Imperial Maritime Force

The Imperial Maritime Force was a branch of the Imperial Military that was concerned with the use of watercraft for combat, transportation, and exploration. The Imperial Aerospace Force, who specialized in the use of aircraft and airspeeders, often operated in conjunction with the Maritime Force. Both branches relied on the Imperial Navy's starships for transportation between worlds, though Maritime/Aerospace deployments were usually long-term, minimizing the need for Imperial Navy detachments assigned to the support and transportation of Maritime/Aerospace assets. The Maritime Force also boasted an amphibious infantry detachment whose members who typically known as "shoretroopers" as well as "seatroopers", who used equipment suited for deep underwater use. Although shoretroopers and seatroopers had stormtrooper-like armor and were equipped with the E-11 blaster series, they were not part of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps.

Members of the Maritime Force were often recruited from Imperial worlds whose populations had a valuable seafaring culture. Most Imperial sailors had backgrounds as fishermen, sea merchants, boat racers, or officers of water-based police forces.