Did the Galactic Republic REALLY Not Have a Military?

Did the Galactic Republic really not have an army? Dipping into Legends sources, they did during the Sith Wars, but when the Sith were eventually defeated and thought to be extinct, the Republic demilitarized for the next one thousand years. In the army’s place the Republic used smaller groups like the Defense Coalition during the High Republic era, or the Judicial Forces during the Fall of the Jedi era. Both groups were much smaller than a dedicated military, more suited for planetary conflicts rather than galactic ones. The crew that escorted Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn to Naboo at the start of The Phantom Menace were part of the Judicial Forces. The Separatist Crisis would have been far too large a threat for the Judicials to handle, so the Military Creation Act became an important issue in the Galactic Senate. #starwars

[HalfPraetorian]

Far too large for Judicial Forces to "hansle".. 😁

[arrun]

I think people forget that the Republic is more like the EU than a normal country. Member worlds are broadly responsible for internal governance, including defence.

[myriadmediamusings]

I could be completely wrong on this or misremembering his views, but this military creation act thing along with the republic having no army as mentioned in dialogue really feels like George's 'Nam politics at work again.

[twstf]

Hansel...




...he's SO hot right now! 😂

[demetrinight]

I'm not sure about canon but members of the Judicial Forces in Legends became officers in The Grand Army of the Republic. I'm pretty sure Tarken and other officers climbed the ranks this way.

[LincolnVincent]

The Jedi were also officially part of the Judicials in legends.

[michaelkaduck]

When the Sith were seemingly wiped out 1000 years ago, the then Chancellor Tarsus Valorum went to the Jedi and was like...
"(Sigh) Guys...seriously. Thanks for saving us, but no one like that you keep dragging us into stupid wars. I'm gonna put in some legislation and you'll have to ask our approval before you can do any war stuff. And while I'm at it, I'm gonna abolish the Republic Military."

[joshuafraser]

In star wars legends there was a military organization known as the Outland regions security forces, the closest thing that the galatic republic had to a actually military prior to its refounding shortly before the first battle of geonosis