Strategic Operations
Strategic Operations formulates the general strategic planning for fleet deployments, starship missions and fixed installation operations for all of Star Fleet. It routinely organizes task forces and assigns flag officers (or senior personnel with specialized skills) to handle recent developments (through cooperation with Star Fleet Command). The agency's role is of greater importance in times of crisis, such as threats to the security of the Federation. It is comprised of several committees, each handling the latest intelligence on any possible threat and coming up with doctrines -such as strategic plans, but also new ship, manpower and technological requirements- and then passing those onto the other components for review and action.
The Chief of Strategic Operations is an Admiral, while the Deputy Chief of Strategic Operations is a Vice Admiral. The Deputy Chief also serves as the chair of the Strategic Planning Council, which provides its analysis and findings to the Chief.
| Chief of Strategic Operations (Echelon II) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy Chief of Strategic Operations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strategic Planning Council | Strategic Committees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Strategic Planning Council is chaired by the Deputy Chief. It takes all reports provided by the various Strategic Committees and develops operational plans to respond to the various scenarios and situations overseen by those groups, before passing them through the Chief of Strategic Operations to the Commander of Star Fleet and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Additionally, their top-down view of the efforts of the various committees leads them to develop strategic doctrines that directly influence the future development of Star Fleet, and oftentimes, the diplomatic efforts of the Federation. Other members of the Strategic Planning Council are other flag officers and captains with backgrounds from all aspects of Star Fleet detailed to the council, as well as invited civilian advisers. It has a mixed civilian & Star Fleet staff to assist.
There are multiple Strategic Committees within Strategic Operations, each dedicated to one nation or non-UFP organization, considered a threat or otherwise. The chair of each committee is usually a flag officer (of which level, up to Vice Admiral or Lieutenant General, is determined by the importance of the subject), and the committee is filled by members of Star Fleet, the SFMC and civilian experts who are all experienced with the subject matter. They will prepare reports that are made available to the Strategic Planning Council (as well as other cleared and interested parties), with the assist of a mixed staff of Starfleet and civilians. The chairs often are invited to sit on the Council, as well. (The very first committees to be stood up were the Vulcan and Tellarite Strategic Committees, when the UESN was active.)
The Chief of Strategic Operations is a PC and, along with the rest of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, helps determine the policies and plans of Star Fleet.
The Deputy Chief of Strategic Operations and the members of the Council and various committees are all named NPCs.