the stormtroopers are not in fact the army, but rather an elite corps that works as a ground force for the Navy—similar to a Marine Corps.

The Imperial Navy, also referred to as the Imperial Starfleet, was the military arm of the Galactic Empire in charge of maintaining security, peace and order in the galaxy. Commanded by Darth Vader, it absorbed the military forces of the Galactic Republic after Palpatine's declaration of the New Order. Organization of the Imperial Navy is assigned to the Moffs.

At its peak, the Imperial Navy fielded millions of warships including the 26,000 "Star Destroyers" that are shown in the film. They fulfilled the Emperor's will throughout the galaxy. After its defeat at the Battle of Endor, the Galactic Empire splits up into warring factionsand the Imperial Starfleet splinters along with it. While much of the remnants of the Imperial Navy were later reunited under impressive Imperial commanders, the military organization covered in this article ceased to exist shortly after the death of the Emperor.

Specific responsibilities of the Imperial Navy included defending Imperial citizens from space-based threats such as pirates, smugglers and rebel contingents, enforcing Imperial Will, and overseeing commerce through customs and blockade operations. The Imperial Navy also performs orbital bombardments, transports major ground force deployments and supports them with space and aerial support.

Imperial Navy uniforms come in a variety of designs and colors depending on unit, such as white for intelligence officers, but are usually Imperial standard grey as the rest of the Imperial officer corps.

The Stormtroopers operate with the