The United Federation Starfleet, across its long & tumultuous 225 year history, has been the primary force of Exploration and Scientific Discovery for the United Federation Of Planets. Across its many years it's made countless scientific discoveries and charted worlds across the Galaxy, boldly going where no one has gone before.
But what do you do when someone comes knocking to try and intimidate you? The regional navies of Federation members can't cope with the defence of the Federation's territory alone. That's where we get to Starfleet's other primary mission, the defence of the Federation and offensive operations. For this, Starfleet has constructed a substantial amount of dedicated tactical vessels to keep the final frontier defended and the inner planets safe from the likes of the Romulans, Klingons and the Borg Collective. This document, whilst focused primarily on the larger end of the scale, will go over those tactical vessels, boldly defending the Federation so that its peoples can live in peace.
When it comes to tactical vessels Starfleet has a… complex relationship with them. Whilst they've always absolutely been necessary for the fleet, public opinion and politics has always held a sway on them. Things got so bad that during the 2330's-2350's, due to political pressure, no outright tactical vessels could be constructed, with the Freedom class, the only one to make it out of the blueprint stage in this time, needing large diplomatic suites to claim it was a multipurpose vessel. Yet after Wolf 359 public opinion swung so hard that only 9'e vessel design could debut that wasn't explicitly tactical in nature, the Nova Class.
It is important to note that within the blanket description of "tactical vessel" there's a substantial internal differentiation. Escorts, Tactical Cruisers and Battleships make up the majority of tactical ships, though frigates such as the New Orleans class have been classed as tactical vessels depending on loadout. Escorts, usually the smallest, are defined by their agility and a phaser-focused armament, and thus preferred in escort roles. Tactical Cruisers often strike a balance between phasers and torpedoes, and are typically excellent long range independent vessels, though typically can't go toe to toe with Battleships. Speaking of which, these vessels are defined by taking everything about cruisers and scaling them up, resulting in sluggish but extremely tactically potent vessels.
This document is intended for viewing by the general Federation public. All information is declassified and viewable in Federation databases.