One of the major divisions of Vanguard Command and the Vanguard Fleet is Task Force Paladin. It is commanded by former USS Titan Captain and now Rear Admiral (lower grade) William Riker. It has as its flagship the Yamato-class Heavy Battleship USS Paladin.
Background
Riker had reluctantly taken command of the task force in 2385 despite not wanting to leave the Luna-class Starship USS Titan yet. Fleet Admiral Maximus Hunter had made it clear to him that there were only three persons in Starfleet with the battle savvy to utilize the capabilities of a heavy battleship-led task force to its fullest potential. He was one, and Rear Admirals (lower grade) Benjamin Sisko and Vraath ch'Evram were the others. But Sisko and ch'Evram had already been earmarked to command Task Force Dauntless and Task Force Belligerent, respectively. He was eventually convinced to accept the position by Admiral Hunter after being told that he was going to be on the same fleet as his old captain, Jean-Luc Picard, who was by then a Rear Admiral (upper grade) and that exploration was still part of the primary missions of Vanguard Command.
Task Force Complement
Task Force Paladin has a full complement of fifty-four (54) starships, composed of:
- One (1) Yamato-class Heavy Battleship, USS Paladin
- Two (2) Sovereign-class Battleships
- Two (2) Galaxy-class Battleships
- Three (3) Nebula-class Heavy Cruisers
- Three (3) Akira-class Heavy Cruisers
- Four (4) Prometheus-class Tactical Assault Cruisers
- One (1) Intrepid-class Scout
- Six (6) Norway-class Destroyers
- Eight (8) Steamrunner-class Escorts/Light Cruisers
- Sixteen (16) Saber-class Escorts/Frigates
- Three (3) Defiant-class Escorts
- One (1) Hope-class Medical Cruiser
- Two (2) Nova-class Science Frigates
- Two (2) Ambassador III-class Supply Cruisers
Task Force Paladin has Starbase 375 as its base of operations.
Deployment
Task Force Paladin is regularly deployed out of Starbase 375 for three-month missions to any point beyond the "Frontier" borders. After each three-month mission, it returns to base for at least two weeks to allow its crews time for shore leave and for needed repairs, resupplies, refits and upgrades to its complement of starships.
Slipstream Travel
Although only the USS Paladin is the only starship in the task force with a Quantum Slipstream Drive, because of the size of the slipstream tunnel produced by the flagship, the rest of the task force can travel with it at slipstream speed in tight formation.
Through the Quantum Slipstream Drive, the task force can be deployed to the border sectors of the Gamma Quadrant or the Delta Quadrant within a relatively short period of time and operate there.