IRON Rules of War

IRON Rules of War
I. Offensive War: Any war declared by an IRON nation that is NOT ordered by a superior authority.

II. Tech Raid: An Offensive War declared by an IRON nation with the purpose of stealing technology from an apparently inactive nation.

III. Inactive Nation: Any nation that has not been active for at least 5 days.

IV. Superior Authority: Any IRON nation in a position of military responsibility of Squadron XO position or above.

Military Organization
IRON is a large and complex organization, and as such requires it’s members to conduct its military operations within set guidelines as laid down by the Council.

Personnel
Master Sergeant (E-1)

A Sergeant that demonstrates the appropriate abilities can be promoted to Master Sergeant by a CO. A Master Sergeant has the same leadership privileges as an XO or CO, but is only authorized to use them when neither officer is available to respond to an attack, or is otherwise given permission by an officer to conduct the war. A Master Sergeant may not, however, conduct an offensive war that has been handed down to the Squadron from a Field Marshal or Defense Minister. These are the sole responsibilities of the Squadron’s CO or XO, unless otherwise noted. The Master Sergeant’s duties outside the war atmosphere are primarily to boost morale and promote activity. A good Master Sergeant is a strong link between the enlisted ranks and the officers, working to settle any disputes that may arise. There can be a maximum of two Master Sergeants per squadron.

Lieutenant (E-2a, Squadron XO)

A Squadron XO is chosen by the CO themselves, out of anyone in the alliance, but may also be appointed by the Defense Ministers if the situation requires it. The XO handles all war matters delegated to the Squadron, with the same authority as the CO, but not superseding it. The XO is responsible for the general wellbeing of the squadron and is the primary advisor for the CO in all squadron matters.

Honorary Lieutenant (E-2b, Headmaster of The Academy)

The Headmaster of The Academy is chosen by the IRON Council out of anyone in the alliance. The Headmaster of The Academy holds an honorary military rank and may only handle war matters that have been delegated to the Squadron in the absence of the CO and/or XO. The Headmaster of The Academy may issue military orders to academy members and staff below the rank of XO in the absence of either the CO of the academy and/or the XO of the squadron. The Headmaster of The Academy is encouraged to use this authority sparingly. The Headmaster of The Academy is responsible for the general wellbeing of the squadron with teaching academy members being of highest priority.

Major (E-3, Squadron CO)

A Squadron CO is chosen by the Defense Ministers. The CO is responsible for all wars and activities that occur within the CO’s squadron. The CO has the final word on all Squadron matters, unless a Field Marshall or a Defense Minister feels the need to step in. A CO is expected to take exceptional care of its squadron, promoting activity and morale wherever possible. The CO has the final say on assigning ranks within his Squadron, except under circumstances when a Field Marshal or Defense Minister feels the need to step in.

Colonel (E-4, Field Marshal)

A Field Marshal is chosen by the Defense Ministers. The Field Marshal’s responsibility is to insure a smooth operation of specifically allocated Alliance squadrons, however the Field Marshal may also intervene in any squadron should they deem such action necessary. The Field Marshal is responsible for supervising the actions of his COs, the Field Marshal may also supervise other CO's should they see fit. The Field Marshal may intervene in matters of warfare delegated to any squadron in the alliance, if it deems the action necessary. The Field Marshal may intervene in the rankings of any member within the alliance, if it is deemed necessary, except those of CO and XO. The Field Marshal that is assigned to a specific squadron has the final say in any matter involving his assigned squadron without MOD intervention.

General (E-5, Defense Ministers)

The Defense Minister(s) are chosen by the Council. The Deputy Defense Minister is chosen by the Defense Minister(s) and voted on by the Council. The Defense Ministers are responsible for the overall efficiency, well being, staff, and operations of the IRON military. As the military remains the Defense Minister’s entire responsibility, the Defense Ministers are free to intervene in all matters as they so choose. The Defense Minister outranks the Deputy respectively.

IRON Response to Military Attacks on Member Nations
1. If any member nation is attacked by another nation, they are to immediately conduct two retaliatory strikes against the attacker and post all details in their Squadron’s “Incoming Attacks” thread.

2. Wars on a member nation must first be reported to that member nation’s CO. The CO must then refer the war to the highest possible squadron which is capable of attacking the aggressor. This should be done with a PM to the higher Squadron’s CO, and a posting of a thread with all the details within that CO’s squadron.

3. Assisting nations are to conduct two attacks daily unless the attacker requests peace, in which case the response should be exactly as follows:

“I will accept peace from you when you agree to pay reparations to [original nation attacked], who is the IRON member you initially attacked.”

4. Under NO circumstances are nuclear weapons to be used unless specifically authorised by a CO or Field Marshal after consultation with the Council.

5. If reparations are forthcoming then you may accept peace. If not, continue to attack.

6. Squadron officers are to oversee and take charge of the war as necessary to achieve a positive outcome.

7. If the attacker is a member of another alliance then the process is exactly the same, except that the CO should immediately contact the leadership of the relevant alliance and explain what has happened. He must also include in his explanation:

“The declaration of war by 3 nations is a standard IRON response to aggression and by no means constitutes a declaration of war on your alliance.”

8. Inactive wars are unacceptable. An inactive war is a war that has gone for more than 12 hours without being responded to by Squadron officers or enlisted men.

9. Declarations of war against an IRON member by a fellow IRON member whether intended to be a joke or not; with or without attacks taking place will result in the declaring member being treated as a rogue.

Rogues will be anarchied as a precaution to remove all means of damaging IRON nations. Negotiation will still take place as per normal, however the removal of the 'rogues' military will occur prior to negotiation for the above reason.

This also covers the reason for war being 'This is a joke' and other similar reasons.

All suspected rogues must be referred to a CO or higher immediately.

See also: The Independent Republic of Orange Nations Pain Policy

General War Between IRON And Another Alliance
1. The decision to go to war with another alliance taken by council vote.

2. A separate forum will be created to cover this war; the first thread to be set up in it will be a discussion forum for the Wing Commanders and Commanding Officers to allocate targets to specific Squadrons.

3. Once this is done, the Squadron COs or XOs are to create a thread for each target. The thread title should include the target name and the names of the 3 IRON Members who are to attack.

4. The IRON members should then declare war and attack at will.

5. This information is tentative and may be subject to change.

Nuclear Wars
1. If an IRON member is attacked by a nuclear weapon it is to be treated as if it were a normal attack (above).

2. The decision to use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack requires a council majority vote.

3. Nuclear weapons are NOT to be used without Council consent. Any Member Nation breaking this rule will be expelled from IRON to face the full wrath of the nation they attacked.

Treason
1. During ANY war, any IRON nation discovered assisting the enemy in any form will be expelled from the alliance for treason and attacked as if he were the enemy.

Closed Drafting Period
During periods of global unrest (ie World Wars) it may be necessary to impose a Closed Drafting Period. This means that during this time all resignations from IRON are permanent. This is in order to achieve the following:

1. Any member leaving IRON during a Closed Drafting Period in order to fight in a war in which IRON is not involved will NOT be permitted to rejoin IRON on completion.

2. Any member leaving IRON during a Closed Drafting Period in order to avoid fighting a war in which IRON is involved will NOT be permitted to rejoin on completion.

EDIT: The above two scenarios are what the CDP aims to prevent, but it must be stressed that during a CDP all resignations are permanent. This prevents ambiguity and arguments later on about why someone left and tried to rejoin.

Closed Drafting Periods can only be instated and lifted by a majority Council vote.

External Alliance Wars
External Alliance Wars are wars where 2 or more alliances, masked or not engage in hostile conflict; this includes declarations of war; the use of sanctions; multiple 'rogues', or anything else that IRON council deems to be an act of war between alliances.

1. No aid is to be given to any external aligned nation during the time of an alliance war if IRON is not a combatant alliance. This rule covers all aid and for whatever reason; the sending of aid for 'trade', 'technology purchase' and 'loan repayment' are also covered.

2. Aid may only be sent to aligned waring nations with explicit council consent which is obtainable via a council vote.

3. Should an IRON nation break either of the above 2 rules they will be disciplined; if during or following the cessation of hostilities the said IRON nation becomes a target of external forces for aiding a waring nation they forfeit all protection from IRON, be that military, financial or political; unless explicit council consent was granted.

4. This article is always in effect and can be applied retrospectively.

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