Jerome Archer

Jerome Archer is the Vice President of the Federation under the administration of Federal President Zachary Hudson. Appointed by Hudson in March 3307 to replace the late Brad Mitchell, Archer was previously a Congressman and the Secretary of Security within Hudson's Cabinet. Before that he served as Director of the Federal Intelligence Agency, and had a long career in law enforcement. In a statement before Federal Congress on the day of his appointment as Vice President, Archer stated that he planned to use his authority to enhance security and vigilance within the Federation.

Archer's first major success as vice president was the Domestic Counter-Terrorism Act, approved by Congress on March 30, 3307, which he drafted and sponsored. Archer's ties to the FIA allowed him to make rapid progress with Federal security services in implementing the law, which resulted in the creation of the Proactive Detection Bureau on April 6.

Timeline

23 APR 3307

• Shadow President Felicia Winters has claimed that the Proactive Detection Bureau is unconstitutional as it violates the Federal Accord. In an address before Congress, she said: "The Federation's constitution explicitly guarantees citizens the right to data security and privacy. The PDB tramples over this by raiding everyone's personal communications, casting aside decency and dignity so that algorithms can probe into every aspect of our lives. Furthermore, if ACT's hypothesis is correct and the NMLA is using an advanced dark-comms network, then the PDB's existence is baseless and unjustifiable." Vice President Jerome Archer responded: "The Domestic Counter-Terrorism Act is emergency legislation that temporarily suspends constitutional statutes, until we are satisfied that the terrorist threat has been negated. Following the PDB's success in uncovering extremist groups, we are widening the search parameters to include other related criminal activity." Opinion polls suggest that a slim majority of Federal citizens accept that some liberties must be sacrificed in return for increased security. However, according to the civil rights organisation Advocacy, the speed with which the PDB gained access to data hubs suggested that "The infrastructure was already in place – all the government needed was an opportunity to make it legal."

21 APR 3307

• The Proactive Detection Bureau, which monitors all civilian communications in the Federation, has detected several home-grown terrorist groups. Deputy Director Bethany Blake of the Federal Investigations Agency^[sic] told the media: "Our combination of sophisticated algorithms and skilled operatives has unearthed over a dozen extremist organisations, all previously unknown. The FIA launched pre-emptive raids on these groups before they were able to strike against civilian targets. In addition, we have arrested several thousand individuals who were conducting research into terror tactics, radical ideologies and other suspicious subjects. The PDB will continue monitoring all comms networks, and liaising with local security agencies via the Federal Justice Department." Vice President Jerome Archer hailed these results as validation of the Domestic Counter-Terrorism Act, and stated that the PDB will help prevent the mass murder of Federal citizens. Civil rights groups have claimed that these extremists could have been detected via conventional policing methods, rather than intercepting personal messages. Independent criminologists added that the statistical likelihood of such amateur groups committing actual attacks is low.

06 APR 3307

• The Proactive Detection Bureau has been set up by the Federal Intelligence Agency to scan civilian communications for signs of terrorist activity. The new department was formed following congressional approval of the Domestic Counter-Terrorism Act. This was drafted by Vice President Jerome Archer, who told the media: "The PDB is a vital tool to prevent further massacres on the scale we have recently witnessed. It will unearth NMLA terrorists and other dangerous activists concealed among innocent citizens, and help keep our families safe." Deputy Director Bethany Blake, who has been appointed to run the Proactive Detection Bureau, explained its operations: "Highly advanced algorithms will scan all data transmitted across public and private networks on a system-wide level. Any suspicious communications are redirected to a regional hub, for review by trained investigators. It is important to understand that only specific activity within narrow parameters will be flagged, and must pass dozens of automated checkpoints before our operatives can access it." Shadow President Winters and civil rights groups have protested that this violates long-standing privacy laws. However, President Hudson has championed the PDB as a cornerstone of the new counter-terrorism statutes.

30 MAR 3307

• Vice President Jerome Archer has successfully proposed a new public surveillance law designed to prevent future terrorist attacks in the Federation. The Domestic Counter-Terrorism Act was debated in Congress before being approved by a majority vote. It is considered to be emergency legislation that replaces all previous laws regarding monitoring civilian activity and intercepting personal communications. Vice President Archer, who personally drafted much of the new statute, announced: "This will allow the government to actively seek out any terrorist agents and sympathisers lurking within our communities. We will never again allow so many families and friends to be taken from us." Shadow President Felicia Winters responded: "Nobody wants another 'Nine Martyrs', and it's vital that security is increased across the Federation. But this is an outrageous violation of civil liberties. For this administration to grant itself access to every citizen's private life makes it resemble a dictatorial regime." VP Archer later confirmed that he is already working with the heads of security services on practical applications of the new law. As a former director of the Federal Intelligence Agency, he is expected to make rapid progress.

24 MAR 3307

• President Zachary Hudson has announced that the new vice president of the Federation is Jerome Archer, replacing the deceased Brad Mitchell. Archer was previously serving as the Secretary of Security. Prior to becoming a congressman, he was a director of the Federal Intelligence Agency and had a long career in law enforcement. His predecessor, VP Brad Mitchell, died in the NMLA bombing of Li Qing Jao station in the Sol system. The attack also killed several members of the Federal Cabinet along with many government officials, who were attending a meeting at the starport. Addressing a gathering of Congress, Vice President Archer said: "My primary focus in this office will be to increase security throughout the Federation. I vow to build vigilance into the fabric of our society, and prevent such atrocities from ever happening again." During the congressional session, President Hudson announced new appointments for other deceased members of the Cabinet. He also successfully obtained approval to increase funding for counter-terrorism operations run by ACT and the Federal Navy.