SFMC History

Origins

The Star Fleet Marine Corps (SFMC) has its origins with the elite military forces on Earth in the 22nd Century, known as Military Assault Command Operations (MACO).

MACO had served as Earth's premier military peacekeeping force for much of the 21st and 22nd centuries, defending Earth and its peoples from threats both interplanetary, and domestic. In 2153 however, a Xindi attack on humanity forced MACO into a new role alongside Earth Starfleet.

It was from this joint role that the Star Fleet Marine Corps would eventually emerge.

The Xindi Crisis

At the request of Captain Jonathan Archer, a contingent of MACO soldiers were stationed aboard the NX-01 Enterprise. Under the command of Major J. Hayes, the Enterprise's MACO contingient provided support to the ship on her mission to seek out and destroy a Xindi Superweapon hidden somewhere in the Delphic Expanse.

During the Xindi Crisis, MACO forces aboard the Enterprise led search and rescue operations, led many sucessful operations against the Xindi, defended the ship against boarding parties on several occasions, and helped augment the ship's security compliment. MACO proved itself to be a valuable asset to the Enterprise crew, and essential to the efforts to save humanity from the Xindi superweapon. MACO teams were deployed to nutralize Xindi forces on board the superweapon during the final stages of the conflict. Their actions allowed Captain Archer of the Enterprise to destroy the weapon, and save billions of lives.

Together with the Enterprise crew, the MACO suceeded in thwarting the Xindi's genocide plot, thus saving humanity, paving the way for the creation of the United Federation of Planets and changing the future of the galaxy itself.

The Early Federation

Following the official creation of the United Federation of Planets in 2161, MACO found it had essentially outlived its purpose. In a society where peaceful diplomacy and scientific discovery had become more important that military prowess and Imperialistic expansion, there was little need for an elite military ground force.

Former members of MACO were faced with a decison as to how proceed in the new world. Many entered the civilian workforce and enjoy the newfound peace of the Federation, but many more decided to join Federation Starfleet, and continue to serve as security officers, engineers, and instructors.

Through starfleet, the MACO spirit and legacy would continue for generations to come.

The Dominion War

It wasn't until contact with the Dominion that the Federation decided steps mgiht need to be taken in preparation for a ground war. To this point, the majority of military encounters had occured in space where Starfleet expressed dominance. However with the start of the Dominion Invasion, and their alliance with the Romulans, it became clear that a standing assembly of elite forces trained for terrestrial combat was once again necessary.

In 2371, the Council of the United Federation of Planets passed a law creating the Star Fleet Marine Corps. A training center was established on Gibraltar Point, on Mars in the Sol system. The finest young men and women the Federation had to offer enlisted, and began to prepare themselves for the conflict that lay ahead. By the time all-out war broke out in 2373, the SFMC had been fully organized, and was prepared to confront the Dominion when called upon.

The first conflict the Star Fleet Marine Corps participated in was the Battle of Torros III. Marines were inserted onto the shipyard orbiting Torros III, and flawlessly proceded to disable the yard's defensive grid, allowing allied forces to destroy the facility, dealing a powerful blow to the Dominion.

Marines faced Dominion Forces during the Battle of Betazed. While the Dominion's numbers prevented victory, Star Fleet Marines were able to hold them at bay long enough to buy key Federation Leaders time to escape.

Following the orbital battle of the Chin'toka system, Marines were deployed to the surface of the system's two planets. In a decisive ground campaign, the SFMC siezed control of the planets, and drove the Cardassian and Dominion forces out of poulated areas.

Marine men and women fought and died at the Battle of Ricktor Prime. Four Marine Frigates and their crews were lost alongside the Starfleet vessels lost, such as the USS Grissom.

In 2375, when the Breen entered the war, the Marine Corps humanitarian arm was tested. Although there was little the SFMC could do to stop the Breen assault on Star Fleet Headquarters in San Francisco, Marines provided humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, and law enforcement following the tragedy which claimed millions of innocent lives.

During the final conflict of the Dominion War in 2376, Marine transports were deployed alongside Star Fleet, Klingon Empire, and Romulan ships, ready to sacrifice thier lives in the ground war that would be required to seize control of Cardassia Prime, and end the war. Through the complicated series of events that ended the greatest battle in Federation history, the Dominion surrendered unconditionally, saving billions of lives. Star Fleet Marines once again provided humanitarian relief, and aided the Cardiassian civil police forces in maintaining order in the wake of the most devestating conflict in the history of the Federation.