Imperial Army

The Imperial Army, also known as the Imperial Forces, or Imperial ground forces, was the land-based branch of the Galactic Empire's military. As the ultimate evolution of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Imperial Army swiftly asserted dominance throughout the galaxy, making use of highly trained soldiers, mechanized walkers, and overwhelming numbers. The Imperial Army operated in tandem with the forces of the Imperial Navy, relying on the numerous fleets to transport legions of troopers across the far reaches of the galaxy. The most common soldiers of the Empire's ground forces were known as Imperial Army troopers, the core infantry of the army tasked with enforcing the Imperial regime and pacifying troublesome worlds.
As the Empire expanded and reinforced their grip on the galaxy, these units were gradually phased out in some areas and were replaced by stormtrooper garrisons, elite shock troops fanatically loyal to the Emperor himself.
==Description==
===Structure===
As the branch of the Imperial Military that dealt with surface operations, the army of the Galactic Empire was composed of many sub-units and organizations, and utilized a vast array of vehicles to achieve its objectives. In total and across the galaxy, billions of soldiers were part of the Imperial Army.Star Wars Rebels: Rebels Versus Empire Ultimate Sticker Book The purpose of the army was to enforce the oppressive Imperial government headed by Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine, who created the armed force to be one that held unwavering and appalling strength. Imperial High Command ensured the army included a wide range of specialized subunits, ensuring there were soldiers who could demonstrate unparalleled efficiency in any hostile environment the Empire needed to enter.
The top authority of the Imperial Army was the acting Commander-in-Chief, Darth Vader, who otherwise had no rank but held absolute control over the entirety of the Imperial Armed Forces. However, as the Emperor's Fist did not bother himself with the day-to-day responsibilities in his special appointment, overall Imperial Military strategy was left to the Supreme Commander, who was the formal head of Imperial High Command as its senior-most officer. The Imperial Army was represented in the IHC by the General Staff, which acted as its leading organization and was responsible for making decisions for army operations. As stormtroopers were part of the Stormtrooper Corps, which was placed under the Army, they received their orders from the Stormtrooper Command subdivision of Imperial High Command.
Orders from the High Command were delivered to the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Military, the council responsible for drafting the day-to-day operations of all Imperial Military branches. The highest-ranking Army officer, holding the title of Chief of the Imperial Army was part of this council and reported on ground operations. This complex system of overarching councils and commands was deliberately implemented by Palpatine to ensure that no officer would hold absolute authority over any military branch as well as to encourage competition and prevent the organization of a potential coup.Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire
The Army Engineering Corps served to construct Imperial installations and demolish enemy fortifications. The Imperial Army also maintained its own law enforcement agency, the Imperial Army Military Police, although they were overshadowed by the Stormtrooper Corps. Other divisions included the Maritime Division, Special Forces Command, and Imperial Army Intelligence. No less important were the abundance of smaller organizations, including general maintenance and administration.
===Tactics===
The Imperial Army often favored the use of a tactic known as combined arms, in which both infantry and armored cavalry were used together against a target so the enemy would have to defend against both. If the enemy only defended against one type of attack, they were left vulnerable to the other.Star Wars: The Rebel Files The Empire's armored cavalry consisted of many different types of walkers, such as the All Terrain Armored Transport, and tanks, such as the 2-M hover tank,Star Wars: Commander Imperial-class 1-H repulsortank, and the TX-225 GAVw "Occupier" combat assault tank.Rogue One: A Star Wars Story These were organized under the Imperial Armor Corps and Imperial Artillery Corps, a sub-unit of the Armor Corps. Imperial leadership also had a habit of deeming civilian casualties to be "acceptable" if it meant victory was possible, even being willing to march Imperial troops through heavily–populated civilian settlements.
The Imperial Army also maintained numerous TIE fighters for combat use in planetary atmospheres as part of the Army Air Corps. As a result, TIE fighter pilots in the Imperial Army were nicknamed ground-hogs unlike their Imperial Navy counterpart, the vac-heads. Since vac-heads maintained better public recognition through the HoloNet News, a bitter rivalry existed between the two branches, with each having their own anthem and bars at Imperial flight bases in order to avoid conflict. However the Bright Jewel Oversector Flight Base did not separate its bar between the branches, in one instance resulting in members of Nashtah Squadron to provoke other members of the Imperial Navy by singing the Ground-hog anthem.
==History==
===Formation===
At the end of the Clone Wars, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine declared himself Emperor of the galaxy, forming the first Galactic Empire. The Imperial Army originated from the Grand Army of the Republic, and served as the Galactic Empire's ground forces for maintaining control of the countless worlds under the New Order.Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide The Emperor's policy of military expansion saw the continued growth of the Imperial Army under the guise of combating remaining Separatist holdouts.
As a result, the clone troopers who fought for the Galactic Republic became the first generation of Imperial stormtroopers, and served as the backbone of the Imperial Army.The Star Wars Book Although the clone soldiers were once considered the "future of galactic warfare," Admiral and Governor Wilhuff Tarkin questioned their usefulness in the wake of the end of the Clone Wars. Despite the Kaminoan Prime Minister Lama Su's belief that the Empire needed more clone troopers to maintain order in the galaxy, Tarkin felt that the cloning operation on Kamino was a "cost prohibitive relic of a bygone era." Nevertheless, he reserved his final decision while assessing the clone units in order to determine if they were still needed by the Imperial Army.
===The transition from clones to recruits===
The results of Project War-Mantle—a program created to replace clone troopers with enlisted soldiers—impressed Governor Tarkin. The Governor continued to regard the clone trooper program as an unnecessary financial burden, whereas he viewed a service conscription force as a cost-effective solution to the Empire's need for more soldiers. However, Tarkin decided that the clones would continue to serve their purpose until the Empire was prepared to decommission them. Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart, the head of the Empire's conscription program, envisioned the Imperial Army's future as a force comprising willing recruits instead of programmed clones. The goals of Tarkin and Rampart concerned Lama Su, who feared that natural-born soldiers would make his clones obsolete. Therefore, he urged his Chief Medical Scientist, Doctor Nala Se, to create a superior clone in hopes of securing Kamino's relationship with the Empire, but the Empire would ultimately withdraw all forces from Kamino and destroy its cloning operation. In time, the clones were replaced by recruits, who were trained for obedience and absolute loyalty to the Emperor.
Even before the Imperial Senate passed the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill, which formally established the Stormtrooper CorpsStar Wars: Dawn of Rebellion: The Visual Guide as an organization composed of non-clone recruits, recruited stormtroopers began seeing deployment in the place of clones without the knowledge of the Senate. Such deployments included being sent to the former Separatist world of Desix and the Outer Rim world of Thabeska. Around a year into the Empire's reign, former Padawan Ahsoka Tano had taken notice of the shift, although Clone Wars-era vehicles still saw use in the Imperial Army; while facing tanks during the Raada Uprising, Tano suspected the older vehicles had been deployed to the moon because of how insignificant Raada was in the grand scheme of the Empire's plans. Recruited stormtroopers were part of the operation instead of clones, however.Ahsoka
The recruitment program was officially approved under the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill by the Imperial Senate under the decree of Emperor Palpatine. Many soldiers in the Imperial Army were members of local planetary defense forces who took up arms during the Clone Wars and were subsequently conscripted into Imperial service. Classified as infantry, Imperial Army troopers were gradually upgraded and replaced with Stormtrooper forces, but would continue to serve side-by-side with stormtroopers to bolster their effectiveness for several years after the formation of the Empire.Solo: A Star Wars Story The Official Guide
===Age of Doctrine===
In 14 BBY, Imperial Army forces were garrisoned on the Imperial protectorate of Ryloth, which was in reality under Imperial occupation. Colonel Belkor Dray served as Governor Moff Delian Mors' second-in-command and commanded the Imperial Army forces on Ryloth. The stormtroopers on Ryloth operated outside the Imperial Army command structure and answered directly to the Empire. He used his senior position within the Imperial government and military on Ryloth to spy for Cham Syndulla, the leader of the Free Ryloth Movement. Other elements of the Imperial Army were stationed at the Equatorial Communications Hub, which was commanded by Major Steen Borkas. Though their base was attacked, Borkas' forces including stormtroopers assisted Moff Mors in rescuing Emperor Palpatine and his right-hand, Darth Vader, and foiling Dray and Syndulla's plot to assassinate the Empire's leadership. Following the failed assassination attempt, the Imperial authorities embarked on a crackdown on Ryloth and strengthened the stormtrooper presence on the planet.
In 10 BBY, nine years into the Imperial Era,Star Wars: Battles that Changed the Galaxy establishes the Mimban Campaign was fought nine years into the Imperial Era, which started in 19 BBY according to Star Wars: Galactic Atlas. Therefore, the campaign must have taken place in 10 BBY. the mighty Imperial Army focused its sights on the swampy world of Mimban, a planet known for its abundance of natural resources; at the behest of Grand Moff Tarkin, all regional governors were required to immediately increase production of materials benefiting the Imperial cause, which led Bin Essada, governor of the Circarpous sector within the Expansion Region, to order all necessary resources to be stripped from Mimban at once, disregarding the indigenous population.Solo: A Star Wars Story The Official Guide The combined forces of the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy thus invaded the planet, launching the Mimban Campaign and initiating a bloody conflict between the entrenched Mimbanese and Imperials.
By the time of the Mimban offensive, the Imperial Army was utilizing its army troopers in tandem with the more elite stormtroopers, who were beginning to take the place of the regular army soldiers. In specific, wet-weather gear stormtroopers served on Mimban, where they also fought alongside All Terrain Defense Turrets, AT-haulers and air support provided by naval TIE fighters to pacify the stubborn Mimbanese guerillas. Among the battered army soldiers was a young Han Solo, serving as a corporal within the 224th Imperial Armored Division. Solo initially attended the Carida Academy in the hopes of one day becoming an Imperial pilot and returning to his homeworld of Corellia. However the maverick prospect was eventually transferred to infantry duty on Mimban following multiple instances of insubordination and recklessness. Although the seizure of resources was the military's primary goal during the campaign, they also sought to establish a regime that fell under the direct jurisdiction of the Galactic Empire.
By 9 BBY, elements of the Imperial Army were stationed on the crime-ridden world of Daiyu as a security force, only for those stormtroopers to be suddenly reinforced by the arrival of the Inquisitorius and their stormtroopers. The Fifth Brother brought with him his personal battalion.Star Wars: The Dark Side Pocket Expert The reinforcements had arrived in reaction to the Third Sister, who was secretly working to overthrow Vader as revenge for his actions during the siege of the Jedi Temple, had become obsessed with finding Vader's former Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to get close enough to the Sith Lord to attack. Believing the Third Sister was merely looking for Vader's favor and unwilling to let her earn it, the Grand Inquisitor, Fourth Sister, and Fifth Brother ordered their stormtroopers to lock down Daiyu City—where the Third Sister had lured Kenobi by kidnapping Senator Bail Prestor Organa's adopted daughter, Princess Leia Organa, due to the Senator's past friendship with the Jedi Master—and to find Kenobi, with the Grand Inquisitor promising to bring Kenobi in himself.
Creating chaos in the Imperial search by putting a bounty out on Kenobi, the Third Sister continued her search, only for Kenobi and Organa to escape with the help of a criminal named Haja Estree. The Third Sister believed she killed the Grand Inquisitor during their escape, but he survived. Kenobi and Organa found themselves on the mining planet Mapuzo in the Mid Rim, where they encountered stormtroopers who belonged to the local Imperial battery. Although they were rescued by a defected Imperial officer named Tala Durith, who had joined an anti-Imperial cell known as the Hidden Path to help Force-sensitives due to her regret in taking part in a massacre on Garel, a viper probe droid managed to transmit Kenobi's image to Fortress Inquisitorius on the moon of Nur, leading the Inquisitors, their battalions, and Vader himself to Mapuzo.
During the ensuring battle, the Fifth Brother, Fourth Sister, and their troops locked down a town the Path had been hidden in for sometime, Kenobi was injured by Vader but escaped when Durith distracted the Sith Lord's stormtroopers, and Organa was again kidnapped by the Third Sister, who took the princess to the Fortress Inquisitorius with the hope she knew more about the Path. Regaining his strength, Kenobi traveled with Nur with Durith to rescue Organa and made his way past the base's complement of stormtroopers. Once his presence was discovered, Kenobi and Durith made it out with the help of the Path, escaping from the Third Sister and the base's forces with Organa. However, the Third Sister managed to hide a homing beacon and restraining bolt on Organa's toy droid L0-LA59, leading Vader and the Imperial Military to the Path's base on the planet Jabiim. Promoted to the rank of Grand Inquisitor, the Third Sister led the Imperial Army to the surface to attack the Path, although Durith sacrificed herself to briefly hold them back once the stormtroopers had broken through the bunker doors.
After the stormtroopers briefly captured Kenobi, who had realized the Third Sister was working against Vader, he escaped and returned to the Path, understanding that Vader's shortsighted hunt for him would make him to overlook a second transport. Indeed believing the Path and Kenobi would escape aboard the first ship he saw take off, Vader failed to stop their escape and then was attacked by the Third Sister. Having always known she intended to betray him, Vader quickly defeated her before the still-alive Grand Inquisitor and some of the stormtroopers entered the base. Leaving the Third Sister for dead, Vader and his forces chased the Path freighter until Kenobi split off from the group on an escape ship, which Vader declared their priority. Vader elected to fight Kenobi alone but was defeated, allowing the Jedi Master to escape from the Empire's grasp.
By 5 BBY, Lothal's Academy for Young Imperials was training Imperial cadets for both the Imperial Army and its Stormtrooper Corps. Cadets selected for the stormtrooper program received a more rigorous program than those training for the Army track.Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy Cadets training as Imperial Army officers including Zare Leonis underwent a series of grueling training exercises including multiple sessions in a simulated combat chamber called the Well.Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks Promising Army officer cadets also underwent training at the Arkanis Academy, which was run by the charismatic Commandant Brendol Hux,Servants of the Empire: The Secret Academy the architect of the First Order's later stormtrooper program.Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary
===Galactic Civil War===
During both the early rebellion and the Galactic Civil War, the Imperial Army saw action against various rebel forces including the Spectres,Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion the Phoenix Cell, Saw Gerrera's Partisans, which were part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The Imperial Army was deployed on many worlds across the galaxy, including Tatooine, and saw action on multiple fronts, including Hoth, Ab Dalis,Star Wars (2020) 15 and Endor; during the Battle of Hoth, General Maximilian Veers commanded the Imperial ground assault on Echo Base, while the Imperial Army besieged the Alliance's Eleventh Division during the Battle of Ab Dalis, which was also a part of the Operation Starlight campaign. At the Battle of Endor, a legion of the Imperial Army defended the second Death Star's shield generator. Despite dogged resistance, the Imperial forces on Endor were defeated by the rebels and their local Ewok allies.
Following the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader at Endor, the Imperial Army and other branches of the Imperial Military fought against the New Republic on multiple worlds and fronts including the Wretch of Tayron,Shattered Empire 3 Naalol, Akiva, and Sevarcos.Aftermath By 5 ABY, elements of the Imperial Army on Kashyyyk came under the command of Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck. Several Imperial Army personnel were stationed at Lozen Tolruck's island fortress including Forest troopers. Many Imperial personnel were killed when Han Solo, Chewbacca and their associates staged a successful Wookiee slave uprising against the Empire.Aftermath: Life Debt
After Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax took control of loyalist Imperial forcesVictory's Price and marshaled their numbers on Jakku, elements of the Imperial Army, including the Stormtrooper Corps, waited for the New Republic but found their sanity tested. The Clone Wars veteran General Hodnar Borrum commanded the Imperial ground forces during the cataclysmic Battle of Jakku, which saw the defeat of the Empire and the triumph of the New Republic. Following the Imperial Instruments of Surrender in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Jakku, the Galactic Concordance was signed, which stipulated the dissolution of the Empire including the Imperial Army. While civilian functionaries were given conditional pardons, all Imperial officers were designated as war criminals.
===Legacy===
The Imperial Military and its army branch were remembered into the New Republic's era as symbols of the old Imperial order.Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga Pockets of Imperials still survived in the galaxy and dreamed of restoring the Imperial order. Moff Gideon and his remnant, which was formed out of remnants of the Imperial Army and Navy, hunted down the Force-sensitive youngling Grogu with that goal in mind.
The remnants of the Empire subsequently relocated to the Unknown Regions where they reestablished themselves as the First Order, a military junta dedicated to restoring the "Old Empire." The First Order's army was established from the remnants of the former Imperial Army.Before the Awakening Brendol Hux's son Armitage Hux became a high-ranking general in the First Order's army. Nearly a generation later, the surface of Jakku was still littered with wreckage including Imperial Army AT-AT walkers, one of which became the home of the Force-sensitive scavenger Rey.
==Groups==
===Armies, corps, divisions, legions===
The Imperial Army was composed of various units of varying sizes, including armies such as the 12th Sector Army and corps including the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps. There were also multiple divisions, encompassing units such as the 224th Imperial Armored Division, the division led by Colonel Barokki,Darth Vader (2017) 8the division under the command of General Valin Hess, and an armored division attached to Grand Admiral Thrawn's 7th Fleet. Formations identified the first division and second division were active as part of General Sorin's forces.Legends of the Alliance
The Imperial Army was additionally comprised of legions, including the 68th Legion, the 97th Legion,Battlefront: Twilight Company the One-Oh-Seventh Stormtrooper Legion, the 291st Legion, and the 481st Legion.Nexus of Power Elite legions within the Imperial Army included the 1st Legion,Thrawn: Alliances 187th Legion, and 501st Legion. Both the 1st and 501st fell under the command of Darth Vader. Another legion of Palpatine's best soldiers was known as Tempest Force, although they would fail within the Battle of Endor.
===Brigades, regiments, and battalions===
Further military units within the Imperial Army included brigades, with one brigade commanded by Colonel Brenna.Star Wars Battlefront II Regiments were also utilized, with a desert stormtrooper regiment being present on Tatooine, a regiment on Cymoon made up of four battalions,Forged in Battle and the Imperial Hammers Elite Armor Unit, which was a vanguard armor regiment.Lead by Example
Battalions included the 9th Engineering Battalion,Friends Like These the 71st GAV Battalion,Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide the 212th Attack Battalion, the 975th Battalion, a battalion led by Major Rantu,Darth Vader (2017) 14 and a battalion in Lessu directed by Vice Admiral Edmon Rampart. The Fifth Brother had a personal battalion of stormtroopers at his beck and call.
===Squadrons and companies===
The Imperial Army was further divided into companies, with two examples being Company Cresh,Servants of the Empire: The Secret Academy Wilco's company, and a company led by Lieutenant Fhaen. There were also ground squadrons, with the 201st Squadron under the leadership of General Markon, and the Thundering Herd squadron.Star Wars Complete Vehicles, New Edition
===Platoons and squads===
Several examples of platoons within the Imperial Army were Cresh-3 Platoon and the squad led by Alexsandr Kallus. Examples of squads within the army included Foot Patrol 7, Captain Howzer's squad, Clone Commander Mayday's squad, JN-093's squad,Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization squad two, another unit named squad two, Squad Three,Ezra's Gamble squad four,Darth Vader (2017) 24 squad five, another united designated Squad Five, squad six Squad Seven squad eight Task Force 99,Star Wars (2015) 19 Team Nine, and Team Twelve.Star Wars (2015) 36
===Garrisons and other forces===
Multiple garrisons of the Imperial Army were present on multiple worlds throughout the galaxy. Such garrisons included the garrison on Cloud City, Bespin, a garrison on Dathomir, the Eadu Deployment, the garrison guarding Fortress Vader on Mustafar,Darth Vader (2017) 23 the garrison on Garel, the garrison on Gigor, the garrison on Ilum, the Lothal garrison,Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal the garrison on Mantooine, the garrison on Mataou,Star Wars: Uprising—Crew Run: "Keeping the Garrison Empty" the Death Star's shield generator garrison.
Other garrisons included the garrison on Mrinzebon,Alphabet Squadron the Aldhani Garrison, the garrison on Ferrix, the garrison on Wecacoe,Rogue One - Cassian & K-2SO Special 1 the garrison on Naalol, the Imperial garrison on Naboo, the garrison on Obumubo, the garrison in Plateau City on Kaller,Kanan 4 the Scarif Deployment, the garrison on Scrim Island, Batonn,Thrawn the garrison on Sullust, the garrison on Tatooine, and the stormtrooper garrison at Winter's Edge.Guardians of the Whills
Other units included Blizzard Force, which included a battalion of cold weather assault stormtroopers and the Hellhound attack force.Star Wars: On the Front Lines
==Organization==
===Drivers and pilots===
As the Imperial Army used a large variety of vehicles, they deployed different variants of the Imperial combat driver. Several variants included AT-ACT drivers, AT-AT pilots, AT-ST drivers, Imperial combat assault tank commanders, and Imperial combat assault tank pilots. As part of the Imperial Army, the Army Air Corps utilized TIE fighter pilots.
===Mercenaries===
In addition to its own infantry forces, the Imperial Military also employed mercenaries to do their bidding. Dowutin Hunters, Fathier Riders, Tognath Marksmen, Twi'lek Incinerators, Luggabeast Munitioneers, as well as Gamorrean Warriors usually saw service with the Empire.
===Stormtroopers===
====Overview====
In the early rule of the Empire, the Imperial Army continued to utilize clones, as well as Imperial shock troopers. Purge Troopers, elite clones that served under the Inquisitorius in 18 BBY, were from the very last Kamino production line.Darth Vader (2017) 13 As the Empire grew older, its military forces transitioned from clones to birth-born human recruits and conscriptions and were re-designated as stormtroopers. Stormtrooper Commanders were stormtrooper officers that commanded groups of other stormtroopers. Their rank was denoted by the colored pauldron they were equipped with. Imperial officers who led contingents of stormtroopers aboard a capital ship were also referred to as stormtrooper commanders.
====Elite units====
The Imperial Army used special and elite stormtroopers for a number of operations. Special Commando Advanced Recon Trooper were used for special missions, Storm Commandos were special forces that were efficient in close-combat tactics,Star Wars: Galactic Defense Purge Troopers were special units deployed in the Anoat sector,Star Wars: Uprising shadow troopers were elite units with experimental armor, and Imperial shock troopers were used as heavy frontline troops as well as bodyguards for Emperor Palpatine himself and as heavy weapons specialists. At times, the experimental Phase II Dark Troopers were also used by the Imperial Army.
====Environment====
The various environments in the galaxy called for a variety of stormtroopers that specialized in different surroundings. Swamptroopers were specialized for operations on swamped worlds, seatroopers were equipped for underwater combat, magma troopers specialized in activities on volcanic environments, cold weather assault stormtroopers for sub-zero combat, sandtroopers and their sub-variant, the dewback trooper, were utilized for desert operations, spacetroopers for operations in vacuum environments such as space, coastal defender stormtroopers for tropical environments, forest troopers for densely forested conditions, and the wet-weather gear stormtroopers, which were used on the swamp planet Mimban.
====Specialized====
The Imperial Army had a wide array of stormtroopers that specialized in a type of combat or weapon. There were several variants of the Heavy Weapons Stormtrooper, which included the Heavy Sandtrooper, the Heavy Snowtrooper, and the Heavy Shoretrooper, and also used was the Imperial Heavy Trooper. The Army also made use of Jumptroopers, which had several variations as well. They included Arctic Jumptroopers, Desert Jumptroopers, and Forest Jumptroopers. Stormtrooper snipers,Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions sniper troopers and scout troopers were used as recon and sniper units. Demolition Troopers,Star Wars Battlefront rocket stormtroopers, and stormtrooper grenadiers used heavy ordnance, while flametroopers utilized flamethrowers.Lost Stars Other specialized stormtroopers used by the Imperial Army included the riot control stormtroopers, the patrol troopers, and the Range trooper.
===Other===
Although the core of the Imperial Army was composed of stormtroopers, combat drivers, Imperial Army troopers, and the like, the Imperial Army also used Kubaz Invaders, Ongidae Oppressors, and Rodian Recon Snipers as part of their forces, different from mercenaries. Among the Imperial Army troopers, variants included swamp troopers, who were used on the world Mimban, and Imperial security troopers. For black-ops missions, the Army deployed the deadly Imperial Army Special Missions troopers that were able to effectively act as saboteurs, infiltrators, assassins, commandos, and slicers. Engineers were also frequently used by the Army, and were part of the Army Engineering Corps.
One model of sentry droid was fielded by the Empire to patrol its bases.Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions Another model of sentry droid used by the regime was the IMG-099 Imperial Mark IV patrol droid. KX-series security droids aided organic Imperial forces in operations like occupations and base guarding, with KX units even seeing deployment into active warfare. The DT-series sentry droid also saw use in ground operations, such as occupationsDark Droids 3 and base guarding.Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Old secruity droids were also kept at Fortress Vader.Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle 5 Probe droids used by the Empire included the Viper probe droids, such as the 11-3K viper probe droidSolo: A Star Wars Story or the Viper model used in Project Swarm.
==Vehicles and machinery==
===Overview===
As the ground forces of the Galactic Empire, the Imperial Army possessed a vast arsenal of ground and surface vehicles. Part of the Imperial Army, the Imperial Armor Corps made use of combat speeders and infantry fighting vehicles.
===Artillery===
The Imperial Artillery Corps, a sub-unit of the Armor Corps, utilized several artillery pieces, including the fixed 1.4 FD P-Tower, and the mobile SP.9 and Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery Turbolaser. The SPHA-T was later replaced by the SPMA, a smaller and faster vehicle that corrected errors on the part of the SPHA-T.Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles The Imperial Army also utilized the All Terrain Attack Pod in an artillery capacity.Knights of Fate
===Nautical vehicles===
The Maritime Division of the Imperial Army used several surface ships, including aircraft carriers, submarines, and waveskimmers. The Imperial Army also utilized Kraken-class deep lurkers,Shadow Fall OMS Devilfish subs and another type of submarine.Darth Vader (2017) 15
===Repulsorcraft and wheeled===
While the Imperial Army commonly used walkers, they also made use of wheeled and repulsorcraft vehicles. Wheeled vehicles included the HAVw A6 Juggernaut, the treaded MTV-7 light vehicle, the HCVw A9 turbo tank, and the TX-225 Occupier combat assault tank line. The treaded TIE crawler was another vehicle used by the Empire.Choose Your Destiny: A Luke & Leia Adventure The Imperial Army also utilized a type of armored worm vehicle.
Models of repulsorcraft deployed by the Imperial ground forces included the 2-M Saber-class, the Scout-class 2-M,Starships and Speeders the INT-4 Interceptor, the HAVr A9 Floating Fortress,Forged in Battle the Imperial Assault Tank, the Imperial-class 1-H repulsortank, the RX-200 Falchion-class assault tank, the Imperial combat speeder,Star Wars (2015) 4 and the TX-225 GAVr "Occupier" combat assault tank.
Other repulsorcraft included the CSL-430 hover transport, an armored vehicle that served as both a weapons platform and transport, the K79-S80 Imperial Troop Transport, the floating gunnery platformBattlefront: Twilight Company and another class of Stormtrooper transport. The Empire maintained several models of speeder bikes. These included the 74-Z speeder bike, the 614-AvA speeder bike, C-PH patrol speeder bike, and, in the early rule of the Empire, the BARC speeder.
===Starships===
The Imperial Army's Starfighter Corps, the Army Air Corps, used airspeeders such as the NN-01 Imperial Enforcement AirspeederGhosts of Dathomir as well as TIE line starfighters to conduct army operations. The Imperial Army also made use of aerial landing platforms that served as mobile staging grounds for occupation forces.
===Walkers===
The Imperial Army used walkers to achieve various objectives on the battlefield. Early in the Imperial Army's operations, it utilized the Clone Wars-era walkers that were later retired such as the All Terrain Recon Transport,Darth Vader (2015) 8 the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer, and the All Terrain Open Transport. Later walkers used were the All Terrain Armored Transport,Star Wars (2015) 1 which consisted of two variants, one model of All Terrain Armored Transport was notably used during the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire, and another All Terrain Armored Transport used throughout the Army's operational history. The Elite AT-AT was a more upgraded version of the standard AT-AT, while the All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport was used for the transportation of equipment and supplies.
Other walkers used by the Imperial Army were the All Terrain Armored Cannon, which saw use in the early Imperial Era, the All Terrain Attack Pod, the All Terrain Defense Pod, the All Terrain Scout Transport,Star Wars (2015) 2 the AT-ST Mark III, the AT-FRC Force Reconnaissance Walker,Lead by Example the AT-KT, the All Terrain Missile Platform, the AT-MP Mark III, the Enhanced AT-MP Walker, the Enhanced AT-ST Walker, the Mobile Heavy Cannon, the Cold-weather Mobile Heavy Cannon, the All Terrain Personal Transport, the All Terrain Defense Turret, and the All Terrain Anti Aircraft.Starships and Speeders
==Weapons and equipment==
===Overview===
The Imperial Army had a vast range of infantry weapons to utilize, some of which dated back to the Clone Wars but most were of a newer design.Ultimate Star Wars
===Republic-era equipment===
Shortly after the transformation of the Republic into the Empire, the Imperial Army continued the use of Clone Wars-era weapons and equipment like the DC-15A blaster carbine, the DC-17 hand blaster, the DC-15A blaster rifle, M3 Bulwark Blast Shields, the RPS-6 rocket launcher, and the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon. The clone troopers themselves retained their phase II armor during the early period. Clone commandos active under the Empire during that same time retained their Katarn-class Commando Armor and DC-17m Interchangeable Weapon Systems, with commandos otherwise wielding the DC-15A carbine seen in the hands of regular troopers. As the TK stormtrooper program began, its recruits also wielded DC-15As.
There would be cases where Clone Wars-era equipment saw continued use. Clone troopers still wearing phase II armor were active as part of the crew of the SteadfastThrawn 1 out in Wild Space, specifically a portion of the region bordering the Unknown Regions. Phase II armor also continued to see use by some Imperial shock troopers. Z-6 blaster cannons and RPS-6 rocket launchers saw regular use by Heavy Weapons Stormtroopers and rocket stormtroopers, respectively. The E-Web heavy repeating blaster cannon had entered Republic service by the end of the Clone Wars and remained amongst the Imperial arsenal throughout the Empire's reign.
===Infantry weapons===
It later came to use the E-11 medium blaster rifle, the E-10R blaster rifle, E-10 blaster rifle, the E-22 reciprocating double-barreled blaster rifle,the EE-4 carbine rifle, the EE-3 carbine rifle, SX-21 blaster rifle, and the TL-50 Heavy Repeater, as well as larger weapons like the RT-97C heavy blaster rifle, the DLT-19 heavy blaster rifle and the T-21 light repeating blaster. The Death troopers wielded E-11D blaster carbine.
===Heavy weapons===
For heavier ordnance, the Army deployed the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon, the MWC-35c "Staccato Lightning" repeating cannon, the E-Web heavy repeating blaster cannon, Reciprocating quad blaster cannon and another blaster cannon.Shattered Empire 4
===Sniper rifles===
For long range purposes, the Imperial Army made use of the T-21B heavy blaster, the DLT-19D heavy blaster rifle, the E-11s sniper rifle, the DLT-19x targeting blaster, and the DLT-20A blaster rifle.
===Pistols and melee weapons===
The Imperial Army issued several type of blaster pistol. Imperial personnel equipped with blaster pistol would either carry the blaster in question as a secondary weapon or for personal defense. Among these weapons was the SE-14C blaster pistol, the SE-14r light repeating blaster, and the RK-3 blaster.
Scout troopers used EC-17 hold-out blaster as a close-quarters alternative to their standard service rifle.
The riot troopers was the main melee specialist in the Imperial Army and as such was equipped with melee weapons including batons, electrobatons, electrostaffs, electrohammer.
===Grenades and launchers===
The Imperial Army also had an array of special weapons such as flamethrowers like the CR-24 Flame Rifle and grenades, such as Class-A thermal detonators, which were particularly favored by stormtrooper grenadiers but also used by other Imperials,Hunters: Battle for the Arena N-20 Baradium-core thermal detonators, Sonic Imploders, Incendiary Imploders, thermal imploders, Ion grenades, Flash grenades, Shock grenades, Impact grenades, Dioxis grenades, smoke bombs, sonic grenades,The Princess and the Scoundrel and C-25 fragmentation grenades.
Heavy weapons included the T-7 ion disruptor rifle, grenade launchers, the RPS-6 rocket launcher, the Smart Rocket, the Relby-v10 micro grenade launcher, HH-12 rocket launcher and the MPL-57.
===Droids and other equipment===
Equipment used by the Imperial Army included suits and heated breather masks powered by a battery pack that could last up to two standard weeks, ice boots, and an insulated belt kama.Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded The army also used the DT-series sentry droid and the KX-series security droid for defense as well as combat.
In terms of probe droids, the Imperial Army used the ID10 seeker droid,Battlefront II: Inferno Squad the Viper probe droid and its two variants: the 11-3K viper probe droid and the Dwarf probe droidStar Wars Rebels: Visual Guide: Epic Battles and lastly DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droids. Among medical droids were the Imperial Astromedics, the FX-series medical assistant droid, and the 2-1B surgical droidStar Wars: Uprising—Crew Member: "2-1B Delta".
===Arms suppliers===
BlasTech Industries was perhaps the single biggest supplier of arms for the Imperial Army, but other companies like Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc., Morellian Weapons Conglomerate and even Sienar Fleet Systems also provided their fair share of weapons.
===Legal restrictions===
The Imperial Senate banned the use of antipersonnel disruptors and battle droids. In response, the Imperial Military, specifically the Army, circumvented these restriction by re-designating the object in question as something lawful; or by simply lying about the nature of the object. Legally speaking the KX-series security droid and the Imperial sentry droid were security droids and sentry droids respectively. In reality, they were fully functional battle droids.
T-7 ion disruptor rifles were banned from use after the brutal Siege of Lasan. But this ban did not stop the army from trying to reacquire such weapons. Eventually the Imperial Army managed to get their hands on designs for the newer T-8 disruptor.
==Appearances==
===Non-canon appearances===
*Star Wars Epic Yarns: A New Hope
*Star Wars Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi
*Star Wars Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back
* LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures
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==Sources==
===Non-canon sources===
*LEGO Star Wars: Build Your Own Adventure
*The Art of Star Wars: Visions
==Notes and references==
Category:Galactic Empire
Category:Imperial Army
Category:Imperial military units
Category:Stormtrooper units