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ATTENDANCE & DISCIPLINE POLICY

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Last updated June 10, 2026

BRONZE SQUADRON STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE — OPERATOR STANDARDS: ATTENDANCE & DISCIPLINE POLICY

1. PURPOSE

This SOP establishes attendance standards, server load-in procedures, late policy, and disciplinary actions for missed or disrupted official events within Bronze Squadron. The intent is to:

  • Maintain operational readiness
  • Ensure team reliability and consistent participation
  • Enforce accountability across all elements
  • Standardize server presence and timing expectations on operation and training nights

Attendance is a baseline expectation — not a discretionary standard. Timing discipline begins before the mission briefing and applies from the moment an operator loads into the server.

2. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT

All Bronze Squadron personnel are expected to:

  • Attend all scheduled Official Events
  • Notify leadership in advance if unable to attend
  • Maintain consistent participation in operations and training
  • Adhere to all server timing standards outlined in Sections 3, 4, and 5

Attendance is tracked continuously at the Troop and Section level and reviewed by Troop Leadership and UHQ. Personnel are responsible for their own attendance record — ignorance of the standard is not an accepted justification for non-compliance.

Active Status Reporting Requirement

All Bronze Squadron personnel are required to check in via the Operations Center on the unit website at a minimum of once every fourteen (14) days. Failure to check in within this window results in a status change from Active to AWOL. AWOL personnel are subject to administrative review and may be removed from the roster at leadership discretion.

This requirement applies regardless of operational activity — attending operations does not substitute for the website check-in. Both are independent accountability standards.

3. SERVER LOAD-IN PROCEDURES

Early server access is provided to allow operators to configure their loadout, verify equipment, and prepare for the briefing in an organized environment. Early load-in is a structured window — not open movement time on the server.

| Element | Details | |---|---| | Early Load-In Time | 1900 EST on all operation and training nights | | Authorized Area | Staging area, annex, and spawn area only. No movement outside designated base areas. | | Purpose | Loadout configuration, equipment verification, and pre-briefing preparation. | | Movement Restriction | Personnel are not authorized to move around the map during the early load-in window. You are at the base. You stay at the base. |

Unauthorized Movement — Disciplinary Action

Any operator who moves outside the authorized staging, annex, or spawn area during the early load-in window is in violation of this SOP. Violations are not overlooked based on intent or unfamiliarity with the standard. The following disciplinary actions apply:

  • Non-Judicial Punishment (NJP)
  • Formal Counseling

This rule exists to protect operational security, maintain server discipline, and ensure the map environment is not compromised before the mission begins. First-time violations are addressed through counseling. Repeat violations escalate through the NJP process.

4. LATE POLICY

Bronze Squadron operates on a structured timeline on operation and training nights. Tardiness without prior notification is a failure of accountability and directly impacts mission preparation. The following standards govern late arrival.

| Element | Details | |---|---| | Latest Load-In Time | 2000 EST on all operation and training nights | | Briefing Time | No later than (NLT) 2030 EST. Briefings will not be delayed for late personnel. | | Notification Requirement | Any operator who anticipates being late must notify their COC prior to the scheduled briefing time. Notification after the briefing begins does not satisfy this requirement. | | Join Before Step Off | A member who joins the server before the element steps off on the mission will be infilled with the Troop. | | Join After Step Off | A member who joins after the element has stepped off will be required to wait for a reinforcement flight. They do not join the element mid-movement. |

Repeat Offenders

Operators who are repeatedly late without notifying their COC are subject to disciplinary action — see below.

Late Without Notification — Disciplinary Action

Repeated late arrivals without prior COC notification are a pattern of disregard for unit standards. The following disciplinary actions apply for repeat offenders:

  • Removal from participation in that operation or training event
  • Formal Counseling
  • Non-Judicial Punishment (NJP)

A single late arrival with COC notification is managed — it happens. A pattern of late arrivals without notification demonstrates a lack of commitment to the unit. Leadership tracks attendance and timing continuously. If it becomes a pattern, it will be addressed as one.

5. OPERATION TIME WINDOW

All official Bronze Squadron operations are conducted within a defined time window. This window governs when operations begin and when they are expected to conclude. Planning, briefing, and execution are all scoped to fit within this window.

| Element | Details | |---|---| | Operation Window | 2000 EST — 2330 EST | | Start Time | No operation begins before 2000 EST. The briefing window is 2000–2030 EST. | | End Time | 2330 EST. Operations conclude by 2330 EST. No active missions are to extend past this time. | | Scope | Applies to all officially scheduled operations. Training events and auxiliary missions follow the same window unless command specifies otherwise. |

The operation window exists to respect the time commitments of all personnel. Operations that run significantly past 2330 EST without command authorization are not within the standard. Mission planning must account for this constraint during spin-up.

6. DEFINITIONS

| Term | Definition | |---|---| | Official Event | Any command-approved operation, training event, or recon/auxiliary mission scheduled by Bronze Squadron leadership. | | Excused Absence | An absence that was communicated to leadership prior to the event and approved by leadership before the event begins. | | Unexcused Absence | An absence that lacks prior notification, was not approved by leadership, or demonstrates disregard for team accountability. | | Late Arrival (Notified) | Arrival after 2000 EST where COC was notified prior to the briefing. Members are managed per Section 4 — step off status determines infill method. | | Late Arrival (Unnotified) | Arrival after 2000 EST without prior COC notification. Subject to disciplinary action as a repeat pattern per Section 4. | | NJP | Non-Judicial Punishment. A formal disciplinary action issued by leadership for violations of unit standards. | | Step Off | The moment the element departs the staging area and begins the mission. This is the threshold for determining infill vs. reinforcement flight status for late arrivals. |

7. DISCIPLINE TRIGGER

The following events initiate the Bronze Squadron disciplinary process:

  • Two (2) unexcused absences from Official Events
  • Unauthorized movement during the early load-in window (Section 3)
  • Repeated late arrivals without prior COC notification (Section 4)

Absences and timing violations are tracked continuously and reviewed by leadership. A single isolated incident is addressed at the leadership level. A pattern triggers the formal escalation process below.

The discipline process is not punitive in isolation — it is a structured response to a demonstrated pattern. The goal at every stage is correction, not removal. Removal is the outcome of a failure to correct.

8. DISCIPLINARY ESCALATION SYSTEM

Discipline is applied in a progressive four-strike model. Each strike represents a continued failure to meet the standard after a correction opportunity has been given. No strike is skipped except in cases of severe or deliberate violation.

| Strike | Trigger | Action | Purpose | |---|---|---|---| | 1st | 2 unexcused absences | Formal counseling by Squad Leader or Troop Leadership | Identify cause, reinforce expectations, reset accountability | | 2nd | Additional unexcused absences after counseling | Promotion progression reset | Tie consequences to reliability. Re-establish performance baseline. | | 3rd | Continued unexcused absences | Billet removal and reassignment to Green Team status | Re-evaluate operator commitment. Rebuild reliability from entry-level. | | 4th | Continued pattern of unexcused absences | Removal from Bronze Squadron | Preserve unit integrity. Maintain standards across all personnel. |

Strike count resets are at leadership discretion based on sustained improvement. Strikes are not automatically cleared by time — they are cleared by demonstrated corrective behavior.

9. ACCOUNTABILITY MANAGEMENT

Tracking

Attendance is tracked at the Troop and Section level and reviewed regularly by Troop and Section Leadership and UHQ. Tracking includes:

  • Unexcused absences from Official Events
  • Load-in timing violations
  • Late arrivals — notified and unnotified
  • Active strikes and counseling records

Reset Consideration

Leadership retains authority to reset a member's strike count based on demonstrated and sustained improvement over time. Resets are not automatic and are not granted on request alone. The following applies:

  • Strikes may be reset if the member demonstrates consistent attendance and timing compliance over an extended period.
  • Strikes remain in place if the pattern of absence or tardiness continues, regardless of time elapsed.
  • Reset decisions are documented and retained in the member's record.

10. LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

Leaders at every level are responsible for the enforcement of attendance and timing standards within their element. This is not a passive responsibility — it requires active tracking, early intervention, and consistent application of the standards in this SOP.

  • Enforce attendance, load-in, and late policy standards without exception
  • Maintain accurate and current tracking of absences and timing violations
  • Apply discipline consistently and fairly — the same standard applies to every operator regardless of rank or tenure
  • Identify patterns of absence or tardiness early and address them before they require formal escalation
  • Document all counseling sessions and disciplinary actions taken

A leader who does not enforce these standards is not protecting their personnel — they are enabling a pattern that will eventually require harder action. Early, consistent enforcement is the leadership standard.

11. FILL-IN PROCEDURES

All Bronze Squadron personnel who wish to fill in with another Troop or unit during an operation must have completed Days 1 through 3 of Green Team prior to participating in any fill-in capacity. This requirement applies to all personnel regardless of billet, rank, or tenure within the unit. Green Team Days 1–3 represent the baseline operational standard — no operator fills in without having met it.

Personnel who have not completed the required Green Team days are not authorized to fill in, regardless of the circumstances of the request or the needs of the element requesting support. There are no exceptions to this requirement.

When filling in with another Troop or unit, personnel retain their assigned Bronze Squadron billet and operate in the role that billet designates. A Recon operator filling in with another Troop fills in as Recon. A SOCM filling in fills in as SOCM. This also applies to all enabler elements, i.e. 160th SOAR and 24th STS. Personnel do not assume a different billet or role for the duration of a fill-in unless that fill-in is for a designated fun operation, in which case billet and role assignments may be adjusted at the discretion of the element lead.

Operators filling in remain subject to all Bronze Squadron SOPs and conduct standards for the duration of the operation. Filling in with another unit does not suspend Bronze Squadron standards or transfer disciplinary authority away from Bronze Squadron leadership.

12. COMMANDER'S INTENT

Bronze Squadron operates on trust and reliability. Every operator is a critical component of the team — not a number, not a roster slot. When an operator is absent without notification, it does not just affect the mission. It affects every person on that element who planned and prepared expecting that individual to be there.

The attendance and timing standards in this SOP are not administrative overhead. They are the operational floor — the minimum expression of commitment required to function as part of this unit. The load-in window, the briefing timeline, and the operation window all exist so that every operator knows exactly what is expected of them before the server opens.

This policy ensures that standards are upheld, accountability is enforced, and Bronze Squadron remains composed of operators who have demonstrated — through consistent presence and professional conduct — that they belong here.

"Fabri Portarum — Makers of Doorways"