The Third Fleet

Overview

Established in 2190 during the reorganization of the Third Fleet following the retirement of Admiral Jefferson Heltin after the death of his wife and children in a CLF terrorist attack and the promotion of Vice Admiral James Bulwark. The Second Battlegroup primarily consists of outdated and retrofitted vessels that have seen service as far back as the Tientsin Campaign. Placed under the command of Rear Admiral Frans Feiffer the Battlegroup consists of five naval divisions totaling 50+ vessels, a military police division of around 5,000 MPs, a marine division totaling 25,000, and a dozen of support vessels including a dedicated hospital vessel which supplies naval vessels with doctors, researchers, and other medical equipment.

By 2191 after the disaster in the Fomalhaut System during OPERATION: FALLEN ANGEL the Second Battlegroup remains in a state of decline. Rear Admiral Bjorn was selected to fill the empty position left by the assassinated Rear Admiral Frans Feiffer who died to agents of the Order of Terra while en-route to his flagship from Chinook GSO-91 Station. Many Commanding Officers perished, have gone missing, or retired due to the outcome of the battle. Now stretched across Tychon's Rift even further with less assets the Battlegroup must make tough decisions to stand a chance in maintaining UA's hold over the subsector.

Organization

Rank Structure

Role	Description	Eligibility
Rear Admiral | RADM.	The designated superior of the entire Battle-Group. The Rear Admiral is the supervisor of every division and is responsible for the appointment of Commodores who oversee the naval divisions beneath their Battle-group. Their authority is supreme and they hold the power to promote Commodores and strip Captains of their ranks should they be disgracing the officer-corps through violation of procedures.	CO Senator
Commodore | CDRE.	Chosen Captains by the Rear Admiral to serve as Division heads and as advisors to the Rear Admiral as their joint chief of staff. The Commodores are entrusted with the organization of their assigned divisions, the ability to ensure their division carries out orders given to them, and advising the Rear Admiral on punishments and new regulations for the Captains beneath them. There are only five ever at one time in a Battle-Group.	CO Council
Captain | CPT.	The framework of the Battle-Group, the Captains are officers placed in charge of vessels and are organized into naval divisions to perform duties given to them by the Rear Admiral which is relayed by the Commodores who serve as the head of their assigned divisions. Their job to perform their tasks to the best of their ability without stepping out of line.	CO Whitelist

Naval Divisions

First Division

	Insignia	Vessel Name	Classification	Description
CDRE Samantha Maverick		USS Yukon	Heavy Cruiser	The USS Yukon is the third in a line of Stonewall-class heavy cruisers designed for multi-role operations, force projection, and engagement against enemy craft. Initially commissioned over 50 years ago, she was decommissioned in 2155 and recommissioned in the wake of the initial campaign on Tychon's Rift in 2181, being given a retrofit to cope with existing demands of technology. While its design is outdated, the ship has proven to be hardy in combat, facing off against foes during her first tour of duty and sustained moderate damage, giving it distinguished "battle scars" that can be seen in the hull repairs' slightly darker shade of gray paint. Between 2181 and 2190, the ship roamed around the sector, conducting surveillance and counter-piracy operations; nothing special. In the wake of the reentry of the USCM into Tychon's Rift, however, it was brought up to the spotlight again to defend against those who oppose the entry of the Colonial Marines into the area. With a length of roughly 497 meters, crew capacity of 410 (360 enlisted, 50 officers), the ship is by no means lacking in size; however proving to be lacking in speed capabilities, the ship draws from a 2170-era propulsion and FTL system, making for just over 0.66 light-years per day.
CPT Nathon Stafford	N/A	USS Grizzly	Planetary Assault Ship	An outdated ship armed with 9th battalion "Death Valley Kings". Sent on missions involving colonies with extremely hot climates.
CPT Alberto ‘Topper’ Staffer	N/A	USS Vanguard	Light Carrier	USS Vanguard is a retrofitted Trebuchet-class light carrier. Having been launched in 2145, it’s one of the oldest carriers in the fleet. As such in the carrier role it’s lacking due to the smaller size of its air groups necessitated by the need to keep weight down. Shipboard weaponry being limited to PDCs and PDLs along with a small set of ASAT tubes for long range defensive firepower, the Vanguard’s main strength lies in its extensive sensor suite. In the early years of space combat, carriers were unable to carry their own dedicated AWACS aircraft due to size constraints, as such they were provided with a disproportional sensor array so as to provide search and control from the ship itself. The Vanguard’s role is not to be confused with the PAS’ role, as a light carrier, the ship contains only F/A-86 Banshee IIs, F-40 Hellcat IIIs, and various small support craft. There are no provisions for landing operations and no marines besides a security detail are stationed on the ship.
CPT Oussama 'DOA' Neghiz	N/A	USS Providence	Escort Frigate	Assigned to its captain after the loss of [REDACTED] in a very unfortunate incident, the USS Providence is nothing more than a heap of scrap that's somehow still functioning. Talks of it being given a proper retrofit have been thrown around for as long as its crew could remember, and yet it always seem to get "delayed". Mostly assigned as an escort to bigger, more important ships.
CPT Wallace Haar	N/A	USS Harvest	Troop Transport	An outdated Bougainville-class Troop Transport Vessel capable or holding around 90 troops or if needed PoW's out of cryo at a time, and another 200 in hypersleep, is currently being used as a Joint-Collaboration Vessel between the United Americas and the RESS Holds the 'Oopsie Daisies' Marine Battalion and the RESS Royal Marine 'Rose of Hokkaido'
CPT Tyrus 'Shoeless' Jackson	N/A	USS Silent Dawn	Cruiser	The USS Silent Dawn is a reconnaissance search and destroy vessel. Its primary purpose is to perform tactical strikes via stealth operations. Its augmented with an experimental VPES (vapor eject system) that allows for camouflage on long range radar due to masking as space distortions (coronal mass ejection, asteroids clusters etc). The Winter Wolves detachment is made of marine volunteers that desired to be sent on high risk missions. The marines are comprised of terminally ill, critical debt holders, and those seeking the most dangerous deployments.

Second Division

	Insignia	Vessel Name	Classification	Description
CDRE Anna Stall	Lillehammer	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
CPT Karl 'Ausbruch' Walz	N/A	USS Pershing	Heavy Cruiser	The USS Pershing is a recently commissioned Heavy Cruiser of her own class. Only having been in service for 3 years she is considerably newer than her contemporaries. She houses the 3rd Heavy Mechanized Battalion dubbed "Steel Soulmates". Her armaments consist of mostly offensive pieces, including 2 WY sponsored orbital cannons, 3 dual-barrel turrets for broadside engagements, and 2 concussion missile launchers. She has 2 AUD-26-H Dropships, made specifically to move the heavy armor the marines carry, as well as a standard AUD-25. She sacrifices aspects of her ship to ensure maximum garage space, letting her carry 2 M577 APCs, 3 M39B2 Decker Medium Tanks, and an M42C3 "Walker" Heavy Tank.
CPT Morrigan 'M.K' Kessler	N/A	USS Amun-Ra	Stealth Frigate	At a length of 61.5 meters, the Amun-Ra presents an unusual frame, highly different from that of most spacefaring vessels with a shape like a huge black quartz crystal. This is a byproduct of the ship's stealth functionality, using angular sheets of black composite materials to absorb or reflect radar signals. These materials are supported by active cooling systems to conceal the ship's detectable heat signature, able to reduce the frigate's ambient temperature to match that of an asteroid or even that of background radiation. This functionality is of course only available when the frigate's main drive is offline, as an engine burn of any kind would alert any nearby vessels to the ship's location. The Amun-Ra class is frightfully well armed for its size, and at the time of its commissioning, the class was the smallest vessel in history to be armed with a railgun. The ship's prototype S-24 Kopesh is internally mounted along the vessel's spine and is supported by 4 retractable PDCs, as well as a pair of concealed Missile bays, equipped with rapid reload systems. The standard crew complement of the Amun-Ra class includes 50 personnel; however, this is frequently expanded to 100 for missions which include troop deployments or boarding actions. During such encounters, assault teams are deployed using the frigate's 9 breaching pods laid into the ship's broadsides. These pods function by launching a small breaching charge to weaken the hull of a target ship before clamping themselves into the surface using 3 mechanical claws, establishing an access passage for troops.
CPT Howard Dalheart	N/A	USS Hadrian’s Wall	Colony Ship retrofitted into Tientsin era Support Vessel	Retrofitted but outdated; Tientsin era
CPT Finnian Cottier	N/A	USS Tobruk	Carrier	Key member of Carrier Strike Group 31 with the 147th Colonial Marine Expeditionary Unit and 22nd Space Wing embarked. Built in 2172, retrofitted in 2183, still in active service. Still effective, though soon to be outclassed by the new generation of carriers currently being commissioned.
CPT Salvador Kepplinger	N/A	USS Franks	Planetary Assault Ship	An old Planetary Assault Ship, the USS Franks is outdated. Comms is for officers and squad leaders only. The M16 is the weapon of choice. Most soldiers camouflage themselves. The crew of the Franks is renowned for Guerrilla warfare, and battles of attrition. The Anti-Air cannon works, and the Franks has two boarding vessels. Although it ain't very up to date, the crew has minimal casualties and often none at all. The commanding officer runs his ship like it is world war two, simply because of how outdated everything is. But it works. They have a huge operational success rate.
CPT Adam Berkshire	N/A	USS Justitia	Multi-Purpose Destroyer	USCM detachment of civil pacification corps under the direct command of the Provost Marshall. Detachment includes a majority force of RMP personnel, with a sufficient compliment of medical staff for colonial emergency situations related to both warfare related crisis and biological containment. Ship has been retrofitted and undergone two dry dock modification assignments in order to carry essential supplies to USCM vessels operating in fields of duty from their respective home systems. Due to it's high compliment of Military Police and colonial security personnel, it has mainly been assigned for transport of High Command personnel, high value government and corporate persons, and mass quantities of volatile cargo including but not limited to dropship armaments, orbital bombardment shells, and in rare cases nuclear payloads. As a result of it's role as a transport vessel of essential and high value cargo, it's armament includes a defensive compliment of twin railguns mounted on the port and starboard fore, with an additional four 80 megawatt infrared lasers placed both fore and aft, capable of vaporizing incoming railgun fire or crippling incoming missiles and possible boarding attempts from any direction. In extreme situations and in case of contamination in biological threats or extreme risk of safety of cargo or high value personnel, a single type 332 emergency escape vehicle (EEV) has been connected via umbilical mounts onto the underside of the vessel.

Third Division

	Insignia	Vessel Name	Classification	Description
CDRE William Crimson		USS Reeducation	Unknown	Unknown
CPT Charles Edwinson	N/A	USS Envoy	Planetary Assault Ship	3rd Honour Guard Division. Typically dispatched on diplomatic missions or to escort VIPs throughout USCM territory. Powerful engines and advanced defence systems at the cost of reduced offensive weaponry. This ship is designed to endure and escape, not to fight.
CPT Roscoe Carr	N/A	USS Centralia	Kessler Protocol Compliance Vessel	Mostly unarmed support vessel designed to clear debris from orbit after space battles. Mandated by international law and legally protected in a way similar to hospital ships.
CPT Zhilov Igorev	N/A	USS Arcadia	Raider Class Ship	At 90 meters long it’s designed to quickly move in and out of battle zones to deliver heavy strikes thanks to three M-Class engines. She is armed with two heavy laser cannons, a large milled bay, an ion cannon and three gimbled turrets. The Arcadia is outfitted with a crew of 40 with 15 of them being marines trained in sabotage and stealth ops.
CPT Goosen Dagen	N/A	USS Roosevelt	Cruiser	Small vessel, lightly armored, but quick and can easily evade enemies when required. Efficiently designed, but not a model of comfort given it's small size. Crew capacity was designed for 50 members, with mostly small quarters, and limited areas of recreation. The majority of crew (originally and currently) are enlisted men, with minimal support from other departments. The vessel has never had a Liason of the powerful Weston-Yamada corporation, as the missions of the vessel typically classified by the USCM, then and now. Her armament was originally designed for strike missions against vessels and outposts, as she was christened in 2166 to assist with the developing conflict between the UPP. She participated in several skirmishes throughout "Space Nam", typically avoiding main areas of deployment in favor of surprise attacks on vulnerable targets, at times including civilian occupied areas. The actions of the vessel were a matter of public scrutiny for the UPP, often using the Roosevelt as an example of USCM violent excess during the conflict. However, by 2170 a ceasefire was negotiated, and the command members of the Roosevelt were subsequently highly decorated by high command of the USCM for their efforts during the conflict. After the ceasefire with the UPP, the Roosevelt saw continued use against CLF forces for the next decade, participating in many conflicts against enemy bases of operation. Initially the mission was the same for the Roosevelt as it was during the previous conflict, and similarly received condemnation by the CLF for it's overtly hostile actions against civilians. However, as more battles raged across the years, it was clear the Roosevelt was showing it's age the longer the conflicts dragged out. Resistance was more heavily fortified in CLF territories, and they were more well informed of the USCM movements. The technical superiority of the vessel was shattered, as was the fate of many others. Furthermore, the failure of USS Alistoun in the Tychon Rift Sector lead to the most decisive defeat thus far. This significantly changed the military doctrine of the Third Fleet in many ways, which in particular affected the fate of the Roosevelt. High command of the USCM were worried of several threats, CLF excluded, and thus updated the overall mission of the Roosevelt to a role of scouting. Since 2180, She has maintained visibility of the outskirts of the UA where the Third Fleet is positioned. She still maintains a small deployment of senior military officers, just a Commander and Captain. The rest of the crew is mostly military, with some serving in other departments. Captain Goosen Dagen was transferred to the Roosevelt in November of 2189, and has since commanded the vessel.
CPT Jonathan Fox	N/A	USS Valor	Destroyer	Retrofitted Vehicle The USS Valor is a destroyer class ship, with only 189 meters beeing smaller then the USS Almayer but equipped with stronger weaponary. It has loaded eight 0.75cm/140 Mark 74 General Atomics railguns, 35 Mark 33 ASAT-LS systems with mark nine nuclear warheads. But has only one AUD-25 Dropship with no armament and only a very small bataillon with no mechanized troops on board. The USS Valor was created 2136, two years after The Arikara-class patrol transport vessel was intodruced. The USS Valor's main goal is to track and hunt hostile ships down. It was assigned to the third fleet and joined 2165 the Operation Canton.
CPT Faerwald Wulfe	N/A	USS Hyperion	Science Frigate	Most of the ship is comprised of laboratories with high tech equipment and full of researchers be it from the USCM or outside contractors under strict NDA. Its primary job is to conduct experiments and research safely in deep space away from the prying eyes of civilian companies and outside powers like the UPP and CLF. On occasion the Hyperion can be seen performing other tasks like surveying unexplored planets, observing anomalies in space or performing weapon testing. Thanks to its equipment and laboratories as well as a very skilled medical team used to work with strict containment procedures and the strangest of wounds and diseases the Hyperion was on occasions sent to colonies suffering from widespread pandemics to swiftly deal with the situation. The crew aboard is highly trained and split between crisis response teams and exploratory teams when being deployed on special missions. While the Hyperion is a science vessel it still carries a decent amount of armaments and can defend itself if attacked. It carries ship to ship missiles as well as two large caliber front facing cannons designed both for ship to ship combat as well as limited orbital bombardment. It is also usually fitted with all kinds of experimental weaponry currently being tested and while unreliable it can prove devastating in some situations.

Fourth Division

	Insignia	Vessel Name	Classification	Description
CDRE Goddard Pearsall		USS Icarus	Unknown	Unknown

Fifth Division

	Insignia	Vessel Name	Classification	Description
CPT Connor Anderson		USS Barack H. Obama	Destroyer	3rd Fleet, 4th Division, 22nd Regiment, "Sky Guardians" USS Obama is a medium armored vessel with extraordinary speed, it's an experimental vessel specialized in boarding attempts. It's speed and armor allow it to ram hostile spaceships and the new AUD-28 dropships with their point defense lasers are able to reach the enemy's hangar with close to no damage.

Sixth Division (Reserve Division)

	Insignia	Vessel Name	Classification	Description
???	???	???	???	???

Support Divisions

12th MP Division

	Insignia	Vessel Name	Classification	Description
Provost Allister	???	???	???	???
Captain William Crimson	???	???	???	???

32nd Marine Division

	Insignia	Vessel Name	Classification	Description
Provost Allister	???	???	???	???

Mission

The Second Battlegroup is tasked with search-and-destroy within the Herculis Sector under the Third Fleet, primarily the sector of Tychon's Rift due to the sudden influx of colonial rebellions occurring and requests from local marshals for reinforcements in putting down insurrection. The Battlegroup however faces various issues including strained logistical supply lanes bogged down by distance and guerilla attacks from varying factions, poor weaponry maintenance, and low manpower due to a strained budget. Any hope of victory can only be achieved with new methods as attrition continues to tear away at the Battle-Group making it painfully obvious a drawn-out conflict is no longer an option.

As of 2190, just like all of the Third Fleet the Second Battle-Group operates out of Chinook 91 GSO station a military space station in geosynchronous orbit around the colony world Georgia 525 (70 Ophiuchi A V). Due to to increasing security concerns the Second Battle-Group has begun detaching its Reserve Division to defend the military space station from any potential threat that may target the heart of the Third Fleet.

Ideology

Since the eruption of the war on insurgency following the disasters at Tientsin there has been notable debate among military officers as to how to pursue a victory with the war only continuing to drag on and attrition and budgets straining the USCM. Three notable factions by 2190 had taken rise among the fleets, especially the Third Fleet which finds itself constantly engulfed in an endless guerilla campaign with the CLF.

Ideology	Symbol	Description
Hawks		The Hawks are a far-right leaning faction that emerged following the end of the Sol Campaign with the belief that the colonist uprisings can only be halted with iron and blood. Their main support dwindled following the ending of the Tientsin Campaign which led to the outlawing of nuclear weapons being used against colonies due to the humanitarian disaster that had emerged in the aftermath. However, with the war on insurgency dragging on and casualties mounting the upper-brass of the USCM has begun once again reconsidering the option of ‘more forceful measures’ including the potential of once again permitting the use of nuclear weaponry on colonial worlds and the suspension of colonial governments and enactment of martial law through the sector.
Doves		The Doves are a left-leaning faction that rose following the humanitarian crisis on Mars after the Sol Campaign had been waged and won. Their firm belief was that the only way to unite colonies with the Earth Government was by fighting and winning the ‘war of heart’ through negotiation, humanitarian aid, and less usage of military assets. Following the Tientsin Campaign the Doves saw a major increase in popularity among the officer corps and successfully pressed the government to outlaw the use of nuclear weapons against colonial worlds. However, since the War on Insurgency the belief that the ‘war of heart’ could still be won began to wither with the relentless years of war crimes, casualties, and growing distrust of the USCM by CLF-aligned colonies. However there is still hope that the colonies and Sol can be reunified through compassion and unity.
Songbirds		The Songbirds are military industrial complex supporters who lean heavily towards policies pushed and supported for major corporations such as Weston-Yamada. Their main support emerged during the early days of the emergence of WY which had begun investing heavily into the USCM. Officers who align themselves as Songbirds echo that the corporations are strong allies and it would be harmful to push or restrict purchasing and contracts with them. It’s rumored Songbirds are among the wealthiest of officers in the USCM primarily due to bribes likely received to ‘overlook’ certain incidents that might be damaging to Weston-Yamada or other corporations who pay for influence and sell weapons to the USCM. Their interest aligning with the hawks or doves on specific issues falls on the cost and benefits, if it means losing a colony it could be doves but if it means killing some rebelling colonists and keeping the colony, it likely could be the hawks. Money is power and a path to greater standing.
Other/Unaligned		It is not uncommon for officers both new and old to distance themselves from the politics that surround their career and mission to serve the USCM. Some often develop their own opinions far different from the main ideologies on how the issues USCM faces should be dealt with and thus find themselves often supporting one of the big three if it aligns with their own beliefs. Lobbying by both the Doves and Hawks to gain the support of these Officers is not uncommon within the Fleets.

Ideology of the Battlegroup

BATTLEGROUP REPORT (As of 7/2/2190)

• Hawks: 49%

• Doves: 28.6%

• Songbirds: 10.2%

• Other/Non-Aligned: 12%

Current Crisis

Colonial Liberation Front (War on Insurgency)

The fight against the CLF in Tychon's Rift Sector and various other small cells appearing in other sectors has been ongoing for over a decade with no end in sight. Now with an estimated manpower of 150,000 the CLF heavily outnumbers local USCM forces even with shoddy equipment. Casualties and fleet losses continue to accumulate by the day with guerilla fighting taking its toll on USCM forces. A decision on a new approach to the war on insurgency has to be made if there is to be any hope of success.

Xur Uprising/Sixteen Colonies

Rumors of a declaration of independence from a new self declared union of colonies referring to themselves as the ‘Sixteen Colonies’ has emerged under the coordination of notorious colonial marshal Xur, mirroring that of the original American Thirteen colonies and declaration of independence. The Third Fleet’s intelligence network covering HERCULIS from CHINOOK station has managed to suppress any media outlets, also a blockade by the First Battlegroup of the Third Fleet has successfully prevented any travel of colonists who may try to spread the news. A solution however to either attempt peaceful negotiation or usage of military force must be decided before the number of the Sixteen Colonies increases.

Terraist Crusade

The Order of Terra, a devout religious sect of roman catholics dedicated to the expulsion and destruction of the colonies through holy crusade due to their belief of earth being the one and only true home to humanity have become a major problem in the outer-colonies. Their tactics involving terrorist attacks on civilian populations and military forces have earned them the ironic nickname of ‘terraists’ in their attempts to purge the colonies in favor of earth. There has been belief that the Vatican has been personally funding the order however Pope Pius XII has denied such allegations. They have established several major installations in asteroid belts which they have dubbed ‘The Crusader States’. To wipe them out would mean gaining colonial favor and good press, however to eradicate them completely would mean destroying an enemy of the CLF and rebellious colonies.

By 2190 after the Battle of Fomalhaut System or OPERATION: FALLEN ANGEL, the Terraists were largely scattered or taken as POWs and await pending trials by the Judiciary branches of the military for warcrimes against colonial civilians. Intelligence reports the chances of the Order becoming a threat again are unlikely however UA forces remain wary in Herculis, believing that religion cannot be so easily forgotten.