Fleet Organisation

Space Fleets are generally organised into hierarchical groups for specific strategic purposes. Vessels could operate in those groupings in various situations either permanently or over a short period of time.

Unit

A unit is one vessel, operating alone. This can range from one Runabout on a survey, to a Federation-class Carrier yet to join its Carrier Group.

Flotilla

Flotilla is the tactical grouping of between two and five smaller vessels such as Frigates or Destroyers for a specific purpose, such as patrol or convoy defence. Unlike Battle Groups, Flotillas are permanent organisations, and a vessel may be assigned one from the day it is commissioned to the day it is decommissioned or destroyed.

Squadron

Squadrons are a small group of generally three to five ships. Although the exact number of vessels could vary, a Klingon Squadron of Birds-of-Prey usually consists of five ships, whereas a Squadron of Jem'Hadar Attack Ships usually was comprised of three.

Star Fleet usually only organises small ships like their Starfighters, Runabouts, or Escorts in Squadrons; each usually consisting of between six and twelve craft.

Wing

A Wing is a grouping of several ships for a specific purpose. Depending on the military, a Wing could consist of a different number of ships. Usually, Wings were named by the specific mission type. Star Fleet used Attack Wings and Tactical Wings. The command of a permanent Wing such as the Seventh Tactical Wing required an officer superior to the rank of Captain in command, other non-permanent wings such as Cruiser or Galaxy wings could also be commanded by a Captain.

A Wing may also refer to a Starfighter Wing, such as one launched from a Star Base or Carrier. In this respect, a Wing is usually formed of between two and five Squadrons, commanded by a Commander or Captain.

Battle group

Battle Groups consist of an arbitrary number of ships, usually gathered temporarily for a single mission that mostly involved combat, though Battle Groups can exist as more permanent organisations during times of war.

Strike Group

A Strike Group is a form of Battle Group designed to penetrate enemy territory with a specific objective, such as crippling the enemy flagship, cutting off lines of retreat, or disrupting supply lines.

Carrier Group

A Carrier Group is a form of Battle Group consisting of a number of ships formed around a single Federation-class Carrier.

Task force

A Task Force was a fleet of ships for a special task such as assault, protection or diplomacy and was generally bigger than the relatively small Battle Group. Like the Battle Group, the number of ships in a Task Force could vary greatly: There were small Task Forces consisting of only nine ships and large ones consisting of several hundred.

In Star Fleet, a Task Force was usually commanded by an Admiral, or in some cases a Captain.

Numbered Fleet

Star Fleet organises all ships in Numbered Fleets. A Numbered Fleet may consist of several hundred ships, all localised in a specific region of space or operating independently on exploration missions. There are currently at least seven Numbered Fleets operating in Star Fleet.