SWORD-7
From Memory-Zeta
Categories: Marines | Dorvan 5
| |||
| Class | CLASSIFIED | ||
| Registry | CLASSIFIED | ||
| Affiliation | Starfleet / Task Force 1 | ||
| Status | Active | ||
| Website | http://formidable.stcrossroads.org/SWORD/ | ||
SWORD Team Seven is organized to handle covert operations. With an elite number of the best hand-picked operatives in the Federation, Colonel Ambler Furry sets out to protect and defend the United Federation of Planets.
Contents |
[edit] Crew Manifest
| COMMAND | ||
| Commanding Officer | Ambler Furry |
| Executive Officer/Team Leader | Ciara Marquette |
| Unit Medic | Alora Anderson |
| Special Projects Specialist | Interactive Hologram |
| ALPHA TEAM | ||
|
| Team Leader | Ciara Marquette |
| BRAVO TEAM | ||
| Team Leader | Jessica Adams |
| UNASSIGNED | ||
| Chief of Security | Scott Donnelly |
|
| Weapons Speciallist/Armourer | Randy Graysom |
| Flight Chief | Trina Roberts |
|
| Engineer | John Dempsey |
|
| Ramon Cortes | |
| Specialist | Richard Marcinko |
[edit] History
"Per mucro occupo , nos vallo" ("with sword grasped, we defend")
For three hundred years, a small elite number of men and women had dedicated their lives to uphold the security of the Federation so that ordinary citizens could enjoy their civil liberties and democratic ideals. These men and women are the best of the best within the Starfleet Special Forces.
The Starfleet Special Forces, known in the United Federation of Planets simply as Special Forces or SF, was formed as an elite sub-division of Starfleet Intelligence during the formation of the Federation Starfleet following the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161 with the express purpose of carrying out special assignments that were deemed unsuitable for assignment to normal Starfleet personnel. As a sub-division of a division of Starfleet Spec Ops uses the same rank structure as the rest of Starfleet.
Initially Spec Ops was comprised of elements of United Earth's Military Assault Command Operations and analogous Vulcan, Andorian, and Tellarite organizations. Like its Earth predecessor Spec Ops officers have similar weapons, training, and tactics to the Special Forces of a number of member nations of United Earth (the US Navy SEALS, Delta Force, Army Rangers, Marine Force Recon, CSOR, etc).
Although it has not been generally promoted Spec Ops have played significant roles in nearly every conflict the Federation has been involved in including conflicts with the Klingons in the 23rd century and in 2375, The Federation-Cardassian War, The Federation-Tzenkethi War, and The Dominion War. In many of these conflicts the outcome would have been a lot worse, if not a defeat for the Federation, if Special Forces personnel hadn't been involved in regular and special assignments.
For a majority of the Federation's existence, the Special Forces operated covertly and behind the scenes. This changed when the USS Voyager disappeared, and Janeway needed an elite team of specialists for hazardous operations. Successful, and well documented, the politicians started calling for such units to be activated. Starfleet had other ideas and in a closed session of the Council, Fleet Admiral Alynna Nechayev disclosed the existence of the smallest and the most covert department in the fleet; the Special Forces.
One such unit is the Special Warfare Operational Reconnaissance Detachment, or SWORD for short.
Originally under the umbrella of the Starfleet Intelligence, SWORD moved under the jurisdiction of the Starfleet Marine Corps Special Warfare Command, despite being a mixed force of marines and fleet personnel. On Stardate 62259.477 the unit was exposed during a foiled rescue attempt that saw the Vice President of the Federation be killed.
Alienated and otherwise reassigned, the original members of SWORD were regrouped and reorganized a month later to protect and defend the Federation outside and within its borders.
SWORD Team 7 is tasked with seven specific missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, combating terrorism, counter-proliferation, and information operations. Other duties include coalition warfare and support, combat search and rescue (CSAR) of stranded intelligence and first contact teams, security assistance, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, humanitarian de-mining and counter-drug operations.
[edit] Training and Selection
Background When not performing missions Starfleet SWORD team personnel undergo near constant intensive training in a variety of subjects at home base. After serving in Special Forces personnel were generally transferred back to normal duties in Starfleet with the express purpose of enhancing the combat capabilities of the general fleet and to illustrate the capabilities of Special Forces officers.
Like its overlord organisation the Special Forces does not recruit direct from Starfleet Academy, except in the rarest of occasions. In fact, the role of recruitment falls upon the three Group Commanders and their immediate senior subordinates, with the theory being that each Team and Support Vessel/Unit Command Team knew best what their commands needed. Additionally, it allowed for compartmentalisation, with each Starfleet Special Forces operative unaware of true numbers of the organisation.
Recruits are than assigned to a Team or Support Vessel/Unit, and are indoctrinated into the Special Forces during the first two missions.
Entering training to become a Starfleet SWORD is voluntary; and officers and enlisted men train side by side. To volunteer, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Male or Female from any department within Starfleet or the Starfleet Marine Corps
- Volunteers need to have no less than five years in prior service in their respective fields, and only rarely do volunteers come straight out from the Academy
- No prior drug abuse, and good moral character (waivers are required for criminal offenses and traffic tickets and if the offense category exceeds limit, no waiver is allowed)
Selection Operatives are trained to resist interrogation techniques, and torture, by instructors who have had experience in the field. It has been not unheard of that Special Forces were loaned 'Native Specialists', people who had defected into the Federation and had been deemed too sensitive to be unleashed into the general population.
Training Based within Camp Conway, an out of the way Marine Logistics Facility in Derna in the Bajor Sector.
Preliminary SWORD training consists of the following:
- Special Warfare Preparatory
- Indoctrination Course
- Basic Demolition
- Parachute Training
- SWORD Qualification Training (SQT)[14]
Upon arrival at Camp Conway, check-ins are immediately placed into a pre-indoctrination phase of training known as 'PTRR', or Physical Training Rehabilitation and Remediation. PTRR is also where all of the 'roll-backs' are placed while waiting to be put into a class. Once additional medical screening is given, and after enough BUD/S candidates arrive for the same class, organized physical training begins.
Qualification Training The emphasis here is building and developing individual operator skills with the concentration being on junior officer and non-commissioned officers. Students are assigned to a 5-man fire team with an officer or enlisted (NCO) leader. Each fire-team leader is responsible for his subordinate students and many are dropped from the program for failure to lead.
The course teaches current and standardized Special Warfare Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) as they pertain to Special Forces mission sets.
The goal is to send qualified, deployable new operators to SWORD Team 7, and even regular hazard or intelligence team throughout Starfleet.
Attrition is still high, but is due to failure to grasp tactics or lead men, as opposed to being able to take the punishment. Current attrition is roughly three drops and five rolls for every class. Most rolls are performance based with some medical rolls as well.
Instructors are former operators, and occasionally borrowed from Marine Force Recon, in each of the main training sets of Mobility, Land Warfare, Orbital Insertion, Martial-Arts and Assaults. Each cell is run by a post platoon Chief Petty Officer (E7/E8) and consist of two to three squads of specialty training.
Completion Upon completion, students are awarded a black 'departmental' jersey, and then is assigned to a Special Forces Team, and are deployable. 20% of graduates deploy immediately to combat with their assigned team.
Enlisted members of the Starfleet Special Forces community are identified with the occupational rating of Special Warfare Operator. For example, SO1 John Smith is identified as Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Petty Officer John Smith.
SWORD Fire-Team Training Once assigned, operators are put into a squad and begin an 18-month work-up prior to deployment. The work up is divided into three phases. Phase one of a work-up is called the Professional Development Phase (PRODEV). PRODEV is a 6-month block where individual operators attend a number of schools and courses. These schools lead to required qualifications and designations that collectively allow the team to perform as an operational combat team. Depending on the team's needs, operators can expect to acquire some of the following skills:
- Sniper
- Breaching
- Surreptitious Entry
- Electronic and Media Exploitation
- Technical Surveillance
- High Threat Protective Security (PSD)
- Advanced Weapons Training
- Advanced Driving Skills (Urban/Rural/Security)
- Advanced Climbing/Rope Skills
- Advanced Orbit Operations: HALO/HAHO/Jumpmaster/Parachute Rigger and Packer
- Diving Supervisor
- Range Safety Officer
In addition, Starfleet Academy offers the following courses through its Advanced Tactical School:
- Instructor Training
- Leadership Training
- Foreign Weapons
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle/Precision bombing Operator
- Languages
- Advanced Special Operations
Phase two of a work-up is called Unit Level Training (ULT). ULT is where the operators train in their core mission areas (Land Warfare, Close Quarters Combat, Urban Warfare, Maritime Interdiction, Combat Swimmer, Long Range Interdiction, Air Operations, Special Reconnaissance and Maritime Operations).
Phase three of a work-up is called Team Integration Training (TIT).
TIT is where the squads conduct advanced training with the supporting attachments from other Special Forces or regular units. A final Certification Exercise is conducted with the entire Team to synchronize platoon operations under the Task Group umbrella.
[edit] Types of Units
Since the Cardassian and Dominion Wars, and dealing with the Maquis, the Starfleet Special Forces were expended to provide specialised units that could not be filled by traditional security or marine operations.
They are:
[edit] Intelligence Teams:
Operated primarily by Starfleet Intelligence, and is super black.
[edit] Hazard Teams:
Used by the Captain of the Starship Voyager during her seven-year track back to Federation. Currently under the command of Lieutenant Alex Munro aboard the Starship Enterprise, and used as a promotional tool for Starfleet Security and the Marines. Unofficially, it is used as a recruitment station into the numerous Special Forces units.
[edit] Special Forces Teams:
Officially known as 'Special Warfare Operational Reconnaissance Detachments', these Special Forces are organised into Groups that consist of fixed away teams and a support ship. The best analogy to a SWORD Group is a mixture between the Special Air Service of the British Army and the Special Operations Wings of the United States Air Force.
[edit] Ranks and Insignia
Despite being considered a specialist sub-division within Starfleet Intelligence, personnel are drawn from both Marine and Fleet resources, typically retaining the rank applicable to their parent department.
[edit] Team Playable Positions
In general, commando and intelligence operatives may have a background as either a civilian or a Starfleet officer. Most intelligence operatives have served in the fleet on starships, starbases or equivalent prior to their time of recruitment. In addition, all operatives undergo at least one year of training at Starfleet Intelligence facilities on Tellar or Mars. Training is now also available on Tracos at the Intelligence Ground Facility.
[edit] Team Leader
Officer In Command, or "Department Head" if permanently assigned to a starship or facility. It is his/her responsibility to oversee that all marines are fully trained and ready at a moments notice to spring into operations. S/he is required to command the company in any special operations that take place off the vessel/facility, and liaise with the security department should there assistance be required.
[edit] Assistant Team Leader
All senior staff need an individual to take over some of the responsibly of running the section they command, be ready to take over should the Team Leader become incapacitated in some way, and other various task. This individual is also the direct link between the team members and the Team Leader, carrying out orders as directed by the Team Leader, or relaying concerns from the team members.
[edit] Communications Specialist
The Communications specialist is a curious mix of an operations officer, and a radio operator. Trained in the technologies that keep the vast distances of space together, as well as how to break these technologies, the communications specialist ensures that all messages, communiques and missives from both Starfleet and threat forces are known and able to be translated. They also serve as the teams linguist understanding the nuances of languages, and a first contact representative should a situation arise.
[edit] Demolitions Specialist
A commando operative who has undergone additional training to specialise in a specific area. Explosives and hand weapons are the working tools of the marines. The Munitions Expert is the person to ask when specialised applications are needed, in both identifying, and providing information on this subject. On the whole there is usually only one or two such specialists in a platoon.
[edit] Sniper/Sharpshooter
A commando operative who has undergone additional training to specialise in a specific area. This individual is an expert shot, and has been trained to hone that skill. This individual takes up position in cover and provides covering fire for the squad as needed, returning to the squad at a later date when their task has been completed. On the whole there is usually only one or two such specialists in a platoon.
[edit] Science Specialist
The Science Specialist is the team's link between the practical and theoretical in all aspects of science related matters. He provides information on newly encountered technologies, extrapolating on how they have been modified, or constructed with reference to known theories. The Science Specialist usually has training in computer sciences, astrophysics, subspace mechanics as well as most other sciences, with intel training concentrating on analysis and computer breaking areas. This officer's general scientific knowledge could also assist the Engineering or Communications Specialists, or take over for them if incapacitated.
[edit] Engineering Specialist
An engineering specialist serves much the same function in a mission team as a science specialist: an expert on technical and scientific subjects. An engineer is particularly helpful on missions involving technology - stealing or copying data from enemy ships, using long-range sensors (which require tuning, adjustment and maintenance) or any mission with lots of high-tech spy gadgetry. An engineer's expertise can be invaluable in such cases.
[edit] Medical Specialist
Medical specialist are frequently called on to join or assist mission teams, to be there in case an operative is injured. Many operatives have basic medical training, but there is no substitute for in-depth training and experience in many situations. The Medical Specialist provides medical support to the team as well as technical and scientific support in both Medical and the Bio-Science fields. Medical officers are frequently called on to join or assist mission teams.
[edit] Intelligence Analyst
This agent acts as mission specialist and researches all data received from SFI and organizes it into an operational report for the team, and can be loaned from a committed intelligence department aboard a starship or facility. Must have detailed understanding of other Intelligence operations and the structure of enemy government and military. Provides valuable tactical information on which the team operates.
[edit] Reconnaissance Specialist
A relatively unique position for SWORD formations, and is heavily influenced by the Force Reconnaissance and Ranger Teams of the Starfleet Marine Corps.
It combines the roles of the traditional infiltration and extraction experts of the Intelligence Teams. Reconnaissance Specialists are trained to enter enemy facilities, and get out when needed.
This specialist often undertakes missions into target territory as a forward reconnaissance role and "cleaning up" evidence if necessary.
[edit] USS Rook NCC -77223, Saber II Class Special Operations Vehicle
Accommodation: 60 (15 Officers, 45 Enlisted Crew) Classification: Fast Frigate [Diplomatic, Science, Scout, Patrol]
Funding for Saber Class Development Project Provided by: Advanced Starship Design Bureau, United Federation of Planets Defense Council
Development Project Started: 2377 Production Start Date: 2385 Current Status: In Production
Mission Objectives Designed and thoroughly tested after the lessons of the Dominion War, the Saber II Class is tasked to:
- Provide a mobile platform for a range of defensive, diplomatic, or scientific projects
- Provide autonomous capability for full execution of Federation defensive, cultural, scientific, and explorative policy in deep space or border territory
- Serve as a frontline support vehicle for primary assets during times of war and emergencies
- Provide a mobile platform for Special Forces
Design Information
Length: 190 meters Width: 193.19 meters Height: 48.60 meters Weight: 2,756,000 metric tons Cargo capacity: 9,954 metric tons
Hull: Duranium-Tritanium composite with micro-fiber reinforced ablative armor over critical compartments. Number of Decks: 10 Total, 9 Habitable.
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