Imperial Military

The Imperial Military, also referred to as the Imperial Armed Forces, comprised the various branches of the armed forces of the Galactic Empire, comprising of two major branches, the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy, as well as the several minor branches that consisted of the Imperial Diplomatic Corps, Imperial Engineering Corps, the Imperial Survey and Exploration Corps, the Surgical Corps, the Military Police, and Imperial Intelligence.

As part of the realignment of the Republic Military following the Clone Wars and the transformation from Galactic Republic to the Empire, the nascent Imperial Military went under a massive militarization effort and was tasked with enforcement across the new Empire and was used for suppressing planetary uprisings, continuing the Great Jedi Purge and chasing holdouts of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

However, it would be faced with a growing rebellion which caused concern within the military, ultimately resulting in the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Civil War. The Imperial stormtroopers and Star Destroyers were deployed and fought across the galaxy to retain control. Even after the loss of the Death Star over Yavin, the Empire was able to almost defeat the rebels during the Battle of Hoth. However, the Alliance endured and continued its effort. Six months later, the Imperial Military suffered a sudden and crushing defeat at the Battle of Endor.

After successive defeats by New Republic as well as the power vacuum left in the wake of the Emperor's death following Endor, the Imperial Military ultimately fell with the Empire and broke into various holdouts, where a patchwork of stalward Imperial warlords remerged as the Imperial Remnant and awaited the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Eventually, what remained of Old Empire gradually withered away and formed the First Order, designed and intended to build a stronger and purer Empire.

Text and facts from the “Imperial Military” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.