Terran Federation Navy

Overview
The Terran Federation Navy (TFN) is the space combat branch of the Terran Federation. It has long been the most powerful navy in the known galaxy. One of its sub branches is the Survey Command. The TFN was created by Howard Anderson in ISW-1. History of the TFN

History
The origins of the TFN could be traced back to the days preceeding humanity's first encounter with the Khanate of Orion. During this era, the proto-TFN was known as the Terran Survey Command. It's first encounter with the Khanate of Orion would see the Terran Survey Command rapidly evolve into the TFN in response to the First Interstellar War. The First Interstellar War would see it's ups and downs for the young TFN but always it's reserve of skilled admirals kept it on top of it's opposition and ultimately it's winner.

The interwar years between the First and Second Interstellar Wars would see the TFN strangled by the Terran Federation Assembly. This put the TFN in a less than enviable position when hostilities with the KON resumed. Again, it was the genius nature of the TFN's flag officers and it's technological superiority that saved the Federation. This same cycle of strangulation of the TFN by the corporate worlds would be repeated time and again. It would also see the early stages of the eventual alliance between the Terran Federation and the Ophiuchi Association.

The Third Interstellar War would see the TFN in a struggle against the Rigellian Protectorate for survival and see the TFN joyfully adopt the strike fighter into it's order of battle. It would see the TFN allied with the KON, something unthinkable just a few years prior. As a dark harbinger of the future, it also saw the creation of General Directive 18, the order of extermination of a sentient species. The Third Interstellar War would see admirals such as Jennifer Wu and Minerva Waldeck, admirals that rivalled the capability of Howard Anderson, Horatio Spruance, and Irena Riva y Silva during the First and Second Wars.

The long peace between the close of the Third Interstellar War and the start of the Theban War would see the TFN cut nearly to bone. The long peace allowed the Assembly to cut the TFN's budget for new warships and refits out of the policy of 'making the navy lean and mean'. In actuality, it was the Liberal-Progressive party of the Federation not wanting to spend money for what they saw as an outdated tool. Despite heavy efforts by the then President Emeritus and lifetime Assembly member Howard Anderson to keep the Navy properly funded, it would become a ghost of it's former self. The Lib-Prog party assumed that it would always have the Grand Alliance to call upon if a war was to occure once more and thought nothing more of it.

This would come to bite the Federation badly when the Theban War broke out. Deprived of it's ability to invoke the Treaty of Valkha and with the destruction of much of the battle fleet, the TFN paid heavily for its years of atrophy. Only luck and the Federation's technological advantage over the Thebans kept the Thebans from winning the war... but only just barely. Admirals such as Ivan Antonov and Hanna Avram would be the standard to which the navy would be measured for years to follow. General Directive 18 was almost invoked but the strong stand against it by both Ivan Antanov and elder statesman Howard Anderson prevented this. This also finally shocked the Lib-Prog party enough to never allow this to occur again... but also planted the seeds of a future conflict.

Sixty years would pass between the end of this conflict and the start of the Fourth Interstellar War. Now well maintained, the TFN would be in a good position to resist the onrushing assault of any foe... had the foe in question not been the Arachnids. None the less, the TFN would carry on well through the difficult ten year long conflict and despite terrible set backs, would ultimately triumph. Though it would see heroes of the Federation die, it would also see the rise of great admirals such as Vanessa Murakuma and Raymond Prescott. The Fourth Interstellar War would also see the final time General Directive 18 would be authorized by the Federation Assembly.

Corporate World greed before and after the Fourth Interstellar War would see the slow evolution of the TFN. It transitioned from the old system of the active fleet, Skywatch, and reserve fleet dating back to the post ISW-3 days into the creation of a powerful battle fleet stationed in strategic bases across the Federation, and the large frontier fleet, filled with smaller ships and meant to act as the first line of defense for the vast fringe area of the Federation. The Corporate Worlds were content with this and were slow to pay attention to fact that more and more of the TFN was manned by the very fringers that the Corporate Worlds abused, unwittingly creating a powder keg.

The Terran Federation Civil War would see the massive TFN, ever triumphant against all oncomers, split against itself. Leaving the political details out of it, the TFN would be shattered into three major components and the way it fought itself was brutal as weapons unknown prior to this point were turned upon the ships they were designed to protect. It would see the long time bastion of Galloway's World, a massive industrial base and center of Corporate World power, reduced to ashes and reserve fleet set to flame. Almost the entire frontier fleet and large chunks of the battlefleet would defect from the ranks of the TFN to the rebellious and young Terran Republic... as well as almost all of the TFN's vaunted carrier strength. Admirals such as Ian Trevayne and Li Han would stand out in these bitter days as that era's standard to which admirals were measured.

The post civil war TFN would finally know defeat as it failed to crush the TRN and the war was only brought to an end through diplomatic means. Though powerful, it was a shadow of it's former self and would take a long time to recover as the Terran Republic and Rim Federation controlled large elements that once were the core of the old TFN. It lacked the advanced technologies that both the Rim and the Terran Republic has used against each other and for once, the Federation was on the back end of a technological arms race it did not have the political will to compete with. This was the TFN that would join with the Khanate of Orion to create the Pan Sentient Union.

Doctrine
The TFN was a "balanced" fleet in which the battle-line and carrier forces were co-equals.

Ships

 * Hun class survey cruiser
 * Sand-Fly class escort carrier
 * Queensland class heavy cruiser

Ranking System
The ranking system of the TFN largely followed the traditions of the old Terran Anglosphere. Prior to the Theban War, the most senior uniformed officer of the TFN was the Chief of Naval Operations, who held the rank of Fleet Admiral. However, following the Theban War, a new rank of Sky Marshal was created for the uniformed commabder of the Navy. Known holders of the rank of Sky Marshal include Ivan Antonov, Hannah Avram and Ellen MacGregor.

Commissioned ranks in the TFN, in decreasing order of seniority:
 * Sky Marshal (post Theban War)
 * Fleet Admiral
 * Admiral
 * Vice Admiral
 * Rear Admiral
 * Commodore
 * Captain
 * Commander
 * Lieutenant-Commander
 * Lieutenant
 * Ensign

There was also a brevet promotion system which could be operated by flag officers to promote capable officers in the field. An example of this was the brevet promotion of Hannah Avram from Captain to Commodore in the early stages of the Theban War.