Sea Org

The Sea Organization, commonly known as the Sea Org, is a core managerial, fraternal, and paramilitary organization of the Church of Scientology. Members hold exclusive control of all Scientology management organizations, in addition to manning and operating a private naval force at several points throughout its history. The Sea Org is not directly incorporated into the structure of the Church of Scientology, but maintains a number of strict responsibilities for its members, beginning with a symbolic billion-year pledge of service to Scientology upon initiation.^: 53 David Miscavige, the de facto leader of Scientology, is the highest-ranking Sea Org officer with the rank of captain, however the theoretically highest rank of commodore is instead held by the deceased L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of both Scientology and the Sea Organization.^: 139 Some ex-members and scholars have described the Sea Org as a totalitarian organization marked by intensive surveillance and a lack of freedom.^: 125

In a 1992 memorandum by the Church of Scientology International, the following information was provided to the Internal Revenue Service with regards to nature of the Sea Org:

[The Sea Org] does not have an ecclesiastical organizing board or command channels chart or secular existence such as an incorporated or unincorporated association. [...] Although there is no such "organization" as the Sea Organization, the term Sea Org has a colloquial usage which implies that there is. There are general recruitment posters and literature for "The Sea Org" which implies that people will be employed by the Sea Org when in reality they will join, making the billion year commitment, at some church that is staffed by Sea Org members and become employees of that church corporation. [...] The Sea Org exists as a spiritual commitment that is factually beyond the full understanding of the [Internal Revenue] Service or any other but a trained and audited Scientologist.