Gentlemen, I propose these amendments to the Political Officers act, all amendments are highlighted in bold font in order to help them be recognised. This is a motion encouraged by the success of the present Political Officers in local fleets and due to the expressed desire of certain Imperial Officers to see officers be placed in order to assure the good conduct and zeal of all in the Imperial Navy, as well as local forces.
The full act will read:
The Political Officers for Imperial and Planetary Defense Forces Act
PREAMBLE.
Article 7 of the recent Capital Ships Act requires that "an Imperial attache," which the Grand Vizier has referred to as a "liaison officer," be present to supervise the conduct of Imperial Forces and planetary defense fleets. It is in the Empire's interest, and in the interest of Brentaal and all Imperial worlds to clarify who this person is and what his responsibilities are. It is for this reason I propose the following measure. In addition to this it is in the interest of the Empire that good conduct and morale be encouraged on its ships, thus a Political Officer may on occasion be appointed to an Imperial Vessel in order to help bolster the zeal of a ship's crew as well as to monitor and assure the good conduct of said crew. SECTION I. RANK AND TITLE.
Article 1. This officer shall hold an Imperial rank designation of "O-7," and shall be considered the equivalent of a Captain of the Line.
Article 2. This officer shall be addressed as "Captain," and he shall be formally referred to as a "Liaison Officer," or "LNO," and informally referred to as a "Political Officer." This measure shall refer to him as a "Political Officer."
SECTION II. QUALIFICATIONS.
Article 1. Political Officers shall be male humans, due to the undeniable prevalence of a patriarchal culture in many, if not most planetary fleets, and the need for a Political Officer to command the trust and the respect of his subordinates.
Article 2. Political Officers shall be selected from Imperial Navy officers with a rank designation of "O-7" ("Line Captain") or higher, or Imperial Ministry officials with a rank designation of "O-7" ("Adjutant") or higher.
Article 3. Political Officers shall not be assigned to the world on which they were born or a world on which they have resided for more than 2 standard years, to prevent bias in the discharge of their duties. They will also not be appointed to vessels on which they have served previously in any role but as a Political Officer.
Article 4. Political Officers shall receive a briefing from the Imperial Navy on their authorities and responsibilities (see Section III.). This briefing shall include; information on the relevant laws and interstellar treaties governing the rights and responsibilities of Imperial planets in the conduct of their defense forces, information on the composition of the planetary defense force to which they are assigned, and its ranking officials, and any other information deemed necessary to the discharge of his duties.
SECTION III. CHAIN OF COMMAND.
Article 1. Political Officers shall be subordinate to the Sector Moff, and shall act on his authority. The Sector Moff shall determine how many Political Officers are necessary to supervise the conduct of the planetary defense forces in his or her Sector, and shall provide the funds necessary for their operation. The Sector Moff shall also compile the reports of his or her Political Officer(s) into a regular report to the Imperial Ruling Council.
Article 2. Where no Sector Moff is present, Political Officers shall be subordinate to the Imperial Governor of the world to which they are assigned. The Imperial Governor shall have the same powers and responsibilities as Sector Moffs as described above in Section III, Article 1.
Article 3. Pursuant to Section I, Article 1, Political Officers, as Captains of the Line, shall rank above any ship's Captain in a planetary defense force and the Imperial Navy.
Article 4. When two or more Political Officers are present on a planetary defense vessel, or base, or berth, or any other planetary defense installation, one of these shall be designated the presiding Political Officer, who shall rank above any other Political Officers present.
Article 5. When appointed to vessels of the Imperial Navy Political Officers shall report directly to Imperial Navy High Command or any officer duly appointed by High Command to preside over Political Officers or a particular Political Officer in the Imperial Navy.
Article 6. When appointed to vessels of a Sector Military, they shall report directly to the Imperial Sector Moff.
SECTION IV. POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
Article 1. Political Officers shall have all powers and responsibilities pursuant to the Capital Ships Act, and those listed in this measure. Any powers of Political Officers necessary to the discharge of their duties not specifically mentioned in the Capital Ships Act, or in this measure, shall not be construed to be powers denied to them.
Article 2.a Political Officers shall monitor and report on the conduct of planetary defense forces and, if necessary, restrain planetary defense forces from conduct that is prohibited by the relevant laws and interstellar treaties. They shall also monitor and report on the conduct and competence of planetary personnel and the condition of planetary vessels. The Sector Moff may assign additional responsibilities to Political Officers at his or her discretion.
Article 2.b. Political Officers posted to Imperial vessels shall discharge their duties in the manner described in Article 2a, but with the word "planetary" substituted for "Imperial"
Article 3. Pursuant to Section III, Article 3, Political Officers may, in pursuance of their responsibilities, countermand the order of a Captain of a planetary defense force. Also, pursuant to Section III, Article 1, Political Officers may, in pursuance of their responsibilities and on the authority of a Sector Moff, countermand the order of any official of a planetary defense force or of any Captain of the Imperial Navy within their purvue, if appointed to a position in the Imperial Navy.
Article 4. Political Officers shall be given access, upon request, to any area on any planetary defense vessel, and any area of any planetary defense bases or berths, and shall also be given access, upon request, to any documents or records pertaining to the condition of a vessel or the conduct or competence of its crew, or containing or believed to contain any other information necessary in pursuance of their responsibilities.
Article 5. When a Political Officer is present on a planetary defense vessel, his consent shall be required for the operation of that vessel's armament and its hyperdrive, and the use of its complement, for any purpose other than self defense.
Article 6. Pursuant to Section III, Article 3, Political Officers, as Captains of the Line, may, on the authority of the Sector Moff, assume command of one or more planetary defense vessels, and any and all planetary defense personnel necessary in pursuance of their responsibilities.
Article 7. Impeding a Political Officer in the discharge of his duties shall be considered a felony. Individuals responsible for impeding a Political Officer, or individuals participating in impeding a Political Officer, shall be fined a minimum of 10,000 credits each, or imprisoned for no more than 3 standard years, or both, per violation, as determined by an Imperial Court of Military Justice.
SECTION V. SUPREMACY OF THIS ACT, RELATIVE TO PRIOR ACTS
Article 1. Any provisions of prior acts of the Senate that contradict the provisions of this act shall henceforth be superseded by the provisions of this act.
