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MILITARY REGULATIONS
| Saluting | It is appropriate for a member of the Colonial Fleet to render a salute to a superior when they are called on for private conference, when passing in the corridors if convenient, when dismissed, and during formal functions, including official changes of watch.
If people are engaged in work, or carrying items that make it inconvenient, it is not necessary to render a salute, though they can still give respectful greetings. Members of the fleet do not salute every time they exchange words and orders, as that would result in horrific casualties in battle. They salute when they can, as seems appropriate. Officers will often make their preferences clear if they preferred to be saluted more or less often. It is appropriate that juniors try to respect their wishes.
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| Orders | It is appropriate for juniors to always respect and obey the orders of their senior officers. In the event that members of different branches or sections give orders to juniors, the junior should endeavor to obey the orders, though checking in with the wishes of their immediate superiors is often appreciated.
Higher ranking officers do not necessarily have the right to order long-ranging and time consuming orders to those under others' commands. This is, in effect, 'stealing' personnel and for organization and efficiency is not allowed save in times of crisis. But orders of short duration and small import should be followed immediately. If a member of the Colonial Fleet believes he has received contradictory orders he should check with his immediate superior and it falls to him to resolve the disputing authorities.
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| Fraternization | The Colonial Fleet has strict regulations against fraternization. Commissioned officers are prohibited from familiar and casual contact with enlisted men. Officers are expected to maintain polite detachment from their enlisted men, maintaining decorum at all times. Romantic relationships are prohibited for all members of the military save those both of similar rank and in seperate departments or commands. In peacetime and under certain commands, lax enforcement can create an atmosphere where violations of the fraternization regulations are commonplace, but this is dependent upon how rigorously the Command structure chooses to interpret and enforce the regulations.
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| Chain of Command | Colonial Fleet Battlestars are typically organized into a number of departments that all report to the central command staff that consists of the Commanding Officer (CO), Executive Officer (XO), and additional command staff in the form of Junior Officers deputized with central command in lieu of the CO or XO's absence. The main departments each have a commanding officer and generally include the following:
Combat Air Group There may be additional subdepartments as necessary. For example, in the series Dualla was part of the Communications subdepartment of CIC.
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| Discipline | Military discipline is often swift and harsh. The slightest infraction of regulations can be punished by assignment of extra duty, revocation of privileges, or simply physical training in the form of immediate calisthenics by any senior officers ("Drop and give me twenty!"). For more serious infractions including neglect of duties, breaches of security, habitual or serious disrespect, insubordination, or any crime, the offender's Commanding Officer (or Executive Officer) will assign non-judicial punishment such as loss or restriction of privileges, loss of rank, confinement, or extra duties. The recipient of this punishment may appeal this and request trial by court martial instead. Should a court martial not be feasible due to time constraints or a lack of suitable personnel, the CO of an independently operating force may choose to make a summary judgement instead. Discipline during times of war and especially battle is often much harsher than it would be otherwise. Disobedience during a crisis may be viewed as mutinous and treasonous, and it is not unheard of for commanding officers to execute summary judgement immediately with capital punishment. But this is rare and never occurrs in peace time. In peace time many regulations are barely monitored or enforced. It's a rare peacetime command whose personnel will be punished for small liberties with the uniform, courtesy, or fraternization regulations, but the exact atmosphere of every ship is a result of its officers who will have varying enthusiasm for enforcing regulations.
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