Alliance Navy

The Alliance Navy is the branch of the Systems Alliance military responsible for naval operations. The Alliance Marines, the ground operations branch of the Alliance military, are a specialized branch of the Navy.

The Alliance Navy is one of the greater naval forces in Citadel space, rivalling that of the turians. Its military prowess has drawn the attention of the Citadel Council. While the Council is concerned about the possible outcome of another war between humans and turians, they are also keen to harness the Alliance Navy's peacekeeping potential, especially in unstable regions like the Skyllian Verge and the Attican Traverse. The Navy also makes humans an attractive prospect as the newest Council species.

Doctrine and Composition
The Navy is a space combat force primarily charged with protecting human colonies, space stations, and mass relays. While the Navy stations only token garrisons to guard Alliance colonies, its strength is centered upon powerful fleets stationed at mass relay nexuses that can rapidly respond to any colony under attack.

The Alliance Navy possessed over two hundred vessels as of the First Contact War, including several dreadnoughts. It possessed eight dreadnoughts as of 2185. Its individual vessels range considerably in size and firepower, varying from hundred-meter-long frigates to nearly kilometer-long dreadnoughts. Fleet units are also supported by fighters and dedicated interceptors deployed from cruisers, dreadnoughts, and carriers. Fighter carriers, dreadnought-sized ships that contain extensive hangars and employ fighters as their main armament, are a distinctly human innovation.

Fleets
First Fleet

Based at Arcturus Station, the First Fleet guards the mass relay connecting to Earth and serves as a reactionary force able to respond to any attack across three different clusters.

Second Fleet

Commanded by Admiral Kastanie Drescher during the 2157 First Contact War, the Second Fleet was responsible for the liberation of Shanxi from turian occupation.

Fifth Fleet

The Fifth Fleet is also known as the Arcturus Fleet, as it is based at Arcturus Station. Admiral Hackett is the current commanding officer, and frequently gives Commander Shepard missions for the Alliance. Subsequent to the Battle of the Citadel, the Fifth Fleet is awarded the Palladium Star by the Citadel Council for their involvement in that pivotal battle.

63rd Scout Flotilla

The 63rd Scout Flotilla forms part of the Fifth Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Mikhailovich. The Normandy was originally going to be assigned to this flotilla, until she was given to Commander Shepard to hunt Saren Arterius.

Marine Detachments
2nd Frontier Division

The 2nd Frontier Division was a garrison based on Eden Prime. It was comprised of two marine brigades, the 212 and the 232. Due to the security issues involved, the garrison was called up to help when a Prothean Beacon was found, as factions from the Terminus Systems might have risked attacking Eden Prime for the beacon. The 212 guarded the dig site while the 232 was attached to the scientists' camp.

The entire division was completely wiped out when the rogue Spectre, Saren Arterius, and his geth army attacked the colony without warning. Few marines survived the attack.


 * Notable Members:


 * Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams
 * Nirali Bhatia
 * Jacob Taylor

10th Frontier Division

The 10th Frontier Division is a Systems Alliance marine division. The 3rd Brigade, 14th Infantry Regiment is currently assigned to a listening post on Nepmos to monitor pirate activity.


 * Notable Members:
 * 1st Lieutenant Durand (currently in command)

Notable Vessels
Alliance ship types have specific naming conventions. Dreadnoughts are named for great mountains on Earth, while cruisers are named for cities on Earth. Frigates are named for historic battles in Earth's history, and carriers are named after great leaders, artists, and intellectuals from human history. Note that the "SSV" designation is an abbreviation of "Systems Alliance Space Vehicle".

Dreadnoughts

The Alliance has two dreadnought classes currently in service, the older Everest class and the newer Kilimanjaro class. The Everest class is an 888-meter dreadnought with a main gun capable of accelerating a 20 kilogram slug to 1.3% the speed of light (4025 km/s) for a kinetic energy yield equivalent to 38 kilotons of TNT. The Kilimanjaro class is armed with 156 broadside mass accelerator cannons, 78 on each side. The broadside guns are each as long as 40% of the ship's width.


 * SSV Everest: the titular dreadnought of the Alliance's Everest-class vessels. Named for Mount Everest in the Himalayas, the tallest mountain on Earth.


 * SSV Fuji: Everest-class. Named for Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan.


 * SSV Elbrus: Everest-class. Named for Mount Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe.


 * SSV Kilimanjaro: the titular dreadnought of the Alliance's Kilimanjaro-class vessels. She is named for Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa. If Commander Shepard's pre-service background is Spacer, Shepard's mother, Hannah Shepard, is revealed to serve as the current XO of the Kilimanjaro in 2183.


 * SSV Tai Shan: Kilimanjaro-class. Named for Mount Tai, a sacred mountain in China.


 * SSV Shasta: Kilimanjaro-class. Named for Mount Shasta, a mountain in California.


 * SSV Aconcagua: Kilimanjaro-class. Named for Mount Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas and tallest mountain outside of Asia. She was under construction in 2183, and completed before 2185.


 * SSV Orizaba: Kilimanjaro-class. Named for Mount Orizaba, the tallest mountain in Mexico. She was built sometime between 2183 and 2185. If Commander Shepard's pre-service background is Spacer, Shepard's mother, Hannah Shepard, is revealed to serve as the current captain of the Orizaba in 2185. Flagship of the Fifth Fleet, under the command of Admiral Hackett. Assigned to the Attican Traverse in 2185.

Cruisers


 * SSV New Delhi: a cruiser commanded by Captain Eisennhorn in 2156. She appeared in Mass Effect: Revelation, when she took Jon Grissom to Arcturus to meet the new graduates of the N7 programme. The ship is named after the city of New Delhi, India.


 * SSV Hyderabad


 * SSV Tokyo: a cruiser named after the city of Tokyo, Japan; Engineer Adams's previous posting before joining the Normandy.


 * SSV Cairo: a Fifth Fleet cruiser present at the Battle of the Citadel.


 * SSV Cape Town: a Fifth Fleet cruiser present at the Battle of the Citadel.


 * SSV Emden: a Fifth Fleet cruiser present at the Battle of the Citadel.


 * SSV Geneva: Cerberus agents steal antimatter from this ship in 2165


 * SSV Jakarta: a Fifth Fleet cruiser present at the Battle of the Citadel.


 * SSV Madrid: a Fifth Fleet cruiser present at the Battle of the Citadel.


 * SSV Manila: a cruiser sent to patrol ship traffic at the asteroid Israfil in 2184/85


 * SSV Perugia: a cruiser that was in the first wave at the Battle of the Citadel; Engineers Daniels and Donnelly, of the SSV Normandy SR-2, both served aboard this ship


 * SSV Seoul: a Fifth Fleet cruiser present at the Battle of the Citadel.


 * SSV Shenyang: a Fifth Fleet cruiser present at the Battle of the Citadel.


 * SSV Warsaw: a Fifth Fleet cruiser present at the Battle of the Citadel.

Frigates


 * SSV Agincourt : a frigate which joined other Alliance vessels at Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz. She was Navigator Pressly's first posting; Pressly earned his commission after the Blitz. She is named for the Battle of Agincourt, which occurred in 1415 as part of the Hundred Years' War.


 * SSV Hastings: a frigate commanded by Captain Belliard which then-Staff Lieutenant Anderson served on in 2165 as its XO.


 * SSV Iwo Jima (destroyed in 2165)


 * SSV Normandy: a prototype frigate with advanced stealth systems, commanded mainly by Commander Shepard in 2183.

Carriers


 * SSV Einstein : a carrier mentioned in the Citadel: Old, Unhappy, Far-Off Things assignment if Shepard has the Spacer background; both Shepard's mother and Lieutenant Zabaleta served aboard her. The ship is named for the well-known theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, who is famous for, among other things, his theory of general relativity.

Notable Actions

 * First Contact War
 * Shanxi
 * Skyllian Blitz
 * Raid on Torfan
 * Siege of the Citadel

The Alliance Navy was instrumental in saving the Citadel when the station came under attack by Sovereign and Saren's geth. With the Citadel Fleet cut off by the locked-down mass relays and under heavy fire, the Alliance Navy was the only force large enough to provide reinforcements. Depending on Commander Shepard's orders, the Fleet either suffered heavy losses saving the Destiny Ascension, or abandoned the flagship in order to attack Sovereign.

Regardless, as mentioned in Mass Effect: Ascension, the devastation of the Citadel Fleet meant the Alliance Navy was left as one of the most powerful unified military forces among the Citadel races. This fact alone meant humanity's place in galactic society was assured. (See Talk page.)