Tactical

This department was in charge of the ship's weapon systems, their calibrations and upkeep. Furthermore, the tactical officers on starships and starbases were, basically, the ones firing the weapons at the tactical station on the bridge. This role could sometimes be filled by the Chief of Security depending on the officer's experience and responsibilities on the ship.

Tactical officers were men selected from the Academy on account of superior intelligence, reliability and mechanical knowledge. The assignment to Tacical was made with the idea that the officers should be somewhat higher in standard than other officers in regard to starship weaponry and their usage; that their knowledge of ordnance and targeting should be such that they would be able to also make repairs to the systems.

The physical layout of the Tactical station console often described a sweeping curve affording an unobstructed view of the main viewer, and an equally clear view of the command stations on the bridge. This allowed for an uninterrupted exchange between the Tactical Officer and other bridge officers during critical operations, as well as exchanges with crew members occupying the aft stations. The duty station console lacked a seat and was therefore a standup position, deemed ergonomically necessary for efficient tactical functions.

Threat Assessment & Targeting System (TA & TS)

Known colloquially as the “targeting scanners,” the Threat Assessment/Tracking/Targeting System (TA/T/TS) was a ship’s tactical sensors and computer package. The Tactical Officer relied on the TA/T/TS in combat in much the same way as the Flight Control officer uses the navigational computer — it helps him do his job better. Different classes of TA/T/TS were available; the better ones make the Tactical Officer’s job easier, but took up more space and require more power to operate. Ships may have a backup TA/T/TS system to take over for the main system if it was damaged or malfunctioned.

In addition to using it to target weapons and assess tactical data, a Tactical Officer may use targeting scanners to obtain a transporter lock on a person or object, aiding the Ops staff and the Transporter Officers in extracting the target in hostile situations.

Tactical Policies

Starfleet proudly drew upon the traditions of the navies of many worlds, most notably those of Earth. Starfleet honored their distinguished forebears in many ceremonial aspects of their service, yet there was a fundamental difference between Starfleet and those ancient military organizations. Those sailors of old saw themselves as warriors. It was undeniably true that preparedness for battle was an important part of their mission, but Starfleet saw themselves foremost as explorers and diplomats. This might seem a tenuous distinction, yet it had a dramatic influence on the way they dealt with potential conflicts. When the soldiers of old pursued peace, the very nature of their organizations emphasized the option of using force when conflicts became difficult. That option had an inexorable way of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Peace was no easier than it was in ages past. Conflicts were real, and tensions could escalate at a moment's notice between adversaries who command awesome destructive forces. Yet they had finally learned a bitter lesson from our past: When they regarded force as a primary option, that option would be exercised. Starfleet's charter, framed some two centuries ago after the brutal Romulan Wars, was based on a solemn commitment that force was not to be regarded as an option in interstellar relations unless all other options have been exhausted.

Rules of Engagement

Although starships were fully equipped with sophisticated weaponry and defenses, Starfleet taught its people to use every means at their disposal to anticipate and defuse potential conflict before the need for force arises. This, according to Federation mandate, was Starfleet's primary mode of conflict resolution. Starfleet's rules of engagement were firmly based on these principles. Due to the extended range of Starfleet's theater of operations, it was not uncommon for starships to be beyond realtime communications range of Starfleet Command. This meant a starship captain often had broad discretionary powers in interpreting applicable Federation and Starfleet policies. The details of these rules are classified but the basics were as follows.

A starship was regarded as an instrument of policy for the United Federation of Planets and its member nations. As such, its officers and crew were expected to exhaust every option before resorting to the use of force in conflict resolution. More important, Federation policy required constant vigilance to anticipate potential conflicts and to take steps to avert them long before they escalate into armed combat. Perhaps the most dangerous conflict scenario was that of the unknown, technically sophisticated Threat force. This refers to a confrontation with a spacecraft or weapons system from an unknown culture whose spacefaring and/or weapons capability was estimated to be similar or superior to their own. In such cases, the lack of knowledge about the Threat force was a severe handicap in effective conflict resolution and in tactical planning. Complicating matters further, such conflicts were often First Contact scenarios, meaning cultural and sociologic analysis data were likely to be inadequate, yet further increasing the import of the contact in terms of future relationships with the Federation. For these reasons, Starfleet required cultural and technologic assessment during all First Contact scenarios, even those that occur during combat situations in deep space. Rules of engagement further required that adequate precaution be taken to avoid exposure of the ship and its crew or Federation interests to unnecessary risk, even when a potential Threat force had not specifically demonstrated a hostile intent. There were, however, specific diplomatic conditions under which the starship will be considered expendable.

More common than the unknown adversary was conflict with a known, technically sophisticated Threat force. This referred to confrontation with a spacecraft or weapons system from a culture with which contact has already been made, and whose spacefaring and/or weapons capability was similar or superior their own, even if the specific spacecraft or weapons system was of an unknown type. In such cases, tactical planning had the advantage of at least some cultural and technological background of the Threat force, and the ship's captain would have detailed briefings of Federation policies toward the Threat force. In general, starships were not permitted to fire first against any Threat force, and any response to provocation must be measured and in proportion to such provocation.

Here again, Starfleet required adequate precaution be taken to avoid excessive risk to the ship or other Federation interests. Much more limiting were conflicts with spaceborne Threat forces estimated to be substantially inferior in terms of weapons systems and spaceflight potential. Here again, the use of cultural and technologic assessment was of crucial importance. Prime Directive considerations may severely restrict tactical options to measured responses designed to reduce a Threat force's ability to endanger the starship or third parties. Typically, this meant limited strikes to disable weapons or propulsion systems only. Rules of engagement prohibited the destruction of such spacecraft except in extreme cases where Federation interests, third parties, or the starship itself are in immediate jeopardy.

Even more difficult were conflicts in which a Starfleet vessel or the Federation itself was considered to be a third party. Such scenarios included civil and intrasystem conflicts or terrorist situations. In evaluating such cases, due care had to be taken to avoid interference in purely local affairs. Still, there were occasionally situations where strategic or humanitarian considerations would require intervention. Starfleet personnel were expected to closely observe Prime Directive considerations in such cases.