI Republic)
- Nigeria: 60% (GDI Transitional Regime)
- Sudan: 55% (Neutral Mil. Dictatorship)
- Cameroon: 55% (GDI Republic: occupied)
- Tanzania: 55% (GDI Republic)
- Mauritania: 50% (GDI Islamic Republic)
- Angola 45% (GDI Republic)
- Egypt: 45% (GDI Democracy: Second conquest)
- Ivory Coast: 33% (GDI Republic)
- South Africa: 10% (GDI Republic)
- Gabon: 5% (GDI Republic)
- Namibia: 5% (GDI Republic)
- Botswana: 2% (GDI Parliamentary Republic)