Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic The Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic , commonly referred to as the New Republic Defense Force ( NRDF ) or New Republic Armed Forces , were the integrated military forces charged with the defense of the New Republic . Formed from the Alliance Military in 4 ABY after the Alliance to Restore the Republic reformed into the New Republic in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor , the New Republic military went on to liberate Coruscant , defeat Imperial warlords like Ysanne Isard , Zsinj , and Grand Admiral Thrawn , defeat the Reborn Emperor ' s Dark Empire , and finally defeat Gilad Pellaeon ' s Imperial Remnant and end the Galactic Civil War . Throughout its history , the New Republic Defense Force also fought numerous local conflicts , including the Black Fleet Crisis of 16 ABY and the Almanian Uprising of 17 ABY . After the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the galaxy in 25 ABY , the New Republic Defense Force suffered a series of defeats that culminated in the loss of Coruscant in 27 ABY . A revitalised Defense Force managed to inflict a devastating defeat on the Yuuzhan Vong at the Battle of Ebaq in 28 ABY , and was reorganized that year into the Galactic Alliance Defense Force . Role . The Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic comprised the New Republic Defense Fleet , the New Republic Starfighter Corps , and until 12 ABY , the New Republic Army . However , all three elements were heavily - integrated , and in contrast to the Imperial Military ' s role of planetary invasion and occupation , the New Republic military concentrated on peacekeeping , patrolling , and defense against external attacks . The New Republic military was intended to complement the Planetary Security Forces that answered to local sector authorities . Consequently the New Republic military was smaller than the Imperial Military that had preceded it ( though was much larger than the pre - Clone Wars Judicial Forces of the Old Republic ) , with a focus on rapid response over firepower . The New Republic military ' s early organization emphasised flexibility , largely owing to the disparate collection of heterogeneous units that had comprised the earlier Alliance Military . Naval battle group s were designed so they could be shifted rapidly within the four main fleets and area commands as required while planetary assault became the most common mission profile . The Alliance Special Forces were reorganized as bridgehead commandos while a larger New Republic Army was created for peacekeeping and garrison duties . Integration and standardisation proceeded apace after 8 ABY and the defeat of Warlord Zsinj , with a more serious military reform in 12 ABY after the defeat of the Dark Empire , with all federal military forces coming under the control of the four main fleet commands as part of a fully - integrated Defense Force . This period saw the abolition of the New Republic Army , with its defensive responsibilities shifted to the Planetary Security Forces and the role of planetary assault taken by the New Republic Marine s . In the New Republic Defense Fleet , battle groups became subcommands with defined sectors , with larger forces blockading the main Imperial holdouts and smaller squadrons assigned to peacekeeping patrols inside New Republic territory . History . From Endor to Coruscant . After the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY , the former Rebellion ' s military consisted primarily of donated starships converted to military duty , volunteer resistance force fleets , and a small number of vessels purchased with limited Rebel Alliance funds , headed by Admiral Ackbar . As the Rebel Alliance reformed into the Alliance of Free Planets , and one month later , the New Republic , Ackbar worked to forge his forces into a centralized military that could accomplish the Provisional Council ' s primary goal : the capture of Coruscant and the liberation of the galaxy from Galactic Empire . A decisive moment was Mon Mothma ' s issue of the Defense Declarations , which proclaimed the New Republic ' s intent to devolve control of the Planetary Security Forces , nationalized by the Empire , back to the sectors . Admiral Ackbar would later describe the Declarations as more decisive in delivering worlds from the Empire than any military campaign : members of the new government would be expected to support the common military , but could also now control their own planetary defense forces and at greater strength than under the Empire or the Republic . Imperial loyalist sectors dismissed the measure as illegal , but for others the Declarations caused many sectors that had been on the edge to side with the New Republic . Other sectors divided over whether to accept the Declarations , fomenting further Imperial warlordism and infighting and significantly reducing the number of enemies the New Republic had to fight . Early campaigns for the New Republic military included the unexpected invasion by the Ssi - ruu k at Bakura , and the war between the extra - galactic Nagai and Tof s , who advanced as far as Zeltros before the Tofs were defeated , and finally expelled from the galaxy at the Battle of Saijo . The campaigns stretched the New Republic military to the breaking point , and so it would not make any overt military moves against the Empire until over six months after Endor , but had reassured citizens that the former Rebellion could defend the galaxy and legitimized the new government . It was at this time that the New Republic Defense Fleet created its four original fleets : the First Fleet under the command of Admiral Firmus Nantz operated out of Saijo in the Western Reaches ; the Second Fleet under Admiral Hiram Drayson defended the New Republic ' s redoubt in the Calamari sector ; the Third Fleet operated out of Bothan Space into the Slice under Ackbar ' s personal command ; and the Fouth Fleet under Admiral Voon Massa operated from Bothawui along the Corellian Run as a mobile reserve for the First and Third Fleets . Flexibility was the guiding principle for the Defense Force ' s organization in this period , with pre - existing squadrons and flotillas from the old Alliance Fleet remaining intact and local loyalties being taken into account . Battle group s were designed so they could be shifted within the four main fleets as required or if necessary deployed independently . Over the next two years , the New Republic military fought a complex campaign aimed at isolating and marginalizing Imperial warlords from the rump of the Empire in the Core Worlds . In 4 ABY , Nantz ' s First Fleet separated warlords Delvardus and Prentioch at the Battle of Abraxas and isolated Par Lankin in the Lambda sector in the Hevvrol Sector Campaign . Massa ' s Fourth Fleet captured Druckenwell while Admiral Ackbar personally led the Third Fleet to liberate Kashyyyk and , with Rogue Squadron , capture Brentaal IV , bringing the New Republic into the Core Worlds . 5 ABY , however , saw morale fall as the New Republic was embroiled in attritional slogs on Milagro and Mindor : the New Republic Army and the Fourth Fleet engaged in both a surface and subterranean struggle against Admiral Uther Kermen ' s Imperial Army and Stormtrooper forces in the Milagro campaign , while General Luke Skywalker led the Rapid Response Task Force to assist the Third Fleet against Lord Shadowspawn at the Battle of Mindor . A needed lift came with the Delvardus campaign , which saw the First Fleet collapse the border of Warlord Delvardus ' dominion and force him to flee into the Deep Core . The New Republic consolidated its holdings in 6 ABY , with the First Fleet eliminating Warlord Prentioch ' s dominion at the Siege of Bomis Koori and the Fourth Fleet capturing Denon in a savage battle that saw the death of Admiral Massa . Meanwhile , Admiral Ackbar encircled the Core Worlds from the north in preparation for the capture of Coruscant , winning battles at Uviuy Exen and Palanhi , before launching the Coruscant campaign in mid - 6 ABY . Rogue Squadron fought twin battles to capture Borleias as a stepping stone to Coruscant itself , and finally liberated the galactic capital from the self - proclaimed Empress Ysanne Isard several weeks later . Against Thrawn and the Reborn Emperor . After the capture of Coruscant , the New Republic reorganized under the Common Charter , which also organized the military might of the New Republic into a single unified command structure . Starships , starfighters and soldiers all served under the Supreme Commander , an office built from the remains of the Minister of Defense , Minister of the Army , Minister of the Navy and Minister of the Starfighter Corps . The Defense Force was also under New Republic High Command . While the Defense Force was organized into Fleet Command , Intelligence , Technology and Quartermaster sections , the Defense Fleet served as its primary action body , and was led directly by the Supreme Commander , Ackbar . Many also referred to the Defense Fleet as the New Republic Navy . In 7 ABY , the Solo Fleet , an independent task force under the command of General Han Solo , was deployed to defeat Warlord Zsinj , the most powerful of the independent Imperial warlords . Zsinj was forced into hiding after the Battle of Selaggis and was subsequently killed at the Battle of Dathomir . Despite Zsinj ' s death , however , in the fighting that followed to claim his empire , the New Republic took significant casualties from both Warlord Teradoc and Admiral Teren Rogriss , leading forces out of Imperial Space . Though Teradoc was forced to retreat into the Deep Core , fleet numbers on both sides largely stabilized owing to the losses of the campaigns , and at the end of 8 ABY Mon Mothma ordered a suspension in military operations , leaving the New Republic in nominal control of three - quarters of the galaxy , having pushed the Galactic Empire into a rump state in the New Territories beyond the Hydian Way . Fighting the Imperial Remnant . Ostensibly it was during this period that the navy began to organize into battle group s . Each of the four fleets now consisted of hundreds of warships , transports , and support vessels organized into battle group s and task forces , in addition to ground troop divisions and starfighter wings . These fleets patrolled segments of the New Republic on a rotating basis , with at least one always assigned to defending Coruscant and another assigned to patrolling " Thunder Alley " . Prior to 16 ABY , four fleets existed to fulfil this function . In the nine years following the reorganization of the fleet , the variety of vessels that comprised the Defense Fleet grew ; starships from hundreds of shipyards across New Republic space made up the frontline , support and civilian vessels of the Fleet . The resulting inefficiencies of this diversity prompted a program to streamline the Fleet ' s ships and increase maintenance efficiency . This program , named New Class , offered the Fleet a new level of standardization , power and flexibility previously enjoyed by the Imperial Starfleet . By 16 ABY , a new battle group , the Fifth Battle Group constructed wholly of New Class starships completed its proving missions and demonstrated the success of the program in the Black Fleet Crisis . The Yuuzhan Vong War and end . However , the Fleet ' s battle groups were designed as response forces and , despite the concerns of some politicians during the launch of the Fifth Battle Group , not a tool of conquest . Thus , the Fleet was woefully unprepared to launch counteroffensives against the Yuuzhan Vong in the early stages of the Yuuzhan Vong War , and once again had to rely on its talented commanders to achieve victories . Unfortunately , the New Republic Senate kept withdrawing fleets to the Core Worlds , effectively forcing the Defense Force to sacrifice the Mid and Outer Rim . The Defense Force suffered serious defeats due to the political leadership , draining morale and resources , and members of the Defense Force came close to mutiny . With the collapse of the New Republic and the formation of the Galactic Alliance , the New Republic Defense Force formally ceased to exist , and was replaced by the Galactic Alliance Defense Force . Organization . Headquarters . The Defense Forces were headed by the Supreme Commander , who took orders from the Chief of State , the civilian leader of the New Republic . In the first few years after Endor , the Defense Forces were organized under the Ministry of Defense , which had been reorganized from the Rebel Alliance ' s Ministry of War , with separate ministries below for the Army , Fleet , and Starfighter Corps . In practise this proved overly - bureaucratic and cumbersome , and following the Liberation of Coruscant in 6 ABY , the whole command structure was reorganized again , with the position of Minister of Defense being abolished and the Supreme Commander becoming a Ruling Council position . New Republic High Command was the senior professional military body in control of the Defense Forces , which in turn controlled Fleet Command and Starfighter Command . Legislative scrutiny of defense policy was conducted by the Defense Council of the New Republic Senate . Administrative organization . The branches of the New Republic military before integration were the New Republic Defense Fleet , New Republic Starfighter Corps , and the New Republic Army . Federal military forces were fully integrated into the four fleet commands in 12 ABY , with the Army being abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the Defense Fleet ' s Marines and the ground elements of the Planetary Security Forces . Other administrative departments within the Defense Forces included the Technology Section , the Training Section , the Quartermaster Section , New Republic Special Operations , New Republic Special Forces , and the New Republic Fleet Office . New Republic Fleet Intelligence was the military intelligence branch of the Defense Force , and was a separate agency to the civilian New Republic Intelligence Service . The New Republic Honor Guard provided ceremonial duties . Tactical organization . The Defense Forces were built around four main fleets and area commands , derived from the four original fleets that had conducted the advance on Coruscant from 4 to 6 ABY . Early organization emphasized flexibility , with pre - existing squadrons and flotillas from the old Alliance Fleet remaining intact and local loyalties being taken into account . Battle group s were designed so they could be shifted within the four main fleets as required or if necessary deployed independently , such as the Solo Fleet deployed against Warlord Zsinj . As the New Republic grew , Admiral Ackbar was faced with the challenge of creating a unified Defense Force out of the disparate units that had comprised the Rebel Alliance ' s Sector Force s , which had contrasting regulations , tactics and traditions . To achieve this , the squadrons that had not originally been part of the central Alliance Fleet Command were largely broken up and their ships and crews sent to different units . This provoked a degree of resistance , but on the whole Defense Force integration proceeded quickly . By 8 ABY , the New Republic First Fleet guarded Coruscant as the Home Fleet , while the Second defended Elom , the Third , Kashyyyk and the Fourth , Bothan Space . This arrangement fought in the Thrawn campaign , the Imperial advance out of the Deep Core , and Operation Shadow Hand . By 12 ABY the battle group and squadron forces met standards for strength , unity and discipline , allowing a more sweeping military reform . The New Republic Army , which had suffered heavy casualties in Operation Shadow Hand , was abolished , with its defense and garrison responsibilities transferred to the local Planetary Security Forces , and all federal military forces were placed under the four fleet commands as part of a integrated Defense Force . Naval battle groups became subcommands with defined sectors of operations , with large forces blockading the main Imperial holdouts and smaller squadrons assigned to peacekeeping patrols inside New Republic territory . One battle group in each fleet served as a mobile reserve , but temporary attachments of multi - role task forces — standardized squadrons built around a mix of vessels with complementary capabilities — could turn each battle group into a powerful fighting fleet . After the reorganization led to the four fleets becoming increasingly tied - down as territorial deployments , a new rapid - reaction command was activated in 16 ABY . The Fifth Roving Battle Group contained five task forces , and fought with distinction in the Black Fleet Crisis . The Fifth Battle Group was soon assigned full fleet status , and by 19 ABY the New Republic Fifth Fleet was enlarged to a full strength of five hundred capital ships in five battle groups .