Planetary Security Forces

Around 15,000 BBY, the Planetary Security Forces began as an affiliation of organizations, functioning as auxiliaries to the Republic Navy. They bore the responsibility of defending their respective planetary or sector governments militarily, and frequently performed police duties. Some, like the Coruscant Security Force, predated this arrangement, having been established in the early years of the Galactic Republic. The Ruusan Reformation in 1000 BBY led to the dissolution of the Republic Military, which was subsequently reorganized into the Judicial Forces. The Judicial Forces were intended to be rapid response and crisis intervention units, as well as patrol the Republic's frontiers, leaving the PSFs to maintain order internally.

Alongside the Republic's demilitarization, new rules were put in place for the PSFs, particularly regarding the size and weaponry of their fleet. Judicial Inspectors from the Republic's Judicial Department strictly enforced these regulations. Nevertheless, numerous wealthy or industrialized worlds discovered loopholes to expand their forces and possess larger capital ships. In contrast, the Outer Rim Territories were forced to rely on older, smaller vessels, making them more susceptible to attacks from pirates and slavers.

Despite these restrictions, the Galactic Senate gave local governments the freedom to manage their PSFs as they saw fit. This resulted in a diverse range of ranks, regulations, and traditions, as well as varying degrees of success and failure in carrying out their responsibilities. Senators from worlds with strong military traditions ensured that their forces received adequate funding and support. This enabled those forces to achieve renown, such as the Garde d'Azure, the Lantillian Planetary Security Forces, the Greater Plooriod Wardens, the Iseno Rangers, and the Hertae Home Brigade. Conversely, other senators exploited the PSFs as a source of revenue, and political favors led to the appointment of individuals with little to no military commander experience to officer positions. This system also created the Generationals, whose positions in the PSFs were passed down through families.

Although the galaxy remained largely peaceful, the decline of centralized power and the growth of political corruption reduced the funding and effectiveness of the Judicial Forces. Following the Mandalorian Excision, the leaders of various PSFs convened at the Corsin Retreat in 738 BBY to explore ways to improve coordination. This resulted in the establishment of the College of Planetary Security Forces, a revival of the Republic Naval College, on the planet Anaxes. The College became a source of pride with a strong military tradition, while the Judicial Academy on Coruscant was regarded as a second-rate institution.

In the Republic's final years, factions such as the Militarists, the Reformists, and the Loyalists, advocated for the restoration of the Republic military. With the outbreak of the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the PSFs' traditions and the training provided by the PSF College on Anaxes served as the foundation for the reestablished Republic Military. The most capable PSFs, along with the entire Judicial Forces, were integrated into the Republic Navy. The PSFs themselves remained in place, but they were nationalized and placed under direct Republic control.

Following the Declaration of a New Order, the Republic was restructured as the Galactic Empire. The PSFs were further consolidated into the Imperial Military, although they retained some of their distinct identity. The Sector Governance Decree established the Moffs, who were placed in charge of sectors and given oversight of many local defense forces, as well as the Imperial forces stationed there. In the early stages of this system, some Moffs formed their own militias, preferring not to rely on the Imperial Navy. However, this granted too much autonomy away from the Emperor, so the Imperial government formed Sector Groups, many of whom were drawn from the PSFs, who were placed under the control of the Moffs but remained part of the overall military command.

After the Empire assumed direct control of the PSFs, a surplus of their former uniforms and equipment from the Republic era, including DH-17 blaster pistols and A280 blaster rifles, became available and flooded the black market. These items eventually found their way into the hands of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. As a result, the Empire rarely acknowledged the irony that its actions had essentially armed many members of the Rebel Alliance military. As the Galactic Civil War shifted in favor of the Rebels and the establishment of the New Republic, Chief of State Mon Mothma signed the Defense Declarations. This legislation denationalized the Planetary Security Forces, returning control to the sector governments. Members of the New Republic were expected to support the New Republic Defense Force, but they could also control their own planetary defense forces at greater strength than under the Empire or the Republic. This decision swayed many sectors that had been undecided to side with the New Republic.

The New Republic government also encountered problems as a result of denationalizing the PSFs. Because they were no longer under the control of the galactic government, local defense forces were frequently used to advance the interests of local governments rather than to promote galactic peace. This was especially obvious during the Caamas Document Crisis, when various defense forces, under the direction of their governments, took actions to escalate long-standing disputes. This almost escalated into full-scale civil war, which was only narrowly avoided by New Republic intervention. However, the Yuuzhan Vong War ravaged the galaxy a few years later, exposing the weaknesses of the decentralized defense forces. During the war, the New Republic was reorganized as the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances and eventually defeated the Yuuzhan Vong.

The Galactic Alliance Defense Force managed to survive the Swarm War but found itself unprepared for a full-scale conflict. In response, the Galactic Alliance Senate passed the Sector Defense Limits in 37 ABY. Similar to the Republic's actions during the Ruusan Reformations, the Galactic Alliance restricted the size of the PSFs while also increasing the tax and military resource obligations of member worlds. This sparked conflict with several worlds that had been expanding their sector forces in response to pirate threats or conflicts with neighbors. The issue quickly escalated into the Second Galactic Civil War, from which the Galactic Alliance emerged victorious. However, in the years that followed, a compromise was reached, with the Alliance allowing the PSFs to maintain their own forces while also strengthening the centralized military.

• Adumari Planetary Defense Forces
• Bothan civil defense army
• Corellian Defense Force
• Corellian Security Force
• Corulag security force
• Coruscant Security Force
• Telos Security Force
• Taris Civil Authority

The decentralized nature of the Planetary Security Forces resulted in a wide range of ranks, equipment, and practices. However, by the final decades of the Republic, wealthier PSFs in the Core, Colonies, and Inner Rim had adopted a relatively standardized uniform and armament. These PSFs, including that of Alderaan, wore uniforms consisting of blue shirts, black combat vests, gray trousers, black calf-length boots, and a broad, swept-back helmet. Weaponry included A280 blaster rifles and DH-17 sidearms.

Following the nationalization of the PSFs by the Galactic Empire, much of this equipment was deemed obsolete and replaced. Many of the uniforms and weapons that suddenly flooded the black market were used to equip the Rebellion.

The involvement of the Planetary Security Forces in arming the Rebel Alliance, as well as the Empire's ironic assistance after taking over the PSFs, was established in The Essential Guide to Warfare as a minor retcon regarding Rebel troopers' uniforms being identical to Alderaanian uniforms. Jason Fry, in his endnotes for the book, explained that he made the retcon because he felt that specifically labeling these uniforms as Alderaanian armor was making the Star Wars galaxy much smaller than it should be, and justified it in-universe by explaining that it would have been a political disaster if Alderaan had been discovered arming the Rebel Alliance, and chose to establish the uniform as one common to wealthier Planetary Security Forces.