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Starfleet is a Space Navy (military fleet)
- Thread starter Baxten
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Feel free to provide specific examples. Let's see if they are anything comparable to redefining formal legal terms like JAG and court-martial and the authority that comes with them. Besides, incorrect usage does not equal redefining the language.
Otherwise, what you are essentially suggesting is that you need a special Star Trek dictionary that discards all the existing dictionaries just to properly watch the show: pause a film, star flipping through the pages until you come across a term, unpause a film, rinse and repeat. By the way, there is no special Star Trek dictionary that redefines JAG and court-martial.
Yet the Enterprise-D already had a dedicated battle bridge. Besides, they positioned "exploration" as if it were something that prevents military activity. It doesn't make any sense.
Memory Alpha: Red Squad
Red Squad or Cadet Training Squadron 47 was an elite group of cadets at Starfleet Academy. Red Squad members received special classes and advanced field training.
Their missions were special operations type of missions (e.g. sabotage) and they were given the command of the USS Valiant, a warship.
Memory Alpha: Advanced Tactical Training
Advanced Tactical Training was a special course for Starfleet officers. Officers must be recommended for this training. It was so difficult and challenging, in fact, that half of the class washed out each year.
Memory Alpha: Starfleet Security
Starfleet Security was an agency in Starfleet. This agency was one of the oldest with its origins dating back to the United Earth Starfleet. The agency was located at Fleet Operations Center in San Francisco, Earth, Sol Sector. The agency was responsible for safeguarding the Federation from internal and external threats, for conducting criminal investigations, and for guarding Federation facilities. (ENT: "Demons", directories)
TNG: "The Enemy"
PICARD: Commander [Tomalak], both our ships [the Enterprise-D and a Warbird] are ready to fight. We have two extremely powerful and destructive arsenals at our command. . . .
TNG: "Conundrum" (When the crew of the Enterprise lost memories)
WORF: I have completed a survey of our tactical systems. We are equipped with ten phaser banks, two hundred and fifty photon torpedoes, and a high capacity shield grid.
MACDUFF: We're a battleship.
WORF: It appears so.
MACDUFF: We're a battleship.
WORF: It appears so.
VOY: "The Thaw"
PARIS: This ship [Voyager] was built for combat performance, Harry, not musical performance. Nobody figured we'd be taking any long trips.
Dictionary: Warship
Memory Alpha: USS Bellerophon (NCC-74705)
"Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" writer Ronald D. Moore named the Bellerophon after the HMS Bellerophon, a British warship which served as part of a fleet commanded by Lord Nelson in the early 19th century.
VOY: "The Voyager Conspiracy"
SEVEN: The Captain ordered Commander Tuvok to destroy the array. He fired two tricobalt devices. Are those weapons normally carried on Federation Starships?
CHAKOTAY: No.
SEVEN: Yet they were part of Voyager's arsenal. Why?
CHAKOTAY: I can't explain that.
SEVEN: I can. Neither phasers nor torpedoes are capable of creating a tear in subspace. A tricobalt device is. . . .
CHAKOTAY: No.
SEVEN: Yet they were part of Voyager's arsenal. Why?
CHAKOTAY: I can't explain that.
SEVEN: I can. Neither phasers nor torpedoes are capable of creating a tear in subspace. A tricobalt device is. . . .
According to Star Trek: Insurrection, subspace weapons were banned by the Khitomer Accord:
DANIELS: They've detonated an isolytic burst. A subspace tear is forming.
RIKER: On screen.
PERIM: I thought subspace weapons were banned by the Khitomer Accord.
RIKER: Remind me to lodge a protest.
RIKER: On screen.
PERIM: I thought subspace weapons were banned by the Khitomer Accord.
RIKER: Remind me to lodge a protest.
Additionally, Starfleet vessels come equipped with spatial charges, which act as subspatial charges when fired into subspace.
Combined with what? If it's, say, U.S. Navy combined with NASA, while having JAG and court-martial, then it's still a military organization.
That still makes zero sense. If Starfleet were a paramilitary, why would it be opposed to honing its tactical skills (as mentioned in dialogue), especially in the absence of a military? Isn't Federation security a part of Starfleet's mission? Training tactical skills is the norm for paramilitaries. No, the dialogue tried to make it sound as if military activities and exploration were mutually exclusive.
Furthermore, the Borg were first introduced in TNG: "Q Who?" but in an even earlier episode, TNG: "The Measure of a Man", Starfleet already had JAG and court-martial (military court), which require for it to be a military organization. They are not just using those terms loosely; they were given an authority by the Federation to administer courts-martial within the Federation's jurisdiction. It's not just words, it's actions too.
No. If the Federation has given Starfleet a legal authority to conduct courts-martial and enforce military law within its jurisdiction, and it would be a military law if Starfleet enforces anything through courts-martial at all, then it is legally a military organization, by definition.
Despite the inconsistencies, one common thing throughout Star Trek has been JAG and courts-martial, which are exclusive to militaries. How can it be ever acceptable that Starfleet is not military, if, in addition to the legal branch of a military and a military court, they also fight all of the Federation wars? They have warships armed with torpedoes! Memory Alpha confirms that the Federation and Starfleet are allusions to USA and NATO. Only one side is wrong here.
@GabyBee
No, I've added to what you have been omitting all along.
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Four times in one thread is enough, thanks.
But that is exactly the point. Of course you will find evidence for your side. Just like the other side can find evidence for their point of view. Plenty of statements clearly say that Starfleet isn't a military organization. Then there's the heavy focus on scientific exploration, scientific personnel clearly being a major part of Starfleet, Starfleet personnel carrying out diplomatic duties and so on.
So the bottom line is that Starfleet has some aspects that are clearly military-like and some that aren't even remotely like present-day military. Which obviously means that Starfleet is... Starfleet. And shouldn't be crammed into today's categories.
...said both sides, providing plenty of evidence each.
Actually the answer I give is the correct one because it fits what we observe on screen and does not choose one side over the other. Moreover it fits the original intention of Starfleet.
It occurred to me... The question isn't whether Starfleet is military, it's whether a dedicated military exists at all. Earlier in Trek EARTH history, the answer might have been yes, evidence: The MACOs. However, either with the creation of the UFP (as suggested in Beyond) or soon after it seems to have disappeared. Why? Because of what I mentioned in my previous post. The vast distances generally eschew having two different arms of the UFP when a multi-mission force is more efficient. Starfleet ships are modular and easily adapted.
More proof is in DS9. If the UFP had a dedicated military force then it would have transferred command to it. It did not. Starfleet maintained it's operations and adapted to the military role, in effect becoming the military because that was mission at hand. During this period, it must have a protocol to form other dedicated military units, since we saw "marines" during wartime.
The answer I gave in the last post still fits all observations: pseudo-military. it is still tasked with other things as it's primary reason for being(as in the STNG Bible), but is fully capable of force when necessary. In order to facilitate operations it's organized with a military-like structure (including a JAG office, etc) but is not as rigid in protocol or with promotions. In effect, it is unlike the Navy we have today while still borrowing many of it's trappings.
RAMA
What did Mixer just say?
Well I'm glad this thread didn't disappoint. It never does, not any of the 100 times we've had it before, anyway.
The correct answer has already been given: there's no way to say for sure, because there are direct statements that contradict each other all throughout the franchise.
And of course, the whole none of this is real part just adds to the ambiguity.
Anyway...enjoy your fruitless arguing!
It occurred to me... The question isn't whether Starfleet is military, it's whether a dedicated military exists at all. Earlier in Trek EARTH history, the answer might have been yes, evidence: The MACOs. However, either with the creation of the UFP (as suggested in Beyond) or soon after it seems to have disappeared. Why? Because of what I mentioned in my previous post. The vast distances generally eschew having two different arms of the UFP when a multi-mission force is more efficient. Starfleet ships are modular and easily adapted.
More proof is in DS9. If the UFP had a dedicated military force then it would have transferred command to it. It did not. Starfleet maintained it's operations and adapted to the military role, in effect becoming the military because that was mission at hand. During this period, it must have a protocol to form other dedicated military units, since we saw "marines" during wartime.
The answer I gave in the last post still fits all observations: pseudo-military. it is still tasked with other things as it's primary reason for being(as in the STNG Bible), but is fully capable of force when necessary. In order to facilitate operations it's organized with a military-like structure (including a JAG office, etc) but is not as rigid in protocol or with promotions. In effect, it is unlike the Navy we have today while still borrowing many of it's trappings.
RAMA
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It seems when the word "military" is mentioned, for some, it conjurs up images of Saving Private Ryan or something. This isn't a debate over whether the Federation is 'militaristic,' or if Starfleet is 'militant.' As someone mentioned above, from the TNG bible, Starfleet is responsible for:
These are all functions of a military, particularly a Navy, either historically or modern day.
Do the Romulans have a military?
Remember when Archer first went out to explore? He's like "Hi! We're humans. We come from earth. Here's a map of how to find earth!" He quickly learned that they were outgunned on every side.
We really don't. It's enough that Starfleet OFFICERS understand that Starfleet isn't defined as a military organization. That implies that the Starfleet charter doesn't define it as one and neither does Federation law.
Put that another way: if we heard Major Kira say something like "The Bajoran Militia isn't a law enforcement agency, its purpose is the defense of Bajor and its people" then any argument for the Bajoran Militia being a police force would be null and avoid. It isn't a police force, but law enforcement is something they are able to do in some situations (e.g. "Constable Odo" runs DS9's security).
Basically, Starfleet isn't a military organization for the same reason Odo isn't a policeman.
To be absolutely clear: since we don't have access to this information, we have no grounds to contradict the claims by the people who DO. So if you disagree with Jean Luc Picard or Montgommery Scott about whether or not Starfleet is a military organization, you'd need to look up the Federation Charter or relevant federation law. Since we can't actually do that, we're just gonna have to take their word for it.
It's like the Cardassian military or the Bajoran Militia. It's like the Klingon Defense Force or the Imperial Romulan Navy. But unlike any of those organizations, Starfleet's primary function is apparently exploration, and is therefore most accurately described as a paramilitary exploration fleet.
It's actually the other way around. We were shown EXPLICITLY the events that lead to Starfleet's development of its defensive capabilities and what we saw in the Warp 5 program leaves no doubt whatsoever that weapons and tactical readiness were always a secondary consideration. This was, in fact, a very hard lesson for Starfleet to learn and it almost got them killed on numerous occasions; their adoption of harder military-style tactics was taken only grudgingly when it became clear that the low-intensity defensive tactics they expected to employ simply wouldn't cut it.
We see in TNG that nothing much has actually changed. Picard's argument with Q in ten forward is an echo of Archer's lack of preparedness after "Broken Bow." He is assuming that the Enterprise-D and ships like it are more than prepared for whatever unknown Q is trying to warn them about; the ship's tactical and defensive capabilities SHOULD be up to the task in dealing with any conventional threat, because Starfleet has spent two centuries cultivating the ability to out-tech just about everyone. It isn't until they get curb stomped by the Borg that he begins to think that maybe their "good enough but just barely" defenses aren't going to do the job...
And his answer to that is the Brasolta War Games. Think about what's going on in that episode: "Peak Performance" sees Riker taking a skeleton crew to salvage an eighty year old hulk and see if they can quickly get it running well enough to take on the most powerful ship in the entire Starfleet. That's not even a military challenge, that's an ENGINEERING one: the entire point of that exercise was to test the crew's ingenuity and problem solving skills: "If we put a team of Starfleet officer's in the shittiest position imaginable, will they be able to [tech] their way out of it?"
And considering this is the EXACT skill set that eventually defeated the Borg, it seems clear to that Starfleet's ability to deconstruct their opponents doesn't even REQUIRE a great deal of combat proficiency. Why would you need to spend thousands of hours on advanced tactical training when you can hit your enemies with a tachyon pulse that instantly turns all of their weapons into dildos?
SHE'S A PREDATOR
Star Trek: Nemesis
From another discussion elsewhere, involving the Scimitar:
What does that make the Enterprise-E? At the very least a warship, if not a predator. And remember, other factions have sensors or scanners for tactical analysis too.
Now, imagine the Enterprise meet new species and civilizations and say, "Starfleet is not a military organization. Its purpose is exploration." Meanwhile, they do a tactical analysis of the Enterprise and see that it's actually a warship or a predator, as has been proven by Nemesis. Would you trust Starfleet then? But somehow, various Star Trek factions are eagerly lining up to join the Federation, and once they do, we never see their own fleets again; it's all Starfleet from then on. Don't you find it the least bit suspicious?
WHERE ARE THE NON-STARFLEET FEDERATION FLEETS?
Andorian fleet:
Vulcan fleet:
In other words, where are the non-Starfleet Federation fleets in major Federation wars and conflicts, like the Dominion War, so you get to see other Federation member fleets fight alongside each other instead of always this?
Does the Federation membership actually mean joining Starfleet, its military? Sounds more like vassals than allies. Why does this stink of NATO propaganda?
Star Trek: Nemesis
PICARD: Tactical analysis, Mister Worf.
WORF: Fifty-two disruptor banks, twenty-seven photon torpedo bays, primary and secondary shields.
PICARD: She's a predator.
WORF: Fifty-two disruptor banks, twenty-seven photon torpedo bays, primary and secondary shields.
PICARD: She's a predator.
From another discussion elsewhere, involving the Scimitar:
The Scimitar isn't as powerful as most people think [. . .], the number of weapons is hardly imposing. The Galor and Keldon class ships each have over 60 phaser banks, so the Scimitar's 52 is nothing to worry about. The Galaxy class can fire at LEAST 20 torpedoes at any one time, and the Neghvar can probably match, if not exceed that. The Sovereign can fire somewhere around the equivalent of 30 photon torpedoes, counting the quantums as 3x as powerful as a photon.
And interestingly, we never saw the Scimitar fire more than one torpedo from a single tube, meaning that canonically, all her 27 tubes are likely just singe-fire only. In other words, the Ent-E actually outgunned the Scimitar.
And this is easily seen in the Ent-E's final attack, when they fired just 9 quantum torpedoes and took the Scimitar's shields down by 30%. In other words, the Scimitar's shields were actually weaker than the Ent-E's own shields. (And remember that at the time, the Ent-E didn't even have a working warp core, so the Scimitar's shields are weaker than a crippled Sovereign's shields.)
. . .
So again, take the Scimitar: 27 torpedo tubes. Okay, sounds good. But how many torps can each of those tubes fire? The canonical answer? 1. One torp at a time per tube. That's a maximum torpedo power of just 27 torpedoes in one volley. Like I said, the Sovereign can put out an equivalent of 30 photons, at the very LEAST. [. . .] Again, this is proven by the fact that just 9 quantums was enough to take the Scimitar's shields down to 70%.
. . .
[Its] hull seems REALLY thin, and once they managed to get some good shots in, they took the Scimitar's shields to 70% a lot faster than the Scimitar could do to them. [It] also seems rather [unmaneuverable].
And interestingly, we never saw the Scimitar fire more than one torpedo from a single tube, meaning that canonically, all her 27 tubes are likely just singe-fire only. In other words, the Ent-E actually outgunned the Scimitar.
And this is easily seen in the Ent-E's final attack, when they fired just 9 quantum torpedoes and took the Scimitar's shields down by 30%. In other words, the Scimitar's shields were actually weaker than the Ent-E's own shields. (And remember that at the time, the Ent-E didn't even have a working warp core, so the Scimitar's shields are weaker than a crippled Sovereign's shields.)
. . .
So again, take the Scimitar: 27 torpedo tubes. Okay, sounds good. But how many torps can each of those tubes fire? The canonical answer? 1. One torp at a time per tube. That's a maximum torpedo power of just 27 torpedoes in one volley. Like I said, the Sovereign can put out an equivalent of 30 photons, at the very LEAST. [. . .] Again, this is proven by the fact that just 9 quantums was enough to take the Scimitar's shields down to 70%.
. . .
[Its] hull seems REALLY thin, and once they managed to get some good shots in, they took the Scimitar's shields to 70% a lot faster than the Scimitar could do to them. [It] also seems rather [unmaneuverable].
What does that make the Enterprise-E? At the very least a warship, if not a predator. And remember, other factions have sensors or scanners for tactical analysis too.
Now, imagine the Enterprise meet new species and civilizations and say, "Starfleet is not a military organization. Its purpose is exploration." Meanwhile, they do a tactical analysis of the Enterprise and see that it's actually a warship or a predator, as has been proven by Nemesis. Would you trust Starfleet then? But somehow, various Star Trek factions are eagerly lining up to join the Federation, and once they do, we never see their own fleets again; it's all Starfleet from then on. Don't you find it the least bit suspicious?
WHERE ARE THE NON-STARFLEET FEDERATION FLEETS?
Andorian fleet:
Vulcan fleet:
In other words, where are the non-Starfleet Federation fleets in major Federation wars and conflicts, like the Dominion War, so you get to see other Federation member fleets fight alongside each other instead of always this?
Does the Federation membership actually mean joining Starfleet, its military? Sounds more like vassals than allies. Why does this stink of NATO propaganda?
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"Don't mind us. We're just scientists and diplomats… exploring"!
There is no such thing as "non-Starfleet Federation fleets". Starfleet is it.
And no, that's not suspicious. All Federation member worlds (and even some that aren't) contribute resources and personnel to Starfleet.
Also @Baxten, I might remind you that those Vulcan and Andorian fleets are from a time before there WAS a Federation. Once the UFP was formed, all of those fleets automatically became part of Starfleet. That's just how it works.
And no, that's not suspicious. All Federation member worlds (and even some that aren't) contribute resources and personnel to Starfleet.
Also @Baxten, I might remind you that those Vulcan and Andorian fleets are from a time before there WAS a Federation. Once the UFP was formed, all of those fleets automatically became part of Starfleet. That's just how it works.
Imagine you were driving across the desert and came across a group of air force personnel launching weather balloons. You decide to pull over and check it out. The OIC is a Colonel, and you ask him what they're doing. He says "Were conducting atmospheric experiments. These guys are training to be meteorologists."
And you say "Wow, I thought the air force just flew bombers and fighters and cool stealth aircraft."
Now imagine the Colonel said "Yeah, a lot of people think the Air Force is a military, but it's actually a scientific organization."
That's about as asinine as Picard's statement that keeps getting plastered to the thread wall here. If Picard had said "Starfleet's more of an exploratory.....than a military..." or "Starfleet's mission is much more than a military..." his statement would be much more accurate, but when he throws out an inaccurate, false dichotomy, it sounds awfully silly.
And you say "Wow, I thought the air force just flew bombers and fighters and cool stealth aircraft."
Now imagine the Colonel said "Yeah, a lot of people think the Air Force is a military, but it's actually a scientific organization."
That's about as asinine as Picard's statement that keeps getting plastered to the thread wall here. If Picard had said "Starfleet's more of an exploratory.....than a military..." or "Starfleet's mission is much more than a military..." his statement would be much more accurate, but when he throws out an inaccurate, false dichotomy, it sounds awfully silly.
I'm still on page 10. I'm sorry if I'm repeating what might already have been addressed by now. I haven't seen these points addressed clearly and I'd like to do so before the impending lock for off topic comments.
Along with civilian, another important definition of "paramilitary" must include:
par·a·mil·i·tar·y
adjective: paramilitary; adjective: para-military
1. (of an unofficial force) organized similarly to a military force.
"soldiers and police have been killed in conflicts with the drug cartels and their paramilitary allies"
noun: paramilitary; plural noun: paramilitaries; noun: para-military; plural noun: para-militaries
1. a member of an unofficial paramilitary organization.
A paramilitary organization is UNOFFICIAL! Any official government organization cannot, by definition, be paramilitary.
This is from Merriam-Webster:
So, granted, a government can form and tacitly support a paramilitary organization. That organization, though, is still unofficial.
Paramilitary is never used to refer to any officially formed or sanctioned governmental organization. If we're going to use the word paramilitary, then let's use it correctly.
What historical precedent is there for any exploratory and scientific organization that also conducts defense? Can such an organization exist? Isn't that like claiming that the Red Cross (or Red Crescent) can also conduct defense? It's illegal according to the Geneva Convention to fire upon unarmed non-military units and groups. That big red cross or crescent is supposed to be a big red flag telling everyone "WE ARE NONCOMBATANTS!"
Oh, there is a good word! NONCOMBATANT! Are Starfleet personnel combatants or noncombatants? That's probably the bottom line.
It's like this, if the Earth was invaded by aliens from space, who would rise to defend the planet? Would it be NASA or the ESA? No. They would work with the military but they definitely wold not take the lead in defending the Earth from extra-terrestrial invaders.
Starfleet takes the lead in defending the Federation from invaders.
If Starfleet is not the military, then they need to get out of the way and let the military fight the wars. Who fought the Dominion? Starfleet. Who conducts spy missions or defense missions against Klingons or Romulans? Starfleet. Who sends covert operatives into Cardassian space? Starfleet.
If Starfleet is not the military then, after 50 years, where has the military been? As someone said pages ago who are the people of the Federation turning to to fight their wars or defend their territory? Starfleet.
Along with civilian, another important definition of "paramilitary" must include:
par·a·mil·i·tar·y
adjective: paramilitary; adjective: para-military
1. (of an unofficial force) organized similarly to a military force.
"soldiers and police have been killed in conflicts with the drug cartels and their paramilitary allies"
noun: paramilitary; plural noun: paramilitaries; noun: para-military; plural noun: para-militaries
1. a member of an unofficial paramilitary organization.
A paramilitary organization is UNOFFICIAL! Any official government organization cannot, by definition, be paramilitary.
This is from Merriam-Webster:
So, granted, a government can form and tacitly support a paramilitary organization. That organization, though, is still unofficial.
Paramilitary is never used to refer to any officially formed or sanctioned governmental organization. If we're going to use the word paramilitary, then let's use it correctly.
What historical precedent is there for any exploratory and scientific organization that also conducts defense? Can such an organization exist? Isn't that like claiming that the Red Cross (or Red Crescent) can also conduct defense? It's illegal according to the Geneva Convention to fire upon unarmed non-military units and groups. That big red cross or crescent is supposed to be a big red flag telling everyone "WE ARE NONCOMBATANTS!"
Oh, there is a good word! NONCOMBATANT! Are Starfleet personnel combatants or noncombatants? That's probably the bottom line.
It's like this, if the Earth was invaded by aliens from space, who would rise to defend the planet? Would it be NASA or the ESA? No. They would work with the military but they definitely wold not take the lead in defending the Earth from extra-terrestrial invaders.
Starfleet takes the lead in defending the Federation from invaders.
If Starfleet is not the military, then they need to get out of the way and let the military fight the wars. Who fought the Dominion? Starfleet. Who conducts spy missions or defense missions against Klingons or Romulans? Starfleet. Who sends covert operatives into Cardassian space? Starfleet.
If Starfleet is not the military then, after 50 years, where has the military been? As someone said pages ago who are the people of the Federation turning to to fight their wars or defend their territory? Starfleet.
I always felt that any statements to the effect of "Starfleet is not a military organization" worked a lot better if you read an implied "primarily" in there. How they choose to brand themselves doesn't change what they actually do.
First vessel to complete a submerged voyage under the North Pole?
The USS Nautilus (SSN-571). Hey what do you know? A military vessel!
One could fill this whole thread with similar military (and scientific) expeditions.
The USS Nautilus (SSN-571). Hey what do you know? A military vessel!
One could fill this whole thread with similar military (and scientific) expeditions.
Besides, the idea that Starfleet is primarily about exploration is overruled by the fact that a small percentage of Starfleet actually engages in exploration. In the time of TOS only the Constitution class ships engaged in deep space exploration, truly going where none had before, and there were only twelve such ships, and even then they still got assignments within the Federation. In TNG's time it was only the Galaxy class ships doing this, of which there were only initially six. More were eventually built, but that was due to war. I suppose you could expand this to the smaller science ships like the Oberths and later Nova class which were essentially the sloppy seconds, the ones who went to the planets just discovered by the Constitution or the Galaxy class boys and girls and conducted more in-depth surveys and analysis, but that's it. Those are the only ones in Starfleet involved in exploring. Everyone else does border patrol, protecting shipping lanes ferrying dignitaries, search and rescue, all those other things navies and coast guards do plus whatever it is that goes on on starbases and space stations.
Hell, a similar argument can be made that only a small percentage of Star Trek in general is actually about exploration. Seriously, review TOS and TNG and you'll notice they were very often doing anything other than exploring. Also it is somewhat ironic that many in fandom get all bent out of shape over the fact that "Starfleet isn't a military" and then the most popular episode of TNG is the one in the alternate timeline where Starfleet intentionally is depicted as a military.
Hell, a similar argument can be made that only a small percentage of Star Trek in general is actually about exploration. Seriously, review TOS and TNG and you'll notice they were very often doing anything other than exploring. Also it is somewhat ironic that many in fandom get all bent out of shape over the fact that "Starfleet isn't a military" and then the most popular episode of TNG is the one in the alternate timeline where Starfleet intentionally is depicted as a military.
In the way that NOAA personnel equipment and stations are unarmed and do not shoot at people. NOAA is not sent to infiltrate foreign agencies and conduct military style missions.
Starfleet, on the other hand, does just that.
As for the comparison to the Coast Guard.... USCG is a branch of the military. They aren't paramilitary. They aren't pseudomilitary. They are part of the military.
Unofficial in its capacity as a military, yes. That simply means the organization isn't officially designated as a military organization even if it ACTS like one in a particular circumstance. The CIA's "Special Activities Division" for example is not considered a military unit because the Central Intelligence Agency is not part of the military. Same for the FBI's counterterrorism units. Both of them are paramilitary organizations that can and do engage in combat operations and can sometimes even participate in wars but are not "military" because they are supervised by civilian authorities.
Sure it is. It's just less popular in English speaking countries who prefer to use more politically correct jargon for their paramilitary forces. As I mentioned earlier, it's a lot like how the U.S. and Israel do this thing called "precision targeted killing" that by literally every definition you can imagine is actually called "assassination," or how "extraordinary rendition" is political jargon for "kidnapping."
It gets even sillier when you have government employees or intelligence operatives who become involved in something called extrajudicial killing.
"You just murdered that guy."
"That wasn't a murder. That was an extrajudicial killing."
"Huh... so you killed that guy?"
"Yes."
"Without trial?"
"Yes."
"Just because you thought he deserved it?"
"Hell yes."
"How is that not a murder, exactly?"
"Because it was an extrajudicial killing!"
That IS the correct definition of the word. I'm unconcerned with butthurt politicians not wanting to describe their own barely-legal militias for what they truly are. Even the private militias that are currently called "paramilitary" under a NEGATIVE connotation once had the blessing and support of the state back in the days when their existence was convenient and useful; those same organizations and their successors are now a nuisance in modern, but it doesn't change what they ARE, and it doesn't mean they won't be useful again in the future.
Earth Starfleet, 2151.
Obviously.
Incorrect. It's illegal according to the Geneva Conventions to fire upon noncombatants. Paramilitary units operating on the battlefield and taking part in hostilities are, by definition, combatants.
Likewise, it is illegal for combatants to pretend to be civilians or continue to behave AS civilians while also taking up arms and participating in combat. You don't get to call yourself a "civilian" just because you're not actually a part of any recognized military; if you're armed and taking part in combat along with an organized group, you're a combatant.
They're combatants, and explicitly so. As are MOST paramilitary units in time of war.
That depends on a lot of things. To begin with, if the invading aliens are microbial in nature, it would be NEITHER of those organizations and actually the CDC would do most of the defense.
If the aliens are non-sentient predators with a taste for human flesh, it would probably be a combination of animal control or the park ranger service plus local police and wildlife specialists.
If the aliens are composed of non-baryonic matter and can only interact with human beings and the world we live in by causing highly focussed gravitational distortions, it would probably be a combination of NASA and CERN.
If the aliens are a race of tiny machines that do not even recognize human beings as life forms and focus their attacks almost exclusively on our smartphones (which, having read our twitter feeds, they see as blasphemous and illogical) it would again probably be NASA in conjunction with the Geek Squad.
I mention this, because THIS is the kind of shit the Federation has to deal with on a regular basis. There are two, possibly three military threats to Federation security in any given century, and most of those are tackled by a combination of deterrence, diplomacy, and the fact that every Federation planet is surrounded by a barricade of formidable and MOSTLY AUTOMATED defense systems. But military threats are just a tiny fraction of the things that cause problems for them; Federation planets are getting eaten by doomsday machines, giant space amoebas, vengeful demigods from previous centuries, incorporeal life-sucking monsters, salt vampires, parasitic potato pancakes, rock-eating pizza creatures, flesh-eating shapeshifters, lost space probes with abandonment issues and whatever the hell this thing was:
None of these are military threats, and none of them have military solutions, and yet Starfleet has to be ready to deal with EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE on a daily basis.
So the military mission of Starfleet is HEAVILY diluted by all of its other duties, which is required of them to be able to analyze and deconstruct a threat and then deliver a custom-made solution specific to those circumstances. Most of those solutions don't even involve weapons capability or tactical training, but rather the immense scientific acumen of Starfleet officers and their ability to solve problems quickly and effectively.
Starfleet IS the CDC. Starfleet IS the red cross. Starfleet IS the Geek Squad. Starfleet IS Fermilab, CERN, Lawrence Livermore and Stockholm. Starfleet IS animal control. Starfleet is NOAA in a galaxy where hurricanes sometimes achieve sentience and DELIBERATELY blow away half your coastline because you said mean things about their mothers. Starfleet is the fisheries service in a universe where killer whales once declared war on the entire fishing industry for stealing all their fish. Starfleet is whatever the hell would get involved if the angry spirit of Amelia Erheart started hijacking airliners and raping their pilots. A military organization can't do all of those things and still BE a military; that would be mission creep of the most extreme kind. Calling Starfleet a military is like calling the U.S. Army a football team: "play football" is something the Army definitely does, but that's FAR from its primary purpose.
Unless the Federation doesn't HAVE a military. Seems pretty likely considering they never needed one before.
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The Japanese Coast Guard -- which is somewhat larger than the USCG -- is not.
And the U.S. Coast Guard is actually a merger of two other organizations -- the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Rescue Service -- which were NOT military organizations at all. For that matter, the Coast Guard wasn't a military agency either until the outbreak of World War I, and the merger worked so well that Congress made it permanent in 1920.
The Coast Guards of MOST countries aren't military organizations and are better described as maritime police and rescue services. Of all western countries, only the United States incorporates its coast guard as part of its military because, shit, EVERYTHING is part of the military here
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