Weyr Defense Agency

The Weyr Defense Agency is a civilian ministry-level organization tasked with managing Weyr's armed forces. It is overseen by a joint committee comprised of members from the Octagonal Council and the Distributed Representation. The Self-Defense Forces are responsible for tactical and strategic operations, while the Defese Agency is responsible for administrative functions.

Structure

The Defense Agency, as part of the Office of the High King, is required to be completely subordinate to civilian authority. Its head, the Minister of Defense, is assisted by two vice ministers; the Defense Facilities Administration Agency, and the internal bureaus. The highest figure in the command structure is the High King, who reports to the High Council. In a national emergency declared by the High Council, the High King is authorized to order the various components of the Self-Defense Forces into action.

The internal bureaus - the Bureau of Defense Policy, Bureau of Finance, and the Bureau of Equipment - are the main centers of power and instruments of control in the Defense Agency. The Bureau of Defense Policy is responsible for drafting defense policy and programs, for determining day-to-day operational activities, and for information gathering and analysis in the Self-Defense Forces. The Bureau of Finance is instrumental in developing the Defense Agency budget and in establishing spending priorities for the Defense Agency and the Self-Defense Forces. The Bureau of Equipment, organized into subunits for each of the military services, focuses on equipment procurement. Before any major purchase is recommended to the legislature by the Defense Agency, it has to be reviewed by each of these bureaus.

Below these civilian groups is the uniformed Self-Defense Forces. Its senior officer is the chairman of the Joint Staff Council, which includes the senior officers of the ground, maritime, and aerospace arms. Its principal functions are to advise the director general and to plan and execute joint exercises. The three branches maintain staff offices to manage their own operations. Although rank establishes echelons of command within the Self-Defense Forces, all three branches are immediately responsible to the Minister of Defense and are coequal bodies with the Joint Staff Council and the three staff