Sol Defence Corps

For a list of the active ships in the SDC's fleet, see the Ships of the Sol Defense Corps.

The Sol Defense Corps (SDC) is the expeditionary and space warfare service division of the United Nations' military and forms the main armed forces component of extraterrestrial human operations. Its function is to police, defend and monitor the Sol system from any foreign threats as well as initiate expeditionary efforts to other star systems in the form of the Final Frontier Project. It has more than 7.8 million active personnel and is dominantly composed of its Navy, with its infantry unit being the Marine Corps.

Mission
The SDC concerns itself with the following goals:
 * Defend the Sol system and its constituent bodies from foreign threats;
 * Conduct expeditionary efforts outside of Sol to colonize new worlds;
 * Assist the Peacekeeper Corps in maintaining peace in the system;
 * Overcome and defend against hostile entities who wish to compromise the security of Sol.

Chain of Command
The SDC is executively led by the Commander-in-Chief, a position entitled, customarily, to the holding of the civilian Secretary-General (SECGEN) of the UN. Equal in authority to the CiC is the Secretary of the Sol Defense Corps (SSDC), responsible for the administrative and logistical side and focuses strictly on the Corps.

The Navy and Marine Corps are each led by the highest-ranking flag officers of their respective division, comprising the Commander of the Fleet and the Commander of the Marine Corps, respectively. Unlike their national counterparts, the CMF and CMC fulfill both administrative and operational authority over the organization and strategy of the SDC.

The current incumbents of the Chiefs of Staff are listed below.

Naval Personnel
See also: Guide to Starship Command

Personnel in the SDC military comprise the Navy and the Marine Corps, with different ranking structures for both.

The SDC employs enlisted, non-commissioned, and commissioned officers for use in the Navy, while Warrant Officers are additionally present in the Marines. About 5.3 million personnel are in the Navy, while 2.1 million are in the Marine Corps. About 200,000 personnel are kept as a reserve or auxiliary guard.

Enlisted
Enlisted form the bulk of SDC rankings, and are either fresh crewmen who've graduated from boot camp or are experienced NCOs who have lots of experience in their field. Generally, they're the workhorses, and while the higher ranks (E-6 and above) might be issuing orders or even filling command duties, a vast majority of them spend their time receiving orders and executing them to the best of their ability and judgment. Junior enlisted can be anywhere between 18-24, while senior enlisted are usually 24-40+.

Enlisted must qualify through a high school diploma and pass the physical, mental and psychological exams presented by the military's medical divisions. Once they are admitted, they undergo a 40-week boot camp at one of forty-five naval or marine boot camps spread throughout Earth. After passing they can be assigned as a Shipman Apprentice (E-2) for apprenticeship duties as a serviceman before undergoing field training and schooling to assign them to a departmental specialty such as Engineering. From there they serve as a Shipman (E-3) until being promoted.

Senior enlisted at the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer (E-7) or above are qualified to undertake an officer elevation program, where they can take a college course and, subsequently, receive a commission and advance promotion to Lieutenant (O-3).

Officers
Present at higher levels of command and control are the commissioned officers, crewmen who've received college-level education and, as a result, have been educated in command duties as well as a vast field of specialties depending on their department. They serve to order, and as a result, are often seen commanding the junior Enlisted around.

Officers can receive education and commissions through either training at an Officer Candidate School (OCS) after college graduation, a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at colleges, or at a Naval Academy that offers full college education in addition to service training.

Officers who receive training through schooling at an OCS after receiving at least a bachelor's college degree proceed through a one-year course on command, leadership, and military skills.

At a naval academy, Midshipmen (M-1 - M-3) undergo rigorous command and specialization training for three years while simultaneously receiving a standard-prescribed college education.

At the end of their education period, officer candidates graduate and receive a commission from the United Nations' Secretary of the SDC. From there, they start field training as an Ensign (O-1), gradually receiving promotions and work until at the grade of Lieutenant (O-3), where they can be appointed as the head of staff of a department on a vessel. Officers who've demonstrated exemplary command abilities may be promoted to a Commander (O-5), who can serve as the First Officer aboard significant ships or as the Commanding Officer of smaller ones. Commanders who further display significant ability can be promoted to Captain (O-6), where they can be put into command of larger ships.

A Captain who has demonstrated exemplary skill and ability can be promoted to the rank of a Flag Officer at Commodore (O-7), the first in a line of high-ranking positions that form the Admiral line, eventually peaking at the highest rank one can normally achieve in the Navy: Admiral (O-10).

Organization
The Sol Defense Corps is comprised of the Navy and Marine Corps, with both branches possessing equal command and priority in the SDC. The SDC is, in turn, overseen by the United Nations Frontier Security Council, itself a division of the UN Security Council.

The operational heads of the SDC are the Commandant of the SDCN (held by ADM Anthony Sinclair) and the General of the SDMC (held by GEN Damascus Flynn). Both report directly to the civilian Secretary of the SDC, an appointed political official who oversees administrative duties of the Corps rather than the operational.

The SDC itself is treated as a department rather than military in terms of logistics; it is roughly equivalent to a federal Department of the Navy. Nonetheless, the SDC Administration serves as executive authority to the SDCN and the SDMC.

Navy
The SDC Navy (abbrev. SDCN) has a total of 210 commissioned ships in active service. 23 of these are part of the Final Frontier Project. It has 4.4 million enlisted personnel with about 900,000 officers.

The navy employs corvettes, frigates, cruisers, battlecruisers, and carriers, with a style of varying their class complement strongly to emphasize versatility and readiness for any situation.

During times of peace, the SDCN focuses resources on maritime policing in the Sol system as well as functioning as a counter-piracy service. The Sixth Fleet in particular operates the Final Frontier Project for scientific efforts.

The headquarters of the SDCN is located in Gibraltar, Earth, with bases present in all the Colonies (the Moon, Venus, and Mars), as well as orbital installations around Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto.

Special Operations
The Navy's special operations detachment, known as Spec Ops, is responsible for conducting precision strikes and assisting the Navy in high-risk small-scale warfare, working as a commando operation force to handle extraordinary threats. They are often seen paired with the Marines for taking down alien threats.

Marines
The Sol Defense Marine Corps (SDMC) is the marine and expeditionary infantry division of the SDC. It has 2.1 million active personnel, with 2 million enlisted and 100,000 officers. The Marines serve as infantry detachments aboard SDCN vessels as well as work as expeditionary infantry on areas that the Peacekeeper Corps cannot reach. They are trained soldiers and often serve as a privileged infantry unit.

Marines employ medical personnel and chaplains from the Navy for help in their operations and are partnered with the SDCN for a majority of operations.

Marines are equipped with a variety of weapons for varied use in uncertain fields. As they conduct expeditionary operations often far from any military base or support station, they are well-equipped with supplies, rations and often can survive without any additional supplies for almost years on end.

Naval Fleets
For a list of the active ships in the SDC's fleet, see: Ships of the Sol Defense Corps.

Hermes Fleet (1st)
The Hermes Fleet is the rapid response and offensive operations fleet, led by Admiral Ramik Asupani. The fleet is primarily consisted of quick, FTL-capable vessels, favoring frigates and cruisers over larger capital ships. The lone pair of capital ships in the fleet, the Valiant-class carriers SDCN Hermes (FCV-20) and SDCN Deimos (FCV-21), are often placed in the middle of battlegroups and have been retrofitted with faster propulsion equipment to keep up with the rest of the group.

Aegis Fleet (2nd)
The Aegis Fleet is the Earth's orbital guard and the central fleet of the SDCN, overseen by Admiral Harper Johnson. The fleet consists mainly of large defensive battlecruisers and carriers to provide a stalwart shield against attacks on passing vessels in Earth's orbit.

Ares Fleet (3rd)
The largest and most aggressive fleet of the SDCN, the Ares Fleet is tasked with offensive operations and is often seen taking the role of the primary brute in battles and skirmishes. Led by Admiral Andrew Dartmouth, the fleet has earned a reputation for its aggressive tactics and strength-in-numbers strategy.

Poseidon Fleet (4th)
The Poseidon Fleet is often seen as the border guard for the Sol system, with a majority of its forces posted beyond Pluto, patrolling the Kuiper Belt and, to a lesser extent, the Oort Cloud, to look for and quell any piracy or criminal activity other fleets wouldn't dare approach. They are the most experienced with counter-piracy tactics and are often deployed to areas with high illegal activity. Led by Admiral Sukiyama Michuchi.

Argo Fleet (5th)
Formerly the reserve fleet of the SDCN, the Argo Fleet has since been retired from active service.

Odysseus Fleet (6th)
The expeditionary fleet of the SDCN and the parent division of the Final Frontier Project. The Odysseus Fleet is concerned with conducting naval patrols and activity outside of the Sol system, and as such, each individual vessel is heavily equipped to withstand and fight any force that might encounter it. Sporadic in nature, the Odysseus Fleet is often seen spread out, with up to 3 vessels being positioned next to each other. Led by Admiral Douglas Halcyon.

The vessels operated by the Final Frontier Project, such as the Emissary, usually trek alone, their activities often being conducted millions of kilometers away from the nearest battlecruiser. As such, FFP ships are retrofitted to act as fighters of their own, boasting considerable artillery as well as advanced armor and shielding to protect against many threats.

Sector Commands
The SDC's area of operations is divided into several Sector Commands (SC), each responsible for the servicing of a certain area of the solar system. Each SC is assigned a primary fleet and one or more secondary fleets for regular duty and assignment.

Facilities
The SDC holds several enormous naval bases both planetside and in orbit, forming large shipyards and starbases for construction, mooring, and repairs, as well as hosting personnel training.

Military Bases
SDC holds several military bases for primary usage by the Navy, although they do support Marine Corps activity.

Starbases
The SDC additionally holds several military orbital installations in various places around Sol.

Service Academies
SDC's service academies provide training and education to officer candidates. They are joint installations training officers for both the Navy and Marine Corps.

Basic Training Centers
Basic Training Centers (BTCs) are the SDC's designation for combined boot camps for recruits of both the Navy and Marine Corps. They are all divided into two separate camps located in the same area for training recruits of each branch differently.

Divisions
The SDC runs several auxiliary divisions to the primary armed force services.