Operations and what we do.

Posted on Sun Jul 26, 2020 @ 9:12pm by

Chief of operations log Stardate 2393.0726

I've been going over some of my more mundane but numerous activities, So I wanted to start this log off my stating my purpose.

The operations officer, also referred to as the ops officer or operations management officer, is a Starfleet position within the operations division which was common in the 24th century. Operations officers manned the ops station on a bridge.

The chief operations officer coordinates directly with the chief engineering officer to ensure that all of the ship's systems were maintained at optimal performance. When no engineer was on the bridge of a star ship or operations center of a space station, the operations manager saw to any engineering matters that arose.

Essentially, the Operations Department monitored and controlled the use of all ship systems not ostensibly involved with propulsion, navigation, or combat. The chief operations officer coordinated directly with the chief engineering officer to ensure that all of the ship's systems were maintained at optimal performance.

The Operations duty officer department consists of personnel who perform various odd jobs either aboard the starship, such as operating the transporter or sensors, or on the ground, such as providing explosives expertise.

The Operations department is a hybrid department covering helm, tactical, and some engineering. Their area of expertise is the control and distribution of power and resources around the ship. They deal with transporters and communications as well as shuttlecraft and tractor beams; however, under combat conditions many of these systems will fall under the Tactical department's control. Operations also deals with damage reports when they come in, as well as the coordination of damage control teams during the aftermath. Officers in Operations are usually easily transferred between Helm, Engineering or Tactical in an emergency. They wear gold uniforms.
Along with the Security and Engineering departments, the majority of Starfleet's enlisted personnel serve within this department.

Chief of Operations: The Chief of Operations is also known as the Operations Manager. This individual is tasked with the control and distribution of limited ship’s resources such as power, computer usage, sensors, and even holodeck scheduling. While most of these are handled on a routine basis by the ship’s main computer, the actual allocation of such resources is decided by the Operations manager. Operations is highlighted by its positioning on a ship’s bridge, often right next to either Conn or Tactical. An Operations Manager has at their disposal a series of readouts that give a continually updated list of current shipboard activities, thus allowing Ops to prioritize resources on request, or alter the balance in cases of emergency or potentially dangerous tactical situations. The way in which resources for a ship’s sensors are allocated is particularly important for exploratory vessels as a number of differing departments require the usage of this resource for a wide variety of reasons. In cases when there is a chance of one department's use interfering or preventing the success of another department, the Operations Manager may reschedule the allocation of resource usage and even request more drastic recommendations, such as course changes, to ensure total success. For all these reasons, an Operations Manager is often particularly skilled in computer use, and is often a skilled engineer to boot. The Operations and Engineering departments work very closely together, blending almost imperceptibly, and it is true that many of their skills and abilities are interchangeable. On the bridge, the Ops console provides access to the status of a ship’s sensors, shields, and communications, enabling the Operations Manager to access and report much of the same information also available to the Tactical Officer. It must also be noted that many of the newer style of Starfleet ship’s bridge arrangements (such as the Defiant and Prometheus classes) have begun integrating many of the Operations and Helm controls into a single panel; as a result, more than a few Operations Managers have found themselves serving as Conn officers as well.

Deputy Chief of Operations: The Deputy Chief of Operations is there to back the Chief up, and effectively coordinate any departmental operations across the ship while the Chief is busy on the bridge. He is also expected to take over on the bridge if the Chief of Ops is unavailable to take the position. Likewise, this officer is in charge during the Chief’s absence.
Outside of that, the deputy chief of Operations is usually found in charge of one of the other duty shifts, effectively delegating responsibilities between duty shifts of personnel.

Transporter Chief: The transporter systems are one of the most important facilities available to Starfleet vessels and facilities, enabling the near-instantaneous transportation of personnel and materials from one location to another, and reducing the need for shuttlecraft or other auxiliary vehicles having to hard-connect via a docking station or shuttlebay. The transporters are overseen by a senior NCO in the Operations department serving as Transporter Chief.
The number of enlisted personnel serving under the chief depends upon the size of the vessel. There are usually one or two transporter operators per transporter room, and two to four transporter technicians among the regular Operations and Engineering crews.
The transporter chief’s primary duties are to supervise the operation and maintenance of the various transporter systems that operate aboard a starship. It is this crewmember’s responsibility to ensure the safe transportation and retrieval of crew members during away team missions, as well as assist their colleagues during the various unusual requests that seem to crop up on a regular basis. Another of the chief's responsibilities is to ensure that the equipment cabinets located in the personnel transporter rooms are always fully stocked and that the weapons and equipment stored within are always fully charged, to be ready at a moment’s notice. Should something go awry, it is also the job of the transporter chief to conduct an official investigation to find out what went wrong and prevent it happening again.
During periods when transporters are not in use, the Transporter Chief may order technicians to carry out test transports, or even undertake such duties personally, utilizing test materials. Such maintenance is to ensure the equipment is operating at optimum conditions, as the loss of any vital component during transportation can have catastrophic results on the individual caught in the affected beam.

Mission Operations/Communications Officer: While the role of Communications Officer has lessened considerably since the 23rd century, primarily due to increased technology and automation available within the communications field. It has typically been the case for Starfleet to expand and increase the roles of such officers who might find their positions undermined by such increases in technology. In the case of the Communications Officer, Starfleet has expanded the role to include that of Mission Operations. Effectively, the officer serving in this position on the bridge is there primarily to monitor and control multiple communications channels and support the Operations and Tactical bridge staff. They also monitor the Mission Operations terminal, and keep an eye on the status of any away teams. This officer often also serves as a “floating specialist” serving on the bridge, and is able to take over from the Operations Chief should he get called away. Thus a communications officer remains an important link in a starship’s crew, and is commonly a senior Operations officer. Communications officers, like security staff, must also be aware of Starfleet codes and emergency conditions, in order to immediately inform the Commanding Officer of potentially hazardous situations. This position can also sometimes be filled by a Tactical officer.

Operations Officer: The rank and file of the Operations department, operations officers generally fill a bridging role between the Science, Command, and Engineering departments. They often specialize in a particular system, focusing on computers, sensors, holographic systems, or transporter systems, and are technically proficient in both their use and in their repair. They frequently work closely with Engineering, and quite often the lines between Operations and Engineering get a little blurred. The Operations department often has the largest contingent of officers aboard a starship.

I find that this will be the best way to organize my department and will seek out the best trained personnel I can.

Lt Amanda Malloy reporting
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