Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic , also referred to as the Republic army , was the military force of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars . In addition to warship s and advanced weaponry , the army consisted of legion s of clone trooper s — genetically identical soldier s bred to serve the Republic . Although the clone army was originally envisioned by Jedi Master Sifo - Dyas , who secretly commissioned the Kaminoan cloners to create an army for the Republic , the clones ultimately became the secret weapon of the Sith , the ancient enemies of the Jedi Order . Ten years after the Battle of Naboo , the galaxy stood on the brink of civil war . As the Separatist Crisis threatened to split the galaxy between the Galactic Republic and the breakaway state , known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems , the Galactic Senate voted to grant emergency powers to Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine . Using his new authority , the Chancellor formally organized the Kamino clone troopers into the Grand Army of the Republic . The Republic ' s new forces , led by Grand Master Yoda , launched a full - scale attack against the Separatist Droid Army and secured the first victory in the conflict that became known as the Clone Wars . For three years , the Grand Army fought throughout much of the war - torn galaxy . Clone troopers served with distinction under the command of the Jedi , who had been commissioned as commander s and generals of the Grand Army . The army ' s true purpose , however , was ultimately to destroy both the Republic and the Jedi Order . Darth Sidious , Dark Lord of the Sith and the true identity of Chancellor Palpatine , had orchestrated the entire Clone War as a means to secure absolute power for himself . Upon discovering this Sith conspiracy , several members of the Jedi High Council tried and failed to arrest the Sith Lord . Sidious then issued Order 66 to the Grand Army , activating the clones ' secret programming which caused them to betray and murder their Jedi officers without question . Following the near extermination of the Jedi Order , Sidious proclaimed the end of the Republic and the rise of the Galactic Empire , ruled by himself as Galactic Emperor . The Grand Army of the Republic was accordingly reorganized into the Imperial Military , with the remaining clone troopers serving as the first stormtrooper s of the new regime . Description . Structure . Clone troopers served as infantry units in the Grand Army of the Republic . In addition to the rank - and - file soldier , the Grand Army consisted of numerous specialists , including environment - based units like clone cold assault troops and clone SCUBA trooper s . Other variants units like clone ordnance specialist s and clone trooper pilot s were specially trained for specific functions , such as bomb defusion and flight , respectively . ARC troopers and clone commando s were considered elite units in the Grand Army due to their exceptional skills and specialized training . The Grand Army of the Republic possessed various military vehicles to support its ground forces . The principle battle tank of the Grand Army was the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer ; also known as the " AT - TE " Walker , its legs provided the walker with increased stability , but reduced the vehicle ' s overall speed . As mobility was a key factor in the Grand Army ' s effectiveness , the military was outfitted with BARC speeder s in order to provide clone troopers with increased operational range , speed , mobility , and firepower that were otherwise unavailable to foot soldiers . Ranks . At first , color was used to denote the rank of Grand Army clone officers . This system was intended as a benefit for non - clones on the battlefield , as well as clones whose helmet displays malfunctioned . It fell out of use , however , as the Jedi encouraged the clones to express their individuality . As a result , the clone army gradually adopted a new system in which they customized their armor with unique color schemes and markings . Non - clones and non - Jedi could also be officer s in the Grand Army such as Hodnar Borrum . History . Origin . The Grand Army of the Republic , also known as the Republic army , was originally conceived by Jedi Master Sifo - Dyas , who ultimately foresaw the galaxy becoming consumed in war . Despite his removal from the ranks of the Jedi High Council , whose other members rejected his claims , Sifo - Dyas contacted the planet Kamino . The Kaminoan s , a species that specialized in the science of cloning , were under the impression that Sifo - Dyas represented the interests of the council . In truth , their communication was kept secret . Unaware of this deception , the Kaminoan cloners accepted the Jedi ' s commission to create a clone army for the Republic . Sifo - Dyas did not live to witness the completion of his army . An unwitting pawn of the Sith , Sifo - Dyas was murdered by the Pyke Syndicate at the behest of Darth Tyranus — once known as Jedi Master Dooku , the fallen Jedi turned to the dark side of the Force and became apprenticed to the Sith Lord Darth Sidious . After the death of Sifo - Dyas , the Sith secretly took over the project and selected the human bounty hunter Jango Fett to serve as the genetic template of the clone army . In addition to growth acceleration and behavioral modification , an inorganic bio - chip was installed into the brain of every clone trooper at the early stage of their development . The official reason behind the implant was to ensure that the clones would be more docile than their aggressive genetic donor . The true reason — as Prime Minister Lama Su and Nala Se understood it — was to ensure that the clones would terminate renegade Jedi in accordance with Protocol 66 . Unknown even to the Kaminoans , the bio - chips were manufactured for the sole purpose of forcing the clones to annihilate the entire Jedi Order so that the Sith could ultimately reclaim control over the galaxy . Formation . As a result of the clone troopers ' accelerated growth process , the first two hundred thousand soldier s were completed within a decade — approximately ten years after the Battle of Naboo and twenty - two years before the Battle of Yavin . By then the galaxy stood on the brink of war , as predicted by Sifo - Dyas , due to a group of secessionist star system s and powerful corporations . Seeking independence from the Galactic Republic , they combined their resources to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems , an act which the Republic refused to recognize . Vowing to preserve the unity of the thousand - year Republic , Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine attempted to negotiate the Separatists ' return to the Republic with the aid of the Loyalist Committee and the Jedi Council . Around the same time , the Galactic Senate was divided in their response to the Separatist Crisis . Some senator s advocated for the passage of the Military Creation Act , which would enable the Republic to organize a military force to defend the Republic . Other senators such as Padmé Amidala opposed the bill under the belief that it would provoke a full - scale war between the Republic and the Separatists . The matter was ultimately settled when the Jedi Knight Obi - Wan Kenobi discovered both the Kamino - produced clone army and a secret army of battle droid s that the Separatists constructed on the planet Geonosis . Convinced that the senators would never authorize the creation of a military on their own before the Separatists attacked the Republic , Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks called on the Senate to empower the Supreme Chancellor with the authority to end the crisis of the Separatist movement . The Senate enthusiastically supported Binks ' proposal ; accordingly Palpatine accepted the mandate and announced the formation of the Grand Army of the Republic . Clone Wars . After a decade of development and training , the first generation of clone troopers was called into action . Placed under the leadership of Grand Master Yoda , the Grand Army of the Republic made its debut in the Battle of Geonosis , storming the Separatist stronghold and engaging the droid army with the element of surprise on their side . Clone troopers fought side by side as they repelled the enemy from the battlefield , ultimately forcing the Confederate forces into full retreat from the planet . With Geonosis secured , the Grand Army claimed victory in the first battle of the Clone Wars — so - named for the clones who composed the Republic ' s armed forces . Throughout the conflict , the Grand Army of the Republic was deployed across the galaxy in order to put an end to the rebellion of the Separatists . The Jedi Knights assumed direct command over the clone troopers , becoming Jedi General s of the Grand Army . As the Clone Wars progressed , more clone troopers sacrificed their lives out of loyalty to the Jedi and the Supreme Chancellor . While the clones had been engineered to serve as soldiers in the Grand Army , they were also encouraged by the Jedi to develop their own distinct identities , consequently resulting in a wave of greater individuality and creative - thinking that spread through the clone ranks . As such , special unit markings and color patterns became increasingly common within the Grand Army . The Grand Army of the Republic fought on all fronts for three years . As the end of the war drew near , clone troopers continued to see action from Coruscant to Kashyyyk and Utapau . Following the deaths of Darth Tyranus in the Battle of Coruscant , and General Grievous in the Battle of Utapau , the Separatists were all but defeated . However , by then the Jedi Council discovered the Supreme Chancellor ' s true identity — Sheev Palpatine and Darth Sidious were one and the same ; the leader of the Galactic Senate was the enigmatic Sith Lord who secretly controlled both sides in the war . Several masters on the council moved swiftly to arrest the Chancellor before he could destroy the Jedi Order and the Republic , but their efforts ultimately ended in failure . Using this incident to frame the Jedi Order for treason , Sidious declared that all Jedi were now enemies of the state . It was then that the Sith unleashed their secret weapon — the Grand Army of the Republic . Sidious broadcast Order 66 to the clone troopers who were spread throughout the galaxy . Due to their hidden programming , the clones complied without question , turning their weapons on the Jedi and executing them across numerous worlds , as well as inside the Jedi Temple where Darth Vader personally oversaw the Jedi ' s eradication . With the military under the Chancellor ' s control , and the Jedi all but destroyed , Sidious proclaimed himself Emperor of the first Galactic Empire . Ultimately , the Grand Army of the Republic was an asset that enabled Sidious to establish a Sith dictatorship over the galaxy . Legacy . As the formation of the Empire marked the end of the Old Republic , the Grand Army of the Republic became the basis of the Imperial Military — the armed forces of the Emperor ' s new government . Accordingly , the Republic clone troopers transitioned into Imperial stormtroopers . With vast portions of the galaxy unconquered , the Empire embarked on a massive militarization program to eliminate the remaining Separatist holdouts , enforce the Emperor ' s authority , and expand the Empire ' s growing dominion . Over time the clones ' skills deteriorated with the accelerated speed of their aging process , leading the Empire to prefer human recruits and conscripts over cloned soldiers . By and large , clones were removed from combat duty and instead given the task of managing various Imperial projects . By this time many clones felt bitter and horrified at their actions during Order 66 , even though it was out of their control . Few clones continued to serve in the stormtrooper ranks after the Battle of Yavin ; ISB Commander Alecia Beck believed Sergeant TX - 828 to be one of the last Kamino - produced clones who were still in service to the Imperial Military . During the time of the First Order , the Grand Army was still referenced in military circles , with Kylo Ren belittling Armitage Hux ' s troops , suggesting a clone army would be a stronger force . Vehicles and machinery . As the ground forces of the Republic military , the Grand Army used a wide range of vehicles to achieve various objectives . For artillery , the Grand Army utilized the AV - 7 Anti - vehicle Artillery Cannon , the Self - Propelled Heavy Artillery Turbolaser , and the UT - AT . The army also made use of several types of speeder s , including the BARC speeder , the CK - 6 swoop bike , and the Infantry Support Platform . The Republic ' s ground forces also used walkers , repulsorcraft , and wheeled vehicles such as the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer , the All Terrain Open Transport , the All Terrain Recon Transport , the AT - AP Walker , the HAVw A6 Juggernaut , and the RX - 200 " Falchion " - class assault tank . Weapons and equipment . For infantry weapons , the Grand Army of the Republic had a selection of blaster s , grenade s , and projectile launchers . For blasters , the army made use of the DC - 17 hand blaster , the DC - 15A blaster , the DC - 15 blaster rifle m the Z - 6 rotary blaster cannon , the SCUBA trooper rifle , and the Valken - 38x sniper . The types of grenades used were the Class - A thermal detonator and the N - 20 Baradium - core thermal detonator . The Grand Army utilized ascension gun s , missile launcher s , and the RPS - 6 rocket launcher . Behind the scenes . The Grand Army of the Republic first debuted in the 2002 theatrical film , .