[Bill]

ARMADA INFORMATION & POLICIES

INTRODUCTION
Thank you for your interest in the United Federation of Planets Armada. The UFP is extremely proud to support the STO Armada system and believe that it will greatly enhance the experience for everyone involved. This guide will cover the basics for the UFP's Armada design and External Operations policies and will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.

To learn more about the UFP's Armada vision or apply to join the UFP Armada, click here and go to the first post.
ARMADA DESIGN
We have been involved with the Armada system since it's inception and have witnessed the benefits to all of the fleets in the UFP Armada. Some of these benefits are reflected below:

• Fleet projects can be completed more quickly and there are more opportunities to donate marks, etc.
• Supports alliances with fleets of any size
• Encourages ally fleets to interact with the UFP on a regular basis, but still permits ally autonomy if desired
• As holdings are completed, greater bonuses are obtained

STARFLEET OPERATIONS
“To boldly go where none have gone before...”

Starfleet Operations (SFO) is the division responsible for serving Federation captains within Star Trek Online (STO). We manage 5 fleets: UFP, UFP 2nd Fleet, UFP 3rd Fleet, UFP 4th Fleet and UFP 5th Fleet. You can read more about the status of these from one of the links below. Our Quartermaster and Logistics officers manage the fleet holdings and bank, while Away Team Leaders schedule weekly events for our members.

Useful Links

• SFO - The division page for SFO, providing staff listings and useful information.
• Fleets and Invite Guide - A handy guide to the SFO fleets and helpful information surrounding invites.
• Bank Forum - All topics related to the fleet bank can be found here, including how to a purchase from the fleet shop.

HOUSE OF KULAR
“Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war!”

House of Kular (HoK) is the UFP's Klingon Division which caters to all the needs of those with an interest in the Klingon faction in STO. We are also here for any and all other Klingon interests. We host regular themed and non-themed events that all in the KDF faction can attend offering you many opportunities to prove yourself in glorious battle and win honour for your house. We have a monthly ship of the month featuring a random KDF ship with a sample build to help you improve your game. The Klingon Champion Standing Tournament takes place every 6 months and ends with a single Champion standing proudly with his Bat'leth!

ARMADA SERVICES

UFP TEAMSPEAK
The UFP TeamSpeak (TS) is now available for use by all Armada members and is highly recommended (though not a requirement) to interact with other UFP members, coordinate gaming activities, and get involved. Please ensure that all members use appropriate fleet tags when connected to the UFP TeamSpeak server. All participants are expected to follow the UFP Prime Directive and TeamSpeak rules at all times.

An Armada Lounge chat channel has been established on our TeamSpeak channel, allowing our members, allies and Delegates to communicate and play freely, on whatever platform or game. If you do not have your own TeamSpeak server, this serves as a natural meeting place.

UFP FORUMS
The UFP is pleased to welcome all ally members to participate in our forums! The UFP has no restrictions regarding membership in other communities, so ally members wishing to join the conversation simply need to register on the forums. Membership on the UFP forums is entirely optional for ally members and conditional upon your own fleet's rules for participation. Please note that accounts created in violation of your fleet’s policies may be denied upon request, so the UFP encourages anyone interested in applying to check your own fleet’s requirements first! To join the UFP forums, follow the instructions to create an account as a Federation Citizen (forum participation only) or Starfleet Officer (to join or participate in UFP gaming divisions, including Starfleet Operations and/or House of Kular).


UFP FLEET MEMBERSHIP
In addition to our forums, the UFP is pleased to welcome all ally members to participate in our in-game divisions (including non-STO games)! The UFP has no restrictions regarding membership in other communities. Membership in the UFP gaming divisions is entirely optional for ally members and conditional upon your own fleet's rules for participation. Please note that accounts created in violation of your fleet’s policies may be denied upon request, so the UFP encourages anyone interested in applying to check your own fleet’s requirements first! Ally members wishing to join a UFP gaming division need to register on the forums following the instructions to create an account as a Starfleet Officer. Once approved, additional instructions will be provided by Starfleet Academy as part of the new member process.

UFP ARMADA CHAT
Join global channel UFPlanets in STO for cross-faction Armada chat and coordination in-game! This is the main and preferred in game channel for all communication.

ARMADA POLICIES

ALLY REQUIREMENTS

Beta Fleets:

1. Sixty (60) active members
2. Visible set of rules for your members (or adaptation of our Prime Directive)
3. Reserve one (1) Gamma slot for a UFP ally

Gamma Fleets:

1. Twenty (20) active members
2. Visible set of rules for your members (or adaptation of our Prime Directive)

To apply for Armada membership, click here. Once completed, the UFP Office of External Operations will begin the review process and will contact you with updates on the progress of your application as they become available.

RECRUITMENT OF GAMMA FLEETS
For Armada members who have been selected and placed in a trusted and important position as a Beta, they are expected to source, recruit and invite at least two (2) Gamma fleets within a reasonable amount of time. Completing your Gamma slots in a timely manner benefits everybody in the Armada to reach the highest Fleet Level possible.

Please note that Banking Fleets are not considered acceptable for Gamma status. If you are having difficulty meeting your Gamma responsibilities, please let me know ASAP so we can make arrangements to fill any empty slots.

ARMADA DELEGATES ASSEMBLY
Upon application acceptance to the UFP Armada, ally fleets will be asked to select two (2) fleet representatives to serve on the Armada Delegates Assembly, where they will have direct access to other ally fleet representatives, the UFP Office of External Operations, and UFP Starfleet Command. Meetings will be held monthly and chaired by the Director of External Operations. Further details of these are available on the Armada Assembly sub-forum, accessible to Delegates.

ARMADA CODE OF CONDUCT
As one of the first responsibilities of founding allies, you may be asked to participate and provide feedback in the creation of an Armada Code of Conduct (ACoC). For the initial launch of the UFP Armada, the Prime Directive will be used as the basis for conduct of the overall Armada, interactions between Armada allies, and the UFP.

HOLDINGS AND DONATIONS
Upon acceptance into the UFP Armada, you and all Armada members agreed not to block STO in-game fleet donations to any and all of your holdings. If in the future you wish to do so, notice of at least seventy-two (72) hours must be given to the Director of External Operations complete with relevant reasoning, which may be liable to further discussion at an Assembly Meeting.

We believe that “gating” donations, whatever the denomination or purpose is counter to the mission stated above of this Armada, and further, disrupts the flow of free trade and mutual co-operation between Armada members, hindering progress of holdings.

Members may be requested to temporarily place high-demand projects in their holdings, on a voluntary basis. These would again be discussed openly at Assembly Meetings or via Private Message.

MEDIATION OF CONFLICTS
The UFP is committed to prompt and fair resolution of all disputes of any nature which may arise in the Armada. This policy governs all aspects of Armada dispute resolution, including all claims that members may have against other Armada members (including the UFP), up to and including removal from the Armada and any claims arising under the Armada Code of Conduct. This dispute resolution procedure applies only to disputes between Armada members. Internal fleet issues should be handled according to the policies of the member’s fleet. The UFP will not interfere with internal issues of another fleet, except where those issues may affect the Armada itself.

1. The originating representative should promptly discuss any problems or concerns that are related to the Armada with the receiving representative. If the receiving representative is the cause of the problem or if the originating representative feels uncomfortable discussing the matter with the receiving representative, issues may be raised with the Director of External Operations.
2. Whenever issues are raised, the receiving representative and the originating representative will undertake a good faith effort to resolve the matter by openly discussing the issue(s) and attempting to reach a resolution. The Armada Delegates Assembly can be used for these discussions, but private discussion between the affected parties are encouraged for sensitive matters.
3. If resolution is not achieved, the issue may be referred to the Director of External Operations, who will conduct an investigation as deemed appropriate and meet with both parties in a sincere effort to discuss, analyze, and resolve the matter. If a mutual resolution is not reached, the Director of External Operations may issue a determination on the issue which shall be final unless either party invokes arbitration under this procedure.
4. If the matter is not resolved in mediation, either party may request that the matter be referred to arbitration by making a written request to the UFP within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of mediation. An arbiter will be selected randomly from the following entities: UFP Director of External Operations, the UFP Head of Administration, Deputy Head of Administration or the UFP Federation Executive Office. Upon request, an arbitration hearing will be held. The decision of the Arbitrator will be final and binding upon both parties.

COMMUNITIES WISHING TO ASCEND A TIER/ADD ADDITIONAL FLEETS TO THE ARMADA
The UFP is happy to support your ambition! We actively encourage all member fleets to seek tier advancement for themselves when they feel they are ready! The only requirements for tier advancement within the UFP Armada are as follows:

1. Member fleets must meet the minimum UFP tier requirements as established above
2. Member fleets must be in good standing with the UFP and other Armada fleets with no active disputes or strikes
3. An appropriate tier slot must be available for advancement

If there are multiple fleets petitioning to apply for the same slot, a competitive evaluation will be conducted by the UFP to award advancement to the most qualified member. Competitive evaluation will include factors such as:

• Active member count and projected growth over time
• Status of Fleet Holdings
• Frequency and quality of fleet events
• Participation in the Armada Delegates Assembly
• Ability to offer assistance to other Armada Members
• Ability to recruit other potential fleets to join the Armada

COMMUNITIES WISHING TO SEPARATE
If you wish to leave the UFP Armada for any reason, please contact the UFP Office of External Operations at least fourteen (14) days prior to your planned departure to inform us of your intention. Although the UFP will be sad to see you go, we also want to ensure that your Armada experience is pleasant and rewarding for everyone.

Note that the timing of notification should be at least fourteen (14) days prior to Armada cooldowns enforced in-game. Advance notification helps the entire Armada prepare for your departure including resolution of any open orders, planned events, and other administrative changes required to ensure the continued security and viability of the UFP Armada.



If you have any questions regarding these policies, please contact the Executive Officer for Armada Operations, Bill. To apply to join the UFP Armada, click here.

Special thanks to Daedalus and McClintock for initially composing these policies.