Branches of the Imperial War Machine
The Imperial Military is largely divided into three main branches, as far as interaction with the Rebellion goes. The Imperial Navy is in charge of patrolling the space lanes with capital ships and starfighters, while the Imperial Army is in charge of ground combat. Supplementing the forces of both the Army and Navy, as needed, are the dreaded Stormtrooper Legions. Stormtroopers provide the most recognizable face of Imperial might and are deeply involved in the efforts to suppress the Rebellion.
The Imperial Intelligence Bureau, or ISB, is not technically a branch of the Imperial Military. The ISB is tasked with two important missions: tracking down rebels and other enemies of the New Order living among the civilian populace and rooting out such sympathizers within the Empire itself. ISB agents are scattered throughout the galaxy and are frequently found within the military organizations they monitor and assist. Sometimes noted by their distinctive black or white dress uniforms, ISB personnel are given their own unique rank structure.
Officer Ranks and Insignia
The officer ranks used throughout the Imperial military structure vary somewhat, based on the branch of service discussed. The rank plaques shown below denote one method for displaying rank, as colored rectangles on a gray background. The rank plaque is worn by officers on the left side of the chest.Note that Stormtroopers are considered a separate branch of service, loaned out as needed to both the Navy and the Army. The table below includes the Stormtrooper ranks for comparison; the rank insignia for Stormtroopers follows a separate scheme, detailed below.
Plaque
|
Navy rank
|
Navy pilot rank
|
Army rank
|
Stormtrooper rank
|
 |
Grand Admiral
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
 |
Grand Moff
|
--
|
Grand Moff
|
--
|
 |
Moff
|
--
|
Moff
|
--
|
 |
High Admiral
|
--
|
Surface Marshal
|
--
|
 |
Fleet Admiral
|
--
|
High General
|
--
|
 |
Admiral
|
Admiral
|
General
|
--
|
 |
Vice-Admiral
|
Vice-Admiral
|
Lt. General
|
--
|
 |
Rear-Admiral
|
Rear-Admiral
|
Major General
|
--
|
 |
Commodore
|
Commodore
|
Brigadier
|
--
|
 |
Line Captain
|
--
|
High Colonel
|
High Colonel
|
 |
Captain
|
Marshal
|
Colonel
|
Colonel
|
 |
Commander
|
Group Captain
|
Lt. Colonel
|
Lt. Colonel
|
 |
Lt. Commander
|
Flight Captain
|
Major
|
Major
|
 |
--
|
--
|
--
|
Commander
|
 |
Lieutenant
|
Flight Leader
|
Captain
|
Captain
|
 |
Sublieutenant
|
Flight Lieutenant
|
Lieutenant
|
Lieutenant
|
 |
Acting Sublieutenant
|
Flight Officer
|
2nd Lieutenant
|
2nd Lieutenant
|
 |
Ensign
|
Flight Cadet
|
--
|
--
|
 |
Midshipman
|
--
|
--
|
Sergeant Major*
|
*non-officer enlisted rank
|
Enlisted Troops Ranks and Insignia
Note that Stormtroopers are considered a separate branch of service, loaned out as needed to both the Navy and the Army. The table below includes the Stormtrooper ranks for comparison; the rank insignia for Stormtroopers follows a separate scheme, detailed below.
Plaque
|
Navy rank
|
Army rank
|
Stormtrooper rank
|
|
--
|
--
|
Sergeant Major
|
 |
Chief Petty Officer
|
Sergeant Major
|
--
|
 |
Petty Officer 1st Class
|
First Sergeant
|
Sergeant
|
 |
Petty Officer 2nd Class
|
Staff Sergeant
|
Corporal
|
 |
Petty Officer 3rd Class
|
Sergeant
|
Senior Trooper
|
 |
Senior Deckman
|
Senior Trooper
|
Trooper
|
 |
Deckman
|
Trooper
|
--
|
 |
Deckman Apprentice
|
Trooper First Class
|
--
|
 |
Deckman Recruit
|
Trooper Recruit
|
--
|
Organizational Sizes
Imperial Navy Command
The Imperial Navy includes all of the large scale capital ships and assorted smaller, support craft (including starfighters and shuttles).
Officer Class
|
Included Ranks
|
Command Potential
|
Junior Officers
|
Ensign -> Lt. Commander
|
--
|
Senior Officers
|
Commander, Captain, Commodore
|
gunships, corvettes, frigates
|
Flag Officers
|
Rear-Admiral, Vice-Admiral, Admiral
|
star destroyers
|
Ships commanded by a Commander: Vigil-class corvette
Ships commanded by a Captain: Carrack-class cruiser, Lancer-class frigate, Nebulon-B frigate, Strike-class cruiser, Interdictor-class heavy cruiser, Escort carrier, Vindicator-class heavy cruiser, Victory-class star destroyer (I & II), Dreadnought-class heavy cruiser
Ships Commanded by a Rear-Admiral: Imperial-class star destroyer (I & II)
Ships Commanded by a Fleet Admiral: Super-class star destroyer
Imperial Navy Capital Ships
Imperial Navy capital ships form the backbone of the fleet. The Navy has 25,000 star destroyers, hundreds of thousands of smaller combat vessels (frigates, cruisers, etc) and something like 4 million TIE fighters in operation throughout the galaxy.
No. of Ships (SDs)
|
Organization
|
Commanding Officer
|
1
|
command
|
Captain*
|
4-20
|
line
|
Line Captain*
|
14-60 (1)
|
squadron
|
Commodore, Rear-Admiral
|
60-90 (3)
|
systems force
|
Vice-Admiral, Admiral
|
400 (6)
|
fleet
|
Fleet Admiral
|
2400 (24)
|
sector group
|
High Admiral
|
*Could be higher rank, depending on the ships involved.
Imperial Navy Starfighters
Imperial Navy starfighters are assigned to capital ships, space stations, and ground bases.
No. of Starfighters
|
Organization
|
Commanding Officer
|
2
|
element
|
--
|
4
|
flight
|
--
|
12
|
squadron
|
Flight Leader
|
36
|
wing
|
Flight Captain
|
110
|
group
|
Group Captain
|
350
|
command
|
Rear-Admiral
|
1000
|
starfighter force
|
Vice-Admiral
|
Imperial Army
Imperial Army units are assigned to ground bases or deployed on Navy ships.
No. of
Soldiers
|
Organization
|
Commanding Officer
|
10
|
squad
|
Sergeant*
|
42
|
platoon
|
Lieutenant
|
170
|
company
|
Captain, Major
|
685
|
battalion
|
Major, Lt. Colonel, Colonel
|
2745
|
regiment
|
Lt. Colonel, Colonel
|
10,970
|
battlegroup
|
Brigadier
|
43,885
|
corps
|
Major General
|
175,550
|
army
|
General
|
526,700
|
systems army
|
High General
|
2,100,000+
|
sector army
|
Surface Marshal
|
7,300,000+
|
sector military (Army & Navy)
|
Moff
|
10,000,000+
|
high priority sector military (Army & Navy)
|
Grand Moff
|
*non-officer enlisted rank
|
Stormtrooper Rank Insignia
Stormtroopers in their iconic white battle armor rarely wear external devices designating their rank. In some cases, when coordinating a ground offensive alongside the Army, such insignia are used.Depending on their duty station, Stormtroopers at the rank of Sergeant Major or above may wear a black military uniform in place of armor. Officers at the rank of Major or above almost exclusively wear the black uniform and only rarely don the white battle armor.
Plaque
|
Stormtrooper rank
|
 |
High Colonel
|
 |
Colonel
|
 |
Lt. Colonel
|
 |
Major
|
|
Commander
|
 |
Captain
|
 |
Lieutenant
|
 |
2nd Lieutenant
|
 |
Sergeant Major*
|
|
Sergeant*
|
|
Corporal*
|
|
Senior Trooper*
|
|
Trooper*
|
*non-officer enlisted rank
|
No. of
Stormtroopers
|
Organization
|
Commanding Officer
|
9
|
squad
|
Sergeant*
|
38
|
platoon
|
2nd Lieutenant
|
154
|
company
|
Captain, Commander
|
618
|
battalion
|
Commander, Major
|
2474
|
regiment
|
Lt. Colonel, Colonel
|
9898
|
legion
|
High Colonel
|
*non-officer enlisted rank
|
ISB Rank Insignia
ISB personnel below the rank of Captain typically wear black uniforms and sometimes body armor. Distinctive white uniforms are worn by those Captain and above. The rough equivalent Imperial Naval Rank is given for the sake of comparison. In practice, all branches of the regular military give the fanatically loyal members of the ISB a wide berth.The ISB is separate from, and was established as a deliberate rival to, the Imperial Intelligence apparatus. Staffed solely by the most trusted adherents to the New Order, the ISB usually serves more of a police function than do agents of Imperial Intelligence. ISB operatives frequently identify themselves publicly, reveling in the intimidation value provided by their parent organization's sinister reputation.
The ISB concerns itself chiefly with enforcing loyalty to the Empire and rooting out Rebels wherever they may be found.
Plaque
|
ISB rank
|
Navy rank
|
 |
Director
|
Fleet Admiral
|
 |
Deputy Director
|
Admiral
|
 |
Admiral
|
Vice-Admiral
|
 |
Vice-Admiral
|
Rear Admiral
|
 |
Colonel
|
Commodore
|
 |
Captain
|
Captain
|
 |
Commander
|
Commander
|
 |
Agent
|
Lt. Commander
|
 |
Lieutenant
|
Lieutenant
|
 |
Sub-Lieutenant
|
Sub-Lieutenant
|
Sources
Star Wars Imperial Sourcebook, Second Edition, WEG, 1994 (Gorden, Schweighofer)
Star Wars Technical Commentaries: Imperial Insignia, theforce.net, 2000 (Saxton)
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