The United Space Fleets (3000)

The United Space Fleets were founded in 2687 as the prime military branch of the Galactic Union. It also operates as the Department of Military Operations. The USF Infantry and Marines are the main land force of the Union, but the USF still has direct jurisdiction over all military persons. The Department of Military Operations is between the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture in the Cycle of Secretaries.

The Department of Military Operations
The Department of Military Operations is the official governmental name of the USF. The DMO takes part in the Cycle of Secretaries, the process of choosing the Council Speaker. The Council of Secretaries consists of the fifteen Secretaries of the fifteen Governmental Departments. The Secretary of Military Operations is always the highest-ranking active member of the Fleet Admiralty. Currently, the Secretary of Military Operations is Fleet Admiral Eighth Division Heather Thompkins.

The Academy
The Academy of the United Space Fleets, informally called AUSF or simply "the Academy," is the only path into the United Space Fleets. It is here that cadets earn their first two USF ranks: Cadets First and Second Year. The Headmaster of the Academy is currently Flavius K. Jordan from the Siriusian planet Xylanthia. After the cadet's promotion from Cadet Second Year, they can apply to eight of the nine Departmental Schools, where they will take part in Advanced Training and Field Training. They will be accepted into one of the schools, were they will be taught in the subject, find their Departmental Specialization, and then be submitted into the force of the USF.

Departments
The USF consists of nine departments. Here is each one in detail.
 * COMMAND: The Command Department is the most extensive. A cadet may only attend Command School with multiple recommendations from educators, and a recommendation from the Headmaster. A Command officer will often take on command positions on a starship. Any officer promoted to Captain will join the Command Department. The Command uniform features the all-black body of the typical USF uniform, with white stripes over the shoulder to the neck, and around the chest.
 * NAVIGATION: The Navigation Department is responsible for the direction of the starship throughout the cosmos. Navigation officers make up the helm crew and the astrocartography team. The Navigation uniform features the all-black with red markings.
 * MEDICAL: The Medical Department is the doctors onboard a ship. The Medical Department is rather small, sue to the elongated training period for Medical cadets, and the opportunity for non-military employment. The Medical uniform consists of the all-black with pale green markings. Medical officers also have a medical smock, which is green with black stripes in the place of the colored stripes on the uniform, with a black, four-pointed star on the left chest, the insignia of the USF.
 * SCIENCE: The Science Department is the people onboard who must deal with anything that may arise. It could be the malfunction of an onboard mechanism, or the discovery of a new terrain or life-form. A Science officer will specialize in either biology, chemistry, or physics. The science uniform features the all-black with blue markings.
 * ENGINEERING: The Engineering Department features mehcanical engineers who must be ready at a moment's notice. A breach or sabotage would leave a starship vulnerable, and the Engineering officers must be prepared to respond. The Engineering uniform features the all-black with yellow markings.
 * COMBAT: The Combat Department features the trained combatants, who mst have incredibly advanced Calisthenics training. The Combat officers are the defenders of the starship, and are often relied on in difficult situations. The Combat uniform features the all-black with orange markings.
 * SECURITY: The Security Department is often considered a branch of the Combat Department, but its job extends beyond that. Security officers are responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the starship. The Security uniform features the all-black with navy blue markings.
 * TACTICAL: The Tactical Department consists of the trained battle tacticians who oversee the battle plans of a starship. They plot out what a starship is to do in any situation. The Tactical uniform features the all-black with brown markings.
 * TELECOMMUNICATIONS: The Telecommunications Department consists of the communicators and xenolinguists who help communicate with people of other languages. The Telecommunications uniform features the all-black with dark red markings.

Ranks
Here are all the USF ranks in order.

Cadetry

 * Cadet First Year
 * Cadet Second Year
 * Cadet Third Year
 * Active Cadet Third Year
 * Cadet Fourth Year
 * Active Cadet Fourth Year
 * Cadet Fifth Year*
 * Active Cadet Fifth Year*
 * Cadet Sixth Year*
 * Active Cadet Sixth Year*
 * Cadet Seventh Year**
 * Active Cadet Seventh Year**
 * Cadet Eighth Year**
 * Active Cadet Eighth Year**

-*These ranks are only reserved for Combat, Medical, Tactical, Engineering, and Science Cadets.

-**These ranks are only reserved for Combat, Medical, and Tactical Cadets.

Graduated Cadetry and Ensignry

 * Graduated Cadet Third Class
 * Graduated Cadet Second Class
 * Graduated Cadet First Class
 * Master Graduated Cadet First Year
 * Ensign Third Class*
 * Ensign Second Class*
 * Ensign First Class

-*These ranks can be skipped if the officer is deemed worthy.

Officer Ranks

 * Sergeant Second Class
 * Sergeant First Class
 * Sergeant Commander First Class
 * Lieutenant Second Class
 * Lieutenant First Class
 * Lieutenant Commander First Class
 * Commander
 * Captain

Admiralty

 * Commodore
 * Vice Admiral
 * Admiral

Fleet Admiralty

 * Fleet Admiral First Division
 * Fleet Admiral Second Division
 * Fleet Admiral Third Division
 * Fleet Admiral Fourth Division
 * Fleet Admiral Fifth Division
 * Fleet Admiral Sixth Division
 * Fleet Admiral Seventh Division
 * Fleet Admiral Eighth Division

The rank of Fleet Admiral Eighth Division has only ever been reached by six people  in the USF's 313-year history. These are Ferdinand de Soto (2711), Giorgio Yiannopoulos (2754), Jacques Princeton (2801), Kelvin Drogba (2801), Felix Gordon (2929), and Heather Thompkins (2992).