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- 13.1 Crew support
-
- Starfleet recognizes that its single most important system
- and most valuable resource is its people. The crew of a starship
- determines, far more than any technology or hardware, the success
- of any given mission. Accordingly, Starfleet has a long tradition of
- placing its personnel at the top of its priority list.
-
- The long, exacting, and frequently hazardous nature of
- starship duty places a very considerable toll on its crew. Yet the
- nature of Starfleet missions requires each crewmember to be
- continually operating at very near 100%. The success of a mission,
- the safety of the ship, or the fate of an entire planet can at any
- moment hinge on the performance of any crewmember.
- Reconciling the demanding nature of starship duty with the need to
- maintain quality over extended periods is a difficult goal, but
- Starfleet personnel policies make it a reality.
-
- Starfleet personnel are well trained and highly motivated,
- but maintaining that motivation is an ongoing challenge. Starfleet
- command structure is designed to support this philosophy and our
- officers understand the importance of nurturing and encouraging
- the efforts of each crewmember. This ranges from ample
- opportunities for personnel to advance within Starfleet, to a policy
- of actively listening to the needs and concerns of all personnel.
- Each crewmember is encouraged to be innovative in his/her job,
- and allowed to excel in their chosen areas. Indeed, many of our
- most important technical and procedural advances have come from
- on-duty personnel who have suggested better ways to do their jobs.
-
- Educational facilities range from training simulators,
- classrooms, professional advancement programs, to informal
- gatherings of crewmembers. Significant blocks of off-peak
- Holodeck usage time are typically reserved for training exercises Ñ
- such simulations can often be counted as field experience toward
- promotions. Many starships have ongoing lecture programs
- featuring visiting mission specialists who are often at the forefront
- of their fields of study. All these permit interested individuals to
- advance at their own pace within their chosen specialty, or to gain
- the knowledge and experience to branch into other areas.
-
- Part of StarfleetÕs support for its personnel is the attention
- lavished on living accommodations. All Starfleet personnel are
- provided with comfortable, spacious living quarters. Food service
- aboard the Galaxy class starship is provided by a sophisticated
- replicator system that provides a vast array of culinary selections
- from a hundred planets. Recreational facilities range from four
- holographic environment simulators, two fully equipped
- gymnasiums and other exercise and sports facilities, a concert hall
- and theater, an arboretum, and a variety of lounges for off-duty
- use.
-
- Starfleet duty is extremely demanding, but the entire
- organization is devoted to supporting its people and allowing them
- to excel. StarfleetÕs extraordinary history of over two centuries of
- space exploration is ample testament to the success of that policy.
- END