General Order 22

Under normal conditions an officer can be relived from duty based on either orders from the CMO (Chief Medical Officer) or from his or her commanding officer. In the event that the person being relieved of duty is the commanding officer the CMO may still relieve any officer - including the commanding officer - from duty.

Medical Removal

In the event that the commanding officer is unfit to command due to medical impairment which compromises their ability to perform the duties of command the CMO or highest ranking medical officer available may certify the the officer is unfit for the specific medical reasons.

The reasons for being medically unfit must be specified in the order to remove the officer from command, at the earliest possible time medical officer involved must submit the removal from command up to the next highest ranking command officer (Sector Commander, Division Commander, etc..) and justify having done so. The next highest ranking officer then must validate only that the medical officer has issued the order with proper medical documentation - but does not validate the results of the medical testing, diagnosis, prognosis, or related medical information. The medical officer, however, is required to submit all such information and the next highest command officer has the right to request verification of the documentation with the medical officer who issued the order or a 3rd party medical officer, this is not required.

The findings of a medical officer will stand unless specifically invalidated by a higher ranking medical officer.

Psychological Removal

Being judged to be unfit to retain command can occur due to psychological issues that do not have definite medical causes. As such as medical officer serving as a counselor or in that capacity can certify a command officer to be unfit and relieve them of duty. The process is the same as with a standard medical removal order. The only exception is certain behaviors are grounds for the next officer in the command chain to certify they believe the commanding officer is unfit pending a psychological evaluation. This is usually based on direct reports of actions taken or behaviors directly observed by a subordinate officer or set of subordinate officers.

Behaviors which Constitute being Unfit for Command

• Attempted suicide / suicidal behavior
  • Attempting or planning to attempt to kill ones self
  • Attempting or ordering a crew to attempt to destroy the ship or facility without cause
• Attempted homicide / conspiracy to commit homicide
  • Attempting or planning to attempt to kill another person
  • Attempting or ordering the crew to kill another person / destroy another vessel without cause
• Delusional behavior (exhibiting belief delusions which can be directly proven to be patently false)

General Unfitness for Command

Should a commanding officer exhibit consistently / increasingly erratic behavior or be caught in willful and blatant disregard for their oath to Solas Tempus the directly subordinate officer (such as the Executive Officer) may issue an order to relieve them of command pending a review of their medical fitness and/or of recent orders given. The XO must have tangible proof of behavior which warrants removal of the command officer from duty and submit that proof up the chain of command as early as possible.

Should the XO remove an officer from command, immediately the medical officer must examine the command officer for the validity of the removal in the event that erratic behavior is observed. If no medical cause can be found, the XO may still demand that the command officer not be allowed to return to duty, and must submit their reasons for doing so to the next highest in the chain of command above the commanding officer. In this event, the XO must include all medical findings associated with the order, even if they do not support the choice for removal from command.

In the event that the command removal order is given due to a violation of the oath to Solas Tempus the command officer can override such an order citing that he or she has received proper orders authorizing his or her actions, but they do not have to present such orders to the crew or anyone else. The XO can submit their request for a change in command to the next highest command level above the command officer and / or request verification that the proper orders exist, assuming it will not put the mission, ship, or facility at risk to do so.

Personal Bias / Lack of Objectivity

In any situation where the command officer is unable to perform their duties properly due to a personal bias to lack of objectivity with the current situation, they are expected to remove themselves from command. However, the next command officer in line can remove them from command citing proof that they are unable to perform their duties due to a loss of objectivity or personal bias. This must be followed by the officer issuing the order to submit proof of their order up the chain of command to the next level of command from the command officer. There must be observable and tangible proof that the command officer cannot perform their duties under the current situation.

Practicality

In any event where a command officer is removed from their post forcibly there is a chance of a split of loyalties within the crew. Executive officers are required to have proof for the allegations they are making except in the event of a medical reason. Command officers are expected to use the chain of command to restore their position and to avoid splitting the loyalties on board a vessel if at all possible. Forcibly removing a command officer from duty should be avoided at all costs.