Starfleet Security

[neozeks]

A while ago I made a thread about ground forces and one of the arguments for their existance was that you don't use security guards (ship's security) as your soldiers. This has got me thinking about the 'security' aspect of Starfleet. Of course, a LOT of speculation follows (including the supposed existence of Ground Forces; I know they are debatable but I'll include them anyway).

First, to emphasize - 'Starfleet Security' and 'Starfleet security' are not the same thing.

The first is an organization, a command within Starfleet dealing with what we would normally perceive as security/military police matters - installation and personnel security and protection, policies and techniques in this regard, counterintelligence, major criminal investigations etc.

The second I see as reffering to something broader - an entire community of officers/enlisted specialized in 'security' understood as matters connected to the use of force. The community is further divided into several broad fields, these being:

1) Law Enforcement - this is where your typical police-type duties are found: criminal investigations relating to Starfleet, security, protection and maintaining law and order at Starfleet installations in locations not expected to require real combat (ie. SF HQ), running Starfleet prisons - in other words detectives and security guards
2) Combat - these are, simply put, soldiers, people trained in infantry warfare, personal weapons use and close combat
3) Tactical Systems - people specialized in operation and maintenance (though some of that could also fall to the engineers) of mounted weapons, phasers and torpedoes - so, torpedomen and similar and bridge tactical officers.

What's important to note here is this - most ship security, TOS redshirts/TNG yellowshorts do NOT fall into the first but into the second category. They're not simple security guards, they're in essence fullblown Marines and by that I mean the original (think Napoleonic era) Marines, true naval infantry, tasked with boardings, defending from boardings as well as from-the-sea/space land missions ('away missions').
In fact, I'd say most of their training is identical with the security community personnel comprising the Ground Forces (together with combat-trained medics and engineers). I could see there being a first joint phase of training after which the trainees choose which sub-field to receive further specialisation in - close-quarters combat, boardings etc. for ships and more detailed land tactics for ground. But it wouldn't be too hard or uncommon for people to get both qualifications and thus be able to serve in both roles. Ship security could often be expected to fill the gap before dedicated land troops arive or to supplement them once they are there.

As for the first category, except on the bigger ships, you won't often see more than one (or, on the smallest ships, even one) of the 'detective' type. Since I see crosstraining as widespread in Starfleet, commonly the ship's Chief of Security will have both the LE and Combat qualification and serve as both the ship's (head of) detective(s) and the head of 'Marines'. Maybe it will even be a requirement for becoming the Chief.

Pure security guards won't even be present on ships. The redshirts, acting under the authority of the CoS, will fill that role. After all, one of the main tasks of the original Marines was maintaining shipboard discipline. And if I'm not mistaken, untill relatively recently Marines were still present on US Navy ships in something resembling this role (and there are still Marine security guards at embassies and such).

OTOH, stations like DS9 could be expected to have a larger complement of LE personnel, especially if they are not expected to see combat. Like that Primmin guy from DS9, he seemed much more of a policeman than a soldier.
And most LE personnel would be found at Starfleet Security and it's specialized investigative and other units.

As for the third category I could also see them present both on ships/stations and in ground units. Ship's phasers and ground artillery phasers won't be that dissimilar, I'd wager. Specific training would still be required required, of course. Extensive crosstraining combined with limited space for personnel could again explain how we could see one guy, Worf or Tuvok, running these matters as well as the above mentioned.

I know some of these things may not make complete sense from the perspective of how things are done today but I had to juggle some things around to match what we see on-screen.

And now, if anyone has read through that wall of text, I'd like to know what you think.

 

[indolover]

Starfleet security to me seems a mixture of the following:

- physical security, in maintaining alarm systems, computer security, forcefields, etc. Essentially ensuring that nobody can gain unauthorised entry to the ship.

- tactical systems, so obviously phasers, quantum torpedoes, etc.

- criminal investigations

So somebody like Worf, Odo or Tuvok would have a number of roles to juggle, such as ensuring nobody can infiltrate the ship, investigating thefts aboard the vessel/station, and maintaining the ship's weapons systems.

 

[T'Girl]

1) Law Enforcement
2) Combat
3) Tactical Systems

Focusing on TOS, I believe all the red shirts we saw were military police officers. Tactical systems, during Balance of Terror, were being run by gold shirts. Security aboard ship controlled access (guard doorways), guard and escorted prisoners, patrolled corridors, acted as ceremonial guards. When on landing parties, their primary duties would seem to be that of bodyguards, but they also served as scouts. During red alerts I can see teams of security waiting in a transporter room, just in case the Captain ordered a boarding action. Also during alerts they would be ready to repel boarders, provide extra damage control, help transport wounded. It would make sense that if not all, then some of security would be trained as medics.

It also makes sense that there would be a traditional law enforcement aspect to the job of security, if there was a crime aboard, say a murder, security would investigate, gather evidence, question witnesses and suspects.

On the Enterprise there looked to be approximately thirty security personnel, aboard a smaller ship there might be perhaps a half dozen. Or even just one.

Their duties if stationed at a starbase would be similar. The guy at the front gate checking identification is security.
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Starfleet Security, as a organization, would deploy security personnel to starships, starbases, or other duties. The organization would train up new personnel from starfleet enlisted basic and starfleet academy, in their own specialty schools.
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My impression was that security is not the marines (khaki shirts?), if starfleet has marines, none were posted to Kirk's ship. Either they are not normally assigned to starships or, for whatever reason, Kirk didn't want them on board.

It does make sense for starfleet to possess dedicated combat troops.

.

 

[Delta1]

3) Tactical Systems - people specialized in operation and maintenance (though some of that could also fall to the engineers) of mounted weapons, phasers and torpedoes - so, torpedomen and similar and bridge tactical officers.

I'd place maintenance of ship-mounted systems under the engineering column, and individually-assigned or crew-served weapons under the security column. Engineering apparently maintains accountability of ordnance, e.g. Scotty's inspection of the Enterprise-A's torpedo complement, but I don't know if that was usual or if Scotty undertook it due the infiltration of the Enterprise by the conspirators.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

if starfleet has marines, none were posted to Kirk's ship. Either they are not normally assigned to starships or, for whatever reason, Kirk didn't want them on board.

Gene himself once suggested that the Enterprise (and by extension all Starfleet ships) might *have* carried a platoon of marines.

I mean, we know the NX-01 did (the MACOS), so why wouldn't this one?

 

[Timo]

you don't use security guards (ship's security) as your soldiers

But the reverse is often true. So I agree that the redshirts in Kirk's crew would have been infantrymen of some sort, some (if not most) with special training in shipboard guarding duty, some (albeit very few) with special skills in criminal investigations, and some specializing in the sort of infantry fighting that uses a starship as its launching point. And space combat would indeed have been largely unrelated to the Security profession, and the province of goldshirts.

The interesting question is whether this holds true for the TNG era, too. We don't see the actual people who make the ship's phasers and torpedo launchers work. At most, we see in "In Theory" how a yellowshirt works with Data to modify a torpedo for scientific purposes (she is identified as Security in Memory Alpha, but not in the episode).

Also, the two ships we observe close up, the E-D and the Voyager, have a special arrangement where the department heads for Security and Tactical are the same (yellowshirt) person, after the ship has suffered unexpected casualties.

On other vessels, we do not observe such combining of jobs, even though separation is not explicit, either (except in the names of the jobs, of course!). And notably, Worf originally wore red in TNG while occasionally performing the job of firing the ship's guns. Perhaps the large number of redshirts on Picard's ship is explainable as them being the exact equivalent of Kirk's goldshirts - tactical personnel who operate the ship's weapons in battle. Folks in yellow (kirk's red) could be responsible for keeping those weapons in working order, of course.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[neozeks]

Focusing on TOS, I believe all the red shirts we saw were military police officers. Tactical systems, during Balance of Terror, were being run by gold shirts. Security aboard ship controlled access (guard doorways), guard and escorted prisoners, patrolled corridors, acted as ceremonial guards. When on landing parties, their primary duties would seem to be that of bodyguards, but they also served as scouts. During red alerts I can see teams of security waiting in a transporter room, just in case the Captain ordered a boarding action. Also during alerts they would be ready to repel boarders, provide extra damage control, help transport wounded. It would make sense that if not all, then some of security would be trained as medics.

All those things have been done by the Marines of the past. That's why I emphasized I meant traditional Marines, not the present 'Army, only amphibious' US Marines. Trek has always been described as Hornblower in space. The redshirts in Trek and the things they do mirror the Royal Marines from Hornblower novels/movies (who, interestingly, wore red coats ). And they are often supplemented by other ship crew just like RN sailors used to support Royal Marines when needed.

Now, Marines don't really do those things today. That's because naval technology and warfare in general have changed. Ordinary Navy ships aren't often in danger of boarding or in need to conduct landings ashore and thus don't need qualified infantrymen aboard. And when the need does arise you can easily and quickly fly/ship them in from land bases.

Trek ships aren't really in that position. Boardings are frequent and help is often days or weeks away. They need dedicated combat troops onboard. Starfleet may call them security instead of Marines and choose to fully integrate them with the rest of the crew instead of separating them into a separate organization but for all practical purposes they are Marines.

OTOH, the hypothetical dedicated ground forces being similar to the modern USMC, that I could see. But that's another debate, one we already had in my first thread.

 

[USS Excelsior]

Security is a Starfleet division, just like the Medical division or the Intelligence division of Starfleet.

In TNG's Pegasus the Chief of Starfleet Security was referenced.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I like to think that there are Marines even in TOS' time and later. In my mind's eye they wear the same styling of uniform as the rest of Starfleet - but the uniform color is all black. I think that would look cool.

 

[SpyOne]

I hate using wikipedia as a reference, but I found this a useful comment about marines:

Tasks undertaken by marines have included providing security in a warship while at sea, reflecting the pressed nature of the ships' company and the risk of mutiny. Other tasks would include boarding of vessels during combat or capture of prize ships and providing manpower for raidinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_(military) ashore in support of the naval objectives. Marine elements would also contribute to the campaign ashore, in support of the military objective.

That sounds a lot to me like what Security does. While the crew is no longer "pressed", and mutiny is less of an issue, suppression of mutiny is definitely part of their job, as is nabbing intruders and repelling boarders. And boarding actions and "raiding ashore", or rather taking part in landing parties.

I used to be a big proponent of Starfleet having marines, or the same "rose" by some other name, but I have changed my mind about that: I think the jobs I thought would be done by marines would all be part of Security. Or, more precisely, that we have seen what they call guys with that job, and it isn't "marine".

Really enjoying the discussion though, and always glad for the chance to learn.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

TOS redshirts *could* theoretically have been a professional fighting force. But they clearly weren't written as such. When's the last time we actually saw one of them act like a soldier, instead of a Barney Fife-like goofball?

 

[neozeks]

TOS redshirts *could* theoretically have been a professional fighting force. But they clearly weren't written as such. When's the last time we actually saw one of them act like a soldier, instead of a Barney Fife-like goofball?

Well, I haven't really seen TOS recently so I can't comment much on that. But let's face it - Starfleet 'sailors' don't really act like today's Navy sailors either. And TOS does have a reputation for goofy.

Now, later series I'm more familiar with and, especially in DS9, we have seen security act like no-nonsense fighters (not counting Trek's innately unrealistic fighting style). Think 'Search', 'Way of the Warrior', 'Adversary', 'To the Death' (and that's all before the war). Or the 'First Contact' movie.

EDIT: Not to mention the novels (yeah, yeah, I know, not canon...). Read 'A Time to Kill/A Time to Heal' to see them do some very 'soldierly' stuff.

 

[T'Girl]

Larger US Navy vessels have a law enforcement presence while at sea, both Navy SP's and JAG, and civilian NCIS too.