PD-SC-1003 Chapter and Echelon Policy

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PD-SC-1003 Chapter and Echelon Policy was issued 29 July 2024 by the Grand Alliance Joint Chiefs of Staff.
This policy document establishes the Chapter and Echelon Policy for The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc. (TRMN).

AYE	NAY	ABSTAIN	ABSENT
9	0	0	0

Amendments

Amendments may, from time to time, be proposed to, or by, the Grand Alliance Joint Chiefs of Staff. Any amendments will be considered and voted on as necessary. All amendments that have been passed will be noted below.

Effective Date	Subject	Proposed By	Vote

PD-SC-1003

1. In the TRMN the definition of a chapter is the smallest reporting unit of members within the organization.

2. No chapter may change class earlier than three months after the granting of current class.

3. Chapter, Echelon, and Fleet/Army/ExForce Commanding Officers can designate their Executive Officers or supervising Commanders as proxies when they are indisposed, such as deployed, but that such proxy notices must be sent to BuPers and your superior in the Chain of Command for each instance of appointment. Any such designation must have a beginning and end date.

4. The minimum number of crew and officers for each ship type are listed in Table 1.

5. Chapter tier naming system will be determined by Component Directive and if no directive is available BuShips is empowered to use a predetermined default system.

6. Flag Officers who are embarked on local chapters do not count as officers for purposes of the enlist to officer ratio (or minimum officer requirements).

7. All members of a chapter count for crew size.

8. Maximum rank to hold a leadership position in a chapter is O-6, regardless of grade. Embarked flag officers hold no leadership position in a chapter.

9. The leadership team of a chapter shall be called the “Command Triad” and is made up of a commanding officer, executive officer and a senior enlisted (or equivalent designation).

10. Tier 1 chapters have no officer requirements and have a single NCO as their minimum rank for command triad. These are attached units which are used for role-play or member/chapter development.

11. Tier 2 & 3 chapters only have two members for their Command Triad, one commanding officer and one senior enlisted.

12. All members of the proposed Command Triad for any chapter wishing to upgrade in type must meet all rank requirements before any higher rank can be bestowed. No upgrade shall happen until this occurs.

13. Only chapter triad members may be brevetted during a ship upgrade.

14. Fleet/Army/ExForce composition will be determined per Table 1.

15. Only one flag officer can claim a chapter with their flag. The senior most flag officer currently serving in an administrative billet has priority of claim. This claim is only ceremonial.

16. A Component Head has the power to remove a member of a chapter’s triad at any time for the following reasons:

• a. If requested by a Fleet/Army/ExForce commanding officer with documented justification.
  • i. The documentation must be investigated in order to verify the veracity of the claims and make sure there is no overt bias.
  • ii. This action may be appealed to the Steering Committee.
• b. As part of a disciplinary decision from the Disciplinary Committee.

17. All Component Heads, Space Lords and their deputies shall not be a member of any chapter. An exception to this rule can be made by BuPers for leadership members with minors in the organization.

18. The chapter triad for all holding chapters shall be named by the appropriate Component Head. Due to the static nature of the Holding Chapter and the fact it represents a larger area, the Holding Chapter is exempt from the normal chapter processes and operates at the discretion of and extension of the FCO (or equivalent).

19. Any Tier 3 or higher chapter, regardless of component, may have official artwork for their use. If they do not have any, then they may request it, or obtain permission to use something of their own design, through the art department.

20. Members of a chapter can only be removed from that chapter under ONE of the following conditions:

• a. If requested by the members themselves via email to bupers@trmn.org stating that they wish to transfer and which chapter they would like to be transferred to or via Medusa.
• b. If a member becomes part of a newly commissioned chapter and are properly listed on the Commissioning form for the new chapter, they will be transferred from their current chapter to the newly commissioned by BuPers once the new chapter is officially commissioned.
• c. If a member of a chapter is not active and non-responsive to requests for information from the chapter CO and the Fleet/Army/ExForce CO, the member may be transferred to the holding station for their component only under the following conditions:
  • i. The Chapter CO must submit a certification to the Fleet/Army/ExForce that the member has not attended a chapter event, defined as a meeting or any other event the Chapter may do in the last 12 months.
  • ii. The Chapter CO shall have had NO contact with the member via email or telephone during the past 12 months.
  • iii. The Chapter CO shall attempt to contact the member via email or phone at least once a quarter.
  • iv. The Chapter CO shall, in the final quarter of the 12-month time frame, send the member a registered letter or request receipt email informing the member of their concerns regarding their participation and their previous attempts at communication, and requesting a reply.
  • v. A member of the Fleet/Army/ExForce staff must attempt to contact the member via email or telephone at least two times in a two-week period after receiving the CO’s certification shown in part (i), above.
  • vi. The Fleet/Army/ExForce CO must certify to BuPers that they have met the requirements above and that they concur the member is inactive and non-responsive, thereby agreeing to the CO’s request that the member be removed from their chapter, as requested.
  • vii. Once requirements 20.c.i through 20.c.iv. are met, BuPers will then transfer the member as requested.
• d. If so ordered by the Disciplinary Committee or Board of Directors.

21. Fleets, Expeditionary Forces, & Armies

• a. Shall be composed of all chapters within a district as defined in Table 2.
• b. Staff:
  • i. All Deputy COs (DCOs) can be brevetted up to one pay grade below the maximum brevet of their CO.
  • ii. Chief of Staffs (COS) can be brevetted to two pay grades below the maximum brevet of their COs.
  • iii. All department heads can be brevetted to three pay grades below the Maximum brevet of their COs.
  • iv. All other staff can not be brevetted above four pay grades below the Maximum brevet of their COs.
• c. Echelons are created and named per table 3.
• d. All echelon elements will be established or dissolved by the Branch CO or their designate in consultation with the local fleet/Army/ExForce CO, as detailed in Table 3.
• e. Components shall create a naming structure policy directive for the different echelon levels.
• f. No echelon shall be formed or remain standing without the minimum number of appropriate sub-units.
  • i. All current formations will be grandfathered, but no new changes may be made using old systems.
  • ii. Echelons below minimum strength have 3-6 months to comply, during which progress will be closely monitored.
• g. All echelon commands will consist of a commanding officer, with minimum pay grade (maximum brevet) listed on table 3, appointed by the Fleet/Army/ExForce CO, with as few staff as possible, appointed by the echelon CO.

22. This document will supersede/replace the following Orders and Directives: AO1204-04, AO1403-02, AO1412-01, AO1510-02, AO1511-02, AO1602-06, AO1612-02, AO1612-03, AO1612-04, AO1711-03, AO1803-01, AO1803-04, AO1810-01, AO1910-01, AO2307-04, AD05-1203A, AD06-1303, AD08-1303, AD09-1501, AD2302-02, CD02-1109, CD01-1308, CD02-1302, CD03-1406, CD04-1406, CD04-1407, CD01-1411, CD01-1503, CD03-1607, CD04-1610, CD02-1611, CD05-1808, CD02-2204, ND11AP-01, ND13MAY-01, ND14JL-01,ND14JL-03, ND14JL-04, ND14AU-03, ND17JA-03, ND17AUG-02 and ND22DE-01.

Tables

Table 1 - Minimum Command Numbers

Chapter Tier	Minimum Member Composition	1st Officer Payscale	2nd Officer Payscale	3rd Officer Payscale
1	2	E-6 to E-10 C-6 to C-10	N/A	N/A
2	3 Must include 1 Officer	O-1 to O-6 C-11 to C-16	N/A	E-6 to E-10 C-6 to C-10
3	3 Must include 1 Officer	O-3 to O-6 C-13 to C-16	N/A	E-7 to E-10 C-7 to C-10
4	6 Must include 2 Officers	O-4 to O-6 C-14 to C-16	O-3 to O-6 C-13 to C-16	E-7 to E-10 C-7 to C-10
5	8 Must include 2 Officers	O-5 to O-6 C-15 to C-16	O-4 to O-6 C-14 to C-16	E-7 to E-10 C-7 to C-10
6	10 Must include 3 Officers	O-6 C-16	O-5 to O-6 C-15 to C-16	E-8 to E-10 C-8 to C-10
7	12 Must include 3 Officers	O-6 C-16	O-5 to O-6 C-15 to C-16	E-8 to E-10 C-8 to C-10
8	14 Must include 4 Officers	O-6 C-16	O-5 to O-6 C-15 to C-16	E-8 to E-10 C-8 to C-10
9	16 Must include 4 Officers	O-6 C-16	O-5 to O-6 C-15 to C-16	E-9 to E-10 C-9 to C-10
10	20 Must include 5 Officers	O-6 C-16	O-5 to O-6 C-15 to C-16	E-9 to E-10 C-9 to C-10

Table 2 - Geographic Regions

District	Geographic Area
First Naval District	MD, DE, PA, MA, CT, RI, NY, NJ, NH, VT, ME, DC (includes the greater DC Metro Area), Northern Va, Eastern ON, QC, NS & PEI
Second Naval District	MN, WI, IL, IN, OH, KY, MI, MB, & Western ON
Third Naval District	Southern VA, WV, NC, SC, MS, AL, TN, GA, FL & the Caribbean, Mexico and Latin America
Fourth Naval District	United Kingdom, Ireland, and any chapter requesting to be a part of the fleet.
Fifth Naval District	Any chapter requesting to be a part of the fleet. Virtual fleet.
Sixth Naval District	OK, TX, AR, LA, NE, KS, MO, IA, ND, & SD
Seventh Naval District	Any chapter requesting to be a part of the fleet. Virtual fleet.
Eighth Naval District	AZ, NM, UT, CO, WY, & MT
Tenth Naval District	CA, OR, WA, NV, ID, AK, HI, BC, AB, & SK
Thirteenth Naval District	Mainland Europe

Table 3 - Echelon Breakdown

Level	Number of Units	Minimum CO Pay Grade
1	2 - 3 Chapters	O5 C-15
2	2 - 3 Level 1 Echelons	O-6 C-16
3	2 - 3 Level 2 Echelons	O-6 C-16
4	2 - 3 Level 3 Echelons	F-1 C-17

Appendix

Table 1 - Naval Branch Tier Designation

Tier	RMN	GSN	IAN	RHN
1	Pinnace	Pinnace	Pinnace	Pinnace
2
3	Light Assault Craft (LAC)	Light Assault Craft (LAC)	Light Assault Craft (LAC)	Light Assault Craft (LAC)
4	Destroyer (DD)	Destroyer (DD)	Destroyer (Z)	Destroyer (DD)
5	Light Cruiser (CL)	Light Cruiser (CL)	Light Cruiser (L)	Light Cruiser (CL)
6	Heavy Cruiser (CA)		Heavy Cruiser (K)	Heavy Cruiser (CA)
7	Battlecruiser (BC)	Battlecruiser (BC)	Battlecruiser (S)	Battlecruiser (BC)
8	Dreadnought (DN)	Dreadnought (DN)	Dreadnought (W)	Dreadnought (DN)
9	LAC Carrier (CLAC)	LAC Carrier (CLAC)	LAC Carrier (T)	LAC Carrier (CLAC)
10	Superdreadnought (SD)	Superdreadnought (SD)	Superdreadnought (W)	Superdreadnought (SD)

External Links

• [ PD-SC-1003 Chapter and Echelon Policy as published on the TRMN Forums.]