[LynxMukka]

It's been a long road already to this point, but the destination is becoming ever so more clearer and this latest announcement is the next series of changes the Federation Executive Office is about to implement in order to reach our end goals of becoming an encompassing Star Trek community.

One of the first changes you'll notice are the alterations we've made to the forum index, to add more prominence to our general discussion forums - we're adding greater emphasis to forum interactions overall. More on that shortly.


Formation of the Federation Administrative Bureau
One of the changes we're making, is the formation of a new administrative department, with its abbreviation being FAB, somewhat purposefully. :mrgreen:

For those who have been here long enough to remember Internal Affairs, and their forum moderation team - FAB will deal partly with this function. Along with forum moderation, it will manage the signature team and several other small teams of volunteers which we need to place throughout the UFP.

In short it will be the core administrative service provider for the UFP herein. I will be working with the new supervisor for this area in the coming weeks and more will be announced then.


Closure of the Starfleet Diplomatic Corps
The Starfleet Diplomatic Corps (SDC), after many years of service, is being closed. This is not to say we’re closing our diplomatic services entirely, but rather we feel as though an entire department is no longer needed to maintain this community function.

Many years back, during our Bridge Commander days, SDC served a rather unique purpose. Treaties, wars, peace talks, and alert conditions served as roleplay outlets for Bridge Commander clans looking to add more complex layers to the game and its enjoyability.

Over the years we’ve disassociated ourselves with this rhetoric and instead SDC adapted to host the inter-fleet events we see today. Such events, we feel, can be easily managed in the new Federation Administrative Bureau department, where things can be more effectively managed at a core level and where others in FEO will manage the direction and standards that SDC previously set.


Command Changes
Moving on, I’d like to announce some important command decisions. After close to two years of service in his role as Secretary of Defence, Mikester92 will be stepping down to take on the role of FEO Press Secretary, in otherwords Head of News Operations, while Bondgadget76 will move onto a different role. FEO views FNS as a critical area to our success as a community, and Mikester’s previous experience leading up FNS in the past is very much needed to make this work.

Replacing Mikester92 as Secretary of Defence is Jake Tyler. One thing Mikester sought in nominating his replacement was that the next Defence Secretary ought to be a big STO fan and an experienced policy maker; of which Jake Tyler is both. Please note however, that while Jake will be taking on this role he will remain in Starfleet (CL5) and will instead be titled ‘Head of Starfleet’ with the rank of Full Admiral.

And last but certainly not least, Chris Halsey has been invited into the CL6 FEO community administrator group to help us with our agenda for the community (he was one of the original proposers). I expect Chris to quickly adapt to the role once again and assist in our ever quickening pace towards our goal.

For those who are unfamiliar with Chris, Christopher Halsey actually served in FEO for many years before retiring. Chris now acts as Starfleet Academy CO and was instrumental in lighting the fuse that started our community focus in the first place. FEO believes his experience and drive, in this effort, to be most invaluable. Chris will therefore be leaving Starfleet behind and will join FEO as the Secretary of Education.


In Summary
With all these changes, this means our leading volunteer teams look like this:

Federation Executive Office (FEO) - CL6
President John Hathaway - President
Chief of Staff LynxMukka - Chief of Staff
Secretary Mikester92 - Press Secretary
Secretary Lazereth - Secretary of Social Affairs
Secretary Chris Halsey - Secretary of Education
Secretary Sharpkiller - Joint Head of Technical Services
Secretary Jordan - Joint Head of Technical Services

Starfleet Command (SFC) - CL5
Admiral Jake Tyler - Head of Starfleet
Rear Admiral Bondgadget76 - TBA
Starfleet Operations CO - Vacant
Commodore Dodgers - HoK CO
Commodore Kains - ESF CO
Commodore Caymen Greener - SFH CO


These changes of course leave a CO vacancy in Starfleet Operations, so for those interested in that hot seat, stay tuned for an opening and job advert!

Thank you everyone so far for your patience during these changes and I hope they're getting you as excited as we are about where we're going.

[Christopher Halsey]

It really is great to see that the community isn't standing still and is making great progress as it continues to develop and evolve.

FAB certainly sounds pretty fab. I think it is nice to have one main administrative entity to manage various different day to day administration tasks, it is something we haven't had since Internal Affairs and whilst it makes sense that IA was closed given how the structure of the community changed and the increase in automation, it is nice to see this kind of office returning.

It is sad to see the Diplomatic Corps go but I do understand why it is going. Whilst a department like SDC was vital back in the days of Bridge Commander and Elite Force the Star Trek gaming community has changed so much over the years that nowadays the work done by the department is very different to what it used to be and yes quite rightly probably can be done elsewhere. Nevertheless it is always a shame to see a department close but I am glad to hear that the important work the department did will still get done.

Mikester, I've already expressed my feelings in Starfleet Command but again I just want to say thank you for all your hard work and that I hope this is the right move for you. You haven't had the easiest of jobs but you've done it tremendously well and have conducted yourself in a manner that really has been a great example to others.

Jake Tyler, Head of Starfleet is probably one of, if not, the coolest job titles UFP has ever had. It certainly is a huge responsibility but it is an opportunity you deserve. Good luck and Godspeed.

As for me. I'm sure this news has been something of a surprise for many people in the community, I know it was for me. Whilst joining the Federation Executive Office was something that I was keen to work towards I did not expect it to happen so soon however just because this turned out to be a surprise does not mean I am not looking forward to it, I am very happy and proud to have been presented with this opportunity. It is a great honour to be asked to serve the community in such a capacity and I really am humbled that the members of the Federation Executive Office have placed their faith, confidence and trust in me to carry out this role and as such I would like to thank them for inviting me to join their ranks.

This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly, whilst expectations are high for everyone that serves the community in an official capacity I know that at this level the degree of scrutiny is even higher.

I assure you all that I will give you all my best efforts.

[Cehus]

First off, a big congrats to Chris and Jake on their much deserved promotions! I look forward to seeing what you guys do! It is a sad day indeed to see the diplomatic corps close, but I am glad to see that elements of it will live on. I'll be coming back to write more once I get off this blasted phone! :mrgreen:


Edit: Now that I'm home..

I'm really looking forward to seeing this new Federation Administrative Bureau in action. From what you describe it sounds totally (wait for it...) FABulous. I would like to add to what I said earlier by thanking Collier, Ben and the rest of the Diplomatic Corps for their dedication and hard work over the department's respectable lifespan. I really hope to see our Joint-Fleet events continue in some capacity.

Bond, I look forward to seeing where you end up. I'm sure where ever that may be you will do superb work.

Now that just leaves us with our friendly Press Secretary, Mikester92 or should I say CJ (He told me it's okay to call him that now.) I'm really looking forward to seeing what you make of the FNS, it sounds like you are going to do great things with it.

[Hermanator]

Its sad to see SDC go. Its the department in which I have spent the majority of my time in as a CL4 officer. I'm very sad to see it go, perhaps even bitter. I felt that as a department we did some fantastic work, kept good relations with other Star Trek communities. Occasionally being able to host inter-fleet events, in which I have met some fantastic people. I personally felt for a majority of my time within SDC that a lot of what we were doing was groundbreaking especially in terms of how we were contacting 'foreign fleets', and Collier and Ben's work on the treaty documents. I think as a department it may have had its heart stop prematurely, but that's just my opinion.

I'm happy to see that Chris has returned to the upper epsilon or rather zeta of UFP. As someone I have worked closely with recently in the recruitment team I can confirm he is a great boss. I'm yet to work closely with Jake, but from small conversations I can only say "It couldn't happen to a nicer chap". So kudos to them!

[Kains]

Always good to see continued efforts towards meeting our community goals, and I think the proof is in the pudding (Highest Roll Call ever I believe), so I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with in their new roles!

(Oh, and Mikester, two words: Radio Kains. Think about it )

Oh, and Herm, I totally know where you're coming from: Having been a developer for years, I had to develop a bit of a 'thick skin' to direction changes. There was plenty of time I would pour heart and soul into a project, only to have it abandoned or 'changed'. It's simply a part of any community, and eventually I simply took to seeing the positive: If a part of my work made it through drastic changes, it clearly held a great value to all those involved.

So, while it is a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, I hope the realization of how much some of those efforts meant to everyone will help wash it down.

Life is always about the next big challenge

[Christopher Halsey]

It certainly is a shame to see a department go but over the years many departments have come and gone, as the needs of the community have changed so to has the structure.

If the department were one I currently worked in or had recently worked in I know it would make this announcement very hard to swallow but it does seem that the decision was made from a purely operational perspective and I would assume after quite a lot of deliberation, if it had been something to do with the amount or quality of work being produced then the department wouldn't be going just certain people.

I'm sure the decision wasn't taken lightly but with over 800 members we are very unlikely to ever be in a position where we will all agree on every aspect of a change especially when it involves the unpleasant business of having to decommission a department. Whilst we might not always agree with changes I think understanding the reason for change is very important so if people feel they don't understand why this decision was made I would really encourage them to speak up and ask.

The community is constantly changing as it evolves and one of the benefits of that is that if a change doesn't work out it can always be undone or done differently. Judging from where we have come to what we have become I think on the whole the community has got a lot more things right than wrong so whilst I hate to see a department go I'm hopeful and confident that things will turn out well.

I definitely think everyone that works in or had worked in SDC deserves praise for the work they have done and for all that they have achieved. Any member that goes out of their way to contribute to the successful running of the community deserves praise and now is as good a time as any to remember what SDC has achieved and to say THANK YOU to those that have been part of it.

[Farron]

A part of me agree's with you Hermanator, I was always going to be sad to see SDC go but the community is changing and perhaps it is time for the functions SDC served to be integrated into the parts of UFP they served. A more positive way to look at it can be that because of the work we did, you, me, the whole team, SDC changed and remained relevant. Now it can be a part of FAB and the gaming divisions.

SDC's legacy is out of our hands now and though I don't know what lies ahead, I hope those that take it fro here can succeed. What I can say, though, is that together all of those involved with SDC performed admirably. We weren't content to keep things ticking over and always found ways to improve, we pulled off great events when we weren't expected to, increased our scope with multi-JFE's as well as many other firsts (I certainly never expected I'd have to mediate a peace deal between two other fleets!). We never had much spotlight because of the way we worked but I'm proud of what I've achieved with you, and of what you've all achieved individually. We can all hold our heads high.

"What we leave behind isn't as important as how we've lived" - I think we can all appreciate the relevance of these words now.

It's all getting rather exciting now though. I'd be rushing to fill Jake's old chair now but after 6 months and several operations, I'm finally starting to walk again so I'll be focusing on that for now. Don't count me out of a return sometime in the future though ;p

[Torinth]

I'm not sure what to make of this news really, SDC has always been close to my heart, it was the first job I ever took within the Community and i've always put my utmost into the work that I do, to see it go is really quite saddening, however saying that with the addition of a new Department and seeing a few people change to higher positions is always good it allows for some new/old blood to enter the ranks.

[Soral]

I have to echo some of what Herm and Torinth have stated. SDC was the first place I got involved with UFP and they only job I have ever had here. I have devoted the majority of my time to furthering our relations with other communities and/or fleets and it has been probably the most rewarding experience of my time here; second only to the friendships I've developed within the UFP community. I am saddened, and perhaps even bitter as Herm said, by the fact that it is now going away. I know that I wish I had found out about this change differently than I had and I also understand that change is inevitable; it is the only constant in the universe as a friend once told me. We accomplished a great deal during our time at SDC and there is much still left undone with regards to furthering our community's interactions with other communities and/or fleets. I will be interested to see how this new division functions and what direction our diplomatic services take as a part of it.

[Three of Seven]

So many changes to comment about, so go in order of what was going on.

FAB - Sounds like a good new place, sounds fabulous! It also sounds like a good idea to have a number of areas previously without a supervisor to have one, it seems like a good structure, but really the only thing that really explains this development.



And I approve.

SDC - It's a shame to see it go, I never really got involved in the division though, but I thought it was interesting and having relations with other communities sounds like a good idea, even down to treaties, but it might be redundant if not many are open to that kind of thing. I would like to see their work continued in some capacity, Joint Fleet Events are always nice to see and ESFs Squadron 47 could benefit from communications with fleets who PvP.

Command Changes - That's a lot of changes, firstly good luck to Mikester in his new role, I look forward to seeing what will be coming for the FNS in future and hopefully Bondgadget will get a new role and not in limbo for too long. Congrats to Jake in taking over in the Secretary of Defence role, I look forward to seeing what he can bring to the role. And finally Chris Halsey, welcome back to a CL6 role and a demotion to civilian! lol, but no, good luck in your new role too. So to all these changes, I wish good luck to all those in new roles or awaiting a new role and look forward to what they can all bring.

[Bondgadget]

Congratulations to all the promotions that have been handed out today I know everyone will do well in there new respective positions.

I wish you all the best of luck in those positions especially Mikester92, FNS has a nice foundation and I look forward to seeing the skyscraper you build on it

I personally look forward to the next role, I will be moving into.

[Wixiban]

Not much more to say that hasn't been said.

Mikester, good luck in your new role - you commanded the Secretary of Defence with distinction.

Jake and Chris, Congrats on the promotions and again on your new roles.

Wixi

[Raylan]

Congrats Cupjake! I can't imagine a anyone else more suited for the position.
Mike, congrats to you as well, I can't wait to see what you can do!

To all the member of the diplomatic core, you guys did an amazing job, I am sorry to see this go.

[Dodgers]

FAB will be FAB, Three you got it all right

So long SDC and thanks for all the fish...I mean hard work, will be interesting to have diplomats working directly from divisions themselves.

Good luck to you Mikester with your new role it's been an honour to serve under you over the past 2 years.
Bond good luck on you new secret mission, my guess is you will be FAB at it

And a big Khangrats to Jake Tyler, I know you will rise to the task and do a great job, and I can't think of anyone better to succeed Mikester...well maybe one other (you are the better choice though)

[Stryker]

Whoa another big shakeup of UFP, new changes and new exciting times. I'll miss talking to Jake with my event ideas

Congrats on everyone's position reassignments.