Tactical Department

Shipboard Combat Operations and Weapons Control within Starfleet vessel command

Description

The Tactical Department functions as a shipboard combat and weapons-control division responsible for targeting, weapons deployment, fire coordination, and immediate defensive/offensive engagement. In the provided material it executes bridge-issued weapons orders, coordinates phaser and torpedo salvos, and maintains firing solutions while holding course under Klingon attack. The department answers through the bridge chain of command, interfaces with engineering and command staff, and its absence on a crippled vessel noticeably degrades combat capability.