Ministry of Community Defence

The Ministry of Community Defence is responsible for protecting the Community of Sober Thought and its citizens from external threats. The Minister of Community Defence is one of the five inner cabinet members, and has three chief subordinates for the functions of the reactive military defence forces, the somewhat proactive civilian defence forces and the more proactive international relations experts.

The goal of the ministry is to prevent war. However, if, despite its best efforts, the House of the Provinces declares war, adult citizens who are not already enrolled in or certified by one of the three vice ministries may be conscripted and assigned roles as needed. Exemptions will be granted only on grounds of psychological or physical unsuitability, and only after all options at employment in one of these services has been exhausted. Conscientious objectors may be provided with alternative or non-violent service, but they may not avoid service even if they are chosen for the armed forces.

General Directorates

Each Community-wide ministry has three general directorates subordinated directly to the minister: policy, personnel and procurement. The General Directorate of Defence Policy establishes the most appropriate ratio of iron fist and velvet glove for each situation, then the appropriate vice ministries are tasked with fulfilling these objectives in specifics. Then the appropriate directorates and/or their sanctioned agencies go out and to the appropriate things to execute the policy.

The General Directorate of Personnel is responsible for recruiting, training, supporting, disciplining and managing the civilian staff directly employed by the ministry. For independent agencies certified by the ministry but operated by private organisations, the general directorate sets employment standards only.

The General Directorate of Procurement is repsonsible for buying materials, renting space, building structures or otherwise furthering the material needs of the ministry or its vice ministries to fulfill their policy objectives.

Vice Ministry of Diplomacy

The Vice Minister responsible for external relations has several directorates general organised on political entity and policy lines.

The Chief Directorate of Home Region Relations is responsible for fostering close ties and cooperative ventures with members of the International Democratic Union, especially geographic neighbours like Mikitivity and Pagemaster. There is a Directorate established for each active member of the IDU. Similarly, the Directorate of United Nations Relations is responsible for evaluating UN proposals and cooperating with UN-sanctioned institutions.

The Chief Directorate of External Region Relations is responsible for managing relations with regions and nations outside the IDU and UN. A Directorate of Game Region Relations deals with the seven feeder regions: the five Pacific birth regions, the Rejected Realms and Lazarus, each with its own Vice Directorate. The Directorate of Player Region Relations is responsible for managing relations with regions and nations which are not part of the seven game-created super regions and are not in the IDU. Subordinate Vice Directorates are created as required.

For policy lines, the Chief Directorate of Sector Relations coorindates the efforts in single policy areas: international trade, international aid and defence relations. The Directorate of Export Relations -- with many seconded experts from the Ministry of Community Prosperity -- is responsible for promoting trade and Sober Thought's goods around the world. The Directorate of International Aid -- with some seconded experts from the Ministry of Community Connections -- combines its long term strategies of developing social and democratic instutions overseas with its short term strategies of proving emergency aid to alleviate the harm caused by natural disasters. The Directorate of Defence Relations -- with many seconded experts from the Vice Ministry of Military Defence -- is responsible for arms control, disarmament and military alliance issues.

Typically, directors of political entity and policy lines will work in tandem on specific issues. For example, Export Relations and Home Region Relations may jointly sponsor a trade mission to Adam Island to encourage our fellow IDU member to import more manufactured goods as part of our regional free trade agreement.

Vice Ministry of Civilian Defence

This arm of government includes all defence workers who are not uniformed soldiers subject to the laws of war. The Vice Minister of Civilian Defence also liases with law enforcement officers (all public rather than private officials) in the Vice Ministry of Justice.

In some countries, certain elements of this vice ministry might be included in the Emergency Measures Organisation, Home Office, Interior Ministry or Department of Homeland Security. Here, they are part of the Chief Directorate of Emergency Services. The federal government sets the standards for civil defence, firefighting, first aid, search and rescue, and similar organisations. Private organisations meeting these standards are certified by the vice ministry and may receive funding, logistical support or coordinating assistance, and its active members are considered defence workers.

Humanitarian services are rarely considered defence workers in other countries. However, Sober Thought's Chief Directorate of Aid Services may classify civilians who work within or outside the country to provide short-term humanitarian aid, long-term developmental aid or democracy-building expertise as such. Again, the federal government sets the standards but private organizations meeting those standards may choose to register as official humanitarian services. So a religious missionary or a political agitator do not qualify, but a religious food aid worker or a secular affordable housing activist might qualify.

Non-violent civilian defence might seem like an oxymoron, but it is not. The Chief Directorate for NVCD organises pacifists motivated by religion or conscience who will neither bear arms nor serve in a non-combattant military organization nor join the emergency or humanitarian services. Non-violence civilian defence requires its members plan and execute campaigns of passive resistance to any invader. The death toll in such operations are expected to be much higher than that of actual combattants.

The Director of Vital Industries, in consultation with the Minister of Community Defence, designates certain industries such as vehicle manufacturing, transportation and communication as economic sectors vital to the defence of the country. Such workers are exempt from compulsory service in any other defence occupation.

Vice Ministry of Military Defence

Main articles: Community Defence Forces, CDF Land Service, CDF Naval Service and CDF Air Service

Regardless of how successful confidence building and nation building efforts of the other two vice ministries may be, sometimes disputes need to be settled by armed force. This vice ministry provides civilian oversight of the uniformed and overtly military forces of the community.

The Chief Directorate for the Community Defence Forces oversees the military as a whole, and subordinate Directorates oversee tri-service, land, naval and air components. Individuals, units and formations of the CDF are always active and are deployed at the direction of the Community Chief Minister on the advice of this Vice Minister.

All combat, combat support and logistical services of the armed forces are in the public sector and no contracting out is permitted. Full-time professional soldiers are volunteer who must maintain Sober Thought citizenship, be at least 18 years of age, maintain physical and mental health or accept treatment for illness, and profess allegiance to the federation and its constitution (including its civil rights provisions).

Civil Guards, who report to a different Chief Director even thought they are integrated only with the CDF Land Service, are part-time citizen-soldiers who volunteer to be trained to the standard of the professional armed forces and may operate with them at short notice. They may be activated for duty within a province by its provincial leader or for duty in another province or overseas by a vote in the House of the Provinces. Because the Guards are a joint federal-provincial responsiblility, the Ministry of Community Connections may be asked for advice and/or seconded personnel.