Presently, escort missions clause of Marine Law states:
The Commanding Officer has two separate escort provisions. (not to be confused with Security SOP FOB Protection.)
The Commanding Officer may request up to two MPs to guard the Commanding Officer planet-side, no more may participate. These two MPs are allowed to fight at the frontline with the Commanding Officer.
The Commanding Officer may request any amount of MPs to escort non-combat personnel planet-side, however they should avoid the frontline at all costs. This includes escorting a Commanding Officer who is not going to fight at the frontline.
I was told by staff that the word “request” in #1 means the Commanding Officer cannot order/require MPs honor guard him, and that they have the right to refuse. I suggest that the wording be made more explicit, and that it be edited to say clearly that MPs have the right to refuse this request.
While the word ‘request’ implies an option, we have other parts of marine law like Officer ordered arrests that use the word ‘request’ and mean order. Because Marine Law HAS to be upheld and enforced by MPs, things like this are better off clear and blatant than ambiguous.
As far as I’m aware this has never been treated as a request but as an order at all times, its just the request format may come in the form of volunteers. Most MPs treat it as an order due to the nature of having limited freedoms.
At the end of the day SOP and Marine Law are not actually made by lawyers in the game so things are left up in the air and loose in terms of application(This is the nature of the game at times, one admin might interpret it as an order, another a request. Tone and wording makes a difference here).
An Administrator told me that it is a request, not an order, and that it is optional, thus my desire for it to be clarified.
I do not wish to get insulted in game and out of game for having an opinion on ML/SOP that differs from the CO or other MPs, thus my desire for it to be clear.
The wording is deliberately request as while a job the MPs are capable of performing, it is not their primary responsibility, and enforcing their deployment would render them incapable of performing their primary duties.
I have adjusted Marine Law slightly to clarify that MP involvement in CO Escort Missions (both for themselves and others) is voluntary.