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[Seriphyn]

I figured that CCP would never release an infodump on the meticulous workings of the Caldari Navy, so I decided to take it upon myself to make a fanonical version. There are multiple things I considered when writing this. The first is that the Caldari Navy are a pure fighting force, that are efficient, streamlined and lean, with a lot of stock on being pragmatic. Unlike the Federation military, they are not there as a civil or diplomatic force that is intended for influence-projecting. I figured most of that falls under the responsibilities of the megacorporations themselves (even then, the Caldari are not an institutionally sentimental people, and I interpret that they keep their customs/traditions to their private lives). It is also meritocratic, and I figured with the Heth reforms, the idea of someone being able to start out straight as an officer is being weeded out as nepotic (you EARN your rank, not buy it because you have a good upbringing or education). CalNav is also top-heavy and smaller than the others, and I hope this has been reflected in this non-canonical infodump. With this, I have attempted to be as accurate as possible given what we know of the Caldari, and not try to enforce my own views of what the State is. I also picked a Russian ranking scheme because I seriously doubt all of the New Eden navies have the generic lt/ltcdr/cdr/capt rank scheme of the Commonwealth/US (though Gallentean influence could be argued). I may do one about the Federation Navy for the sake of contrast. For example, the FedNav would be seen as inefficient to the Caldari (such as having differing uniforms, which costs more and is a greater risk when you consider being taken prisoner), but the Gallenteans put a lot of stock into sentiments and appearance, so they don't see it that way. Caldari would be as uniform and lean as possible. In addition, we know that Caldari vessels are not very automated, so they may have a greater number of enlisted members, versus the automated Federation Navy which may be more officer-orientated (one Engineering Officer versus a bunch of Engineering Technicians, perhaps?). Anyway, hope you enjoy!

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The Caldari Navy is much smaller than the Federation's, and its operational scope is similarly on a much more concentrated scale, focusing on fast offensive actions to fill in where the megacorporate security forces cannot. This is reflected in the rank structure, with a large amount of ranks that translate into “Captain” in Gallentean script, indicating a greater need for ship commanders than brass to oversee vast areas of operation (that being filled in by the corporations themselves).

Qualification and training

Since Executor Heth’s reforms to rout out nepotism and restore the meritocratic ideals of old, it is becoming increasingly difficult to join the Caldari Navy as an officer directly, requiring one to pass through the junior ranks first. This stems from the belief that for one to be put into a position of authority and leadership, they cannot simply be elected into the position by virtue of their own personal circumstance and luxuries, requiring them to earn the rank the long way. Historically, however, officers either sign up into warfare, engineering or logistics roles. They can only choose to specialize into other niche occupations (such as intelligence or legal affairs) once they have earned enough experience in these three branches beforehand. That said, as officers nowadays are being promoted from the enlisted ranks, they possess a vast amount of experience already, allowing them to proceed straight into their chosen career path.

All officers are trained extensively in technical and engineering skills before they can receive their commission from the Chief Executive Panel, though the extent of their knowledge varies. Warfare
officers are all qualified engineers, while logistics and marine officers require knowledge to an acceptable journeyman standard. This idea is rooted from the survivalist mentality that was born
from the harsh conditions of Caldari Prime and, later, the skills and techniques needed to live through the Breakout at the start of the War of Independence. Like with all Caldari education, their
training is extremely practical and technical, leaving little room to develop more esoteric skills. This limits the majority of career paths after service in the Navy (in the event they choose to retire) to that in spaceside industry.

The relevant officer careers are Warfare, Logistics, Engineering, Medical, Flight, and CMEF (Caldari Marine Expeditionary Forces). Engineering officers are either trained in astronautics, weapons, systems or aviation, but are required to have knowledge in all areas. Warfare officers, similarly, are fully qualified engineers, but will spend their time as officers of the watch before choosing an area of focus, including navigation, fighter control or intelligence and so on (or, onto their own command). Medical officers are the only personnel to have exterior indicators of their occupation (normally a red icon with their rank insignia). Keeping with the survivalist mentality of the Caldari, they are not keen on indicating the training and exact job of their officers should they be captured in the line of duty. Moreover, uniformity is important amongst the Caldari, not just within their military.

Logistics officers oversee auxiliary operations (such as the supply chain) in support of fleet operations, including administration. These officers are able to branch out into the few niche roles offered by the Caldari Navy, including legal affairs, internal security or corporate/public relations. Flight officers pilot or co-pilot the Dragonfly and Mantis fleets (and in some cases, fast frigates), while CMEF officers take charge of Caldari naval infantry detachments. The CMEF maintain slightly altered uniforms and motifs (such as different cap badges and variant insignia), but they otherwise fall within the Caldari Navy’s organizational structure. This differs from the Federal habit of having a completely different branch of service for their naval infantry (Federation Marines), something which the Caldari view as vain and inefficient.

Promotion and advancement

Promotion is based on requirement and merit, versus age and experience. With only a limited amount of ships, there is often no need to promote the vast majority of officers higher than what is
the current necessity. The meritocratic cultural facets of the Caldari are core to these notions, where only the best are promoted according to the needs of the collective whole, or in this case, the State itself. Before the reforms, officer candidates would pass through the State War Academy as a Junior Lieutenant, and spending a year or two on various ships of different classes, acquiring the widest range of experience as possible, before promotion to full lieutenant. Now, however, as officers are promoted directly from the ranks, designates now start directly at Lieutenant, already possessing the experience in their areas of speciality.

The Caldari are not in the habit of assigning relatively young and inexperienced officers as ship captains, even for lowly frigates. Moreover, with no shortage of personnel, and a top-heavy fleet
composition, assigning junior officers as captains is often impractical, as the ratio of lieutenants to frigates is considerably imbalanced. Instead, the lowest rank one can expect to command a vessel is Captain 3rd Rank. There are rarely exceptions to this rule, as the Caldari prefer to stick to regulation at all times.

Junior Lieutenant (JLT)
This rank is expected to be abolished soon, as the current wave of designates passing out of the War Academy have been promoted directly from the lower ranks to Lieutenant
Lieutenant (LT)
Most lieutenants will serve as department under-officers on a variety of ships, primarily on vessels the size of destroyers or up. CMEF LTs lead platoon-sized detachments.
Senior Lieutenant (SLT)
Mostly commonly executive officers on destroyers or the largest of frigates, SLTs otherwise serve as deputy department heads onboard cruisers and battlecruisers.
Captain Lieutenant (CLT)
The departmental heads and executive officers of medium-sized vessels are of this rank. CMEF CLTs command company-sized marine detachments.
Captain 3rd Rank (CPT3)
By no means a junior rank, CPT3 is the lowest level one must reach to achieve a command, most typically a small vessel such as a frigate. CPT3s are also department heads on larger, subcapital
vessels such as battleships.
Captain 2nd Rank (CPT2)
Cruisers and battlecruisers are typically commanded by a CPT2, and those with enough experience may command frigate squadrons. Some smaller battleships are commanded by CPT2s, if only be necessity, given the very large amount of these size vessels in the Caldari fleet.
Captain 1st Rank (CPT1)
Though technically overlapping flag ranks of other nations according to the DED system, CPT1s are captains of battleships and, in some rare cases, dreadnoughts. CPT1s may also be commander of cruiser groups, and serve as executive and department officers on capital or supercapital vessels. Smaller space facilities are also headed up by an officer of this rank. This is also the highest rank that a CMEF officer can achieve, with one CMEF CPT1 being appointed Commissar, the chief commandant of the marines.
Counter Admiral (CADM)
A CADM will typically captain a capital vessel, or be in charge of a larger space station. As a capital ship commander, however, they will typically lead a working section of the operational fleet they are assigned to, such as a task group.
Vice Admiral (VADM)
VADMs command larger task forces than their subordinate flag officers, or take an executive or administrative position over a system or constellation, and liaise consistently with ruling megacorporations.
Admiral (ADM)
The entirety of a Caldari Navy fleet is commanded by an Admiral, usually from a supercapital vessel. They will rarely have to command the fleet themselves, however, as it is usually smaller units that carry out naval operations. Excluding the Navy itself, they are answerable directly to any megacorporation that holds sovereignty and/or interests in their zone of command.
Fleet Admiral (FADM)
There are five Fleet Admirals that oversee the Caldari Navy, one for each of the four Districts of the State, and one that serves as their representative to the Chief Executive Panel and other outside bodies. In true Caldari fashion, the belief that no one man can exert control over a State institution carries over to their Navy itself, though the issues of bickering amongst each other is almost always absent here, unlike elsewhere.

Ratings and enlisted personnel

The Caldari Navy, as a smaller and leaner fighting force focused on lightning warfare, does not put much stock in having an entire encyclopaedia worth of different occupations and specializations
for junior and senior ranks. Instead, as a streamlined organization, they have cut down individual positions to a relative few, covering all the essential areas of naval operations, and maintaining as flexible a crew as possible. In addition, with a far smaller civil aspect to the Caldari Navy, auxiliary roles are of a lesser requirement.

Similar to other navies in the cluster, and fitting in with its rather old-fashioned nature, all enlisted personnel are required to have extensive training in general deck duties and ship operations. With little in the way of automation, this is a paramount skill that all personnel must be familiar with. The Caldari are not prone to flamboyantly and unnecessarily promote their crewmen and women above the standard rank, and after achieving a rating, most individuals can experience a long and prosperous career simply at the rank of Crewman. On smaller vessels such as frigates, an individual crewmember may fill the role of more than one position, such as cook and helmsman. Moreover, senior chiefs fill in the role of departmental officers onboard these ships.

Crewman Recruit (REC)
A trainee in the Navy who will spend up to eighteen months training to earn a basic rate and specialization, before promotion.
Crewman (CM)
The vast majority of Caldari Navy personnel are of this rank, having been rated in a specialization. Through performance and commendation, they have the option to increase their pay and perks
without ranking up.
Senior Crewman (SEN)
A senior crewman has more experience in his field than the average crewman, and is often found leading a team of several individuals within a department.
Technical Chief (TC)
With extensive expertise in their field, TCs serve as senior ranks in their department or, on frigates, take the role of chief officers such as in weapons engineering. On these smaller vessels, they may also cover multiple positions should it be uneconomical and inefficient to appoint an individual to each.
Senior Chief (SC)
SCs are commonly the most senior non-officer crewmember within a department on most vessels, and thus serve as the commissioned officer’s right-hand man in these situations, often having the greater level of experience.
Executive Chief (EC)
Found as the most senior rating on larger ships, ECs are responsible for the actions of all enlisted personnel of the vessel, and keeps in close contact with the officers-in-charge.

All crewmen and women wear identical uniforms, for the purposes of efficiency (such as economizing the naval budget), as well as for typical Caldari reasons. In order to identify certain members of the crew, some specializations come with designators that are discernable mostly through minimalist nano-tattoos. Non-critical personnel, such as cooks and stewards, do not have such designators.

Warfare Specialist
These crewmembers operate the key warfighting systems of any Caldari Navy vessel, from the heart of its combat information center.

• Conventional Warfare (WAR)
  Qualified to operate all offensive and defensive systems of the ship, including missiles, turrets, drones and shields.
• Electronic Warfare (EWAR)
  The successes of the Caldari military rely heavily on the ingenious execution of EW, primarily through electronic countermeasures. These individuals operate the advanced systems that give the
  Caldari the edge in all combat situations.
• Navigation (NAV)
  Skilled in astrogation, these crewmembers assist the navigation officer in the pilotage of the ship, using advanced systems to analyse the environment for anomalies and hazards.
• Sensors (SENS)
  Operating the gravimetric sensing and scanning systems of the vessel, these crewmembers will seek to monitor and identify other vessels in their ship’s area of operation.

Communications Technician (COMMS)
As per its namesake, those operating the communication systems have a strenuous role of maintaining contact with allied vessels at all times during fleet operations, or contacting neutral traffic should the need arise.
Deck Specialist (DECK)
These highly trained and flexible individuals are the lifeblood of the ship, doing everything from the manning of missile bays and turret batteries to piloting the ship, damage control and security. With a relatively low level of automation on Caldari vessels, their role is vital to seeing that everything operates smoothly.
Flight Controller
From the Flight Control Center (FCC) under the watch of the Fighter Control Officer, these specialistswill assist in the directing and controlling of all fighters, drones and other vessels (such as dropships) operating under the aegis of any naval vessel.
Flight Handler
Manning the flight deck, these handlers will direct fighters and other craft for launch and recovery, and ensure that they are always fuelled and in top condition for deployment.
Electronics Technician (ELEC)
These technicians maintain the highly advanced, unrivalled electronic systems of the ships of the Caldari Navy, including EW projectors and sensors.
Systems Analyst (SYS)
Working in conjunction with the systems engineering officer, these technicians maintain the information systems of the warship, such as internal networks and mainframes.
Intelligence Specialist (INTEL)
Analysing and monitoring all forms of intelligence, collecting and interpreting any data for forwarding to relevant command personnel.
Logistics Specialist
Logisticians are in charge of the supply chain within the Caldari Navy, participating in the movement of cargo from ship-to-ship and station-to-station or carrying out duties at storage bases and
warehouses.
Administrative Specialist
Clerks that perform secretarial and clerical work, and also ensure that all bureaucracy concerned personnel and general administration are in check.
Catering Specialist
Chefs trained to provide a warship with all its culinary needs, operating and maintaining the galley and dining facilities.
Service Specialist
Servicers maintain living conditions onboard Caldari Navy ships and installations, and also manage service shops available to personnel, such as barbers and tailors.
Medical Assistant
Personnel that assist professional-level officers in the carrying out of medical duties, including that in general nursing, critical care and cybernetics.
Engineering Technician
Specialists that serve under engineering officers, either maintain ship propulsion and shields, or ship weapon systems. Alternatively, flight engineering technicians maintain the manned fighter fleet, and other ship-launched auxiliary craft.

• Astronautical (ASTRO)
• Weapon (WEA)
• Flight (FLIGHT)

[Mithfindel]

Interesting. Have to do some thinking about how that fits the Caldari, but you almost described the Finnish rank structure. (Accurate before the lowest rank of admirals were added - additionally, the Finnish Maritime Forces have never had an Admiral of the Fleet - the whole FDF has had exactly one Marshal, and even for him, it was a honorific, not an official rank.) The Finnish rank of "lippueamiraali" (flotilla admiral) corresponds to a Brigade General or roughly the rank of Commodore, and is generally bestowed as a "service rank" to officers of the rank Kommodori (equivalent to a generic NATO Captain) in international operations to match rank with foreign Commodores. (According to Wikipedia, I wasn't a herring and was taught that all naval officers are called "herra kommodori" just to be sure.) And of course, in FDF there's only one active general or admiral at the time (the Chief of Defense).

[Evet Morrel]

This is just the kind of detail that makes story telling so much easier.
Cheers

[Saana]

I would suggest that "Junior Lieutenants" have a very important role - being one of the most common reserve ranks, with more experienced reservists being higher-grade lieutenants. If the Caldari have a cadre system (everyone serves a bit) they'll have a large force to man second line ships. They might just have enough professional officers to cover the commanders for those - even if some were commanded by lieutenants - but the officers on board those ships would very likely be reservists, themselves.

Naturally, there would be some variation between reservist and reservist, with some possibly making their way up to getting the proper captain's ranks. A factory worker on a non-essential factory might be called back in the case of total war to be a lieutenant in charge of a section of a second-line escort vessel, not further. A freighter skipper or other personnel who works on an applicable field, on the other hand, might have a lot more experience that the greener officers. (Mithfindel talked about Finnish ranks - I understand that the highest-ranked reservist in Finnish history was a Rear Admiral. His civilian job was as the director of the Maritime Administration. Admitted, he was an exception to the rule.)

[Katrina Oniseki]

Fleet Admiral (FADM)
There are five Fleet Admirals that oversee the Caldari Navy, one for each of the four Districts of the State, and one that serves as their representative to the Chief Executive Panel and other outside bodies. In true Caldari fashion, the belief that no one man can exert control over a State institution carries over to their Navy itself, though the issues of bickering amongst each other is almost always absent here, unlike elsewhere.

What brought you to that conclusion? I have an image of the Five Admirals being stoically agreeable on issues at hand, or possibly just close friends by nature of how long they've worked together. Is this the idea you've had??

[Seriphyn]

Fleet Admiral (FADM)
There are five Fleet Admirals that oversee the Caldari Navy, one for each of the four Districts of the State, and one that serves as their representative to the Chief Executive Panel and other outside bodies. In true Caldari fashion, the belief that no one man can exert control over a State institution carries over to their Navy itself, though the issues of bickering amongst each other is almost always absent here, unlike elsewhere.

What brought you to that conclusion? I have an image of the Five Admirals being stoically agreeable on issues at hand, or possibly just close friends by nature of how long they've worked together. Is this the idea you've had??

I thought it was pretty clear that the corporations bicker amongst each other across the State, but I don't picture their Navy having the same issue.

[Chowda]

There's a rate in the US Navy called "Missile Technician" (and FWIW "Torpedoman).  Seems like that would be an appropriate specialty in the Caldari Navy.  Maybe even have advanced specialties for guided and unguided missiles.   

[Bureeiku]

Someone with a strong feel for Napaani want to take a crack at translating these titles? 

I-RED uses titles such as Taisho, Shosho, and Chusa, but to my knowledge these are homegrown and not part of the greater Napaani lexicon.

[Mithfindel]

Aren't I-RED's titles just Japanese? I was never very big into Snakes in Battletech, but their ranks sounded similar.