Imperial Army trooper Imperial Army troopers were the standard infantry of the Imperial Army , and the most common soldiers of the Galactic Empire on most subject worlds . Following the Empire ' s post - Endor fragmentation , their numbers were maintained by periodic conscription from among subject populations . Characteristics . Imperial Army troopers were recruited from all across the Empire , though preferably from worlds which lacked any rebel sympathies . Those who passed their initial screening at their local Imperial Recruitment Office and the medical and intelligence assessments at a Training Center were shipped to one of thousands of drop camps situated across the Empire for basic training . Physical fitness , equipment maintenance , team - building drills and indoctrination were all part of training to become an Army trooper . Though survival in a variety of environments was standard , some drop camps specialized in certain exotic types as well . All manner of combat techniques were taught , from hand - to - hand fighting and blaster proficiency to grenade and heavy weapons training . Troopers fresh out of training were reasonably professional soldiers , though lacking in experience and ( among those drafted against their will ) generally low morale . While capable of facing regular Rebel troopers in combat , they were easy prey for the Alliance ' s SpecForce . Those who managed to survive a few tours of duty , mostly career soldiers , were able to hone their skills to a greater degree and likewise possessed superior morale and confidence in their abilities . Such veteran troopers were a fairly significant threat even to SpecForce . The most elite of the Army were Imperial Army Special Missions trooper . However military duty for an Army trooper was relatively light : whereas the Stormtrooper Corps — which was separate from the Imperial Army — was employed for boarding actions and attacking enemy positions , regular army troopers were used to secure ground already taken . They also maintained Imperial military bases or served aboard fleet vessels as marines , and garrisoned pacified worlds . Troopers were more than willing to fight when necessary though ; thirty troopers participated in an attack against a group of smugglers in the Whistler ' s Whirlpool Tapcafe on Trogan in 9 ABY . Equipment . During the early years of the Empire , troopers wore a similar uniform as Imperial Navy trooper s , though it was grey - colored , along with partial field armor and a blast helmet with integrated comlink like the DH77 headcomm . Standard gear consisted of a blaster rifle and grenades along with survival gear and a utility belt containing supplies . Goggles were also worn , with a variety of tinted and vision - enhancing models in use by the army . Troopers could be equipped or operated as part of the crew for an infantry support weapon , including light repeating blasters , Equalizer ion cannons , PLX - 2M portable missile launcher s , DEMP guns , CSPL - 12 projectile launchers , or E - Web heavy repeating blaster s . They also had similarities in uniform to the Vehicle Command Crewer s , more specifically the Armored Cavalry Division . At some point in the history of the Fel Empire , the Stormtrooper Corps was disbanded and the stormtroopers were redistributed into the ranks of the Imperial Army . Yet individual stormtrooper units continued to operate separately from army troopers as elite shock forces , and thus they retained their armor as well . Variants . Imperial Army Special Missions trooper - the elite special forces of the Imperial Army . Imperial medic - a type of soldier and officer that was attached to the Galactic Empire ' s ground and naval forces that had specialized medical training . Behind the scenes . Imperial Medics , as well as Imperial Officers , wore field uniforms similar to that of regular Army Troopers . The Imperial officers in " " armor resembles Imperial Army Troopers ' armor . In the 2003 video game " Star Wars Galaxies : An Empire Divided " , certain Imperial were identified as Imperial troopers , and wore white jumpsuits , with a white belt , boots , and gloves . Given that these Imperial troopers acted as soldiers who patrolled Imperial bases on various worlds , it can be deduced that these were simply Imperial Army troopers wearing a different type of uniform .