The Imperial Military, also referred to as the Imperial Armed Forces, comprised the various branches of the armed forces of the Galactic Empire, such as the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy and the Stormtrooper Corps, as well as agencies such as Imperial Intelligence. Formed as a realignment of the Republic Military following the Clone Wars and the transformation from Galactic Republic to the Empire, the nascent Imperial Military was tasked with enforcement across the Empire and was used for suppressing planetary uprisings, continuing the Great Jedi Purge and chasing holdouts of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
However it would be faced with a growing rebellion which caused concern within the military, ultimately resulting in the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Civil War. The Imperial stormtroopers and Star Destroyers were deployed and fought across the galaxy to retain Imperial control. Even after the loss of the Death Star over Yavin, the Empire was able to almost defeat the rebels during the Battle of Hoth. Six months later, the Imperial Military suffered a sudden and crushing defeat at the Battle of Endor.
After successive defeats by New Republic as well as the power vacuum left in the wake of the Emperor‘s death following Endor, the Imperial Military finally collapsed on the Inner Rim Territories world of Jakku and was officially disbanded by the New Republic shortly after the war ended.
The Imperial Navy, also known as the Imperial Starfleet, was the naval branch of the Galactic Empire‘s military. The Imperial fleet was created in the wake of the Clone Wars, when Chancellor Sheev Palpatine transformed the Galactic Republic he led into an authoritarian Empire. Consisting mainly of Star Destroyers and TIE fighters, the Imperial Navy was tasked with maintaining order in the galaxy.