PROCEDURES FOR OFFICIAL CONDUCT 09/13/2006 - create a second section of this general conduct structure; in it, give an example of each proceedure, with corresponding proceedure numbers 07/27/2006 - want to add a hyperlinked glossary that works just like a bibliography INITIATED ACTION 0. If someone devises an action, and chooses to not communicate it as an order to someone else, but chooses to carry out the action himself, then it is called an initiated action. ORDERS Terran Armed Forces (the Earth Command Alliance and the Terran/Police Alliance) conduct official communication (process orders and reports), internally (within their own Alliances), between eachother, and with other allied or neutral Alliances (such as the Empirian/Military Alliance or the multinational Terran/Military Galactic Command Alliance), in the following manner(1): 1. The initiator of an order can do several things with it: 1.1. The initiator can pass his order to any direct subordinate; a direct subordinate is an internal subordinate (lower-ranked person within the initiator's own Alliance) within the largest Group (Group is an ambiguous term for any Unit, Formation, Fleet/Force or Alliance) that the initiator commands. 1.2. The initiator can pass his order to any indirect subordinate; an indirect subordinate is an internal subordinate, of any internal Group (a Group within the initiator's Alliance) outside of the largest Group that the initiator commands. 1.2.a. Any of that indirect subordinate's COs (Commanding Officers) who equal or out-rank the initiator may override or modify the order and may solicit a report from the initiator. 1.2.b. Any of that indirect subordinate's COs whom the initiator out-ranks may not interfere with the order but may still solicit a report from the initiator. If the initiator is an Alliance Leader, then he commands the largest Group of his own Alliance (the entire Alliance), and has no indirect subordinates (they are all directly subordinated to him within the Alliance that he commands). For this reason, an Alliance Leader can not (and never needs to) exercise Procedure 1.2. 1.3. The initiator can pass his order to any external subordinate (person of lower equivalent rank outside the initiator's Alliance) under one of the following conditions: 1.3.a. That external subordinate (or, as applicable to Procedure 1.4, any internal colleague, external colleague, internal superior or external superior) may accept the order as is, refuse it, or modify it as he chooses. 1.3.b. Any of that external subordinate's COs, regardless of rank, may confirm the order as is, block it, modify it as he (the external subordinate's CO) chooses, redirect the order elsewhere, or choose not to interfere at all. 1.3.c. If, at the time the initiator passes his order, any of that external subordinate's COs, regardless of rank, has temporarily committed the external subordinate, in written form or not, to the service of the initiator's Alliance, then the initiator may treat that external subordinate as an internal subordinate for the duration of the external subordinate's service to the initiator's Alliance. In this case, the initiator may pass his order as in Procedure 1.2 above, even if the initiator is an Alliance Leader. In all three sub-cases of Procedure 1.3, any of that external subordinate's COs, regardless of rank, may solicit a report from the initiator. 1.4. The initiator can pass his order to any internal colleague (person of equal rank within the initiator's Alliance), external colleague (person of equivalent rank outside the initiator's Alliance), internal superior (person within the initiator's Alliance who out-ranks the initiator) or external superior (person outside the initiator's Alliance who holds an equivalent rank higher than the initiator) according to Procedure 1.3.a. If the initiator is an Alliance Leader, then he out-ranks everyone else in his Alliance and has no internal colleagues or internal superiors; he also does not usually have any external superiors because any other Alliance Leader is considered to be his external colleague. For this reason, an Alliance Leader can only (and only ever needs to) exercise Procedure 1.4 to pass his order to an external colleague. 1.5. The initiator can choose to personally carry out his own order himself and not pass it to anyone else at all. 2. Depending on the the manner in which the initiator passed his order to the first-round recipient, or depending on how the order is worded, the first-round recipient of an order may or may not further specify, sub-divide or redirect the received order. 2.0. If the order states that the first-round recipient (or, as applicable to Procedure 3, any later recipient) must personally carry out the order himself, then he becomes the order's ending recipient; he may not exercise any of the next five procedures of Procedure 2. If the first-round recipient (or, as applicable to Procedure 3, any later recipient) is allowed to redirect the order, then he becomes an order redirector and may exercise any of the following five procedures of Procedure 2: 2.1. The redirector can pass the order to any direct subordinate; a direct subordinate is an internal subordinate within the largest Group that the redirector commands. 2.2. The redirector can pass the order to any internal subordinate, of any internal Group outside of the largest Group that the redirector commands. 2.2.a. Any of that internal subordinate's COs who equal or out-rank the redirector may override or modify the order and may solicit a report from the redirector. 2.2.b. Any of that internal subordinate's COs whom the redirector out-ranks may not interfere with the order but may still solicit a report from the redirector. If the redirector is an Alliance Leader, then he commands the largest Group of his own Alliance (the entire Alliance), and has no internal subordinates outside of the largest Group that he commands (they are all inside of that Group). For this reason, an Alliance Leader cannot (and never needs to) exercise Procedure 2.2. 2.3. The redirector can pass the order to any external subordinate under one of the following conditions: 2.3.a. That external subordinate (or, as applicable to Procedure 2.4, any internal colleague, external colleague, internal superior or external superior) may accept the order as is, refuse it, or modify it as he chooses. 2.3.b. Any of that external subordinate's COs, regardless of rank, may confirm the order as is, block it, modify it as he (the external subordinate's CO) chooses, redirect the order elsewhere, or choose not to interfere at all. 2.3.c. If, at the time the redirector passes the order, any of that external subordinate's COs, regardless of rank, has temporarily committed the external subordinate, in written form or not, to the service of the redirector's Alliance, then the redirector may treat that external subordinate as an internal subordinate for the duration of the external subordinate's service to the redirector's Alliance. In this case, the redirector may pass the order as in Procedure 2.2 above, even if the redirector is an Alliance Leader. In all three sub-cases of Procedure 2.3, any of that external subordinate's COs, regardless of rank, may solicit a report from the redirector. 2.4. The redirector can pass the order to any internal colleague, external colleague, internal superior or external superior according to Procedure 2.3.a. If the redirector is an Alliance Leader, then he out-ranks everyone else in his Alliance and has no internal colleagues or internal superiors; he also does not usually have any external superiors because any other Alliance Leader is considered to be his external colleague. For this reason, an Alliance Leader can only (and only ever needs to) exercise Procedure 2.4 to pass the order to an external colleague. 2.5. If the order does not require redirection, but leaves this decision to the first-round recipient (or, as applicable to Procedure 3, any later recipient), then the redirector can choose to not redirect the order at all, thereby voluntarily assuming the role of ending recipient. In this case, he may personally carry out the order himself. 3. Procedure 3 repeats Procedure 2, except that the recipient becomes the second-round recipient and so on (if the order continues to be redirected) until the condition for Procedure 2.0 or 2.5 is met (until the someone actually carries out the order). REPORTS 4. A report can be issued as a result of Procedure 0, 2.0, or 2.5. The reporter compiles the report (if produced in retrievable form) and its sources and delivers it to the recipients. Procedure 4 does not consider how the report's recipients are determined, wether the reporter has any say in who gets his report, or even if any recipients have been defined. For example, distress transmissions might not have specific intended recipients at all. Report formats applicable to Procedure 4 are written, audible and visual. Delivery methods are in person, recorded or live over a distance. Procedure 4 considers an Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) code to be a report. Unofficial Conduct 5. Any Terran Armed Forces member may deviate from, or if necessary disregard, the above procedures for a period of time if he judges that following them would jeopardize the security or sovereignty of the Terran nation (for example in interrogation). However, if subpoenaed, he must give account for his actions. Glossary, References and Footnotes: 1. This conduct structure does not attempt to establish rationale for any procedure whatsoever. 1. This conduct structure does not attempt to define a chain of responsibility (for orders that are issued or redirected beyond redirected orders) beyond the implied one that corresponds to a basic top-down command chain.