Why does it really have to have a designated combat role?
Put it this way: A Desert Eagle is certainly a nifty pistol, but you won't see anyone use it on a war field until either you reach another location (close quarters), or there's less enemies around. Or your name is Chuck Norris.
What if we allow them to have special objectives to accomplish during a fight(and therefore giving them special equipment) without turning them into the main target, while giving them reasonable standard equipment to keep themselves alive while doing it. This of course means creating more weak points for ships.
Jump inhibitor is certainly an interesting idea.