[davanden]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I didn't make myself clear in my Last couple of questions. I already know about fleets, setting strategies and formations, and about assigning Groups at the beginning of tactical combat. What I was wondering about was the ability to permanently assign Groups within a fleet, so that I don't have to hunt through all the ships and, for example, find all the missile ships, at the beginning of each battle. I'd like all the missile ships in a squadron within a fleet. It appears that this isn't possible.

When I do go to the trouble of assigning Groups in a battle, I find that it doesn't help much, because the "wingmen" do not keep formation. Many of them go off in odd directions. I don't mean maneuvering to stay in formation, either. They just kind of wander away from the battle. These are ships with strategies such as "optimal range," too, not "don't get hurt." I usually have to control the ships individually to get them headed the right way.