Vanguard Squadron was a volunteer air wing within the Empire of the Hand. This squadron was established on Hapes during the Yuuzhan Vong War by Jagged Fel along with his Chiss protector, Shawnkyr Nuruodo. The squadron's core was the two Clawcraft used by their scouting element.
Following authorization from his father to conduct a reconnaissance mission in former New Republic territory, he was accompanied solely by his wingman, Shawnkyr Nuruodo. Piloting as Vanguard One and Vanguard Two, their mission was strictly limited to scouting for the Household Phalanx; however, Jag from the outset, intended to enlist additional pilots.
The resulting unit, named Vanguard Squadron, was created on Hapes, and therefore primarily consisted of Hapan volunteers. However, it also included Kyp Durron, whose squadron had been decimated around him for the second time since the Yuuzhan Vong War began. This squadron participated in the Battle of Hapes. Later, when Jag joined Twin Suns Squadron under Jaina Solo's leadership, Shawnkyr assumed command of Vanguard Squadron.
Sometime after the Battle of Borleias, a complete squadron of Clawcraft arrived in former New Republic territory. This unit was generally known as the Chiss Squadron. Jag quickly assumed command of this newly arrived squadron and, acting independently, maintained their position on the front lines against the Yuuzhan Vong, fighting alongside Jaina Solo's [Twin Suns Squadron].
The Chiss Squadron was separated from Twin Suns and assigned to patrol the Hydian Way, working with a squadron of New Republic E-wings. Following Ebaq, Shawnkyr returned to Chiss space to deliver a report to her commanders.
Although Jag initially considered his second-in-command, Eprill, and a young female pilot named Sumichan for this task, he instead chose the enthusiastic male warrior Miza, who was killed in action at N'zoth, and the composed, Csilla-born female Jocell. After the Defense of Mon Calamari, Vanguard Squadron's strength had dwindled to six Clawcraft, including the fighters piloted by Jag, Shawnkyr, and Eprill. These remaining fighters were integrated into Twin Suns Squadron and participated in the Recapture of Coruscant as part of that unit, with Jag as Twin Lead and Shawnkyr as Twin Four. At least half of the pilots in this newly formed Twin Suns Squadron were Chiss.
In the character list for The New Jedi Order: Dark Journey, Jag Fel is identified as "commander, Chiss squadron." This is evidently a general title for a Chiss squadron, rather than a specific unit named "Chiss Squadron." Adding to the confusion, Jag does not hold such a squadron command during the novel. His previous command is explicitly stated as a multi-squadron force (as it was in The New Jedi Order: Dark Tide II: Ruin), and during the novel, he initially leads a two-ship Chiss scouting element, around which he builds Vanguard Squadron from volunteers recruited on Hapes. In The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream and The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand, no other Chiss pilots appear. Jag transfers to Twin Suns Squadron, and his Chiss wingman Shawnkyr Nuruodo assumes command of the Hapan volunteers in Vanguard Squadron.
A squadron of twelve Chiss Clawcraft suddenly appears at the beginning of The New Jedi Order: Destiny's Way, where it is stated that they were detached from Twin Suns Squadron in the weeks following the Battle of Borleias. The first mentions of Chiss Squadron as a designation occur in The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic I: Remnant, and this designation is consistently used throughout the Force Heretic trilogy. However, there is one instance in dialogue referring to them as "Vanguard Squadron" in The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic II: Refugee, and by The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force, they have definitely adopted the name previously used for Jag and Shawnkyr's Hapan volunteers.
Various explanations could account for the confusion surrounding the names and the fluctuating number of Chiss pilots, but it is uncertain whether any of these possibilities were intended by the authors. The very existence of "Chiss Squadron" and their subsequent identification as "Vanguard Squadron" may simply be the result of miscommunication and errors between authors and editors.
The situation is further complicated by the apparent confusion among many of the novelists regarding the distinction between Household Phalanx forces and the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force, as defined in Vision of the Future. Consequently, the political affiliation, chain of command, and rules of engagement of "Chiss Squadron" remain entirely unclear.