History of the Starfleet Marine Corps
The Starfleet Marine Corp, although only established after the creation of the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet, traces it’s history to pre-space armed forces of many of the founding members of the Federation, including Earth, Vulcan and Andoria. Below is a summary of the history of what was to grow into the Starfleet Marine Corp.
The Pre-Federation Era
Jan. 1, 2113: United Earth Government founded.
Mar. 9, 2119: Manchester Conference, members of the United Earth Government sign the Military Integration Treaty, all agree to begin integration of Military forces over the next ten years
Jun. 12, 2129: Treaty of Tranquillity City signed, Earth Starfleet Formed, Earth Military Forces unified under Military Assault Command Operations (MACO).
Oct. 1, 2130: Earth Starfleet is established as the primary space exploration and defense agency of the United Earth Government. Initial officers are drawn from various space and defense agencies throughout Earth. Contributions are most prominent from the Air Corps of the UEDF, the UN-run UESPA, and national space organizations. As a result of heated lobbying in the United Earth legislature in London, the Earth Starfleet headquarters and initial training facilities are established not in Houston or at Cape Canaveral as had originally been the intent of the planners, but in San Francisco.
Oct. 1, 2131: To provide frontier security and oversee colonial defense forces on human settlements beyond Earth and Luna, the Military Activites Command (MACO) of Earth Starfleet is established, under the operational control of the UEDF. It is established, in the Tokyo Agreement between the Administrator of Earth Starfleet and the Minister of Defense of the UEG (with the concurrence of the Chief of Staff of Earth Starfleet and the Chief of Staff of the UEDF, their professional advisors), that the primary mission of Earth Starfleet is to be exploration, and that MACO personnel are not to be deployed aboard Starfleet vessels without the express concurrence of Starfleet Headquarters, in the person of either the Administrator of Earth Starfleet, or the Starfleet Chief of Staff.
Nov. 23, 2136: San Francisco Agreement, Starfleet Command and MACO agree that no Starfleet Officer may Command a MACO unit and nor shall a MACO command a Starfleet ship.
Dec. 12, 2137: Following from the San Francisco Agreement the Beijing Conference establishes that Starfleet’s primary purpose is exploration and as such, MACO personnel should only be present by the direct request of the Commanding Officer of a Starfleet vessel.
Apr. 25, 2153: The first ever MACO Starfleet Assistance team is deployed aboard the USS Enterprise, under the command of Major Hayes.
Sept. 19, 2159: Earth - Romulan War breaks out, MACO’s are largely redundant, since very few Romulan planets can be located, nor can sufficient transport ships be located to transport Marines.
Jan. 3, 2161: Earth - Romulan War ends with the signing of the Romulan Neutral Zone Treaty, the Romulan Neutral Zone (RNZ) is established and the SFMC begins constructing bases on planets along the RNZ to secure the border.
The Birth of the Federation
Feb. 8, 2161: Following the end of the Earth-Romulan War, the Articles of Federation are negotiated between the UEG, Vulcan, the Andorian Empire, Tellar, and the newly-independent former Human colony of Alpha Centauri. This agreement establishes the initial structures and membership requirements of a new interstellar government, the United Federation of Planets. In rapid succession, the Articles are followed by the Federation Constitution, establishing the permanent governmental structure of the UFP, and the Federation Charter, a document outlining certain guaranteed rights and freedoms.
Oct. 1, 2161: The newly-formed Federation Council, in one of its first acts, establishes Starfleet, drawing initial personnel, ships, and equipment from the Earth Starfleet, the Vulcan High Command, the Andorian Imperial Guard, and other member space forces - all of which still remain in existence as local defense forces. The MACO from Earth, along with its counterparts from other Member Governments, is merged and folded into the new Starfleet as the Starfleet Marine Corps, established with the duties of the oversight of colonial defense forces, the conduct of ground combat operations in time of war, and the oversight of member government planetary defense forces. General Michael Casey of Earth, former Commanding Officer of the MACO is appointed the first Commandant of the Marine Corps, with a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Fleet Admiral Jason Locke of Earth, former Chief of Staff of the Earth Starfleet, is appointed as the Chief of Staff of Starfleet, ex officio the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and primary advisor to the Secretary of Starfleet and the President of the UFP. SFMC continues the MACO practice of providing detachments to Starfleet vessels.
Jul. 9, 2176: Most SFMC detachments are withdrawn from Starfleet ships after a number of Federation members, led by Vulcan, objected to military personnel being present on vessels whose nominal primary purpose is exploration.
Oct. 14, 2180: Earth MACO’s are combined with the Vulcan Armed Forces, Andorian Imperial Guards and the Tellarite Defence Force into the Starfleet Marine Corps.
Jan. 3, 2181: The SFMC begins to demobilise unnecessary forces, reducing end personnel strength by 40% by 2185.
Mar. 9, 2189: Starfleet and the SFMC reorganize the "shore establishments" drastically. SFMC headquarters moves from Horse Guards (Whitehall), in London, Earth, to San Francisco, co-locating with Starfleet Command. The training of Starfleet and SFMC officers are combined in Starfleet Academy. The Federation Military Cemetery is founded on a 400-acre parcel in San Diego on Earth, with the Wall of Heroes on Andoria also serving as a focus on Federation remembrance.
Jun. 4, 2201: SFMC decides to remove Marines from Starfleet vessels in light of poor recruitment from Federation member worlds, the SFMC focuses on the defence of colonies, outposts and starbases.
Troubled Times
2218: The beginning of a long period of cold war with the Klingon Empire diverts SFMC focus from their traditional role as guardian of the colonies along the Romulan Neutral Zone, forcing a new emphasis on the oversight and support of colonial defense forces and planetary defense forces, and leading to a slow expansion of the Marine Corps; by 2265, Marine end-strength has grown by nearly 50%.
May 18, 2266: Romulan re-emergence occurs, the SFMC begins recruiting more marines and updating it’s outposts as well as garrisons on Federation worlds in preparation for a possible war with the Romulans.
2293: The signing of the Khitomer Accords between the Klingon Empire and the Federation lead to a massive demobilization of the SFMC, with a reduction-in-force of nearly 80%.
2311: The Tomed Incident (a border skirmish between the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation), and the resulting Treaty of Algeron, lead to a long, slow improvement of Federation defenses along the Romulan Neutral Zone as the oldest adversary of the Federation enters what will turn out to be 50 years of self-imposed isolation.
Recent History
Sept. 3, 2347: The Cardassian War begins: The SFMC begins attempting to deploy its troops in an offensive role on a scale which has not occurred since the end of World War III. Massive casualties are devistating initially, resulting in the almost total loss of several Marine Divisions at the hands of the massively more experienced (and better-manned and better-equipped) Cardassian Military.
Oct. 28, 2351: Talarian ships begin small scale skirmishes with the Federation during what will become known as the Galen border conflicts. The SFMC is forced to stretch its already massively undermanned forces to garrison this new hostile border zone.
Feb. 14, 2352: Federation Council votes by a slim margin to increase the funding available to the SFMC in light of its recent difficulties in manning her ever increasing military commitments. During this time the Marine Corps is still far too small to deploy any of its personnel aboard Starships.
May 17, 2353: After a Tholian attack on a Federation Starbase, the Federation Council orders the now catastrophically overstretched SFMC to increase garrisons on the Tholian border, unable to comply the SFMC requests to hand over security on Starbases to Starfleet Security. The Federation Council acquiesces, freeing up more Marines for border regions.
Nov. 3, 2354: After witnessing the first attacks in 2350 by Cardassian Aerospace fighters upon Federation ships and especially planetary surface positions, Starfleet begins a crash program to develop its own fighters. The result is the Peregrine fighter, first introduced to frontline service in 2354. The same year, the Starfleet Aerospace Corps is established. Feeling that the needs of ground combat operations are ignored by the new Corps, the Marine Corps establishes its own Aerospace Command from Marine-manned Peregrine squadrons.
Jul. 18, 2361: The SFMC creates MSOG, and elite troop formations within the Federation for dealing with specific occurrences, such as Covert Operations in a time of war, Hostage Rescue, VIP protection and many more, it is estimated that these formations will be ready for combat by 2370.
Apr. 13, 2370: In the aftermath of the Rio Grande Incident the Marine Corps begins secret preparations for a potential war with the Dominion, these preparations include the conversion of several Curry Class ships to Marine use, as troop transports and fighter carriers. Requests are also put in to Starfleet R&D for new Marine equipment.
Dec. 10, 2372: In the aftermath of the surprise Klingon attacks during the beginning of the 2nd Klingon Federation War, the SFMC scrambles to located transport ships to deploy troops to affected regions.
Feb. 19, 2373: As a response to the crippling lack of transport ships available to the SFMC the Federation council by allowing Cargo ships and Passenger ships to be co-opted in the event of a war to transport Marines to war zones.
Nov. 13, 2375: With the aftermath of the Dominion War upon it, the SFMC decided not to scale back the size of the Marine Corps, but instead increase it allowing it to place Marine units aboard Federation vessel and bases. In addition to this it was reaffirmed that no Marine Officer could be the XO or CO of a Starfleet vessel, except in extreme circumstances, it was also decided likewise that when Marine units were deployed on Starfleet vessel that no Starfleet Officer except the XO or CO, acting or appointed, could countermand the orders of the Marine CO given to their personnel. Furthermore, it was also decided that no Starfleet Officer would command a Marine Installation.