ASSESSMENT
FILED BY: CAPT S. Bishop
Upon review, this officer concludes that the failure of this task force could have been averted if attempts to bring the Xedi Rebels and the Xedi Government to the diplomatic table had been made sooner.
With the Dominion interference revealed, it is easier to see that the Dominion would act. The recommendation within a Dominion report explicitly states that:
“Decisive action must be taken in order to preserve the stability of this region. The legitimate government of Isep Xedi Stands very little chance at defeating these Rebels…To put it plainly, I say we take an active measure in tipping the scales in favor of the legitimate government.”
~ Dominion Interrogation Report : subject, XEDI POW 1-10 (stardate 96597.2, filed by Kalris 8).
No reason for the involvement has been given by the Dominion as of this report. I would posit that the belief that Starfleet would be bound by General Order 1 and that a failure to act would allow the rebels to win. The fear of a rebel victory destabilising the region can be the only motive this officer can fathom.
General Order 1
It is important to note that General Order 1 was reviewed for the duration of this mission, allowing the task force to involve themselves in the internal affairs of the Isep Xedi to fulfil the task force objectives. After review, whilst this officer expressed early doubts about involvement, this officer believes that the decision was justified and stands by Command’s decision.
1. Poor Federation Relations
This task force was hamstrung from the beginning of its formation. The Federation had a poor reputation in the Doza sector and this tempered all reactions with the rebels. Whilst a retroactive attempt was made by this task force in order to prevent worsening relations, no attempts were made by this task force or Public Affairs to alleviate relations. Because of this, this officer felt restricted in diplomatic contact until such a time relations had proceeded to the point where the Federation were not demonised by the rebels. This led to the delay in assuming contact with the rebels. This officer believes that attempts to contact the rebels earlier, even if the initial contacts failed, could have prevented the failure of the task force.
2. Delayed Intelligence
In addition to this, the task force was, for the most part, behind on intelligence. Most of the analysis that took place throughout the duration of the task force was always retroactive, attempting to fill in the gaps from encounters prior to the task force formation. This lack of up to date intelligence influenced this officer’s decision making, preferring to act with solid intelligence for fear that an action based on poor intelligence would lead to worsening relations for the Federation. Even when up to date intelligence was transmitted from Long Range Probe D-732 and a communications relay in the Isep Xedi System, this officer did not act quickly, fearing that intelligence was still lacking in order to make a concrete move. Once again, these delays prolonged the attempts at contact with the government and the Xedi rebels, allowing for the Dominion to take decisive action where this officer did not.
3. Dominion Involvement
Finally, this task force failed due to Dominion involvement in the crisis. The above two reasons themselves do not lend themselves wholly to the total failure of the task force, though they could potentially explain this third reason. Both of the above reasons had been expected throughout the actions of the task force and steps were taken to at least mitigate their influence. This officer has reviewed that there was no reason to suspect foul Dominion play at any point during this task force’s mission, with the Federation acting cordially to a member of the Alliance.
No Dominion involvement would have prevented the coup from happening in the first place, allowing for more time to repair relations and gather intelligence.
Although this officer attempted to limit Dominion involvement in the missions of the task force, ultimately this officer must take responsibility for the missions when the Dominion were involved. As this situation was volatile from the start, it should have been solved internally.
Summary
With hindsight, it is clear that this task force should have acted sooner. Though poor relations and limited intelligence played a large factor in delays to diplomatic contact, the fact of the matter is that if contact was established earlier, this coup would not have happened as there would not have been an opportunity to exploit from the Dominion forces.
Recommendation
A second Doza task force be assembled with the aims of providing aid and refugees to the victims of the Isep Xedi coup.
The United Federation of Planets should not recognise the military government of the Xedi and should pressure other members to follow suite.
Pressure should be exerted on the Dominion to withdraw all backing to the military government and withdraw any claims to the Doza Sector as a whole.
Contact with the Xedi Rebels should be made immediately, offering refuge to those who are persecuted by the new military government.
Attempts to unify the Rebels and the Xedi government should be made in order to provide a unifed force against the military government.
A trade embargo be placed on all vessels supplying the new Xedi government.
Recognition
This officer would like to formally recognise the following individuals who performed exceptionally throughout this task force’s operation.
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Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Emery Quint - Executive Officer, 38th Fleet.
The Admiral showed remarkable foresight and management to direct the task force and provide directives that enabled the task force to act. The Admiral continued to reject military action in an effort to preserve lives which would have paid off, had the Dominion involvement not taken place. These decisions made by the Admiral were correct and ensured that the loss of life was minimal.
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Lieutenant Commander Noah Sideris - Intelligence Officer, Deep Space 13.
The Lieutenant Commander’s dogged pursuit for intelligence assisted the task force greatly. Without the Lieutenant Commander’s efforts, this task force would have had worse intelligence than we did have and would have most certainly contributed to the failure of the task force regardless of any action taken. The Lieutenant Commander also showed remarkable command and leadership skills in any missions he was involved in, taking the initiative and presenting solutions to issues, which this officer took into consideration when making decisions.
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Captain Gabriella Valencia - MACO Team 32 Lead, U.S.S. Endeavour.
Captain Valencia provided crucial assistance to many of the missions within undertaken by this task force, as well as playing a central role in the survival of the away team caught in the coup itself. The Captain’s decisions within the field to extract important individuals will pave the way for the next task force to come to a solution.
APPENDIX
Situational Reports
Doza Task Force Message Chain
–END OF REPORT–
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38TH FLEET “ARGO”