Starfleet Headquarters Commands

[Shamrock Holmes]

The Blu-Ray remastered version of Measure of a Man includes a number of screenshots that appear to give some idea of the top-level departments in Starfleet:


STARFLEET REGULATION 02-0933-3462F
PER REFERENCE (THETA), THE COMMANDING STARBASE ADMIRAL MAY, WITHIN AUTHORIZED STRENGTHS, TRANSFER ANY COMMISSIONED OFFICER FROM THE STARFLEET DEEP SPACE EXPLORATORY CORPS*, THE STARFLEET DIPLOMATIC SERVICE^, THE STARFLEET SCIENTIFIC CORPS, THE STARFLEET OPERATIONAL SUPPORT COMMAND, STARFLEET ACADEMY, AND THE DAYSTROM INSTITUTE AND APPOINT THE OFFICER IN ANY OF THE OTHER STARFLEET SERVICES.

THE TRANSFER MUST BE WITHIN THE AUTHORIZED STRENGTH LIMITATIONS OF THE GAINING STARFLEET SERVICE AND MUST BE, BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT OF THE TWO DEPARTMENTS, IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS INTERSERVICE AND INTERDEPARTMENTAL TRANSFERS WILL BE DISAPPROVED IF EITHER THE GAINING OR LOSING SERVICE DOES NOT CONCUR. IF AN OFFICER ENTERS ON DEEP SPACE SERVICE AND IS SUBJECT 10 PLACEMENT ON THE DEEP SPACE DUTY LIST, STARFLEET PERSONNEL MAY, WITH THE OFFICER'S CONSENT OR WITH THE OFFICER'S REQUEST, ANY TIME TO THE CONVENING OF THE STARFLEET COMMAND OR STARBASE SELECTION BOARD, DEFER THE OFFICER'S ELIGIBILITY FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE ZONE OR ABOVE ZONE FOR PROMOTION BY ANY DEEP SPACE CORPS* SELECTION BOARD.

STARFLEET REGULATION 02 0933 3459C
REQUESTS FOR STARFLEET EXPLORATORY CORPS* PERSONNEL TO PERFORM DUTY WITH OTHER STARFLEET DIVISIONS WILL BE ADDRESSED TO THE CHIEF OF STARFLEET OPERATIONS OR TO THE COMMANDER OF THE REGIONAL STARBASE WITH AUTHORITY OVER THE OFFICER'S SERVICE REGION REQUESTS MUST INDICATE THE BILLET DESCRIPTION, NUMBER, GRADE, LENGTH OF TOUR, AND SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS DESIRED.

UPON APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST. THE CHIEF OF STARFLEET PERSONNEL WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL LIAISON REQUIRED IN CONNECTION WITH THE ADMINISTRATION AND PERSONNEL MATTERS AFFECTING SUCH MEMBERS THIS ACTIVITY WILL NORMALLY BE LOCATED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE REQUESTING AGENCY AND IS HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMANDER

THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMANDER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CUSTODY AND MAINTENANCE OF THE OFFICER'S SERVICE RECORD, DISSEMINATION OF STARFLEET DIRECTIVES, AND ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS AND APPROPRIATE FORMS FOR REQUIRED STARFLEET REPORTS. THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT PERTAIN TO ADMINISTRATION OF STARFLEET OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO INTERSTELLAR STAFFS, JOINT STAFFS, OR PLANETSIDE STAFFS.

*It seems likely that the differences between these names is either an error or the "Deep Space (Exploratory) Corps" is a sub-command of Exploratory Corps rather than a separate service. I would further assume that most of the hero characters in Star Trek have been members of this command (TrekLit id's this as UESPA, but may be a UESPA-Andorian Guard hybrid)

^This is likely most R & D, but may act as the Starfleet Liasion department for civilian research projects, extra-UFP and non-Starfleet scientific organisations like the Hansen's 'Find the Borg' mission, the duck-blind teams in Who Watches the Watchers and Insurrection, and the Vulcan Science Directorate and Vulcan Exploratory Group.

Does this seem plausible?

 

[Finn]

I don't know what's going on here

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

I'm not entirely sure of the context myself, however I would assume that the screenshots come from the scenes at the beginning of MoaM where Picard is researching ways to fight Data's transfer.

My question is that does it make sense given the content above that the top-level command at Starfleet HQ is:

Commander-in-Chief Starfleet (also known as the Commander, Starfleet), then six Service Chiefs - Chief of Exploratory Corps, Chief of Diplomatic Service, Chief of Scientific Corps, Chief of Operational Support Command, Commandant/Superintendant of Starfleet Academy and the Dean of the Daystrom Institute.

Various specialist agencies would operate under the jurisdiction of the various Service Chiefs, most "starship commanders" have a reporting line that runs through the Exploratory Corps, the SCE and Starfleet Security/Intelligence ultimately report to the Chief of OSC, I'm not sure whether medical officers would be under OSC or SCIC maybe both?

 

[Finn]

Dude. You are the OP. I don't know what you are trying to do here. You seem to be sprouting trek nonsense. Are you talking about something from the novels or some kind of fan film, or one of the trek games?

 

[Thanos007]

Isn't the Daystrom Institute a civilian organization? Hence it not being called The Starfleet School of Higher Learning or some such.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

Dude. You are the OP. I don't know what you are trying to do here. You seem to be sprouting trek nonsense. Are you talking about something from the novels or some kind of fan film, or one of the trek games?

Nope, if that was the case I'd post it in the fan fiction sub-forum.

As noted in my previous post, the information is from a monitor screen inserted into the Blu-Ray version of Measure of a Man.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...ision/latest?cb=20121211003635&path-prefix=en

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/8/8e/Starfleet_transfer_regulation_detail_2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20121211003637&path-prefix=en

As far as the Daystrom Institute goes, given that Bruce Maddox holds the "Associate Chair for Robotics" at Daystrom in the same episode, and Dr Leah Brahms of the Daystrom Institute worked on the Galaxy-class Development Project, it seems obvious that it is a "shared facility" and therefore any Starfleet officers working there would still be covered under Starfleet regulations.

 

[Finn]

So you are querying about a screencap from TNG's Measure of a Man? But I'm still unclear what kind of discussion you are trying to have concerning the screencap.

I guess I don't take it seriously to analyze the protocols behind the scenes for situations like this.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I don't know what's going on here

It's a simple yes or no question.

My answer is meh.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

So you are querying about a screencap from TNG's Measure of a Man? But I'm still unclear what kind of discussion you are trying to have concerning the screencap.

One of the criticisms that has been aired in previous versions of similar debates (particularly regarding rank) is that we know relatively little about the upper levels of Starfleet brass (which is a fair point), my question is - does this give us a (soft) canon answer to this? Could this be held as a analgous to the US 'Joint Chiefs of Staff"? (With the addition of at least one of the Commander-in-Chief, Starfleet/Commander, Starfleet/Starfleet Chief of Staff).

I guess I don't take it seriously to analyze the protocols behind the scenes for situations like this.

It's a simple yes or no question.

My answer is meh.

Fair enough, I understand that it's not a question that most people worry about.

 

[Timo]

I'm game for trying to interpret this, but I gather there isn't much to debate in the end. There are plenty of references to a separate exploration command (I'm in the camp that considers Exploratory Corps merely the short form of Deep Space Exploration Corps, managed by this Command/Division) in dedication plaques, although we never learn whether this would be half of Starfleet's mandate, or just a small survey office clinging onto the military behemoth.

I'm fine with the idea that UFP Starfleet's exploration arm somehow derives from that of the United Earth. And perhaps UESPA could have been the exploratory arm of old Earth, since apparently Starfleet was no good at it when launching its first-ever deep space explorer in "Broken Bow". And perhaps no other early UFP members had their own SPAs to contribute, making UESPA a prominent influence overall. The transition away from such an arrangement might have been recent in TOS, influencing Kirk's thinking in "Tomorrow is Yesterday" - but I doubt this still affects Picard when he speaks of Starfleet not being military, say. Nor would it make sense to excuse Picard by suggesting that Starfleet is split evenly in Military and Exploration branches, since this is not what Picard is saying.

What I find interesting here is the ability to draft from the Daystrom Institute. Is this a paramilitary organization of sorts, then? Drafting from DARPA today might be within reason (many military professionals working there) - but I don't know if it would work in practice / de jure... It's of course equally weird to draft from the Diplomatic Corps, but at least there we know Starfleet has its own diplomats, unlike most of today's or even yesterday's navies. Although only by virtue of an obscure computer readout again.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[The Old Mixer]

It's not a matter of drafting...it's a matter of an existing Starfleet officer being assigned to work with them.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

What I find interesting here is the ability to draft from the Daystrom Institute. Is this a paramilitary organization of sorts, then? Drafting from DARPA today might be within reason (many military professionals working there) - but I don't know if it would work in practice / de jure... It's of course equally weird to draft from the Diplomatic Corps, but at least there we know Starfleet has its own diplomats, unlike most of today's or even yesterday's navies. Although only by virtue of an obscure computer readout again.

I would imagine SDC personnel are most analogus to US Bureau of Diplomatic Security/DSS, JAG/IG, science/medical advisors etc rather than the actual diplomats (who are mostly part of Federation Diplomatic Corps.

There are certainly active duty military personnel within DARPA who could be transfered back to convential positions as needed, AFAIK they are mostly civilians though. USAMRIID (The Army's CDC) would be another potential model.

Another similar situation to the DI in the RW might be the NOAA and PHS corps, the organisation as a whole is civilian (tho still a federal uniformed service), however (especially in times of war) the personnel can be transferred to the military at the rank equivalent to their current paygrade.

It's not a matter of drafting...it's a matter of an existing Starfleet officer being assigned to work with them.

Mostly, yeah. Though something like the NOAA/PHS scenario could also work in reverse.

 

[Tim Thomason]

While there are civilians involved in Starfleet (at least, as of the TNG era), they are very low in number compared to modern day service organizations. Starfleet is alot more self-sufficient, seeming to rely very little on civilian assistance or outside contractors.

Starfleet is also a beast, a behemoth in size by the TNG era, if we take some of their responsibilities in Homefront to heart. They run the exploration branch, the military (er, uh, self-defence?) branches, they have their own intelligence agency (not including the super-secret one everyone knows about), they run a Diplomatic Corps, there's also a news service, apparently they share responsibility over Daystrom...

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

While there are civilians involved in Starfleet (at least, as of the TNG era), they are very low in number compared to modern day service organizations. Starfleet is alot more self-sufficient, seeming to rely very little on civilian assistance or outside contractors.

Starfleet is also a beast, a behemoth in size by the TNG era, if we take some of their responsibilities in Homefront to heart. They run the exploration branch, the military (er, uh, self-defence?) branches, they have their own intelligence agency (not including the super-secret one everyone knows about), they run a Diplomatic Corps, there's also a news service, apparently they share responsibility over Daystrom...

I agree that Starfleet exploration and defense branch (for the purposes of thread, the Starfleet DSC/DSEC/EC) is majority 'uniform personnel' - even the Galaxy-class, explictly the most civilian heavy ship type in the Fleet, was <20% civilian inc minor dependents (so probably more like 5-15%).

Given that there is also a Federation Diplomatic Corps, my assumption would be that the SDC is mainly diplomatic projection, admistrative and transportation personnel, rather than the actual diplomats who would be FDC, the Starfleet News Service appears to be relatively obscure (perhaps specifically a Starfleet PR group, they were only seen on E-B, and seem to be a civilian at that), with the Federation News Service doing most of the general reporting?