Imperial Bureaucratic Organizations: There are two Imperial bureaucracies that influence the design and classification of space-faring vessels and craft. The first is the Imperial Joint Equipment Board (IJEB) and the second is the Imperial Naval Historical Commission (INHC).
IJEB: The IJEB processes requests to develop any and all manner of equipment from all four branches of the Imperial Armed Services; the Imperial Army (IA), Imperial Marines (IM), Imperial Navy (IN), and the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service (IISS). The board validates equipment requirements from the service branches and first determines if an already-approved equipment item can fit or can be easily modified to fit the new requirement. If no existing equipment is suitable, the IJEB publishes specifications for equipment designers or naval architects to produce professional designs. The IJEB then reviews submissions and selects one or more designs that meet the design criteria and commissions the production of prototypes for testing. Often prototypes will be designed and built by the services themselves, though this is not always the case. The IJEB then assembles a service group to tests prototype(s) and directs changes if required. When a design passes testing, the IJEB approves the and licenses firms to tool manufacturing facilities in order to fill orders by the service branches. These procedures are followed for every item of equipment from pocket knives to gravitic armored vehicles and space-faring vessels.
INHC: The role of the INHC is to assign names to IN and IISS vessels, but their influence over the design process is more extensive. For example, if the IJEB published specifications for the design of an IN cruiser, those specifications had to be within the parameters of what the INHC considered to be a cruiser. However, the INHC was not similarly constrained, so after a vessel had completed the IJEB process as a frigate, the INHC could still call it a cruiser if the commission so decided. In fact, this situation only occurred rarely, but in at least one instance this is exactly what happened (to the Kinunir-class cruisers, which fit the design parameters of a frigate).
Kinunir-class Cruisers: The development of the Kinunir-class is in fact an interesting case study in the dysfunctional relationship between the IJEB and INHC. The IN equipment requirement that began development of this class called for a vessel that could carry a reinforced IM platoon, meet fleet strategic and tactical mobility minimums (jump-4 and 4G maneuver), able to operate independently, with a black globe generator for additional protection. The IJEB analysis determined that a frigate (1,000 to 5,000 displacement tons) met IN mission specifications, but the INHC insisted that the new design meet the specifications of a cruiser (10,000 displacement tons). The IJEB argued that the vessel did not require a spinal mount weapon so the larger hull was a waste of resources. With IN backing, the IJEB opinion prevailed in this initial dispute and a design displacing 1,250 tons was selected. However, the INHC remained insistent and created a new class of ships called Vanguard Cruiser specifically for this design. The IJEB raised the dispute to Imperial High Command levels and the Moot while the INHC appealed to the court of the recently-crowned Emperor Strephon. After much debate, a compromise was reached in 1071 resulting in withdrawal of the term Vanguard Cruiser, but retention of the currently approved 1,250-ton design with the non-standard designation Colonial Cruiser.
Organizational Dynamics: While the IJEB was composed of about equal numbers of military professionals and civilian employees, the dynamics of those assigned played a role in the organization’s effectiveness. For military officers, service on the IJEB was seen as a stepping stone to higher rank and the civilian employees tended to be long-serving professionals who grew up within the organization. The INHC, on the other hand, had a different composition with a much smaller military component and many more political appointees. The officers serving in the INHC tended to be those close to retirement rather than those aspiring to higher rank. Further, the INHC was seen as a place where politically influential but administratively inept nobles could be placed in order to give them the titled positions that would insure their support and ensure that they did not do irreparable damage. Therefore, part of the reason for the INHC’s seemingly arbitrary decision-making was that a significant amount of its decision-making was in fact arbitrary, caused by high personnel turnover. This set of circumstances persisted with little change until the onset of the Fifth Frontier War.
Fifth Frontier War: Unfortunately, the belief that those on the INHC could not do irreparable damage did not survive the aftermath of the Fifth Frontier War. As battle reports from the Spinward Marches began to reach Capital, it became increasingly clear that the vessels of the IN were in many cases not faring well against those of the Outworld Coalition. As Imperial authorities investigated the problem, the INHC came under increasing scrutiny and structural changes finally began to be implemented. The IN and IISS were forced to revise their assignments system to insure that better officers were assigned to the INHC, and many of the incompetent members of the commission were allowed to retire, making way for some new blood and fresh perspectives. This has resulted in a better working relationship between the INHC and the IJEB in recent years, as the two organizations have worked together to revamp the fleet, incorporating lessons learned in the Fifth Frontier War into new vessel designs. More importantly, the INHC has extensively revised its classification scheme for the first time in over 50 years. Though it does not correct all of the disparities generated over the past hundred-odd years, this revised classification system (published in 1112) has corrected many of the most glaring. The text of the 1112 publication forms the basis of the discussion that follows.
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