First Order Army

The First Order Army was the ground-based branch of the First Order military. In addition to maintaining order throughout First Order space, the First Order Army spearheaded the conquest and colonization of the Unknown Regions. In order to quickly and efficiently raise a capable army, the First Order abandoned the conscription practices of the Galactic Empire, and instead kidnapped and indoctrinated infants throughout the galaxy. The Unknown Regions provided a haven for the hermit state to effectively train and mobilize these child soldiers into an army of fierce stormtroopers with a zealous loyalty to the Supreme Leader.

The First Order's rearmament policy violated the terms of the Galactic Concordance, which saw the Imperial Military dismantled in the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War, but continued nonetheless as the New Republic sought to avoid the escalation of the Cold War into open warfare. With the Galactic Senate unwilling to risk another armed galactic conflict, Senator Leia Organa formed the Resistance to oppose the First Order's rise to power. The First Order Army discarded the facade of a defense force in the wake of the New Republic's destruction through the Hosnian Cataclysm in 34 ABY, and embarked on a campaign to conquer the galaxy which was initially overseen by Supreme Leader Snoke. However, command of the First Order Army was usurped by Kylo Ren, the Supreme Leader's dark apprentice, who assassinated his master during the Battle of Oetchi. By using the Force to coerce General Armitage Hux, Ren secured the Army under his control as the new Supreme Leader of the First Order.

In addition to Ren, the First Order Army served under the command of Allegiant General Enric Pryde, whose title gave him authority over both the Army and the First Order Navy. Under the leadership of Ren, much of the galaxy was conquered by the forces of the First Order. However, the First Order lacked the resources to subjugate the remaining holdouts until the discovery of the Sith Eternal cult's secret army of Sith troopers as well as a vast armada on the planet Exegol. Ren planned to supplement his forces with that of the Sith cultists in order to gain full control over the galaxy, thereby transforming the First Order into a true empire. Following the Battle of Exegol, however, the Sith Eternal military was in ruins and the galaxy rose in open rebellion against the First Order.

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