New Republic Defense Fleet

New Republic Defense Fleet

TheNew Republic Defense Fleet, commonly referred to as theNew Republic Navy or theNew Republic Space Navy, was the name of the defenseFleet of theNew Republic.

History[]

At the creation of the New Republic, the formerAlliance Fleet consisted primarily of donatedstarships converted to military duty, volunteer resistance force fleets and a small number of vessels purchased with limitedRebel Alliance funds, headed byAdmiralAckbar, who also held a seat on theNew Republic Provisional Council. During this period, Ackbar coordinated the Fleet towards the Council's primary goal: the capture ofCoruscant. Along the way, the Fleet engaged a number of Imperialwarlords and relied heavily upon its officers' ingenuity to defeat the warlords' superior warships.

After theliberation of Coruscant, the New Republic reorganized under theCommon Charter, which also organized the military might of the New Republic into a single, unified command structure, theCombined Defense Forces of the New Republic. Starships,starfighters and soldiers all served under theSupreme Commander, an office built from the remains of theMinister of Defense,Minister of the Army,Minister of the Navy and theMinister of the Starfighter Corps. While the Defense Force was organized intoFleet Command, Intelligence, Technology and Quartermaster sections, the Defense Fleet served as its primary action body, and was led directly by the Supreme Commander, Ackbar.

Ostensibly it was during this period that the Navy began to organize intofleets. These groups patrolled segments of the New Republic on a rotating basis, with at least one always assigned to defending Coruscant and another assigned to patrolling "Thunder Alley." Prior to16 ABY, four fleets were created to fulfill this function.

In the nine years following the reorganization of the fleet, the variety of vessels that comprised the Defense Fleet grew; starships from hundreds of shipyards across New Republic space made up the frontline, support and civilian vessels of the Fleet. The resulting inefficiencies of this diversity prompted a program to streamline the Fleet's ships and increase maintenance efficiency. This program, namedNew Class, offered the Fleet a new level of standardization, power and flexibility previously enjoyed by theImperial Starfleet. By 16 ABY, a new fleet, theNew Republic Fifth Battle Group constructed wholly of New Class starships completed its proving missions and demonstrated the success of the program in theBlack Fleet Crisis.

Ignoring Imperial design philosophy and opting for a larger number of smaller ship-designs, the New Republic built fleetcarriers,Republic-class Star Destroyers and smallerbattle cruisers, shying away from Super Star Destroyer-sized warships.^[10] However, the Navy's fleets were designed as response forces and, despite the concerns of some politicians during the launch of the Fifth Fleet, not a tool of conquest. The lessons learned from the Black Fleet Crisis eventually took form as theStar Defender program, which had its own set of detractors and moved ahead slowly.^[11]

Thus, the Navy was not able to easily launch counter-offensives against theYuuzhan Vong in the late stages of theYuuzhan Vong War, and once again had to rely on its talented commanders to achieve victories. During that conflict,Mediator-class battle cruisers,Bothan Assault Cruisers andViscount-class Star Defenders comprised the fleet's "signature ships".^[12]With the collapse of theNew Republic and the formation of theGalactic Alliance, the New Republic Defense Fleet formally ceased to exist, and was replaced by theGalactic Alliance Defense Fleet.^[13]

Organization[]

Headquarters[]

The Defense Fleet, and theDefense Forces as a whole, were headed by theSupreme Commander, who took orders from theChief of State, the civilian leader of the New Republic. In the first few years afterEndor, the Defense Forces were organized under the Ministry of Defense, which had been reorganized from the Rebel Alliance'sMinistry of War, with separate a ministry below it for the Fleet. In practice this proved overly-bureaucratic and cumbersome, and following theLiberation of Coruscant in6 ABY, the whole command structure was reorganized again, with the position of Minister of Defense being abolished the Supreme Commander becoming aRuling Council position.

New Republic High Command was the senior professional military body in control of the Defense Forces, which in turn controlledFleet Command.^[3] TheNew Republic Fleet Office was another controlling element of the Defense Fleet, which had authority over the Fleet,New Republic Fleet Intelligence, and theNew Republic Marines.^[14]

Administrative organization[]

TheNew Republic Marines, bridgehead commandos responsible for leadingplanetary assaults, were a component of the Defense Fleet.^[5]New Republic Fleet Intelligence was another component of the Defense Fleet responsible for military intelligence, which includedAsset Tracking, a department responsible for tracking Imperial military equipment lost after Endor.^[3]

Tactical organization[]

The Defense Fleet was built around four main fleets and area commands, derived from the four original fleets that had conducted the advance on Coruscant from4 to6 ABY. Early organization emphasized flexibility, with pre-existingsquadrons andflotillas from the oldAlliance Fleet remaining intact and local loyalties being taken into account.Battle groups were designed so they could be shifted within the four main fleets as required or if necessary deployed independently, such as theSolo Fleet deployed againstWarlordZsinj.^[9]

As the New Republic grew, Admiral Ackbar was faced with the challenge of creating a unified navy out of the disparate units that had comprised the Rebel Alliance'sSector Forces, which had contrasting regulations, tactics and traditions. To achieve this, the squadrons that had not originally been part of the central AllianceFleet Command were largely broken up and their ships and crews sent to different units. This provoked a degree of resistance, and theBothan Council and theCorellian Resistance responded by withdrawing most of their units from the navy, but on the whole Defense Fleet integration proceeded quickly. By8 ABY, theNew Republic First Fleet guardedCoruscant as the Home Fleet, while theSecond defendedElom, theThird,Kashyyyk and theFourth,Bothan Space. This arrangement fought in theThrawn campaign, the Imperialadvance out of theDeep Core, andOperation Shadow Hand.^[9]

By12 ABY thebattle group andsquadron forces met standards for strength, unity and discipline, allowing a more sweeping military reform. All federal military forces were placed under the four fleet commands as part of a integrated Defense Force. Naval battle groups became subcommands with defined sectors of operations, with large forces blockading the main Imperial holdouts and smaller squadrons assigned to peacekeeping patrols inside New Republic territory. One battle group in each fleet served as a mobile reserve, but temporary attachments of multi-roletask forces could turn each battle group into a powerful fighting fleet. These task forces were standardized squadrons built around a mix of vessels with complementary capabilities, designed to perform equally well at different mission profiles. The standard deployment was threeStar Destroyers orheavy cruisers, with two lightcarriers, four escorts, and five attack ships. Also attached were a line of scouts and support vessels. Standing orders mandated that the balance of ships in each task force should be roughly equal rather than allowingbattleships or pickets to become overrepresented, so that the number of task forces in a battle group defined its role rather than the internal balance of ships.^[9]

After the reorganization led to the four fleets becoming increasingly tied-down as territorial deployments, a new rapid-reaction command was activated in16 ABY. TheFifth Roving Battle Group contained five task forces, and fought with distinction in theBlack Fleet Crisis. The Fifth Battle Group was soon assigned full fleet status, and by19 ABY theNew Republic Fifth Fleet was enlarged to a full strength of five hundredcapital ships in five battle groups.^[9]

Starships of the New Republic Defense Fleet[]

Dreadnoughts[]

During theGalactic Civil War, the New Republic captured at least twoExecutor-class Star Dreadnoughts, which wereGuardian andLusankya. As part of theStar Defender Program,Viscount-class Star Defenders were manufactured atMon Calamari Orbital Shipyards whileStrident-class Star Defenders saw production on Corellia.

Capital ships[]

The defense fleet utilized variouscapital ships, fromMC80Home One type Star Cruisers,MC80Liberty type Star Cruisers,MC80a Star Cruisers, andMC80B Star Cruisers were all part of theMC80 Star Cruiser line.MC90 Star Cruisers were heavy based weapon platforms, and were often stationed within theCore Worlds.Mediator-class battle cruisers were advanced later generation Mon Cala cruisers.

Nebula-class Star Destroyers were also used as a capital-class.Nebula-class was capable of going head to head against anImperial-class Star Destroyer.Republic-class Star Destroyers werecarrier/destroyer based ships design by the infamousWalex Blissex. Another ship that often found itself as head of a fleet or task force was theEndurance-Class Fleet Carrier.

The fleet did use capturedProcursator-class Star Destroyers,Imperial I-class andImperial II-class Star Destroyers, as well asVictory I-class andVictory II-class Star Destroyers.

Other Cruisers[]

Immobilizer 418 cruisers were equipped withgravity well projectors, which prevented starships from going tohyperspace, and even pulling them out of hyperspace, were used. At least fiveCC-7700/E interdiction cruisers made their way into the navy.

At least oneBulwark Mark I, orBulwark-class battleship, was deployed at theBattle of Mindor. TwoAcclamator II-class assault ships also were sent toMindor. The defense fleet used multipleBulwark Mark III, orBulwark-class battlecruisers.Shieldships, designed byGeneralLando Calrissian, were employed. It was designed to withstand a nearby star, or be used as a utility craft.

Other cruiser classes were made use of, includingDreadnaught-class heavy cruisers,Republic-class cruisers,Dauntless-class heavy cruisers,Bothan Assault Cruisers,Strike-class medium cruisers,Majestic-class heavy cruisers andDefender-class assault carriers.Quasar Fire-Class bulk cruisers were used as starfighter carriers.

With an alliance with theHapesConsortium, the fleet had access toHapan Battle Dragons andNova-class battle cruisers.

Frigates/Light Cruisers

The fleet used several different variants offrigates and light cruisers includingMC30c frigates,CC-7700 frigates,Class-C frigates,EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigates, anAlderaanian War Frigate,Lancer-class frigates, andAssault Frigate Mark I variant, itsMark II variation,Carrack-class light cruisers, andProficient-class light cruisers.Sacheen-class light escorts were later introduced as well.

Corvettes/Picket Ships

Corvettes were used heavily, usingCR90 corvettes, andMarauder-class corvettes andDP20 frigates. The New Class Modernization Program producedAgave-class picket ships andWarrior-class gunships.

Support Vessels

Hajen-class fleet tenders were necessary because of standard New Republic military doctrine. Unlike the Empire, who focused on large one ship battle groups that could support itself for upwards of a year, New Republic fleets needed much more resupplying.Ferret-class reconnaissance vessels andProwler-class reconnaissance vessels were both dedicated spy and recon ships.

Freighters were used to transport medical supplies, weapons, and other material for the war efforts, These includedYKL-37R Nova Couriers,YT-1300 light freighters,YT-2400 freighters,YZ-775 medium transports,GX1 short haulers,Class 720 freighters,Action VI transports, andZV-9 freighters.

Transports[]

Jadthu-class landing ships,GR-75 medium transports,Sentinel-class landing craft,Lambda-class T-4a shuttles,Marketta-class shuttles,Bantha-class troop carrier assault shuttles,Mu-2 long range shuttles,Ranger-class gunships,orbital jumpers, andfleet shuttles served as primary transports.Mynock-class assault boats were boarding crafts designed to capture enemywarships."Out System" Scout Vessels were used for exploration, finding and surveying newplanets.

Starfighters[]

T-65 X-wing starfighters,T-65A2 X-wing starfighters,T-65A3 X-wing starfighters,T-65AC4 X-wing starfighters,T-65BR X-wing reconnaissance starfighters,T-65B X-wing starfighters,T-65XJ3 X-wing starfighters,TX-65 X-wing starfighters,A/SF-01 B-wing starfighters,RZ-1 A-wing interceptors,A-9 Vigilance interceptors,BTL-A4 Y-wing starfighters,BTL-S8 K-wing assault starfighters,E-wing escort starfighters,I-7 Howlrunners,Z95 Headhunters,Defender starfighters,CloakShape fighters, anddrone fighters.Lightstealth-18 Reconnaissance Ships were used in recon, and were fast and stealth.

Space stations[]

The fleet used numerous space stations, includingDibrook Space Station,Kothlis II,Yag-prime, andCaluula Station.Coruscant heldGolan III space defense platforms for its orbital defense. MultipleEmpress-class space stations found there use for the fleet as well. DuringOperation Shadow Hand, commando teams were able to captureoneWorld Devastator. It was used to recycle derelict spacecraft in orbit ofDa Soocha V. Many other captured World Devastators were used as well expect they were mainly assigned for scrapping ships. SeveralWorldcraft were employed into the fleet, it is unknown what they were used for.Hosk Station, anEsseles-class space station, was used.

Appearances[]

Sources[]

• Heir to the Empire Sourcebook
• Dark Empire Sourcebook(as New Republic fleet)
• "Recon & Report: The Journey to Coruscant" —Star Wars Adventure Journal 2(reprinted inThe Best of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, Issues 1-4)
• The DarkStryder Campaign
• The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
• The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook
• The Jedi Academy Sourcebook(as New Republic Navy)
• The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology(as New Republic navy)
• Star Wars Handbook 1:X-Wing Rogue Squadron(Misidentified asRebel Fleet)
• The Essential Chronology
• The New Essential Chronology
• Starships of the Galaxy, Saga Edition
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Essential Atlas
• The Essential Guide to Warfare

Notes and references[]