Starfleet is a Space Navy (military fleet)

They're Starfleet and subject to Starfleet's code of justice. The courts martial episodes show this.
Who resigned their commissions?

 

Of course context matters! The context in "Preemptive Strike" is as straight forward as it gets! Picard, the superior officer, has given his subordinate, Ro Laren, a mission and an order. If she chooses to disobey her orders or deliberately blows the mission he threatens her with court-martial. Like in any military past, present or future. Again, as straight forward as it gets! No hidden innuendoes and no double entendres whatsoever like your irrelevant quote.

 

I would take the usage of the words court martial and JAG to be loan words used by Starfleet to get the ideas across without them actually being what they were intended to be in the 20th century. We use load words all the time in the 21st century that aren't what they are actually for, but get the point across to people even if the word is actually the wrong usage of said word. Especially in business. In business and the corporate world, terms that should be military only get thrown around a lot and accepted because people understand what it meant by them, even if the terms are linguistically military only. The English language is evolving to not actually care where a word is from or what a word is suppose to be, but instead to take the most basic meaning of a word and run with it if it sounds cool. Largely due to the Internet and the post-Cable/Satellite TV generation. The logical evolution of this is that in two to three centuries, there will be words used that do not conform to their traditional meanings anymore, so long as they get the general definition of the word across to others.

 

But we see what those words mean as well. They seem to be the same as the 21st Century meanings.

 

Well done.

That's why first contact went so poorly.

They seem to find a civilian lawyer just fine for Kirk's court martial in "Court Martial." Must have been a shuttlecraft chaser.

Agreed.

I don't recall anyone resigning their commission prior to the convening of a courts-martial. Kirk certainly didn't, Worf didn't, and Spock didn't either.

 

It took about 36 pages but I'm fully in support of Crazy Eddie's crazy (see what I did there) point of view. Following the example of Japan, which constitutionally does not have a military despite having soldiers (I presume they are called soldiers), military equipment and the ability to wage war defend themselves from outside aggression, Starfleet is a Defense Force. Starfleet is not a military because the Federation constitution (no-doubt/this is head-canon) forbids the formation of a military and makes it unlawful for the Federation to start a war (the fact they did with the Dominion is a source of debate for another topic).

Outside countries might feel Japan has a military. If some nation were to invade Japan, they would expect to fight the Japanese Defense Force. Japan and the Japanese people do not believe they have a military and they will state they do not have a military.

Japan has a Defense Force. Who cares what Korea or China thinks? Let them call it a military if they want.

Outside civilizations may view Starfleet as the military arm of the Federation. Starfleet is capable of waging war but they are legally forbidden to start one. The Federation and Starfleet personnel (Picard, Scotty in NuTrek) do not believe they are a military and will state they aren't a military, Kirk can still claim to be a soldier just like Japanese Defense Force personnel can claim to be a soldier.

Starfleet is the de-facto military arm of the Federation but they shun the term and are (probably) constitutionally forbidden to use the term. Yes, it's self-imposed. Yes, it's PR. Yes, it's word-games but such verbal acrobatic are probably necessary when unifying alien species with vastly different thought processes and possible fears of alien conquest.

Starfleet is a Defense Force. Who cares what the Romulans or Klingons think. Let them consider Starfleet a military.

 

The majority of Starfleet's missions are basically what the 19th Century Royal and US Navy's missions. They both set up colonies, outposts/stations (akin to coaling stations), showed the flag (diplomacy), engaged in both anti-piracy and anti-slavery patrols, fought in wars, engaged in blockades, engaged in humanitarian relief missions, and explored their respective mediums (space and oceans).

 

Are you kidding? Those puny Humonns whooped them and their cranial ridges.
Disclaimer: By "humonns" I mean the totally Diverse species of Starfleet

These things don't always happen in deep space. The DMZ is pretty close to Earth, because they travel there or to DS9 in like 3 days or something.

 

Then you agree it's just a word game. Do we care what omnipotent god-like beings think?(you can say no)

 

If you are talking about Q, than no, frankly I don't care what he thinks Starfleet is, because his information on "humanity" in Encounter at Farpoint was outdated, much like Trelane's information was back in the 23rd century. He is not all-knowing it would appear.

 

And what's the difference between a Defense Force and a military? Absolutely none!

Here is a Japanese "non military" Helicopter Carrier.
Here is a Japanese "non military" Guided Missile Destroyer.
Here is a Japanese "non military" Attack Submarine.
Here is a Japanese "non military" Main Battle Tank.
Here is a Japanese "non military" Air-Superiority Fighter.
Here is a Japanese "non military" Multirole Fighter.
They look pretty indistinguishable from the "military" types to me.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has has a fleet of 154 ships including 4 helicopter carriers (called helicopter destroyers), 26 destroyers, 11 small destroyers (or frigates), 6 destroyer escorts (or corvettes), 18 attack submarines, 29 mine countermeasure vessels, 6 patrol vessels, 3 tank landing ships, 8 training vessels and a fleet of various auxiliary ships.

How much more they would have if their constitution allowed them to have a "Military" Navy?

 

And yet legally it is not and cannot be a military.

 

And legally Kim Jong-un's North Korea is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea!

 

So, taking that (excellent) argument to compare Starfleet against.
SF is armed with the latest weaponry, the best ships (some of which have pretty military sounding designations) it has tactical officers, it has ranks, it has courts martial (martial = relating to a millitary force), it has discipline that would be grounds for a workplace harassment legal claim in my (very civillian) job, it fights wars, conducts spying and secret tech stealing missions against other sovereign "nations". Hell, one ship can wipe a planet clean of life!!!
But its not millitary &€%÷$#×++!!!?????
Obviously it does every thing that a millitary does but is both unable (Fed politics) and unwilling to actually call itself a millitary (emphasis on exploration). Sounds to me as "meally mouth" to me as Picard using the PD to justify letting a pre-warp civilisation die out when a Starship was in range and could maybe help.
No wonder I prefer TOS!!

 

That might be true, but the US Coast Guard - which is also legally a military naval force (in fact the world's twelfth largest) would still find plenty to do. Which is probably in part why it isn't part of the DoD.

 

HM Coast Guard is - as you note above a civilian rescue agency (very similar in role to the volunteer RNLI) and the border control/law enforcement role is covered by the civilian UK Border Force, which use larger boats similar in size to the Sentinel-class cutter.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...HMRC_Valiant_BB.jpg/300px-HMRC_Valiant_BB.jpg
(Deck "gun" is a water cannon)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...0px-USCG_Sentinel_class_cutter_poster.pdf.jpg

(Armed with a 25mm cannon and machine guns).

Which sums up something that I've been wondering... We have quotes that say that Starfleet as an organisation "isn't a military", we have quotes describing individuals as "a soldier" (Kirk, O'Brien, Worf) and even Picard, who appears to be somewhat anti-military displays many of the characteristics of a "military bearing". Do we have any quotes from Starfleet personnel indicating that individuals within Starfleet aren't soldiers?