Mobile Infantry - General Mega-thread

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Below is a list of all previous posts made regarding Miscellaneous rules and regulations of the Mobile Infantry. The posts will be listed here to make locating them easier.

 

 

1. Ranks of the Mobile Infantry
2. Relationship Papers
3. Marriages and Engagement
4. Armoury Regulations
5. MI and Fleet Rank Comparisons
6. Personal Hygiene
7. Vickers' NJP Avoider's Guide

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Ranks

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 - Private

• The first rank an Infantryman is to be Promoted to after their first drop, Private holds little to no responsibility or authority. They are expected to follow any order from a Superior, whether it be a Private First Class or a General. 

- Private First Class

• A Private First Class is yet again, a Basic Infantryman and Enlisted soldier. However, a Private will be promoted after doing several drops, or sooner than that when showing potential to a higher up. Again, they have little Authority, only really being able to give commands if put in the Position of a Second in Command to a squad or unit, or Squad leading themselves, which should be very rarely done. 

 

  - Lance Corporal

• Often considered the stepping stone to Leadership positions, Lance Corporal is not earned by doing a certain number of drops, but by showing potential to a Corporal or higher. They hold minor responsibilities and authority, often being tasked with simply leading Squads if needs be, but mostly being a Second in Command, much like a Private First Class. 

 

 - Corporal

• The first of the None-Commissioned Officer ranks, Corporal is where your job as a leader begins. Corporals are trusted with leading squads on drops, or the entire Unit if needs be. They are also tasked with helping Sergeants with running a training. On top of this, Corporals are tasked with helping Lance Corporals with adjusting to their new ranks and helping them prepare to become a Corporal themselves. Corporals can promote people up to the rank of Lance. Corporals are capable of giving out none Physical NJPs. Making people run laps, do PT or anything else that does not involve directly physically hurting another trooper below them. To issue out a Physical PT, they must ask a Sergeant or above for permission. 

 

 - Sergeant

• Often, and accurately referred to as the Backbone of the Infantry, Sergeants are tasked with running frequent Platoon wide training, running drops and helping Lance Corporals and Corporals with getting better at their jobs and helping them learn the ropes. Sergeants and above are also capable of handing out any NJP that does not involve grievous injury. (Broken bones, Psychological scarring or anything that could make someone incapable of dropping.) 

 

 - Staff Sergeant

• A Staff Sergeant is a rare rank only handed out to the most trusted of troopers. Being the first Senior NCO rank. Staff Sergeants are tasked with primarily over watching the Sergeant roster. They will closely work with Sergeants, helping them improve or being their Second in Command in drops to advice them on improvements or taking over a drop should the Sergeant in charge be doing a terrible job themselves. (Staff Sergeants or above should always drop lead in the scenario of a major campaign or larger scale operation.) They are to run a entire Platoon training at least once a month, and frequently have one to one discussions with Sergeants to help them improve and work on their faults and flaws.

 

 - Master Sergeant

• The Master Sergeant is the middle man between the Officers of the Platoon, and the NCOs. They run the Staff Sergeants, giving them objectives and telling them what to do over the following weeks. Often assigning each Staff Sergeant with a specific task. They are also to watch over training that happens, being sure things are being done right, and generally keeping up with the Entire NCO Roster, relaying any concerns to the Officers of the Unit to keep them in the loop of what is happening on Ship. 

 

Other Ranks

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- Warrant Officer

• Warrant Officers are often previously commissioned officers, but not exclusively. They are highly experienced and knowledgeable troopers, often working as Advisory Staff to NCOs and Senior NCOs. Stepping in to help the NCOs with running a training, running drops or managing the Troopers. Authority wise, it is usually decided by the Company Officer what each Warrant should be doing. It could be anything from running drops frequently to simply observing the Troopers and relaying information directly to them.

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Form 2-R "Relations & Liability"

 

 

(( A version of what those who are in relationships sign ))

 

Federal Armed Services

Form 2-R

"Relations & Liability"

 

• I understand and acknowledge that intimate relations with another member of Federal Service while on active duty must be kept professional and free of bias. 
• I understand and acknowledge that I will be held accountable for any action that endangers or threatens personnell or objectives and will comply with punishment deemed necessary by Federal law or my commanding officer.
• I understand that breaching a sense of professionalism is determined by the commanding officer and accept consequences determined by the CO.

 

 

Commanding Officer,

____________________

 

Trooper One,

____________________

Trooper Two,

____________________

 

 

This form is to be submitted to one of three Command Staff. Master Sergeant, Company XO or Company CO.

 

This form is now to be used in regards to Fleet and Infantry relations also. The form must be signed by both the Infantry Captain and the Fleet Captain.

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Marriages and Engagements 

 

Afternoon, Infantry. 

 

As the end of the Civil and Progenitor wars are upon us and we are in a newer state of peace, now is probably a good time to look over some policies and change them.

 

The main one that is being raised here is in regards to Marriages and Engagements. 

 

Until now, policy was that when two members are Engaged, one is transferred out. 

 

Going forward, this will be changing. 

 

Two members of the Infantry are now free to get Engaged and/or Married and stay in the same unit. 

 

HOWEVER, there are rules attached to this, they are as follows:

 

• Surnames are not to be changed. Pvt. Jane Doe can not change her name to match her Husband to avoid confusion in the field. 
• Wedding/Engagement rings are not to be worn on the field or on duty/During inspections. They may only be worn off duty on board the Grant or during RnRs. 
• Professionalism is still to be kept on and off duty. Public signs of affection in the form of sexual/extensive physical contact on duty will be heavily punished. This also applies to public spaces on-board the Grant. This excludes the Barracks. (To put it simply, I don't want to be puking up my dinner because you can't keep your hands to yourself while I'm enjoying a drink in the Bar. Get a fucking room.)
• You are not to perform the act of a Wedding/Ceremony on the ship. They are to be done exclusively during RnRs and again, must be held to the level of professionalism and maturity expected of a member of the Mobile Infantry. (No three day Stag-Do or wild parties that will disrupt or cause issues in the place an RnR is held. Be responsible, don't act like a twat.)
• No forms of favoritism, bias or hidden agendas are to be held in regards to your partner in the forms of punishments, promotions or priority in safety in the field. Everyone is equal. (Just because one person lets you have extra cuddles in bed, doesn't make them anymore special than another trooper when it comes to saving a life.)
• Marriages/Relationships should, ideally, be subtle and hard to notice in public. If everyone on the ship knows who you're having sex with, you're doing it wrong. 

 

Anyone who fails to follow these rules or does anything that a Superior/Officer deems as violating to the general terms will be met with the immediate transfer of one of the members of the relationship. 

 

Anyone with questions or concerns regarding this, come to me personally whether it be at my Office or over PDA. 

 

Signed,

Captain S. Bently.

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Armour Protocol

 

 

4 - 7 - 2298

 

Troopers, due to a recent breach of security, and the ensuing injury of a trooper, armoury access is now restricted to Corporals and up. The door is locked, and no one may enter without a Corporals ID or above. Only in times of emergency, or required duty, will the armoury be unlocked to all.

 

If you wish to use the range, a Corporal or above must accompany you.

 

If you are a Master Specialist and require access in order to train fellow troopers, you must ask an NCO for permission prior to proceeding, including your own name, and all present to be trained.

 

If you are a trooper who is allowed access to a sidearm or firearm whilst aboard the Grant, you must have a Corporal accompany you to retrieve your weapon, and if you opt to stow it away.

 

In the event of an NCO wishing to run a training, the armoury will be unlocked for the duration of said training.

 

All proceedings must continue to be logged as usual.

 

Any trooper caught accessing the armoury without proper authorisation will face Court Martial and investigation.

MSgt. F. Sorrentino

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MI and Fleet Rank Comparisons. 

 

 

As of recent events it has become apparent that some select members of the Mobile Infantry have forgotten how to work well with members of the Fleet. Therefore I am going to remind you all of the ranks of Fleet and what sort of respect they should be given.

 

A Cadet is to be treated the same as a Recruit.

A Crewman is to be treated as one would treat a Private.

A Petty Officer is to be treated as you would treat a Corporal.

Chief Petty Officer is to be treated as one would treat a Sergeant of the Mobile Infantry.

Senior Chief Petty Officers are to be treated as one would a Staff Sergeant.

Master Chief Petty Officers are to be treated as a Master Sergeant would be.

 

As for Officer ranks:

 

An Officer Cadet is to be treated just as you would a Second Lieutenant.

Ensigns are equivalent to a Lieutenant and will be treated as such.

Fleet Lieutenants are the equal to an Infantry Captain and will be treated as such.

Lieutenant Commanders are to be treated as you would a Major in the Mobile Infantry.

Commanders are to be treated as one would treat a Lieutenant Colonel.

Captains of the Fleet are to be treated as one would a Colonel.

 

Anybody seen showing a member of Fleet who holds a rank higher than their own with ANY forms of disrespect will be treated just as harshly as one would for disrespecting someone of that equivalent rank in the Infantry. I will see to it personally that anyone caught doing anything negative towards a Fleet member higher in rank than what they hold are dealt with accordingly and the consequences will not be light.

 

Consider this a first and FINAL warning.

 

- Staff Sergeant Sebastian J. Bently.

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Personal Hygiene 

 

Male Troopers:

Hair can not cover the eyes, ears or proceed past the collar. Side burns can go no lower than the center of the troopers ear.

Infantry are allowed a neatly kept mustache that must be kept within the bounds of each corner of the mouth. 

Any hair along the cheeks and jawline must be well kept. Growing no longer than half an inch. 

If your facial hair or scalp hair is deemed improperly kept, you will be forcefully shaven of all hair on your head. Eye brows included.

 

Female Troopers:

When in uniform, in the field or operating around the ship. Female troopers are to have their hair tied back into a neat bun or pony-tail. Anything other than this will cause charges to be laid on the trooper.

Female troopers are expected to maintain their own personal hygiene in terms of all other needs.

If your hair is deemed improperly kept, you will be forcefully shaven of all hair on your head. Eye brows included.

 

Makeup and body extensions:

Make up: Make up in uniform or on ship, is prohibited.

Hair dye: Hair dye of colours, other than natural are prohibited. Natural dye must be authorised by medical personnel. 

Jewelry: All jewelry with the exception of rings, necklaces or earrings are banned while in uniform. The only earrings permitted are stud earrings. Rings must be removed when operating equipment or weapons. Necklaces are not to interfere with a troopers dog tags. Any other type of piercing or jewelry are banned.

Bio-Techs: Bio-techs are to be well kept, however decals are allowed if the user so wishes.

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Vickers' NJP Avoider's Guide

 

 

Troopers,

 

I’ve noticed some of our NCOs having to dole out NJPs and stern talks to some of the enlisted because of over-familiarity and general impressions of disrespect. The NCOs don’t enjoy punishing people (one of the specific reasons they’ve been chosen as NCOs), and I don’t particularly like seeing riflemen having to do weighted laps or get dressed down.

 

This is a guide to help you avoid punishments in this platoon. It’s not a hard and fast set of rules, but an explanation of some of the principles that’ll help you stay out of the shit.

 

Etiquette

 

Etiquette does not mean using the outer cutlery first, or not putting your elbows on the table. It’s the code of conduct any group has. Etiquette for the ancient Letin clan of New Guinea was to cook and eat the flesh of diseased tribesmen. For us, etiquette consists of the following things:

 

Addressing by rank:

In formal situations (any arranged meeting, eg. interviews, private debriefings, disciplinary discussions, etc) superiors should be addressed by their rank. This doesn’t mean tack ‘Sergeant’ onto everything you say, but the rank should be acknowledged. This is more important the higher up the chain the person is relative to you. If you’re a lance corporal, addressing a corporal by rank is probably not very important, but calling a staff sergeant ‘Staff’ is.

 

In informal situations, like in bars or when bumping into people around the ship, use your judgement, but you can probably be a little more lax.

 

With officers, you should almost always use their rank when addressing them. If you use their name, use their rank before it. ‘Sir’ or ‘ma’am’ work as a shorthand.

 

In combat, use people’s names if there’s any possible confusion between two people of the same rank. Generally in combat etiquette takes a back seat, but remember that if you’re outright disrespectful, as long as that superior doesn’t die, they’ll remember it long enough to bring it up with you afterwards.

 

Insulting terminally wounded NCOs probably won’t get you in trouble, but you’ll still be an asshole.

 

Attention and salutes:

Never salute or stand to attention in combat. This is specifically to avoid telling snipers who the superiors are, but even when facing bugs, it’s a habit that’s important to stick to. Once again, do not salute or stand to attention in the field.

 

In formal situations, stand to attention when entering the room if there’s a superior present. If there is an officer present, salute.

 

If an officer enters the room you’re in, everyone should stand to attention and the highest rank should salute. You can alert everyone else by shouting ‘officer on deck’.

 

It’s generally considered polite to salute officers when addressing them. You can choose to salute when passing them as well, but we’re a front line unit and we’re all busy people. There is such a thing as too much politeness.

 

With these, use your own judgement. If you’re in the middle of something (like training, or a drill) the officer probably doesn’t want you to drop everything and stand around like garden gnomes. If you hear the shout of ‘carry on’ before you see the officer, that’s a sign they want you to ignore the usual etiquette.

 

Nicknames:

Nicknames are common in the MI. Some names aren’t easy for everyone to pronounce, and some people prefer to shorten names for the sake of expediency.

 

Before using the nickname of a superior check with them that they are fine with it. They might prefer you use the nickname over their real name, or they might hate it. It’s a good general rule of thumb not to do things your superiors hate.

 

Keep in mind that if you’ve known a superior for a long time, and they are your friend, they may be fine with you using certain terms of address, but won’t want others to do the same. In those cases, use the terms in private but not in public. Remember that your behaviour sets an example for others, so be careful what you start.

 

Being dressed down

 

If you think you’re in danger of being in trouble, or you already are in trouble, get formal fast. The more shit you’re in, the more polite you should be. If you’re looking to avoid or lessen punishments, this is the way to go. A lot of people do the opposite and end up making it worse for themselves.

 

Remember that it’s your superiors’ job to discipline you when they see fit. They might be wrong, but unless there’s an urgent problem or a legal issue, it’s something to bring up with another NCO afterwards. Trying to argue in the moment rarely yields results.

 

Guiding others

Your behaviour shapes the culture of the platoon. If you call your officer by a nickname in a formal situation, that tells other people they can do the same, and then the NCOs are forced to crack down on etiquette. Help people stay on the right side of the rules and you help them avoid NJPs.

 

How to carry through an NJP (and avoid escalation)

When you’re given an NJP, you should always be briefed on what you’ve done wrong and how to do it better in future. The NJP is a conditioning exercise, a little like the dinner bell of Pavlov’s dogs.

 

If you act out, shout, have a tantrum, or otherwise disrupt your own NJP, you’re telling that superior that you need heavier conditioning. That could lead to anything from a nastier punishment to a court-martial. Exercise some common sense. You’re not going to win an argument against someone with legal power over you unless they’re exercising that power in an illegal way.

 

In addition, when carrying out a punishment duty, keep in mind that running through the NCO’s mind will be ‘do I need to make them do this again?’ So don’t half-ass it. If you do, you’ll risk doing far more work than you would’ve if you’d done it properly the first time.

 

Undermining

So far it’s largely been about keeping your buttons done up and your laces tied. It’s important to ground all this and explain why it’s important.

 

It’s all about what your actions tell other people.

 

If you treat an officer like your friend, someone watching might think they can do the same. In the field, they might take an officer’s order like an instruction from a friend, and disagree with it. They could then be field executed.

 

We have etiquette to make clear the relationships between people in the MI. Officers are not friends. They and NCOs are your leaders, and their job is not to be liked by you, but to make you effective and to bring you back from combat. Sometimes that might mean they have to be downright unfriendly to you.

 

When someone’s behaviour confuses people about that relationship, we call it undermining. It means that leader’s authority is lessened, which is dangerous for everyone. We happen to have a kick-ass set of NCOs. Treat them as such. Help them do their jobs. It’s in your own interests.

 

Snitching

As your officer, my official stance is that any and all misbehaviour should be reported up the chain of command and dealt with through the proper channels.

 

Unofficially, fuck that.

 

Use your own judgement. If someone’s doing something unsafe, or something that reduces the effectiveness of the platoon in a concrete way, bring it to a corporal. If they’ve stolen your porn mags, or they’ve hidden a hip flask in their locker, deal with it yourself.

 

Don’t violate the trust of the trooper next to you over trivial bullshit. I only want to hear about genuine problems, and I’m far more likely to come down hard over troopers not working together than I am about someone smuggling smokes or flicking your ear.

 

Conclusion

Social skills might not seem like the most important ones for a trooper to master, but no mobile infantryman is a lone soldier. We operate as buddy teams, fire teams, squads, and as a platoon. Not all of us have the advantage of being socially skilled, so these rules exist to prevent us from accidentally hurting our combat effectiveness.

 

 

-Vickers