Duties and Responsibilities: The main tactical and weapons officer aboard a starship, the Chief Tactical Officer is another highly trained and interactive individual. The CTO is, in reality, always on duty.
All of the ship's defensive shields and weapons systems, from the shipboard phasers to torpedo launch systems, are controlled and supervised by this officer. In addition to weapons, the CTO is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all ship's tactical long- and short-range scanners, tractor beams, sensor probes, and message / record bouys (although he may share some of these duties with the CSO). During alert conditions the tactical officer is responsible for the activation and monitoring of starship shields. This includes making manual adjustments such as shield modulation and recalibration.
The tactical officer has control of all starship or unit defensive systems. These systems include tactical analysis, targeting, and firing. All tactical maneuvers must be coordinated with the flight control officer.
In most cases, the CTO is synonymous with the Chief Security Officer. This position can be separated on ships that are expected to maintain a high level of combat, but in most cases the tactical position does not warrant a dedicated officer, and all tactical duties can be performed in combination with security duties.