IP: Admiral-Fleethead

The Admiral-Fleethead is the highest ranking member of the Overall Military Command of the Orion Federation Space Command. As such he directs all military operations of the Orion Federation especially on the borders of the Federation. When the Federation Council declares a state of war, offensive or defensive, the Admiral-Fleethead is authorised to take supreme command of the Orion Federation's space forces, and is then able to prosecute the war at their discretion until such time as the Federation Council passes a motion to end the state of war. The Admiral-Fleethead does however only have authority over the joint military of the Federation (Orion Federation Space Command) and not the individual military forces of the Federation's members.

The Federation Council, with the approval of the Secretary-General, can also pass a state of emergency, at which point the Secretary-General cedes their power to the Admiral-Fleethead, allowing the Admiral-Fleethead to rule as dictator until the Federation Council or Secretary-General ends the state of emergency. This has never occurred in the history of the Orion Federation, and it is as yet uncertain what would constitute a necessary enough crisis to require a state of emergency.

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The current Admiral-Fleethead is Rhodri ap Gaefaelfawr, one of the leading military figures in the Orion Federation. Having risen through the ranks as captain and eventually Grand Admiral of numerous ships, including the OFSC Barthélemy Boganda, OFSC Louis Mountbatten, OFSC Saigon, OFSC Xindh Zao and OFSC Provence. Before becoming Admiral-Fleethead he was inducted into the College of Admirals of the United Nations of Earth after he commanded small fleets against the 25th Jind Army, the 107th Jind Army and the Black Slav pirate coalition. By the time he commanded substantial forces of his own as Admiral and Grand Admiral, he was involved in the siege of Lyon III and the well-known battle of Torel Tel, which was one of the few fought within the space of another sovereign territory, that of the Jind Confederation.

As Admiral-Fleethead, he notably commanded Orion Federation forces during the Federation-Kardhirite war, which is the only major conflict that the Orion Federation has fought. Ap Gaefaelfawr was given war powers whilst Rang Pa-Bolghut was Secretary-General, and prosecuted the war to its final conclusion. He utilised his experience with Jind raiders, who primarily operate autonomously and without support, and translated it to the campaign against the Kardhirites: By using strategies to break up the Kardhirite Empire's fractious military structure, the Orion Federation could defeat the individual Kardhirite warlords of the border regions before the main bulk of the Kardhirite army could organise and support them.

Since the end of the Federation-Kardhirite war, ap Gaefaelfawr has become a prominent public figure who regularly gives speeches and conducts interviews to promote the military structure of the Orion Federation. He has become controversial in recent years due to his growing autocratic tendencies, particularly in the media. As a result, the Secretary-General has gradually cut down on ap Gaefaelfawr's overseas visits.