The Argill Protocol is a core doctrine of Reunification Alliance foreign policy, enshrined in strategic documents according to the terms of the Treaty of Arven at the end of the Sixth Kharak-Ghar War. The protocol dictates that the Reunification Alliances forces are bound to respond with offensive action to any expansionist military action undertaken by the Kharak-Ghar Republic of Militant Citizens, making this the only instance in which Alliance may go to war unprovoked. The policy was intended to prevent a repeat of the Sixth War by ensuring that the Republic would never again go unchecked long enough to rival the Alliance.
Some have questioned both the necessity and efficacy of this policy. While they did lose a large number of worlds, the Kharak-Ghar Republic nonetheless remains a first-rate galactic power with a strong military tradition and a formidable industrial base. The Argill Protocol does nothing to prevent another first strike on the Alliance border and merely constitutes a policy of open hostility between the powers that is now constitutionally enshrined. Others have questioned whether the Protocol is suitably reflective of Alliance values in the way it singles out the ‘old enemy’.
Either way, the Argill Protocol remains hugely important in the Alliance’s strategic planning, with a quick-reaction force equipped for expeditionary action permanently maintained on the border in anticipation of the need to put it into practice. Hawk Argill, the driving force behind this doctrine, has also repeatedly reaffirmed his position in both public and private forums, and the Protocol is unlikely to be removed or modified in the foreseeable future. Indeed, it has proven to be a significant driver of Alliance military acquisition in the post-war era.