New Republic Defense Fleet / Legends The New Republic Defense Fleet , commonly referred to as the New Republic Navy or the New Republic Space Navy , was the name of the defense Fleet of the New Republic . History . At the creation of the New Republic , the former Alliance Fleet 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 , who also held a seat on the New Republic Provisional Council . During this period , Ackbar coordinated the Fleet towards the Council ' s primary goal : the capture of Coruscant . Along the way , the Fleet engaged a number of Imperial warlords and relied heavily upon its officers ' ingenuity to defeat the warlords ' superior warships . After the liberation 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 , the Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic . 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 the Minister of the Starfighter Corps . 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 . Ostensibly it was during this period that the Navy began to organize into fleets . These groups 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 were created to fulfill 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 fleet , the New Republic 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 . Ignoring Imperial design philosophy and opting for a larger number of smaller ship - designs , the New Republic built fleet carriers , " Republic " - class Star Destroyers and smaller battle cruisers , shying away from Super Star Destroyer - sized warships . However , the Navy ' s fleets were designed as response forces and , despite the concerns of some politicians during the launch of the Fifth Fleet , not a tool of conquest . The lessons learned from the Black Fleet Crisis eventually took form as the Star Defender program , which had its own set of detractors and moved ahead slowly . Thus , the Navy was not able to easily launch counter - offensives against the Yuuzhan Vong in the late stages of the Yuuzhan Vong War , and once again had to rely on its talented commanders to achieve victories . During that conflict , " Mediator " - class battle cruisers , Bothan Assault Cruiser s and " Viscount " - class Star Defenders comprised the fleet ' s " signature ships " . With the collapse of the New Republic and the formation of the Galactic Alliance , the New Republic Defense Fleet formally ceased to exist , and was replaced by the Galactic Alliance Defense Fleet . Organization . Headquarters . The Defense Fleet , and the Defense Forces as a whole , 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 a ministry below it for the Fleet . 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 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 . The New Republic Fleet Office was another controlling element of the Defense Fleet , which had authority over the Fleet , New Republic Fleet Intelligence , and the New Republic Marine s . Administrative organization . The New Republic Marine s , bridgehead commandos responsible for leading planetary assaults , were a component of the Defense Fleet . New Republic Fleet Intelligence was another component of the Defense Fleet responsible for military intelligence , which included Asset Tracking , a department responsible for tracking Imperial military equipment lost after Endor . Tactical organization . The Defense Fleet was 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 navy 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 , and the Bothan Council and the Corellian Resistance responded by withdrawing most of their units from the navy , but on the whole Defense Fleet 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 . 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 could turn each battle group into a powerful fighting fleet . These task forces were standardized squadrons built around a mix of vessels with complementary capabilities , designed to perform equally well at different mission profiles . The standard deployment was three Star Destroyers or heavy cruisers , with two light carriers , four escorts , and five attack ships . Also attached were a line of scouts and support vessels . Standing orders mandated that the balance of ships in each task force should be roughly equal rather than allowing battleships or pickets to become overrepresented , so that the number of task forces in a battle group defined its role rather than the internal balance of ships . 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 .