Random Warfare/Organizational questions

[Mus]

1. Is there any way to make it so that only ships in fleets will be allowed to load troops? The AI likes to randomly load troops on to destroyer and larger ships, I would like to keep my troops as garrisons and onboard fleets as a strike force.

2. Is there any way to have ships within fleets behave autonomously (like target enemy ships without having to be told) while still retaining manual control of the fleets? Seems like if I put ships in fleets they go under manual control and no longer react to threats.

3. Is it intelligent to organize your forces in a "balanced" manner with a couple capital ships and cruisers as the core of each fleet with a larger number of destroyers as escorts?

With the new patch I have an empire up to 40+ colonies in 20+ systems and I have a neighbor I think I am going to end up at war with and these questions arise as I begin to organize for this war.

[Mus]

Followup question:

4. How does the AI decide when to retrofit ships? I ask because I have some ships that are still using the game start design, while others have been retrofitted (by the AI) more than once.

Seems to be little rhyme or reason.