Honestly I really like the takes in this post all the way around. The truth is there is busted stuff with both factions, and @ thomp62 addresses it perfectly. So I am not rambling, here is a list of items that I generally endorse:
Giving lower ranks an easier and more guaranteed opportunity for lethals and slightly better weapons during federal events. Before I recieved my Staff Sgt rank a few months ago, I played as a PO and had to deal with all the nuisances that came with it. The largest nuisance was that it felt like I was entirely useless up until the 10 minute mark where then lethals could potentially be authorized. Giving lower ranks a more reasonable opportunity to perform would generally increase the entire quality of life and perception of federal events by Jr. APD.
Limitations to armor under certain circumstances. Having played civ and done feds myself, getting an entire wave of hunters or striders within the first four minutes of the event starting is brutal and not really fair at all. Although I'd like to think that Sr. APD discretion is generally good, there are some that generally see a "proportionate response" as whatever it takes to win. I think a 1:2 ratio of armor versus civs is a generally fair proposal. The only thing I would personally like to see further to endorse this is perhaps is some written exceptions.
The usage of RPGs and other generally effective armor penetrating blackwater gear at federal events has become significantly more common. In the cases where a certain amount of vehicles are lost, I think it should be warranted that the limit is able to be exceeded.
OR (likely an unpopular take) the usage of Ifrits are evaluated for cops. As it stands right now, hunters are not very effective at all at withstanding even the basic MK1. Providing the APD the ability to pull Ifrits under written exceptions would provide a reasonable response to federal events where players are effectively utilizing really OP blackwater gear that generally makes it unwinnable for the APD.
Ultimantely the entire goal is to prevent civs from being absolutely cancered by an entire wave or armored vehicles the moment the event starts, but also provide equal opportunity for APD to be able to use them appropriately when necessary situations provide.
@ Noble 's post about runs. I generally have never like how federal event-centric roundtable ideas have generally been in recent years. I think that consistently ever waging war for each faction to keep them fair generally hurts the entire purpose of roundtable. The majoirty of players do not have an interest or active participation in federal events. Roundtable ideas should be about requesting ideas for content and rules that make the game fun for everyone, not just those that tend to run these events.
Ultimantely they are a very end-game activity and the consistent war back and fourth on them I feel like causes a lot of really cool ideas that would otherwise benefit the representation of everyone to be neglected. One of the coolest things added to Olympus in recent times was the phones, not an increase in gold bars.
That being said, I think there should be limits to how often federal events are permitted to be discussed in roundtables. The consistent need for both factions to have to put up their dukes for those events prevent a healthy flow of ideas that represent the general non-fed running or waving community. Having a limit would allow for more meaningful evaluation of those ideas before they are put up before faction leads, of which are then passed up before senior staff.