General order
In militaries, a general order is a published directive, originated by a commander, and binding upon all personnel under his command, the purpose of which is to enforce a policy or procedure unique to his unit's situation which is not otherwise addressed in applicable service regulations, military law, or public law. A general order has the force of law; it is a crime to not obey one.In the United States armed forces, a set of eleven general orders delineates the responsibilities of gateguards and sentries, viz:
- To take charge of this post and all government property in view.
- To walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.
- To report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce.
- To repeat all calls from posts more distant from the guardhouse than my own.
- To quit my post only when properly relieved.
- To receive, obey, and pass on to the sentry who relieves me all orders from the commanding officer, officer of the day, and officers and noncommissioned officerss of the guard only.
- To talk to no one except in the line of duty.
- To give the alarm in case of fire or disorder.
- To call the corporal of the guard in any case not covered by instructions.
- To salute all officers and all colors and standards not cased.
- To be especially watchful at night, and during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post and to allow no one to pass without proper authority.
A set of general orders, including the Prime Directive, has been established in Paramount Pictures' source documentation to govern the Starfleet organization in the [Star Trek fictional universe. An edition of it can be viewed at the following link: