User blog comment:Samuelshadow16/Ironwood's REAL purpose/@comment-10380701-20140817040333/@comment-11188061-20140817054827

Well Ozpin is definitely within Cinder and Ironwood's factor. Not one of them dared go head-to-head directly against the Headmaster of Beacon, and probably with good reasons.

And since it's almost confirmed that Ozpin won't be debuting any time soon in battle, likely that his and most of the professors' hands will either be tied (cannot risk a war between nations by offending Atlas), and they'll have to rely on the Hunters 'on duty' to clean up the mess in self defense. Pretty sure the Vytal Festival ensures that none of the higher class Hunters (Ironwood for example, cannot go into battle even if the situation might calls him to. Penny is his trump card in this case) can risk interfere without tilting a dangerous balance.

Ironically, first years like Team RWBY makes the best kind of operation unit in this kind of situation. They're insignificant enough that they won't be in anyone's threat radar, and their youth can rhyme with the sentiments of people (oh-mi-gosh army versus kids and is that a fifteen years old!?) when they're put to battle. Win or lose, they still win because the enemy either risk losing face getting destroyed by newbie Hunter teams, or lose reputation because they're 'pummeling' down on 'innocent' kids.