The Imperial Navy Reporting Chain is a set of policies in relation to the routing of reports from Navy units...
The information contained herein pertains only to the Imperial Navy's commanding officers (squadron leaders and above).

The Imperial Navy is built upon one of the largest command structures in The Galactic Empire... In theory, each level of command collects status reports from the level directly below it, thus ensuring that the chain of command remains unbroken. In practice, this can sometimes be error-prone. Additionally, with multiple levels of command, a natural degree of isolation tends to build between the upper and lower levels.

As maintaining communication is the most basic requirement of an efficient military organisation, the Imperial Navy Reporting Chain was created on 2001-08-18 to regulate a more structured flow of reports within the Imperial Navy. It does not modify the Imperial Navy's existing status report policies, but implements a new system of forwarding received reports such that all status reports (beginning with those of Squadron Leaders) are ultimately received by the Commander of the Navy / Imperial Navy Fleet Commander. This is partly to "second-check" chain-of-command integrity, and moreso to thin any communications barriers which may exist.

In general terms, the Commander of the Navy / Imperial Navy Fleet Commander is responsible for supervising Imperial Navy reports at the squadron and ship levels, which equates to those of squadron leaders, first officers, and ship captains. He or she also directly supervises Imperial Navy reports at the Systems Force, Sector Group and Navy-wide levels, which equates to those of all Flag Officers (the admiralty). The Commander of the Navy / Imperial Navy Fleet Commander compiles a division report to be sent out to all officers.

The Supreme Commander additionally reserves the right of personal supervision over non-standard Imperial units, such as the special-operations vessels and elite squadrons.

Mention must also be made that although the reporting chain carries squadron reports to the highest levels of command, it is not intended to weaken the commands of individual Ship Command Staffs. Command and supervision of a ship's squadrons remain within the rights and duties of a Captain and his or her First Officer. Simply, if it is noted that a ship's or squadron's status report is regularly absent, the SCS of the affected vessel will be contacted by the Commander of the Navy / Imperial Navy Fleet Commander, who will request an assessment of the situation, and lend assistance in determining a solution if needed.

The Imperial Navy Reporting Chain operates according to the following procedures...

• Squadron Leaders are responsible for submitting regular squadron status reports to their Captain and First Officer on a minimum bi-weekly basis. There is no "minimum length" for a squadron status report; one should simply include, at least: a notation of the squadron leader's and squadron's overall status, any significant news from within the squadron, and additional items (if any) mandated by the squadron leader's SCS.
   
• Frigate Captains are responsible for submitting regular ship status reports to the Captain of their parent Task Group, or their System Force Flag Officer. There is no "minimum length" for a ship status report; one should simply include, at least: a notation of the ship captain's and ship's overall status, any significant news from within the ship, and additional items (if any) mandated by the ship captain's SCS.
   
• Captains (or First Officers in the absence or lieu of Captains) shall, on a weekly basis, compile a ship status report. These should take the form of an e-mail with a listing of onboard squadrons. Squadrons that have submitted a report in a given week should have their status reports pasted below their names, whereas squadrons that have not submitted a report in a given week should have the date on which they last filed a status report listed.
  Ship status reports are submitted to the Commander of the Navy / Imperial Navy Fleet Commander, with CCs to: all other SCS members, the Systems Force Flag Officer, and the Sector Group Flag Officer.
   
• Captains should file a personal status report on a minimum bi-weekly basis. As with squadron status reports, there is no length requirement; a brief paragraph of the Captain's personal status and any significant items of news (such as personal projects, onboard competitions, or leaves) will suffice. These may be placed directly into ship status reports above the squadron reports, or sent separately. If sent separately, a Captain's status report is submitted to the Commander of the Navy / Imperial Navy Fleet Commander, his or her Sector Group Flag Officer, and his or her Systems Force Flag Officer.
  (First Officers may optionally file status reports as well, by the same protocols as do Captains.)
   
• Systems Force Flag Officers should file a weekly status report with the Commander of the Navy / Imperial Navy Fleet Commander, and their Sector Group Flag Officer.
   
• Sector Group Flag Officers should file a weekly status report with both the Commander of the Navy / Imperial Navy Fleet Commander.
• The Commander of the Navy / Imperial Navy Fleet Commander prepares a division report for the Supreme Commander with a CC to all Naval Officers.