First Fleet
From FEInfobase
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The Earth Defence Force’s history can be traced back to the year 2398, after he final battle every remaining vessel capable of firing a weapon was towed to the edge of the Sol system to form a defensive perimeter around the system. Many ships were repaired as they sat there on that battle line, drive systems were slowly brought back online, the same with phaser arrays and torpedo launchers.
Even during those troubled times Picard was looking towards the future and looking at ways of setting up a more structured defensive system for Sol. His efforts were hampered by the political wrangling within the Federation Council, the council its self was split over how to divide the Federations remaining forces. Some members wanted everything to stay to protect earth, other members wanted to leave a token force around earth and send the rest out to explore the galaxy.
After several weeks of arguing nothing was decided, except that no decision could be made until they were sure the Borg were no longer going to attack.
Picard spent the next few months devising new plans for re-exploring the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as well as plans for firming the defences of Sol. It was during this time Admiral Taylor was offered command of the SRI Project, while the chance to return to his roots and an explorer appealed to him he felt he couldn’t go back to that while the threat of the Borg still existed. Instead he requested he be placed in charge of what ever fleet was created to protect earth.
In 2400 Starfleet officially declared the war over; it seemed highly unlikely that the Borg would strike back after 2 years. Fleet Admiral Picard went before the Federation Council with his plans for a new earth fleet and with his plans for the Starfleet Re-Exploratory Initiative. His original plans called for a full 25 ships to be tasked to the SRI with everything else Starfleet could keep running left at earth to form the 1st Fleet. The SRI would be christened the 4th Fleet in honour of those who gave their lives for the Federation during the war.
His plan was dismissed by the Federation Council, 25 ships was deemed too many to release from the defensive efforts around Sol. Picard was ordered to assign 8 vessels to the SRI, or possibly less if he felt he could manage it. Every other ship in the fleet was to be assigned to the first fleet under the Command of Admiral Taylor his flagship was the soon to be recommissioned USS Ronald Reagan. A disaster befell Utopia Planitia when a group of anti Starfleet Protestors managed to crash a tanker in to a cluster of dry dock facilities including the one the Reagan sat in.
While the damage was extensive it was not unrepairable. Taylor was forced to run the 1st Fleet from an Office at Starfleet Command while the damage to the Reagan ws repairable, as often as possible he would tour the ships of the Fleet just to get out of the office. Desk work had never suited Taylor and it probably never would.
It was the latter half of 2402 before the Reagan was again ready for Re-commissioning. It was at that time that Picard managed to secure permission from President Spock to rename the 1st Fleet to the Earth Defence Force, the name as he explained to Admiral Taylor was meant to raise the spirits of those living in the colonies in and around Sol. It would let them know that Starfleet was still standing ready to protect them despite sending ships off on the SRI Project. On the 1st of January 2403 the USS Ronald Reagan was recommissioned during a simple ceremony at Utopia Planitia, Fleet Admiral Picard was there himself to initiate the proceedings. The ceremony went off without a hitch and a mere 3 days later the Reagan was out of space dock embarking on her first mission as part of the Earth Defence Force.
Taylor remained in command of the Earth Defence Force for a further year, during that time he was arrested for the crime of treason. Although the charge was later refuted it caused several problems for Starfleet and the Earth Defence Force. Before Taylor could return to the Reagan to resume control of the fleet Fleet Admiral Picard died, however it was not due to the terrorist who struck his birthday celebrations. Instead he died due to heart failure, the years during the war he spent soldiering on without the heart replacement operation had finally taken their toll.
In a surprising political move, Vice President Jellico made a motion for the Federation Council to promote Admiral Taylor to the Rank of Fleet Admiral and make him the next Starfleet Commander in Chief.
Unsurprisingly the Federation Council voted almost unanimously to approve Jellico’s motion, only a few hard liners voted against the Vice President. Their opinions coloured by the consequences of Taylor’s actions during the war, often by way they had hurt their power base in some way.
With Taylor’s promotion the position of Earth Defence Force Commanding Officer was once again open; opinion within the fleet was that Rear Admiral Donatra would be given the post after many long years of dedicated service in the shadow of Taylor’s career. It was no surprise the subsequent promotion of Captain Sam Moore to Commodore sent shockwaves through the fleet, while Moore had fought well during the war she was a relative babe in the woods with Fleet level issues, to promote her over Donatra was unpalatable to many people in Starfleet.
When the Federation finally re-opened its immediate borders beyond the blinkered, almost blind focus on the Sol System, the First Fleet underwent a significant restructuring, and reassessment of its responsibilities. As the primary fighting force in Starfleet, the Federation, and possibly the Quadrant, no longer was it expected to limit itself to one crowded star system. The five systems of the Core Worlds, now being recognised as the heart of the Federation beyond just Earth, are the new playing field of the First Fleet's responsibility. Rather than just focusing on Sol, all five must be defended and protected from threats, external and internal.
The name 'Earth Defence Force', whilst technically being incorrect and dated, is still in common unofficial usage, due to the First Fleet's status as the protector of the Sol System over the last six years. It is likely that it will take some time before the name drifts out of use.
Other Information
First Fleet was originally designated as the first Exploration task force in Starfleet when it was founded in 2161. Most noteable ships that served the fleet were many of the original Constitution and Daedalus class starships.
Come the late 24th Century the First Fleet had grown in numbers and was assigned during the Dominion War in protecting Federation worlds near the Klingon and Romulan borders.