Alliance Special Forces/Legends

"Eventually, empires fall like trees &mdash; we are the lumberjax!"

- Writing on wall of Rebel SpecForce barracks



Alliance Special Forces, better known as SpecForce, were the branch of the Alliance Army that were attached to Alliance High Command (the rest of the Army consisted of the various Sector Forces).

Specifically selected for high skill, morale, bravery, and dedication to the Rebel cause, SpecForce soldiers were often either from subjugated worlds, or were Imperials disillusioned by the government's tyranny. Rebel forces tended to be more individualistic and ragtag than the forces of the Imperial Military.

SpecForce should not be confused with Special Operations (SpecOps) groups who participated in murky undercover missions that typically involved investigating, snooping and hectic seat-of-the-pants assignments with minimal input from Alliance Command. There was a deep rivalry between the two branches. Although SpecForce members recognized the need for SpecOps, and some considered them capable soldiers, they tended to think of Special Operations agents as amateurs who relied on luck to complete their missions. Likewise SpecOps agents tended to regard their counterparts as a group of arrogant, over-trained grunts with over inflated opinions of their own importance.

SpecForce organization
"In half an hour I can put together a strike team of twenty soldiers, capable of succeeding at any mission, under any circumstances, anywhere in the galaxy"

- General Crix Madine

SpecForce was organized into formal units much like its Imperial counterparts: divisions, regiments, companies, platoons, squads, and fire teams. However, due to scarcity of resources, they rarely operated as full units, instead organizing into taskforces consisting of the appropriate number of soldiers required for a certain mission.

Divisions
SpecForce consisted of about 10 divisions. One division, Command Division, was under General Crix Madine (via subordinate officers) and was attached to Alliance High Command at all times. It possessed regiments representing all SpecForce specializations, which were assigned to various elements of High Command. Five other divisions were allocated more or less regionally, with the balance deployed as rogue divisions operationally attached to sector commands or other SpecForce divisions as needed. The regionally allocated divisions were commanded by a general; the rogue divisions were theoretically under the command of whatever divisional general they were assigned to, but in practice were primarily commanded by the colonels of their regiments.

Regiments
Regiments were made up of three to six companies (four being the norm), and were commanded by a colonel or, less often, a major. They were consistently numbered within each division by the type of specialist they provided. Like divisions, they were more of an accounting unit than a unit that actually saw action; they provided the pool from which taskforces were assembled. More on regimental specialties are described below.

Companies
Companies usually consisted of five platoons and were commanded by a major or captain, and were identified by aurebesh letters. There were two types: order companies (also order of battle companies or OBCs), consisting of a single specialist type and used for asset tracking rather than actually seeing action; and taskforce companies (TFCs), which were comprised field mission units and were typically composed of two or three platoons of one specialist type, with two or three other platoons of mixed type rounding the unit out and providing operational flexibility. These companies were typically the largest unit to see combat.

Platoons
Platoons consisted of four squads and were commanded by a lieutenant. They were designated numerically.

Squads
Squads consisted of five to fifteen troopers and were commanded by a sergeant. They were designated by color, and were primarily of a particular trooper specialty, though cross-attached elements (usually attached fire teams from other specialties) were common.

Fire Teams
Fire teams consisted of two to five troopers, supervised by a senior trooper (often called first trooper in scandocs). They were the basic tactical element of squad maneuvering, and it was recommended that troopers not act in the field without their fire team members.

Taskforces
Taskforces were the real units which performed SpecForce missions. They could be of nearly any size, though most were company or platoon sized. They were commanded by a taskforce commander (TC), a temporary position given an officer assigned to command a given mission. The TC was not a coveted position, and was given out on the basis of ability; usually, the TC was of a rank appropriate for the size of the taskforce (e.g. a platoon-sized taskforce would typically have a lieutenant as TC). Once selected, the TC would requisition as many appropriately-sized units as were needed for the mission, subject to availability, to comprise the taskforce.

SpecForce Regiments
As was mentioned, regiments were consistently numbered within each division, with the number indicating the type of specialist they consisted of.

1st Regiment - SpecForce SpaceOps Regiment
"Never go into space with someone braver than you."

- Conventional SpaceOps wisdom

SpecForce SpaceOps, also called SpecForce Marines were trained for combat onboard ships, zero-g combat, space survival and space-suit operation. They were armed with blaster pistols, rifles, missile launchers, grenades, and sometimes vibroblades. They had a reputation for having a charge-ahead attitude.

2nd Regiment - SpecForce Pathfinders
"The easy way is always mined."

- Pathfinder observation

SpecForce Pathfinders made clandestine drops into enemy territory, establishing beachheads, performing reconnaissance and holding territory until reinforcements arrived. These sort of operations were typically conducted by a fairly small task force no larger than company size. These task forces were often in great danger since they could easily be annihilated if they were not relieved or extracted before the enemy could mount an effective counterattack. The secondary role of the pathfinder specialization was to scout for other SpecForce units in ground operations. These missions were also conducted by small units although there was a least backup if something went wrong. Pathfinders were trained for survival, alien species recognition, and repulsorcraft operation. They were normally equiped with blaster rifles, grenades and survival equipment while they often fielded heavy weapons and repulsorcraft for superior mobility. Pathfinder troopers relied on surprise to overwhelm enemy forces.

3rd Regiment - SpecForce Urban Combat Specialists
"Law of Fortifications: It is always as hard to get out as it is to get in."

- USC to Alliance trooper during the Siege of Kyrska

SpecForce Urban Combat Specialists (or UCS, often simply called Urban Guerrillas) were trained for street combat and were skilled in finding ways to adapt the tough urban fighting environment to suit them. They were also trained in making do with whatever equipment they had and were experts in hand-to-hand combat, street fighting, demolitions and light weaponry. They wore tight yet flexible gray jumpsuits, which partially absorb the shock of blaster bolts and also have visor-helmets.

4th Regiment - SpecForce Wilderness Fighters
"All-weather equipment fails...usually in bad weather."

- Wilderness Fighter observation

SpecForce Wilderness Fighters, sometimes called Rangers were trained to use their terrain for the best tactical advantage in fighting. They were more mobile than their urban counterparts, and often equipped with A-280 blaster rifles. Since there were so many different terrain types companies specialized for specific combat conditions: arctic, aquatic, jungle/forest, mountain, desert and plains. White-uniformed rangers, trained to work in cold terrain, were present during the Battle of Hoth and stealthy forest-camouflaged rangers struck at the Battle of Endor. The wilderness regiment within a division tended to be spread a little thinner than others. Alliance bases were more than often located in deep wilderness on isolated world far from the Imperial center as possible and therefore wilderness fighters were often assigned to these bases, when not engaged in active operations, to reinforce SecForce trooper. Wilderness fighters were typically issued with blasters and survival packs. Since they were expected to be more mobile than UCS wilderness fighters would often use repulsorcraft such as speederbikes, skiffs and repulsortanks. Wilderness regiments were the only SpecForce branch to maintain repulsortank units without the involvement of other trooper specializations. They were trained to use heavy weapons and artillary to reduce their reliance on Heavy Weapon Specialists.

5th Regiment - SpecForce Infiltrators
"Firepower is no replacement for surprise."

- Infiltrator maxim

Rebel Infiltrators were among the most effective SpecForce divisions. They were chosen for their hatred of the Empire. They operated as secret agents and spies. They were also trained to slip through enemy lines and sow seeds of rebellion on Imperial worlds.

6th Regiment - SpecForce Heavy Weapon Specialists
"Surprise is no replacement for firepower."

- Widely held HWS response to an Infiltrator maxim

SpecForces Heavy Weapons Specialists or HWSprovided protection against enemy air and ground units and reinforce friendly forces. They were trained in starship gunnery. Though well trained, their casualty rates were high. This is because once an artillery piece's location has been revealed in battle, the enemy tends to desperately try to disable or destroy it. SpecForce Heavy Weapons Specialists were trained to die rather than abandon their guns. Often they were armed with explosives, such as standard thermal detonators and the HH-15 missile launcher.

7th Regiment - SpecForce Technicians
"Never forget that your weapons was made by the lowest bidder."

- Armorer's admonition to a frustrated trooper

Unlike other regiments, the 7th Regiment was a catch-all unit for miscellaneous specialists. Technically, all members of this regiment were SpecForce Technicians, but the term was usually reserved for mechanics and combat engineers.

SpecForce Drivers and Pilots were trained to pilot vehicles to provide back-up and support for their comrades. They wore unique helmets with dark-tinted visors and dark green jumpsuits. They also carried CR-1 blaster cannons.

SpecForce Scanner-commnunications Operators (often shortened to "scanners," "scan-com operators," or "eyes") were trained in both sensor operation and communications equipment.

SpecForce Interrogators would acquire information in cases where the Alliance Intelligence interrogators were unavailable because the prisoner in question could not be moved, the information was time-critical, or combat theater danger made using such an interrogator inappropriate.

SpecForce Procurement Specialists (or "scroungers") were personnel adept at acquiring important combat material from unorthodox sources. They were only sent on medium-term or long term missions, and though often deficient in combat skills, their abilities to acquire needed supplies through purchases, loans, requisitions, or outright theft often were critical to missions success.

Outside units such as Alliance Special Operations Mission Groups were also occasionally attached to SpecForce operationally through the 7th Regiment.

Special status
The SpecForces had special status within the Rebellion, which also meant that they had special privileges. For example, medical frigates would often reserve entire wards for SpecForce personnel. This was the case of the Mercy where ward 114 was reserved exclusively for Alliance SpecForce personnel and for mercenaries working as Rebel agents.

Notable SpecForce units

 * Taskforce Shen
 * Team 19
 * The Nishr Taskforce
 * Delta Team

Notable SpecForce members

 * General Crix Madine (Command Division)
 * Colonel Vin Northal (Infiltration)
 * Major Mart Stevez (Infiltration)
 * Major Fisk Csino (Wilderness fighter)
 * Captain Oda Ihe
 * Lieutenant Vu Nin (Infiltration)
 * Lieutenant Miko Beski (SpaceOps)
 * Lieutenant Mishowan Shigormallan (Pathfinder)
 * Lieutenant Alfonso Luiz Obota
 * Lieutenant Dal Konur
 * Sergeant Whumparrin (Heavy weapons specialist)
 * Whewik (Urban Combat Specialists)
 * Oepoono (Urban Combat Specialists)
 * Keemaippoom (Technician)

Appearances

 * The Farlander Papers
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars: Force Commander
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Gathering Shadows
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Battleground: Tatooine
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: In the Empire's Service
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Mandatory Retirement
 * Dark Forces: Rebel Agent
 * The DarkStryder Campaign
 * Dark Force Rising
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge
 * Dark Empire
 * Dark Empire II
 * Champions of the Force
 * The Final Prophecy
 * The Unifying Force