The  CIC is the heart and soul of  Battlestar Aries. All information from sensors, weapons, DRADIS, cameras, communications, etc. are filtered into this room and availabe to the Commander and his XO to make vital decisions about the operations of the ship. Technicians monitor the various feeds and rank the data on level of importance and enter it into the Combat Information computer. A small water leak on Deck 6 would be classified as a  very low priority.   On the other hand a Viper reporting enemy contact would be marked as highest priority or Level 1. All these numbers are averaged together to give the Aries ( name taken from the ancient Greco Roman God of War Ares) , its overall Defense Condition or DEFCON rating.  DEFCON 4 is when all is well for the most part.   DEFCON 1 however means there is or will be active combat going on or maybe even a ship-wide emergency of any sort.  

The Command and Control station is the primary station within CIC used by the Commanding and Executive Officers aboard a Colonial battlestar. The center comprises a large communications and a roughly hexagonal "information management"able, with a retractable information display tower bearing a number of LCD screens suspended above it. There are no chairs; the command staff are always standing.   The command table with computer screens above is located in the center, around which the main stations such as tactical, helm and communications are grouped, allowing the commanding officer to quickly address all officers.

There are two larger consoles with seats and no fewer than five free standing stations; additionally, there are two standing tactical plotters on opposing ends of the CIC.

Here, the battlestar's commander and Executive officer are on station, observing and plotting battle tactics, viewing transparent charts, and giving commands to others in CIC. Above the Command and Control Station are a cluster of monitors known as the DRADIS console. The DRADIS console descends from a cylindrical ceiling recess when required.  From the Command and Control Station, the commander has a 360-degree view of the CIC. The DRADIS console contains DRADIS displays but also includes other navigation and tactical information available to the commander at a glance. The displays are capable of showing a wide range on information including:

• Countdowns 
• DRADIS sensor readings relayed from the DRADIS console
• Battlestar management information, such as the vessel's spatial orientation (pitch, yaw & roll) Battle management information.

 

Dradis Warning of Radiological materials

 Dradis symbol for various colonial fleet units

Normal Dradis Visual      

COMMANDING OFFICER

The Commanding Officer of a Battlestar must satisfy two requirements: He must be an unrestricted line officer and he must be an aviator. He is at least the rank of Colonel (O-5). The ship’s Commanding Officer (CO), is ultimately responsible for the entire ship and the accomplishment of its assigned mission. Through his XO, the CO runs the ship via its various departments.

MISSION

The Battlestar battlegroup’s primary mission is power projection to targets anywhere in the Colonies. The central element of the Battlestar’s offensive punch is its embarked air wing . The typical Battlestar air wing normally consists of several squadrons (Depending on Ship Class), each with individual missions, which join the Battlestar while it is deployed.

SHIPS DEPARTMENTS

On any Colonial Defense Force Ship, a Department is a section devoted to one of several major tasks. Most Ships have Operations, Engineering, Deck or Weapons, and Medical Departments. Battlestars, Gunstars, and some large landing vessels (troop ships) have an Aviation wing. This is how it works for BSR-37.