17.3 Mission Background

The role of the multimission starship in Starfleet's vehicle mix has undergone significant changes in recent years. Dramatic expansion of Federation territory and in the number of member cultures has led to increases in the demands on Starfleet operations within the Federation, as well as beyond the frontier. Further, recent experiences with the Romulans, the Cardassians, and the Borg as well as disturbing reports of unrest within the Klingon Empire illustrate the importance of maintaining a significant defensive capability.

As required research and patrol ranges increase annually, the number of spacecraft required increases dramatically. Accordingly, Starfleet vessel construction policies are increasingly based on the theory that it is more efficient to have a larger number of small, mission-specific starships, than to have a smaller number of large, multimission vehicles.

The multimission capability of the Galaxy class starship and its predecessors has, however, been shown to be an essential part of the vehicle mix. When operating beyond normal Starfleet patrol range, the capacity for autonomous execution of full-policy options is essential, though expensive. Accordingly, the Enterprise is equipped for nearly the entire spectrum of Starfleet missions.

This need for multimission vessels is made greater by Starfleet's continuing emphasis on deep-space exploration. Stellar survey operations beyond the Epsilon Quinonez sector alone are expected to utilize 22% of Starfleet's exploratory capacity over the next decade. And this estimate does not include follow-up planetary survey and cultural contact operations.

There are those who have argued for reductions in Starfleet exploratory operations; those who have argued to redeploy our fleet resources for domestic and civil missions. Yet the fruits of Starfleet's exploration and life-contact directives are a continuing source of vitality for the Federation itself. Domestic operations will continue to be a key part of our mission mix, but it is clear that we must continue to pursue Starfleet's primary objective: To explore new worlds, to seek out new life, and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no one has gone before.