The IRON Charter & Rules of Engagement

THE CHARTER

OF THE

INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC OF ORANGE NATIONS

PREAMBLE

The Nations of Orange united in their commitment to the Republic and encouraged with the will to renew
and strengthen their existing Union, in liberty and justice,
to serve peace inward and outward and to promote progress and growth,
have adopted this Charter.

ARTICLE I.

(The Republic)

The Independent Republic of Orange Nations is an aristocratic republic. As such it is established and guided by the principles of meritocracy.

ARTICLE II.

(Sovereignty and the IRON Council)

The sovereignty of the Republic is vested with the IRON Council-as-a-whole. The IRON Council must, in its exercise of sovereignty, preserve and protect the honour, integrity, stability and the well being of the Republic with any and all means at its disposal.

The IRON Council-as-a-whole has absolute power over the affairs of the Republic, but may at any time and at its discretion delegate certain of these powers and responsibilities.

The IRON Council's decisions are made by an absolute majority vote, based on the one seat one vote principle. In case of a tie, the President of IRON casts the deciding vote.

Once appointed to the IRON Council, the individual Councillors serve the Republic indefinitely or until such time as they tender their resignation.

An IRON Councillor is accountable to the IRON Council-as-a-whole and can be removed forcefully by obtaining a majority vote from the body should the member be deemed to be under performing in his duties.

ARTICLE III.

(Membership)

A nation that has applied to join the Republic, shall pledge its loyalty and devotion to the Republic and to the IRON Council by submitting the IRON Oath with its application.

Member nations accept that membership in the Republic is incompatible with membership of any other alliance, and as such forsake all other alliances.

Member nations are bound by an oath of confidentiality and may not reveal internal or confidential information regarding the Republic to any party outside of the Republic. This oath remains in effect even after the member nation ceases to be a member of the Republic and is effective from the moment its ruler is granted membership.

ARTICLE IV.

(Violations)

Any member nation found to be in violation of this Charter, the IRON Oath, Rules of War, any other law of the Republic or the spirit inherent there-in shall be subject to punitive actions decided on by the IRON Council at its discretion.

ARTICLE V.

(Charter changes)

Changes to the present Charter are subject to the review and at least a 2/3 majority approval of the IRON Council.

Appendix A

THE IRON OATH

FULL TEXT OF THE IRON OATH

I vow to faithfully, honestly and honourably serve the reigning IRON Council and its legitimate successors and also to dedicate myself to them with all my strength, ready to sacrifice all, should it become necessary.

Furthermore I promise to my Commanding Officer and my other superiors respect, fidelity and obedience. This I swear!

I, RULER NAME of NATION NAME, swear I will observe faithfully, loyally and honourably the above IRON Oath. May the almighty Administrator and His gracious Moderators assist me!

Appendix B

IRON RULES OF WAR

SECTION A: COMMAND STRUCTURE

MILITARY ORGANIZATION

Our Republic is a large and somewhat complex organization, as such Members of the Body Republic are required to conduct its military operations within set guidelines as laid down by the IRON Council. Members of the Body Republic must, in addition, follow any general orders given by the Officers of the Republic's Military Forces when such orders are meant as an execution of the set guidelines. Due to the hierarchical nature of the Republic's Military Forces and the need for discipline and organization, when conducting military operations, Members of the Body Republic are also expected to follow any and all direct orders given by the Officers-in-Charge.

PERSONNEL

Master Sergeant (MSgt)

A Private in the Military Forces of the Republic may be promoted to Master Sergeant by a Squad Commanding Officer should he demonstrate the appropriate abilities and leadership potential.
A Master Sergeant's primary tasks include, but are not limited to, the following: boosting Squadron morale, promoting activity, settling disputes that may arise within the Squadron, ensuring that Privates of his Squadron are in compliance with the Squadron's Readiness and War Chest requirements and building a strong link between the enlisted ranks and Squadron's Officers.
A Master Sergeant has the same leadership privileges as an Executive Office or Commanding Officer with respect to a Defensive War, but is only authorized to use them when neither of the superior Officers is available to respond to an attack, or is otherwise given permission by a superior Officer to conduct the war.
A Master Sergeant may not, however, conduct an Offensive War that has been handed down to the Squadron from a Field Marshal or Defense Minister. These are the sole responsibilities of the Squadron's Commanding Officer or Executive Officer, unless otherwise noted.

Executive Officer (EO)

The Executive Officer of a Squadron is chosen by the Commanding Officer of a Squadron, from the Body Republic, but may also be appointed by the Defence Minister, Deputy Defence Minister or Field Marshal of the Republic if the situation requires it.
The Executive Officer is responsible for the general well-being of his Squadron, is the primary advisor to the Commanding Officer on all Squadron matters, coordinates MSgt�s and ensures that they receive and develop the necessary knowledge and experience required to carry out their respective duties as Officers of the Republic's Military Forces.
The Executive Officer handles all war matters delegated to the Squadron, with the same authority as the Commanding Officer, but not superseding it.

Commanding Officer (CO)

The Commanding Officer of a Squadron is chosen by the Minister of Defence or Deputy Minister of Defence. Should a situation require it a Field Marshal of the Republic may appoint the Squadron Executive Officer to the position of acting Commanding Officer of a Squadron, pending the approval of the Minister or Deputy Minister of Defence. Such appointments are superseded by the appointment of the Commanding Officer of the Squadron by the Minister of Deputy Minister of Defence.
The CO is responsible for all wars and activities that occur within the CO's squadron.
A Commanding Officer is expected to take exceptional care of its squadron, promoting activity and morale wherever possible.
The Commanding Officer has the final say on assigning ranks within his Squadron, except under circumstances when a Minister or Deputy Minister of Defence or Field Marshal feels the need to step in.

Field Marshal of the Republic (FMR)

A Field Marshal of the Republic is appointed by the IRON Council upon receipt of a nomination from the Minister of Defence or Deputy Minister of Defence respectively.
The Field Marshal of the Republic is responsible with ensuring a smooth operation of the Republic's Squadrons and her Military Forces in general. As such he is responsible for: supervising the actions of the Commanding Officers and Executive Officers, intervening in matters of warfare delegated to any Squadron of the Republic if he deems such action necessary, intervening with temporary appointments within Squadrons where appropriate and necessary and having a final say in any matter involving the Squadrons of the Republic without the Minister's or Deputy Minister's intervention.

Minister of Defence and Deputy Minister of Defence

The Minister of Defence and Deputy Minister of Defence are appointed by the IRON Council from within the Council.
The Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence are collectively responsible for the overall efficiency, well being, staff, and operations of the Republic's Military Forces.

CHAIN OF COMMAND

MoD/dMoD -> FMR -> CO -> XO -> MSgts

SECTION B: DEFENCE, SOVEREIGNTY
AND STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE IN CASE OF AN ATTACK ON A MEMBER NATION(S)

DEFENCE

An armed attack against one or more Member Nations shall be considered to be an attack against the Republic as a whole. In such an event, the Republic shall collectively take action as deemed necessary by the IRON Council, potentially including the use of Military Force to restore and maintain the security of the Republic and its Member Nations.
Member Nations are permitted and encouraged to develop a nuclear capability. However, the use of nuclear weapons in an irresponsible manner is not endorsed. As such, nuclear FIRST STRIKE attacks are strictly prohibited unless their use has been explicitly approved by the Minister or Deputy Minister of Defence or a Member of the IRON Council.

SOVEREIGNTY

The following policy addresses those situations where-by external Sovereignty of the Republic is violated by a foreign Nation or Nations or a foreign Alliance, the appropriate actions necessary to rectify such violations and the sanctions to be applied against the violating party.
Any attack, spy operation or tech raid against a Member Nation of the Republic constitutes a violation of her sovereignty and as such requires an appropriate response.
In view of that any Nation attacking a Member Nation of the Republic shall be so informed as to enable her to understand the following:

If a nation has "Independent Republic of Orange Nations" set as their alliance affiliation it is considered to be a under the protection of the alliance as a whole. No excuse or apologetic reasoning will be accepted as mitigation, unless it can be proved to the satisfaction of the IRON Council that the attacked Nation of the Republic is directly responsible for the attack as a consequence of behavior unfitting of an IRON member.
The Republic considers the protection of its members as its primary duty and as such will pursue through the use of any force necessary reimbursement for any losses incurred as a result of an attack on one or more of its members. Refusal of a hostile nation to comply will result in military engagement until the Republic's representatives feel an adequate deterrent has been displayed. This is not negotiable.
The Republic acts as one and as such any reparations owed are transferable to any member nation of the Republic as dictated by its representatives.
Minimum reparations are set as follows: $Three Millions ($3,000,000).
THIS IS A MINIMUM AMOUNT ONLY. Reparations can and will be increased or changed to appropriately reflect the damage caused to a Member Nation of the Republic.
Should a member nation of an alliance refuse to pay reparations and is not released from the protection of his/her alliance, then his/her alliance will be held responsible. In this instance, should the offending nation(s) alliance refuse to cooperate in the payment of reparations, the alliance as a whole will be considered to have committed an act of war against the Republic. In the event that a representative of the Republic cannot contact the leadership of said alliance the strongest member(s) of said alliance will be informed of the above conditions.
This message shall be sent only to the alliances with which we have no established diplomatic relations at the time of the violating action. Any alliances that have an advertised forum or IRC channel will receive notification in private via these mediums.

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE IN CASE OF AN ATTACK ON A MEMBER NATION(S)

If any Member Nation of the Republic is attacked by another Nation, they are to immediately conduct two retaliatory strikes against the attacker and post all details in their Squadron's Defensive/Unauthorized Wars' section by starting a new thread or posting in the thread opened by RADAR Staff.
War(s) on a Member Nation must first be reported to the Squadron Officers-in-Charge. The Officer-in-Charge must then refer the war to the highest possible squadron which is capable of attacking the aggressor when necessary. This should be done with a PM to the higher Squadron's Officer-in-Charge, and a posting of a thread with all the details within the appropriate section of his Squadron.
Assisting nations are to conduct two attacks daily unless the attacker requests peace, in which case the response should be exactly as follows:
"I will accept peace from you when you agree to pay reparations to <originally attacked Member Nation>, the Member Nation of the Republic you initially attacked."
Under NO circumstances are nuclear weapons to be used unless specifically authorized by a Executive Officer, Commanding Officer or Field Marshal after receiving approval from the Minister or Deputy Minister of Defence or another Member of the IRON Council.
If reparations are forthcoming then you may accept peace. If not, continue to attack.
Squadron Officers are to oversee and take charge of the war as necessary to achieve a positive outcome.
If the attacker is a member of another alliance then the process is exactly the same, except that the Officer-in-Charge should immediately contact the leadership of the relevant alliance and explain what has happened. He must also include in his explanation:
"The declaration of war by 3 nations is a standard IRON response to aggression and by no means constitutes a declaration of war on your alliance."
Inactive wars are unacceptable. An inactive war is a war that has gone for more than 12 hours without being responded to by the Officer-in-Charge, other Squadron's Officers on enlisted ranks.
Declarations of war against a Member Nation of the Republic by a fellow Member Nation whether intended to be a joke or not; with or without attacks taking place will result in the declaring member being treated as a rogue.
Rogues will be placed in anarchy as a precaution to remove all means of damaging IRON nations. Negotiation will take place as stipulated above, however a rogue nation will be militarily neutralised before negotiations will begin.
ALL suspected rogues must be referred to a Commanding Officer or higher immediately.
This also covers the reason for war being 'This is a joke' and other similar reasons.

SECTION C: INTER-ALLIANCE WARS

GENERAL WAR BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC AND ANOTHER ALLIANCE(S)

The decision to go to war with another Alliance(s) is taken by the IRON Council and published as a Council decree for the Body Republic.
Any and all operational and preparatory tasks deemed necessary or appropriate to carry out the above decision of the IRON Council shall be directed by the Minister or Deputy Minister of Defence, Field Marshals of the Republic or a specially appointed Officer.
This information is tentative and maybe subject to change.

NUCLEAR WAR(S)

If an IRON member is attacked by a nuclear weapon it is to be treated as if it were a normal attack (supra).
The decision to use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack requires (in-thread) authorization of the Officer-in-Charge, after he has received the appropriate approval from the Minister or Deputy Minister of Defence or another Member of the IRON Council.
Nuclear weapons are NOT to be used without IRON Council consent. Any Member Nation of the Republic breaking this rule may be expelled from The Republic to face the full wrath of the nation they attacked.

SECTION D: 3RD PARTIES WARS

DEFINITION

Third parties wars are wars where two or more alliances are involved in a war with each other, open conflict, masked conflict or not engaged in hostile conflict; this includes declarations of war; the use of sanctions; multiple 'rogues', or anything else that the IRON Council deems to be an act of war between alliances.

PROCEDURE

No aid is to be given to any externally aligned Nation during 3rd parties wars if the Republic is not a combatant alliance. This rule covers any and all aid and for whatever reason; the sending of aid for 'trade', 'technology purchase' and 'loan repayment' are also covered.
Aid may only be sent to aligned warring Nations with explicit consent of the IRON Council.
Should a Member Nation of the Republic break either of the above two rules then such a Nation will face appropriate disciplinary measures; if during or following the cessation of hostilities the said Member Nation becomes a target of external forces for aiding a waring nation they forfeit all protection from the Republic, be that military, financial or political; unless explicit consent of the IRON Council was granted.
This article is always in effect and can be applied retroactively.

SECTION E: VIOLATION(S)

GENERAL

Violation(s) of IRON Rules of War may incur additional disciplinary measures or sanctions alongside those mentioned above at the discretion of the IRON Council should the Council decide that such a course of action is appropriate and necessary.

CLOSED DRAFTING PERIOD

During periods of global unrest (i.e. inter-alliance wars) it may be necessary to impose a Closed Drafting Period. This means that during this time all resignations from the Republic are permanent and without appeal. This is in order to achieve the following:
Any member leaving the Republic during a Closed Drafting Period in order to fight in a war in which the Republic is not involved will NOT be permitted to rejoin on completion;
Any member leaving the Republic during a Closed Drafting Period in order to avoid fighting a war in which the Republic is involved will NOT be permitted to rejoin on completion.
The above two scenarios are what the Closed Drafting Period aims to prevent, but it must be stressed that during a Closed Drafting Period all resignations are permanent and without appeal. This prevents ambiguity and arguments later on about why someone left and tried to rejoin.
A Closed Drafting Period can only be instated and lifted by the decision of the IRON Council. The same applies to any exceptions that may be granted in the event of exceptional circumstances to individual Member Nations on a case-by-case basis.

TREASON

During ANY war, any Member Nation of the Republic discovered assisting the enemy in any form whatsoever or discovered undermining the stability and integrity of the Republic will be expelled from the alliance for treason and attacked as if the said Nation were the enemy.

DEFINITIONS

Defensive War: Any war declared against a Member Nation of this Republic.
Insubordination: Any act of willful disobedience to proper authority.
Member Nation: Any Nation belonging to the Body Republic having sworn to uphold the IRON Charter or having taken the IRON Oath. In addition to that and for the purposes of Section B of the present IRON Rules of War, any Nation whose Alliance Affiliation corresponds to any of the Alliance Affiliations protected by the Republic or deemed hers by virtue of her external sovereignty.
Offensive War: Any war declared by a Member Nation of this Republic that was not ordered, approved or sanctioned by the Officer-in-Charge or a Member of the IRON Council.
Officer-in-Charge: Any Officer of this Republic that holds a commission with the Ministry of Defence and has given a direct order to a Member Nation.

Appendix C

The IRON Ten Commandments

FULL TEXT OF The IRON Ten Commandments

There is, and always has been a need for a list of simple rules that are condensed into one place. From the new player to the old crusty council member, we all must follow these basic rules for the alliance to function.

1. Thou shall not have any other allegiances above the Republic.
There are many alliances in CN. If you are a part of IRON you are a part of no other as long as you fly our Alliance Affiliation.

2. Thou shall not recruit from within the Republic.
If this Republic is no longer for you, post in the resignation area. You may not ask your buddies to come with you and make a new alliance whether you are still a member or not.

3. Thou shall respect others race, sex, religion, color, creed or nationality.
The Republic is a very diverse group. Respect your IRON brother.

4. Thou shall honor the Republic, your Council, your Squad, your Nation and yourself.
Conduct yourselves in accordance with the the values of the Republic.

5. Thou shall honor your trades and tech commitments.
Its standard practice to give advance notice when cancelling trades.

6. Thou shall fight when called.
The Republic is one of if not the freest alliance on Bob, but without this we might as well not even be an alliance.

7. Thou shall not cheat.
The Republic does not cheat in any manner. Stay within the TOS of the game.

8. Thou shall not spy.
This works with information going both into and out of the Republic. The Republic will not use such tactics to win a war. We have many ways to catch you.

9. Thou shall uphold the IRON values.

10. Thou shall have fun.

Council has the final say and judgment on all rules and punishment.
Violation of these rules could range from an eye roll to ZI.
The rules may change at any time without notice.