Just like Germany in 1934, AMIRITE?

Iinitially it appears to be a bit of a conundrum, but the ambassador said they dismantled their military. He didn't say "we scrapped our ships".

The Dominion War, at this point, was decades ago, so it's likely that any experienced soldiers out of a job afterwards are now too old to fight. It's much easier to bring a ship out of mothballs after decades than a person, 'cos people get old. Since Cardassia's standing military will be small, and training people takes time, it makes much more sense to just supply hardware to nations that still have enough military personel to crew those ships.

This being born in mind, the mothballed military hardware being refurbished and supplied to the Federation and Klingon Empire in a manner reminiscent of the Lend Lease program in WWII makes sense. It's probably one of the few ways Cardassia can contribute. Also, seeing as how the Cardassians were worried about losses, by doing this they can make the coallition "X ships stronger" without having to risk X ammount of Cardassian lives. So from that point of view it also makes sense.

All in all, if we look at things this way taking into account the geopolitical state of the Alpha quadrant, the history of the Alpha Quadrant, what was said at the conference, and using historical prescedent to fill in the blanks, it wraps everything up quite tidily.

Bah, ships! They downed a couple Red Bulls, FLEW up there and punched them out! Hurr!

Ah, so the Terrans haven't learned from their own history! Treaty of Versailles anyone? Not only were the Cardassians forced to dismantle their military, but their hardware was also locked up in large duranium boxes that they are continually forced to pay war reparations to unlock! Dastardly! The Federation better watch themselves before Gul Ad'olf rises from the ashes of their fractured society! :p

Isn't that what the True Way are though? The ultra nationalist fringe that's trying to take over the whole to restore their former glory?

Good point... still, they aren't too much of a threat... at least not until we in the Tal Shiar enter into negotiations with them... Fvadt! Did I say that out loud?

*draws disruptor and vapourises above poster*

Phew! That was a close one!

If you strike me down I will become more powerful than.... wait, wrong franchise.

*disintigrates*

I was always under the impression that Damar secretly commissioned these ships and hid them away. Since Cardassia agreed not to build warships, when they were discovered/remembered, they were retrofitted and given to the Federation/Klingons to aid in the promised defense of their sovereign territory.

I think the idea that Cardassia would give up all their ships is pretty ridiculous and I refuse to even accept it.

Especially with the rise of the True Way they're going to have to protect themselves against them. Maybe they agreed to give up most of their military ships, especially because they probably couldn't continue to support an oversized military, but no way did they scrap every single Galor and Keldan they had. And no way did every single ship of that type that existed end up going over to the True Way.

I don't care if the game claims that. It's too absurd to accept.

They didn't 'give up' any ships. The Detapa Council never had any ships, it's a civilian body. The true way however, was still in possession of the few remaining vessels after the Dominion Wars. It's perfectly logical to think that hte commanders who fought for Cardassia's sovereignty did not want to hand over all their hardware to the Federation, hence they became terrorists. The Detapa Council simply didn't build any new ones.

It's not absurd at all to suppose that the Federation was also present when Damar's legacy Galors were discovered, and that Starfleet told the Detapa Council what to do with them. If the DC's ultimate goal is to become part of the federation, why wouldn't they hand them over to starfleet, perhaps with a caveat that they be used in the fleets charged with the everyday defence of Cardassian space.

I do however agree, that it's a little surprising that NONE of the 'old guard' wanted to be absorbed into the New Cardassian Union, hence the DC had no ships whatsoever, but Cardassians are sneaky, it may suit them to allow the Federation to believe (with or without any suspicion) that they don't ave any ships, when they probably do have a few hidden away somewhere just in case. Fact is, even if they did have any ships, they would be wise to give them to the Federation, whom in general tries its best to keep its promises and honor its treaties, since anything that the Federation could not defeat, would roll over the cardies like a Tsunami.