State Security (Honorverse)

The Office of State Security, referred to as StateSec or simply SS, was a fictional executive governmental agency in David Weber's Honor Harrington series of military science fiction novels.

State Security was the all-encompassing security and intelligence agency of the fictional state named People's Republic of Haven.

Overview of fictional Havenite security agencies

* Office of State Security was created after Robert S. Pierre coup of 1905 P.D. as a executive agency for new revolutionary government - the Committee of Public Safety.
* Its first and only chief officer was Oscar Saint-Just, former second-in-command of the old regime's Internal Security.

* Office of State Security was formed by the merger of all the existing Havenite police, security and intelligence agencies, included:
** the Office of Internal Security (InSec), a secret police force, that operated also abroad (eg. the murder of Roger III, the King of Manticore,
** the Mental Hygiene Police (MHP), that operated earlier under the Office of Public Information (PubIn),
** Naval Intelligence (NavInt), the People's Navy military intelligence branch
** Naval Security (NavSec), a special intervention force controlled by the Department of War.

* For the entire period of the Committee of Public Safety government, StateSec was the new regime's strongest supporter and the source of its power over the People's Republic. Exerting what was for all intents and purposes a terror regime, StateSec was present in every facet of life under the Committee's rule, from domestic policing to control over the military.

* After failed military coup of December 1914 P.D., preparations were begun for joining of Havenite security and armed forces, creating a single unified force. Another military coup of May 10 1915 P.D. ended Saint-Just's dictatorship and the Office of State Security was dissolved. Several senior StateSec officers resisted the new government and turned to warlordism as well as several StateSec warship captains abandoned the Republic and effectively became pirates.

With the experience of a single all-powerful security new Republic of Haven government replaced StateSec with two new agencies with very specific areas of responsibility:
* the Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS), specifically organized as a civilian, non-politicized intelligence gathering and analysis organization.
* the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA), responsible for internal crime fighting at the federal level and counter-intelligence operations.NavInt was returned to the Republican Navy as its intelligence branch.

Organization of fictional agency

Fictional Office of State Security, present in David Weber's Honor Harrington series of military science fiction novels, was organized in a number of mutually-supporting branches aimed at enforcing the Committee's will throughout every aspect of Havenite society and institutions. These branches included:
* the State Security Naval Forces,
* the State Security Ground Forces, including probably the Intervention Battalions - heavy infantry troops with powered armor and heavy weapons, and light security forces armed with pulsers, used to restore order in the event of an uprising,
* the prison services, responsible of operating the People's Republic's extensive prison system; the most notorious of these prisons was the planet Hades, also known as "Hell",
* the foreign intelligence,
* the military intelligence branch.

Due to People's Navy supervision People's Commissioners were established as senior StateSec officers posted to every ship, squadron and fleet command in the People's Navy. They served as political commissars, watching over the unit commander, countermanding his or her orders if necessary, and reporting any possibly treasonous activity by any member of the crew. Despite the degree of tension between commissioners and career naval personnel, many commissioners finally became real partners for supervised unit commanders (eg. Eloise Pritchart and Admiral Javier Giscard), Dennis LePic and Admiral Thomas Theisman) as well as Everard Honeker and Admiral Lester Tourville).

It is not known whether the Public Order Police - the People's Republic's basic police force - was also a branch of StateSec.

StateSec used military ranks. Most of the branches used army ranks, except StateSec's Naval Forces, which used naval ranks. Citizen Commissioners, while also held ranks in StateSec, were not referred to by their rank and carried no rank insignia whatsoever.

StateSec's uniform consisted of a red tunic and black trousers, which earned them the nickname of "Black Legs" among the prisoners of Hades.

Fictional State Security Naval Forces

Under Committee of Public Safety government StateSec was amassing an entire fleet of warships, which were either commanded by SS officers or even manned entirely by SS personnel. StateSec Naval Forces were used to cope with internal affairs.

"For more details see: [http://honorverse.wikia.com/wiki/State_Security_Naval_Forces State Security Naval Forces article at Honorverse wiki] ."

"See also: People's Navy (Honorverse)"

Real-world context for Weber's concepts concerned with StateSec

* Greek, Hebrew and Norse mythology - references to Hades, Cerberus, Styx, Elysian fields, Charon, Tartarus, Sheol, Niflheim connected with StateSec planetary prison (HH7),
* historical references:
** famous military commanders and warlords commemorated with StateSec warships names,
** similarity of isolation camps system on distant planetary prison and its owner (Office of State Security) to Soviet Gulag operated by NKVD (located on empty Siberia mainly),
** People's Commissioners as tribute for Soviet Political commissars,
** similarity of State Security armed forces (Naval Forces and Ground Forces) to Third Reich's security organization (joined SS and police together with its Waffen SS),
* novel concept - planetary prison was present also at Frank Herbert's series "Dune" (Salusa Secundus),
* "Krashnark" (as god of war) and "Danak" are references to another David Weber's series "The War God" and "Heirs of Empire".

References