Fleet Organization

Adapted from Star Trek Roleplaying Game: Starfleet Operations Manual, Chapter 6: Ships of the Line, "Fleet Organization", pp. 75-79

Flexible Command & Control

At the formation of the United Earth Starfleet, starships were directed upon their missions by Starfleet Command (back on Earth) and, when outside easy range of communication, authorized to act independently and with as much guidance established policy could provide. Like with the task force model of the post-Romulan War era (see below), ships would be assigned to operate together when needed (and then under the command of the most senior captain), but these occasions were rather rare. There was no need for sector commands, much less numbered fleets.

However, as distances between Earth and her starships' destinations increased, the long periods without communication became problematic. The trust in their captains was real and evident, but it was understood that sometimes a captain needed to be able to bounce decisions off a person more senior than his own shipboard staff, as well as receive a more in-depth 'understanding' that comes with senior ranks. To accomplish this, diplomatic agreements would lead to the request for a Starfleet office within range of a certain number of ships, as well as access to communication arrays (or the provision of such arrays). From this developed the sector modeling of command, whereby the space around Earth was sliced up into designated regions and overseen by commodores (post-tour captains) who could provide that level of leadership to the ships within range.

Originally, these sector commands only dealt with the ships that were within their immediate designated area of responsibility (even if just passing thru), as they provided on-scene guidance from Earth, acting merely as command-enhanced communication relays. Eventually, though, sector commands grew to be de facto squadron commanders, as ships were assigned to particular sectors.

Task Force Model

Upon the conclusion of the Romulan War, the various fleets of the victors were combined into one Star Fleet, in service to the fledgling United Federation of Planets. Due to the disparate units now under control and the need to unite the personnel, tactics and organizations, the concept of multiple fleets was put aside for the foreseeable future. Instead, Star Fleet Command provided control, administration and orders from its headquarters in San Francisco, on Earth.

When one vessel just couldn't do the job, however, the local Star Fleet authority -or Star Fleet Command, if it was within communications range- would detail the necessary units from whatever their individual current assignments might be. This task force model allowed the UFP to show the flag or exert just the right amount of force, when necessary. With the conclusion of the emergency, the task force would be broken up and the units would return to their mission areas.

This concept worked well enough for the next century, give or take a few decades, but it would sometimes suffer from a lack of available starships. Results could vary from unqualified successes to unmitigated disasters, but Star Fleet did what it could do with what resources it controlled. However, lack of available starships as a reason for situational difficulties ceased, suddenly, to be a problem in 2341, as replicator technology was realized. Now, starships could be mass produced, with only the design and assembly phases taking up the significant portion of the production process.

However, with the advent of scores of new starships warping around the Federation and the frontiers, Star Fleet organization had reached a crisis point. As long as the UFP remained at peace, the organizational snarls and spotty communications could be overlooked in the name of Star Fleet captains' traditional independence and initiative. But, the Cardassian and Tholian Wars (2347 - 2366 and 2353 - 2360, respectively) strained the system past the breaking point. Certainly, the outcomes of certain battles -and possibly the length of time of the conflicts themselves- could have been affected with more precise administration.

Fleet Model

At Starfleet Command, Admiral Taneko brought his Bolian genius for organization to the problem between 2348 and 2350 and, based on the lessons of both wars, developed the new fleet model that lasted, and proved itself, through the Tzenkethi, Klingon and Dominion Wars (2358 - 2362, 2372 - 2373 and 2373 - 2375, respectively) and beyond.

In Taneko's fleet model, Starfleet organizes itself into fleets comprising around 150 to 250 ships each, under the command of a Rear Admiral (Upper Half) or Vice Admiral [see Starfleet Command:Ranks for details]. The 'flagship' of a fleet is simply the ship best suited for command-and-control functions in an emergency (as determind by the admiral) and, sometimes, is pre-selected and maintained in a ready state at the admiral's assigned starbase.

Each fleet serves either a tactical purpose (such as to protect Vulcan) or a strategic one (such as ready reserve). Most tactical fleets are 'standing' fleets, which retain the same mission throughout their existence. Most strategic fleets are either 'mobile' fleets, sent to any crisis area or placed on deep-space patrol and exploration duty, or 'supporting' fleets kept ready for specific contingencies. The deployment of a mobile fleet essentially follows the older task force model, only with better communications and more ships. Most mobile fleets keep their starships in the same broad area for faster concentration and coordination in case of emergencies.

On the eve of the Dominion War, these fleets numbered 27, in total, which itself was a significant increase over the last ten years, due to the re-emergence of the Romulans as an active threat and as a response to the Borg incursion of 2366. During the war, the number of fleets grew to 44 in number, although the hard fighting left many of them severely understrength. The war left approximately 2,500 ships (from about 6,100) in ready condition, with about that many again in varying states of damage, dis-repair or suffering from crew attrition.

Fleets

• 1st Fleet: standing; the 'training fleet', operating ships in the vicinity of the Academy's various campuses, for cadets' onboard experience
• 2nd Fleet: mobile; explores the uncharted regions of the Beta Quadrant, focusing on the coreward direction.
• 3rd Fleet: standing; assigned to defend Sector 001, i.e., the Sol system.
• 4th Fleet: mobile; explores the uncharted regions of the Beta Quadrant, focusing on the rimward direction.
• 5th Fleet: standing; patrols Andor Sector, working closely with the Andorian Defense Force and Vulcan High Command.
• 6th Fleet: standing; patrols Tellar Sector
• 7th Fleet: standing; patrols Betazed Sector
• 8th Fleet: mobile; explores the uncharted regions of the Alpha Quadrant, focusing on the rimward areas in the direction of Alpha Cygni.
• 9th Fleet: standing; patrols Denobula Sector
• 10th Fleet: standing; the 'test fleet', operating prototype ships, ships conducting post-construction testing and ships assigned to technology testing
• 11th Fleet: standing; patrols Rigel Sector
• 12th Fleet: standing; the 'colonization fleet', made up of 34 vessels plus transports and commanded out of Starbase 4, it specializes in establishing new colonies and terraforming missions
• 13th Fleet: mobile; explores the uncharted regions of the Beta Quadrant, focusing on the spinward direction.
• 14th Fleet: support; one of the three 'evacuation fleets', based out of the Rigel sector, the fleet has enough ships to coordinate and defend a convoy carrying up to 10 million civilians in case of planetary emergencies.
• 15th Fleet: support; one of the two 'rapid response fleets', operates in the Alpha Quadrant and reports directly to the Star Fleet Response Command
• 16th Fleet: mobile; spread throughout the Federation and areas under its auspices, this fleet handles a wide range of survey, diplomatic and border emergency missions; the 'flagship' fleet.
• 17th Fleet: support; one of the three 'evacuation fleets', based out of the Deneb Kaitos sector, the fleet has enough ships to coordinate and defend a convoy carrying up to 10 million civilians in case of planetary emergencies.
• 18th Fleet: mobile; explores the uncharted regions of the Alpha Quadrant, focusing on the coreward areas past Ferenginar.
• 19th Fleet: support; one of the two 'rapid response fleets', operates in the Beta Quadrant and reports directly to the Star Fleet Response Command
• 20th Fleet: mobile; patrols the rimward sectors of the Federation
• 21st Fleet: mobile; explores the uncharted regions of the Alpha Quadrant, focusing on the antispinward areas.
• 22nd Fleet: standing; on guard for Romulan incursion from across the Neutral Zone, the fleet is also the first line against another Borg invasion.
• 23rd Fleet: support; one of the three 'evacuation fleets', based out of the ???? sector, the fleet has enough ships to coordinate and defend a convoy carrying up to 10 million civilians in case of planetary emergencies.

Starbases

Both models of fleet deployment depend heavily on starbases to coordinate, resupply and even defend the ships on duty. From almost its earliest days, Star Fleet has joined the stationary starbases with mobile starships as part of its defensive and exploratory policies.

A base's purpose may shift over time; a former strategic base on the Federation frontier may, as the Federation expands, become a supply station and then a service hub and eventually serve as a locus of trade and recreation.

Command Center

These starbases are major administrative centers for Star Fleet, serving as 'continuity' offices for Star Fleet Command (should something befall Earth) as well as coordinate transits of defense ships between the inner and outer cores of the Federation. Sometimes located in the huge spacedocks but just as common to be located on-planet, the command center is often co-located with an Academy campus. Oftentimes, high visibility events -such as Federation admission ceremonies or important courts martial- are held at these well-known locations and they are important locations for large quantities of ongoing starship maintenance and stockpiles of major starship systems. In certain circumstance, such as the larger neutral zones, these bases may be established to coordinate the defense of a border or prosecution of any hostilities.

Science Station

Often solitary way-stations devoted to science or medical research, including the observation of long-term astronomical phenomenon.

Service Hub

These starbases come in several different 'flavors' or a combination of all: facilities devoted to rest and recreation usually exist on-planet, while the maintenance-minded base may be anything from a small, well-stocked station to the larger spacedocks, both of which will have top-rate technical expertise. A third type focuses on providing preventative and supporting maintenance for remote commercial (foreign and domestic) trade ships, along with other services. These last often serves as centers of cultural exchange and may be run by a non-Star Fleet agency, such as the Federation Merchant Marine.

Strategic Base

These bases provide an amalgamation of services but for the purposes of defensive and responsive fleets only (i.e., not for commercial or diplomatic functions). Unlike a command center base that may oversee the totality of a large front, these bases focus on the complete support for fleet assets in a specific region of that front, providing services in the areas on intelligence, medical, repair and supply. For repair, while assistance can run the full spectrum needed, there is a large technical focus on getting combat assets back into the fight, so expertise will be on hull, propulsion and tactical repairs. Supplies will be similarly focused, with an emphasis on torpedoes, medical and fighter-craft. These bases are well-defended, with a mix of organic ships and station armament.

Supply Station

Supply Stations serve one of two types of customers: either colonial efforts or Star Fleet. The former provides medical, technical, infrastructure, terraforming and administrative support and is often a jumping off point for regional colonial expeditions. Temporary lodging exists in great capacity (up to 250,000 on some larger stations) for the purposes of establishing these expeditions, but also serve refugees from natural or hostile disasters or otherwise failed colonial efforts. These bases provide for a larger number of refits and repairs of colonial shipping (with some allowance for commercial endeavors) and also provide stockpiles of ship equipment for point-of-purchase sales. Because of the nature of colonial supply bases, they tend to be very cultural in nature, with diplomatic resources. The other supply base type focuses on rearward support of Star Fleet and -while providing many of the same types of services- are the cultural opposite, as they are very utilitarian and efficient. Smaller transports routinely arrive and depart, as they provide forward delivery of supplies to starships that are unable to deviate from ongoing missions.

Deep Space Station

The Federation understands its ability to provide direct and full support of a region may lag behind opportunities that arise at the far extent of its borders or even beyond them. When something suggests Federation presence would be seen as beneficial or necessary over a long term, a deep space station may provide that presence. These bases tend to be remote with no starship support, or at the most one assigned to the general area on unrelated missions. They'll be equipped with the personnel necessary to perform the appropriate mission, which means these stations may be heavily crewed by any one particular branch of Star Fleet and may serve as regional centers of culture and commerce. In some instance. deep space stations may serve as a way-point between major friendly or allied powers.