Senior Enlisted Advisor

Senior Enlisted Advisor is a command duty in the Star Army of Yamatai. It can either be a primary occupation or collateral duty. The Senior Enlisted Advisor, or SEA, is responsible for providing a direct link between the commanding officer of a Star Army unit and the enlisted personnel in the ranks. They report in to the XO rather than the CO, to help alleviate overhead for the CO.

Those personnel who have SEA as their occupation wear the distinctive white panels of command occupation personnel. Collateral duty SEAs continue to wear their primary occupation colors.

White panels

To receive the primary occupation of SEA, Star Army personnel must be at the rank of Jôtô Heisho or higher. In addition, they must be recommended for the occupational transfer by a ship's captain or officer of higher authority. If recommended, the SEA-designate must commit to remaining in the enlisted ranks for a period of not less than six months. Upon promotion out of the enlisted ranks, SEAs automatically revert to their original occupation. SEAs may also request a return to their original occupation if they no longer desire to perform the entailed duties.

The requirements to be assigned the collateral duty of SEA are less stringent. Commanding officers are given wide latitude in selecting personnel for the duty. Generally, collateral SEAs will be of Heisho rank, but COs may assign personnel of other rank as necessary. Collateral SEAs keep their primary occupation and perform the duty until such time that they are promoted out of the enlisted ranks, transfer ships, or are relieved of the duty by the CO.

SEAs have two general directions of responsibility: to the XO they report directly to and to the enlisted crew they serve. The specifics of these duties can vary depending on the size and command climate of a given unit. Generally, these include:

• Reporting to and consulting with the XO about crew conditions
• Advising the XO about crew mission-accomplishment
• Monitoring job efficiency and training
• Counseling enlisted on career and occupation subjects
• Maintaining crew discipline, to the extent allowed by their superior officer
• Formulating enlisted readiness, morale, and welfare policy
• Providing promotion and award recommendations to the XO to forward to the CO

In the absence of other qualified personnel the SEA may be detailed to perform the duties of Trainer, Away Team Leader, Damage Control Officer, and others, at the CO's discretion.

SEAs, by virtue of their experience prior to assuming the duty, ought to be extremely knowledgeable on almost any given subject about the Star Army. They must be especially well versed in:

• Star Army Regulations
• Star Army Uniform and Appearance Policy
• Star Army Articles of Military Justice
• Strategy and Tactics of the Star Army of Yamatai
• Details of their ship or duty station

Just as starship captains are sometimes referred to by non-official titles, such as “skipper,” so too do SEAs receive informal appellations. These can include Chief of the Boat, COB, Chief, or 顧問 (komon, Yamataian for advisor).

SEAs are permitted to carry a small, glossy wooden and brass-tipped baton when performing training and exclusively when performing training, to distinguish them as the leader.

These are the characters currently listed as Star Army Senior Enlisted Advisors.

Created by Sean_ODuibher and completed by ethereal.