From FEInfobase

Earth Defence Force

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 Star Fleet 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 Star Fleet Re-Exploratory Initiative. His original plans called for a full 25 ships to be tasked to the SRI with everything else Star Fleet 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. A disaster befell Utopia Planitia when a group of anti Star Fleet 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 Star Fleet Command while the damage to the Reagan was 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 Star Fleet 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.