User blog comment:Spartan0700/Mass Effect 3: Off the Record/@comment-5287758-20120727114358/@comment-3062992-20120728074639

True, true. Anderson is an Admiral and his duty is to carry out his duties as an Admiral, not a foot soldier. The situation on Earth changed things; he HAD to pick up arms and fight because the Reapers were literally breathing down his neck, but if he goes with the Normandy, that level of danger every hour wouldn't be there. On board the Normandy, he could become the negotiator/peacekeeper while the shore party takes care of the combat and execution of the plans.

The more and more I think about it, however, the more I come to believe that, whether Shepard had died or not, Anderson would have stayed behind. Who else would have led the resistance? Major Coats himself said that the resistance would be screwed were it not for him. Whoever the player takes control of, whether Alenko/Williams or a completely new superhero-N7-character-we've-never-heard-of-before, Anderson would expect them to step up to the plate while he went where he knew he was needed the most.