Commanders of the Purge Troopers functioned as officers of the Purge Trooper forces, leading individual squads consisting of other Purge Troopers.
Instead of engaging targets in melee combat, these Commanders were unique among the Purge Troopers in that they generally favored attacking from a distance. However, they also received training in close-quarters combat, using their blaster rifles as melee weapons or deploying shock grenades. In contrast to the gray and/or black pauldrons worn by the standard troopers, the Commanders distinguished themselves by wearing red pauldrons. This specialized group received training in diverse weapons and tactics, but their primary weapons were the DC-15LE blaster rifles and shock grenades.