Republic Army

The Republic Army, also known as the Republic Armies. , was the collective military ground forces of the Galactic Republic from its founding in 25,053 BBY until its dissolution in 2,000 BBY. Unlike its famous naval counterpart, not much was known of the Republic Army. What information there is reveals that its forces included specialized troops such as rocket-jumpers and also a fair number of combat droids of differing models. Each Army division was associated with particular places or beings. For example, a division raised on Coruscant might adopt (or be given) that name as part of its title thereby becoming the "Coruscant Division". One part of the Republic Army that outlived the rest was the Academy of Carida which served as one of its officer training schools.

Organization


As the early Republic Armies consisted of local militias with no true command in place, its generals often received its orders strange from the Republic Defense Ministry and there no single surface marshal that coordinated or directed its operations. This often left individual army units being ultimately in the control of the Republic Navy and led to many soldiers being stationed more on their starships than on planetary surfaces. The chaotic nature of this formation meant that there was no uniformity within the Republic Armies and not all of its individual units were created equally.

Republic soldiers were decently equipped and supported by several kinds of aerial vehicles. They bore both grenades and blasters. Following the chaos of the Great Sith War, a deliberate decision to reintroduce melee weapons was made. This was brought about by the abundance of lightsaber wielding opponents. To guard against these weapons, Republic swords were required to be made with a cortosis weave, often of Echani origin. Armor was worn and was noted for its modular nature.

One characteristic of the Republic military was its equipping of its personnel with an array of cybernetic implants and head-wear. Some of these were deliberately designed to provide mental protection against the powers of Dark Jedi opponents. Another trait was its use of specialty equipment, such as the stealth field generator, and also physical enhancement technology. These were non-combat items and saw considerable research and development as a result of the Republic's use.

As of the Jedi Civil War, personal shield generators were used. Some models were purchased and some were manufactured directly for the Republic. However, the cost of these devices was such that only small units could be assured of a continual supply. Strike teams favored them as they enabled them to outfight an entire unit with conventional gear.

The Republic Army also made use of defensive devices such as emplaced turrets and a variety of land mines. This latter item ranged from fragmentation to plasma to toxin though the first was used more commonly due to how expensive deadly toxins were.

They were divided into various subgroupings which included:
 * Squad : consisting of 8 to 12 infantry that were led by both a sergeant and a corporal.
 * Battalion : consisting of squads ranging from 25 to 40 that were led by a major and it was within these groupings where specilizations were allowed which were at times assigned to other corps.
 * Brigade : ranging between 4 and 9 battalions that had the capacity to hold either 1,000 or 5,000 soldiers. It was led by a brigadier with its own headquarters unit with their mission roles involving large scale landing operations as well as raids and occupation with their command and control being directed from Navy vessels if present.
 * Corps : these consisted of all forces present in the region and were named after the planet which served as their headquarters. A general served as its leader though they simply just directed the orders from the Defense Ministry to the individual brigadiers.

Ranks
There were several ranks and positions within the armies of the Republic and included:
 * Army Brigadier : the highest ranking officers within the Republic military that was deployed on the field. During the age of the Jedi Civil War, these brigadiers were often challenged with adequately supplying their troopers on the battlefield though certain clever individuals often had their forces live off the land. They were also not noted for their negotiation skills which was a hinderance in operations that did not require any military action. Many brigadiers often sabotaged their own careers in a way that did not harm their troops in order to avoid being promoted to full general and thus be burdened by the responsibilities of that post.
 * Army Officer : these field commanders often held the rank of sergeant or corporal and descended from local militia's mercenary groups before they joined the Republic army. This made them the brightest as well as the best officers available. During the time of the Jedi Civil War, these officers were given extensive training in the use of vibroweapon's after it was recognized that lightsaber wielding Sith often targeted these soldiers in order to eliminate their leadership of their units.
 * Army Trooper : the heart of the Republic's army consisted of squads of army troopers who were kept in close quarters to the point that they considered themselves all friends. Commanders often kept these individuals together to encourage camaraderie and improve the units performance. However, logistical problems at the time led to the Republic Army not recognizing the special skills of individuals troopers and not assigning them to squads that would benefit from their abilities.
 * Army Recon Commando : descended from mercenary units that were skilled in special missions that required multitasking and were often fitted for a variety of multiple environment specializations. These soldiers were grouped together into reconnaissance squads that were often inserted onto the battlefield in order to gather intelligence on enemy positions. This was not their only purpose as Recon Commandos often engaged tactical control operations as well as were employed to position combat squads. In addition, these soldiers were tasked with covert ops such as sabotage or assisting Jedi that were in the field. Those inducted into the ranks of the Recon Commandos were often extremely busy as their talents were greatly used.

Divisions

 * Republic Guard
 * Republic rocket-jumper
 * Republic soldier
 * Republic Special Forces
 * Republic Trooper

History


The Army existed as far back as 4,000 BBY maintenance of it along with the Republic Navy was handled by the Minister of Defense in the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War. At the start of the Mandalorian Wars, there were multiple armies in different sectors of the Galaxy. They were only united under one banner when Revan took charge of the military. They later served to combat the reborn Sith Empire that instigated the Great Galactic War and also continued to protect the Republic's assets in the resultant Cold War that followed the conflict. Around 2,000 BBY, when the Republic essentially collapsed at the start of the New Sith Wars, the Republic Army was replaced with the Jedi-led Army of Light. At some unknown point in the past, the army established a military academy on the planet Carida.

Following the end of the Wars in 1,000 BBY, the Ruusan Reformation nearly eliminated the Republic's military. The Republic Army remained, but was nothing more than a purely symbolic force; the few remaining ground military units were placed under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Forces. The Republic came to rely more heavily on Jedi Knights and local militaries for keeping peace in the galaxy. In 44 BBY during the Stark Hyperspace War, Ranulph Tarkin tried to portray the ground forces of his fleet as the legitimate Republic Army, even referring to it as such.

During the start of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, the Republic Army was divided into two Order of battle; the first being the Grand Army of the Republic and the second being the Special Operations Brigade. These two divisions were ultimately under the authority of the Supreme Chancellor with their numbers consisting of clone troopers. The Grand Army of the Republic was afterwards used for front line conflicts whilst the Special Operations Brigade were used for covert ops as well as commando raids against the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In addition, the ground units of the Judicial Forces were also inserted into the newly reformed Republic Army. At the time, Judicial Terrinald Screed voiced his opinion on the HoloNet that the Republic Army and Navy should fall under a unified command directed from Coruscant. The GAR would then evolve into the Imperial army upon the Declaration of a New Order.

Behind the scenes
It is thought that the red uniform of the Old Republic era is a reference to the 'Redshirt' expendable plot element, popularized by Star Trek.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Days of Fear
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 17: Nights of Anger, Part 2
 * Galactic Republic Defense Ministry Daily Brief KD0092
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords