Starfleet Operations
| Starfleet Operations | |
| |
| Active: |
circa 2135 |
| Part Of: | |
| Allegiance: |
United Federation of Planets |
| Role: |
|
| Motto: |
To Infinity and Beyond |
| Command Staff | |
| Commander-in-Chief of the Federation Starfleet: |
President of the United Federation of Planets |
| Chief of Staff of Starfleet: |
Fleet Admiral Teval |
| Chief of Starfleet Department: |
Admiral Katrina Ard |
| Master Chief Petty Officer of Department: |
MCPO Ral Banel |
| Source | |
Starfleet Operations, also known as Fleet Operations or Fleet Ops, is part of Starfleet based at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco. The highest ranking officers, such as its chief, are usually listed on starship dedication plaques. Though some mistake Starfleet Operations for a part of Starfleet Engineering, this is not the case as Operations does a lot more than just fix things.
Contents
History
United Earth
Starfleet Operations was created in 2135 shortly after the creation of United Earth Starfleet itself. The headquarters of this department were located at the Fleet Operations Center in San Francisco. Most of the Operations department greatly resented the interference from the Vulcans and wished fervently to see the stars. They proved they could handle the strain when a Klingon crashed on the planet in a farmer's field.
Upon venturing to the stars, Starfleet Operations began its job of dispatching personnel to certain ships, and also organizing the food, equipment, and other materiel to who needed it. The Earth-Romulan War caused a great deal of strain on all of Starfleet, causing the need for more personnel and materiel goods, and making Fleet Ops' job even more important. When the war finally ended, the four members of the Coalition of Planets knew they were stronger together than separate, and began talks of creating one government for all.
The Late 2100s
Since Starfleet was chosen to be the exploratory, diplomatic, and military arm of the new Federation, Vulcans, Tellarites, and Andorians were absorbed into Starfleet's ranks, causing some to lose their positions and creating some resentment. As they began to learn to work together, a comraderie sprang up among them, creating the ideal of a Starfleet officer.
In the 2170s, Starfleet Operations began the task of assigning captains and crews and materiel to new vessels while trying to avoid the appearance of favoritism. While some Andorians did feel as though they were cheated out of the opportunities that they had rightfully earned, for the most part, Starfleet personnel were certain that Fleet Ops was treating them fairly.
2200s
In the year 2221, Starfleet began to have trouble with the Klingon Empire. The Klingons were a violent race to the Federation, however the Federation needed to keep its borders protected and began ordering personnel and goods to the appropriate Starfleet installations. They started by assigning new ships to the task forces most in need, and personnel to the ships and starbases in the same situations. Those facilities running low on supplies were given food, medicine, parts for the ship, etc, to keep them on par with the other ships, all while maintaining Starfleet supplies at Fleet Operations headquarters in San Francisco.
In 2267, Captain James T. Kirk and Commander Spock began the Organian Peace Treaty, enforced upon them by the powerful beings known as the Organians. The war was over and eventually things settled for a while. Starfleet began a golden age where exploration was the main focus and began to meet new peoples such as the Deltans, Benzites, and Betazoids, all of whom joined the Federation.
In 2273, James T. Kirk was appointed Chief of Starfleet Operations, and did well at the job until he was retired in 2281. His replacement was extremely good at the job, but she still did not do the job as well as Kirk who "seemed to have an intuitive sense for it" according to his superiors.
2300s
In the early 2300s, the Federation-Cardassian War began. These enemies were unlike anything Starfleet had seen and it took a good deal of creative thinking to deal with them. Supplies and personnel went in quantity to the Cardassian border, until the stalemate at which time the treaty was signed, creating the Demilitarized Zone between the two powers.
Unlike the 2200s, the 24th Century began an era of warfare that Starfleet personnel despised. Several wars, including ones with the Cardassians, the Talarians, and a few border skirmishes with the Tzenkethi created an environment of stress and ill tempers in Starfleet. Throughout the span of the 2300s to the 2370s, Starfleet Operations managed to keep its facilities well maintained and supplied. However, in 2371, four years of constant war began, first against the Klingons, previously their allies, and then against the Dominion.
The Dominion War was not only the bloodiest war in the history of the quadrant, but it was also the most draining in matters of materiel for Starfleet. Upgrades were continuously done, factories were always making new parts for starships and starbases, and Starfleet Academy and the Training Center on Mars could not train the personnel fast enough. By the time the war was over, Starfleet's personnel was reduced by 32 percent, its starships reduced by 38 percent, and the materiel goods were almost nonexistent.
In 2376, the Federation began providing aid to Cardassia Prime. Federation Council members from Betazed and other planets that had been conquered by the Dominion opposed it, though they did approve of the admittance of Bajor into the Federation. This continues to this day as the Cardassians are unable to feed themselves and the dust from millions dead still remains in the air in the capital city.
By 2380, Starfleet has recovered from its losses during the Dominion War, however much to Starfleet's dismay, the Federation Council insists it provide humanitarian and material aid to the devastated Romulan Empire. Starfleet Operations obeyed its orders, though was careful not to give weapons of any kind, even kitchen knives, to the Romulan people. Fleet Ops was also concerned with being overgenerous and suddenly running out of provisions for its own ships.
Starfleet Operations saw that it had enough ships for two new fleets, and so created both the 11th Fleet, and the 12th Fleet. The 11th Fleet was assigned to the Galactic South, in hopes of detering a Klingon-Gorn War. Instead, the tension between the three powers has only increased over the years, though by 2390 it has calmed, but marginally.