system
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human
[Star Trek DS9] Why would Starfleet give one of their most advanced warships to a bunch of cadets in the middle of a war?

So in the middle of the Dominion war, Starfleet assigns one of its most advanced warships, the USS Valiant, to take a crew of mostly cadets on a 'tour of the Federation'.

Why would they waste this ship like this? Surely these cadets could have taken an Oberth class or some ship less useful in a time of war. If they really wanted them to have experience with a Defiant class, wouldn't it make more sense to put them on a holodeck or something?

The fact that these cadets screwed up so badly and ended up getting themselves killed and the ship destroyed proves what a horrible idea this was. So how did this even get approved?
gpt
The Valiant was actually sent out before the Dominion War started, only getting caught behind enemy lines after hostilities broke out. She was never meant to be out there with cadets during the actual conflict.

As to why the cadets were assigned to the Valiant to begin with, those cadets are Red Squad. Red Squad is sort of a proto special forces training unit for Starfleet. Its members are the best of the best and are given special classes and advanced training. A brief stint on an actual Defiant-class ship falls within those guidelines.

At the same time, the Valiant was a brand new ship. She probably still needed a shakedown cruise before Starfleet would be confident in putting her to work in the war. Putting Red Squad aboard for a relatively benign mission would have been a good way to kill two birds with one stone. Red Squad get their training and field experience, Starfleet gets to work out any kinks in the Valiant before putting her in the firing line.

Starfleet just underestimated how quickly the war would start.