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. The stormtroopers, the Empire's elite shock troops were organized under the Stormtrooper Corps, which operated as part of the army. It also depended on mechanized vehicles such as the bipedal All Terrain Scout Transport and the heavier, quadrupedal All Terrain Armored Transport.

History
The Imperial Army originated from the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic, and served as the Empire's ground forces for maintaining control of the countless worlds under the New Order.

Imperial consolidation
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 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.

By 5 BBY, Lothal's Academy for Young Imperials was training Imperial cadets for both the Imperial Army and Stormtrooper Corps. Cadets selected for the stormtrooper program received a more rigorous program than those training for the Army track. 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. Promising Army officer cadets also underwent training at the Arkanis Academy, which was run by the charismatic Commandant Brendol Hux, the architect of the First Order's stormtrooper program.

Battling the Rebellion
During both the early rebellion and the Galactic Civil War, the Imperial Army saw action against various rebel forces including the Spectres, the Phoenix Cell, Saw Gerrera's Partisans, and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. The Imperial Army was deployed on many worlds across the galaxy including Tatooine and saw action on multiple locations including Hoth and Endor. During the Battle of Hoth, General Maximillian Veers commanded the Imperial ground assault on Echo Base. At the Battle of Endor, Imperial Army forces and stormtroopers defended the second Death Star's shield generator. AT-ST drivers also rode AT-ST walkers. Despite dogged resistance, the Imperial forces on Endor were defeated by the rebels and their local Ewok allies.

Following the death of the Emperor and Darth 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, Naalol, Akiva, and Sevarcos. 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.

After Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax took control of most of the Imperial remnants, his forces on Jakku included elements of the Imperial Army and Stormtrooper Corps. 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. The Galactic Concordance stipulated the dissolution of the Empire including its vast military. While civilian functionaries were given conditional pardons, all Imperial officers were designated as war criminals.

Legacy
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 First Order was established from the remants of the former Imperial Army. 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.

Personnel
The Imperial Army was used to garrison planets occupied by the Empire such as Ryloth. The Army also had Imperial combat drivers who operated its vehicles. Imperial Army officers wore identical uniforms to their naval counterparts, however when on the field they would sometimes wear a field grey chestplate similar in design to those worn by snowtroopers. They would also wear helmets similar to those worn by AT-ST drivers.

Brigades

 * Brenna's brigade

Battalions/Legions

 * 212th Attack Battalion
 * 501st Legion
 * 68th Legion
 * 71st GAV Battalion
 * Imperial Ninety-Seventh Stormtrooper Legion
 * One-Oh-Seventh Stormtrooper Legion

Corps

 * Army Air Corps
 * Army Engineering Corps
 * Imperial Armor Corps
 * Imperial Artillery Corps
 * Stormtrooper Corps

Divisions

 * Maritime Division

Garrisons

 * 975th stormtrooper garrison
 * Scarif garrison
 * Tatooine Garrison

Squads

 * Foot Patrol 7
 * JN-093's squad
 * Squad eight
 * Squad five
 * Squad Five (Lothal)
 * Squad Seven
 * Squad Three
 * Squad two
 * Squad two (Crawler 413-24)
 * Team Nine
 * Team Twelve

Specialized units

 * Task Force 99

Unspecified

 * Blizzard Force
 * Eadu Deployment
 * Imperial Hammers Elite Armor Unit

Carbines

 * DC-15A blaster
 * E-11 blaster rifle
 * E-11D
 * E-22 blaster rifle
 * EE-3 carbine rifle

Precision, long-ranges and targeting rifles

 * T-21B heavy blaster
 * DC-15 blaster rifle
 * E-11s long-range blaster
 * DLT-19D heavy blaster rifle
 * DLT-19x targeting blaster
 * DLT-20A laser rifle

Repeating blasters

 * DLT-19 heavy blaster rifles
 * RT-97C heavy blaster rifle
 * TL-50 heavy repeater
 * T-21 light repeating blasters
 * Z-6 rotary blaster cannon
 * MWC-35c "Staccato Lightning" repeating cannon
 * E-Web heavy repeating blaster cannon
 * Reciprocating quad blaster

Pistols

 * SE-14C blaster pistol
 * SE-14r light repeating blaster pistol
 * RK-3
 * EC-17 hold-out blaster
 * DC-17 hand blaster

Melee weapons

 * Baton
 * Electrostaff

Projectile launchers

 * Grenade launcher
 * RPS-6 rocket launcher
 * Smart Rocket

Explosives

 * Thermal detonator
 * Class-A thermal detonator
 * N-20 Baradium-core thermal detonator
 * Sonic Imploder
 * Thermal imploder
 * C-25 fragmentation grenade
 * Flash grenade
 * Smoke grenade

Troops

 * Clone troopers
 * Clone Commanders
 * Clone shock troopers
 * Dowutin Hunters
 * Fathier Riders
 * Gamorrean Warriors
 * Imperial combat drivers
 * AT-ACT drivers
 * AT-AT pilots
 * AT-ST drivers
 * Imperial combat assault tank commanders
 * Imperial combat assault tank pilots
 * Kubaz Invaders
 * Luggabeast Munitioneers
 * Ongidae Oppressors
 * Rodian Recon Snipers
 * Stormtroopers
 * Coastal defender stormtroopers
 * Cold weather assault stormtroopers
 * Crimson Stormtroopers
 * Death troopers
 * Demolition Troopers
 * Flametroopers
 * Forest troopers
 * Heavy Weapons Stormtroopers
 * Heavy Sandtroopers
 * Heavy Shoretroopers
 * Heavy Snowtroopers
 * Imperial Heavy Troopers
 * Imperial shock troopers
 * Jumptroopers
 * Arctic Jumptroopers
 * Desert Jumptroopers
 * Forest Jumptroopers
 * Magma troopers
 * Purge Troopers
 * Riot control stormtroopers
 * Sandtroopers
 * Dewback troopers
 * Scout troopers
 * Sniper troopers
 * Seatroopers
 * Shadow troopers
 * Spacetroopers
 * Special Commando Advanced Recon troopers
 * Storm Commandos
 * Stormtrooper grenadiers
 * Swamptrooper
 * TIE fighter pilots
 * Tognath Marksmen
 * Twi'lek Incinerators

Walkers

 * All Terrain Armored Transport
 * All Terrain Armored Transport (early rebellion against the Empire)
 * All Terrain Armored Transport (Galactic Civil War)
 * Elite AT-AT
 * All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport
 * AT-AP Walker
 * All Terrain Defense Pod
 * All Terrain Open Transport
 * AT-PT
 * All Terrain Recon Transport
 * All Terrain Tactical Enforcer
 * All Terrain Scout Transport
 * AT-ST Mark III
 * Cold-weather AT-ST Mark III
 * All Terrain Missile Platform
 * AT-MP Mark III
 * Umbaran MHC
 * Cold-weather Mobile Heavy Cannon

Repulsorcraft

 * 2-M Hover Tank
 * 74-Z speeder bike
 * 614-AvA speeder bike
 * BARC speeder
 * DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droid
 * Imperial assault tank
 * Imperial-class 1-H repulsortank
 * Imperial combat speeder
 * Imperial Troop Transport
 * INT-4 Interceptor
 * TX-225 GAVr "Occupier" combat assault tank

Wheeled

 * HAVw A6 Juggernaut
 * MTV-7 light vehicle
 * HCVw A9 turbo tank
 * TX-225 GAVw "Occupier" combat assault tank

Ships
The Imperial Army also maintained numerous TIE fighters for combat use in planetary atmospheres. 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.

Non-canon appearances

 * Star Wars Epic Yarns: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures
 * Star Wars Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi