The Tg.Is.S. controls, directly or indirectly, roughly 75% of hyper-space capable tonnage of Tg.C. registration. The Terragen Confederation, being exceedingly poor and under-developed by Galactic standards, and having the unenviable distinction of being the single most resented clan in all known O-2 space, MUST optimally use every dry-dock, and use it at FULL capacity. Most fully private vessels of Terragen registry have been purchased abroad (and without depleting Tg.C. internal hard currency reserves) or purchased second-hand from the TgIsS. This is about 12 percent of total fleet capacity. Even these vessels are subject to requisition (with compensation) in time of war or disaster. Five percent of Terragen interstellar tonnage belongs to the TgAASF (the Terragen war navy). The other eight percent is in the hands of Confederation ministries other than the Navy and TgIsS. The plurality of the Terragen interstellar fleet --whether home-built or purchased abroad --are either in the hands of industry, but jointly owned with at least 51% ownership in TgIsS hands; or belong to quasi-governmental corporations (much like the old English, Dutch, and French Indias Trading Companies, these ships are effectively multi-use --but emphasize either trade or colonial support.) These two sectors combined account for 48% of Terragen interstellar tonnage.
The remainder of the fleet, around 27%, is under direct TgIsS jurisdiction. However, only eight percent have dedicated functions, and almost all of these are seconded to the Postal Service. The other 19% of tonnage consists of multiple-use vessels(1).
First, it rapidly becomes apparent that even if the Confederation dumped its entire GDP into building a war fleet for the next 5 000 years, the resulting Navy would still not even be a CREDIBLE deterrent to the Soro, the Johpur, or the Thennanin. Furthermore, it would only have a 60% chance of limiting a surprise Tandu attack on Sol-3 to a Cretacian scale ecological disaster (or less).
Second, New York cannot put enough ships into any other sector either. As a result, the Confederation finds itself with a fleet of tramp steamers --very speedy normal-space tramp steamers, that can form a good "third world" fleet in a pinch. This is more than most clans with similar GDP's can boast of --but then most of them are not nearly so interesting to the Johpur or the Tandu, nor quite so appealing to the Soro.
The organization of TgIsS reflects its multiple-use mandate. At the top are the offices of the Minister and the Permanent Secretary. The largest division is called "Fleet-in-Service." It is responsible for actual day-to-day maintenance and fleet deployment. Major subdivisions include Multipurpose Fleet Operations, Postal Operations, and Military Fleet Operations (for the few dedicated Terragen warships). F-in-S also includes construction, repair, and resupply divisions.
The next largest department is the Division of Investor Relations. It deals with the corporations (both private and quasi-governmental) that use TgIsS flying stock. The other major divisions are Military Planning, Commercial Planning (which works closely with Investor Relations), Colonial Planning, and the Division for Confederation Infrastructural Support. The broad mandate of Infrastructural Support includes (among other things) planning and administering interstellar post, intra-government courier services, transport for the diplomatic corps, and allocation of fleet assets for academic research.
The TgIsS also has accounting and personnel divisions, of course.
1. The principle of multiple use is much like that we know today from the U.S. Forest Service and B.L.M. It is --sadly --about as effective. TgIsS internal (and external New York) politics are . . . complex. In practice this means that functional descriptions of Terragen ships resemble those of Federation Star Fleet tm vessels. However, where Star Fleet's policy of commisioning Warship/Research/Diplomatic/Cargo ships derived from unimaginable wealth and fundamental security, Terragen policy reaches the same doctrine from exactly the opposite direction. [TCS]
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