European Federation Star Navy Organization and Departments

Federation President - Overall commander-in-chief, although usually a purely honorary title.

High Admiral.

The High Admiral is the overall commander of the Federation's Armed Forces, as due to the Navy's supremacy (whoever controls the orbitals controls the world) in the interstellar age all other services depend on the navy to fulfill their own missions. Rarely the Federation President also happened to be the High Admiral, although that was mainly due to the High Admiral being 3rd in line to the presidential line of succession in case of an emergency (any state of war, as per the European Federation's constitution, putting military leadership FAR above civilian leaders in continuity of government lists), and in one case happened because of a vote of no confidence, and the High Admiral being elected custodian by the European Federation Council until elections could be made.

The High Admiral has very, very broad powers, including the authority to activate the European Federation's Final Defense Protocols, up to and including the Final Contingency. This is a result of the Terran Hegemony Wars, where the European Union's failure of leadership caused hundreds of million of death and the near annihilation of all life in Europe.

The High Admiral is oathbound to follow the European Federation Council's directives, and it is in fact the only body that can remove a High Admiral from office. The only exception to this is if the council has been destroyed, and the Federation President and Vice-President are dead, or the council has activated a state of military emergency, in which case the High Admiral effectively takes over the Federation's government for the duration of the crisis.

A High Admiral is appointed from one of the admirals of the Council of the Admiralty, but only if they have volunteered, and at least 1/3rd of the other admirals have approved their ascension.

Council of the Admiralty.

The Council of the Admiralty contains the EFSN's 18 admirals, divided into 3 broad categories, each containing 6 individuals: Fleet Admirals, commanding the 1st through 6th EFSN fleets, where all of the navy's capital ships are concentrated (usually called 'capital fleets' or 'core fleets'), Star Admirals, commanding the 7th through 12th fleet, composed purely of lighter vessels (battlecruisers or lighter), but all equipped with hyperdrives and usually with long range FTL capabilities. Lastly, the Home Admirals (named as such as they reside in Fleet Command in Paris), commanding the 6 key administrative departments of the navy : weapons, ships, personnel, logistics, intelligence and interstellar operations. That is, however, purely in name and out of old tradition, as the bureau of logistics, due to the rise of Arcadia Systems as the primary supplier for the navy in anything except personnel, has essentially absorbed the bureau of weapons and bureau of ships, making, in essence, the Home Admiral of Logistics the most powerful and influential of the admirals.

The Council of the Admiralty advises the High Admiral on policy, and in turn do their best to act upon the High Admiral's orders. They also can nominate a new High Admiral, a nominee requiring at least 1/3rd approval by the council to be able to take the post. Lastly, if the European Federation Council has been destroyed, the admiralty can appoint a new High Admiral out of their own ranks.

Bureau of Logistics.

Originally the bureau of logistics' sole job was to move around the various components, provisions, ect needed by the other departments, as well as liaise with civilian corporations supplying the navy. Due to this last part, and the rise of Arcadia Systems as the only supplier for the EFSN, and Arcadia's pressure on the navy itself, the bureau of logistics has grown to, in all intents and purposes, completely envelop and subordinate the bureau of weapons and bureau of ships, thus making it effectively the most powerful department of the navy.

Bureau of Weapons.

The bureau of weapons is responsible for the EFSN's arsenal, including the development of new weapons (or setting the parameters for contractors to design them), production, maintenance and safe disposal of ordnance (the latter being essentially 'if it's profitable to scrap it, do it, otherwise throw it in the sun'). Alexandra was technically part of the bureau of weapons for several years, although she was a special attaché from the bureau of logistics.

Bureau of Ships.

The bureau of ships is responsible for the EFSN's warships, including construction, overhauls, refits, general maintenance, as well as assessing what new ship types are necessary and designing new ships (or setting the parameters for contractors to design them). Alexandra was technically part of the bureau of ships for the latter years of her career in the bureau of logistics, although once again as a special attaché.

Bureau of Personnel.

The bureau of personnel is responsible for recruiting, training and assigning new recruits to the EFSN, as well as the general health and well being of EFSN personnel. It also managed the enlisted personnel of the bureau of operations (the actual people on ships and bases), although officers were outside of it's purview. Famously known as the 'lollipop brigade' by EFSN personnel due to the bureau issuing naval and marine personnel with relaxant infused lollipops to wear off the stress of long alert shifts and help them rest.

Bureau of Intelligence.

The bureau of intelligence is responsible for all secret service, infiltrations and spying operations undertaken by the EFSN, as well as strategic analysis of likely enemy deployments and global strategic overviews of other nations. It also informally provides reports on allocated budget estimations for the navy, as well as trying to predict the future military policy of the European Federation Council after elections.

Bureau of Interstellar Operations.

The bureau of interstellar operations is quite unique, and indeed might be the single biggest reason as to why the European Federation is the largest interstellar power in terms of systems explored, claimed and settled. It's purview encompasses interstellar exploration, colonization as well as supporting and securing said colonies. The bureau of interstellar operation is no longer responsible for the Alpha Centauri system however, as it's purview was handed over to the bureau of operations after the Alpha Centauri campaign. The Star Admirals technically belong to the bureau of interstellar operations (but are given broad latitude in their orders, due to the inherent lag time in interstellar communications), although they operate under the rule of the bureau of operations when in Sol or Alpha Centauri. The head of the bureau sits on the council of the admiralty in their capacity as the leader of interstellar exploration and colonization efforts, not as the overall boss of the Star Admirals. Although technically the bureau of interstellar operations has authority over all EFSN bases and stations outside of Sol and Alpha Centauri, given the fact that most of those are simple automated refuelling stations, it is rarely brought up as one of it's core responsabilities, although the establishment of fleet base Trappist has changed that somewhat.

Bureau of Operations

The bureau of operations is the bread and butter of the EFSN, and contains the 6 Fleet Admirals, all EFSN naval bases and stations within Sol and Alpha Centauri (and thus, all manned EFSN installations outside of fleet base Trappist), and around 80% of the EFSN's naval tonnage and combat personnel. It is the armored fist of the EFSN and by far the most influential bureau, although it has started being challenged for supremacy by the bureau of logistics. The bureau of operations also oversee all Planetary Defence Centers, which, while irrelevant for a long time (as PDC Strasbourg, the last EFSN PDC ceased operation in 2130, and all the others had been out of operation for nearly 2 decades), has come back to the forefront with the reopening of multiple PDCs following the Third Battle of Alpha Centauri.