Klingon Defense Force

The Klingon Defense Forces (sometimes referred to as the Imperial Klingon Defense Forces) are the military branch of the Klingon Empire.

History

As of 2373, the Klingon Defense Forces are headquartered at Ty'Gokor, a fortified planetoid located within the Beta Quadrant. This world was considered a fortress, due to it being inside an asteroid belt deep inside Klingon territory. In addition to the Defense Force Headquarters, the Hall of Warriors, an ancient meeting hall, was also located within the command center of this installation.

The majority of the Defense Force are made up of various warriors who do not sit on the High Council. In order to become an officer, a candidate must pass the entrance exam. The prospective officer then must be approved by an oversight council, who has the authority to reject the application. Officers usually serve on the Klingon Empire's ships, and warriors are sent into battle, whether it be on planetary assaults or when boarding other vessels.

The system of hierarchy aboard ships within the Defense Forces is highly structured. According to one of their systems, one that has operated successfully for centuries, the First Officer or HoDHom of any Klingon vessel has the duty to assassinate his Captain or HoD when and if the Captain becomes weak or unable to perform. It is expected that his honorable retirement should be assisted by his "First". The Second Officer also shares similar duties with his "First".

The Defense Forces are capable of deploying a fleet of ships to destroy an entire planet.

Agencies / Units

Klingon Intelligence also known as "qa'" - Klingon Intelligence Units
- translates roughly as Ghost. Soldiers who move like the breath of the wind, and leave no trace they had ever been there.

Klingon Oversight Council: Approves Klingons to become officers. Their approval was considered to be a formality.

Order of the Bat'leth: An exclusive Klingon group, a status awarded to warriors who had distinguished themselves in battle.
- It was considered one of the highest honors a Klingon could receive, with perhaps only the Order of Kahless outranking it in prestige.

"quvHa" - Penal Batallions translates as The Dishonored. Units made up of warriors seeking to regain their honor.

Military Conflicts

Attack on Breen (Second Empire)
- During the Klingon Second Empire, Chancellor Mow'ga ordered an entire fleet of Klingon warships to invade and conquer the Breen homeworld.
  The fleet never returned and was never heard from again.

Battle of HarOs
- Fought sometime prior to the mid 24th century.

Temporal Cold War (2151)
- The Suliban Cabal tried to destabilize the Klingon government in this year, and start a civil war.

Augment Crisis (2154)
- Considered a military conflict due to the volatile nature of the virus, and military forces were used to try and calm the population.

Federation-Klingon Cold War (c. 2220s-2293)
- Battle of Donatu V (2245)
  An inconclusive battle, ownership of this planet and its surrounding region was disputed between the Federation
  and the Klingon Empire from the point of first contact through the mid-2250s.

- Occupation of Organia (2266-2267)
- Federation-Klingon War (2267)
- Battle of Caleb IV (c. 2260s)
  A successful attack on the Federation outpost at Caleb IV.
  Klingons used their new technology of cloaking devices to help them win the battle.

Battle of Klach D'Kel Brakt (2271)
Decisive battle fought between the Klingon and Romulan Empires.
The battle included hand-to-hand combat using melee weapons.

Battle of Narendra III (2344)
An attack on a Klingon outpost on Narendra III by four Romulan warbirds.
This attack led to the later defense of said outpost by the USS Enterprise-C.
The conflict had a major impact on interstellar politics in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.

Betreka Nebula Incident (2328)
This began an eighteen-year-long conflict between the Klingon Empire and the Cardassian Union.
It began as a dispute between Klingon and Cardassian forces over Raknal V.

Khitomer Massacre (2346)
A deadly Romulan attack on the Khitomer colony that resulted in 4,000 Klingon deaths.

Klingon Civil War (2367-2368)
A conflict fought over the right to choose the next Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, the leader of the Klingon Empire.

- Battle of Mempa (2368)
  The Mempa system was the location of several key battles during the Klingon Civil War.

Klingon-Cardassian War (2372-2373)
The Klingon Empire invaded the Cardassian Union, egged on by imposters in the Empire.
The manipulation of the Klingons into launching this invasion was an integral part in the Dominion War.

Federation-Klingon War (2372-2373)
War was declared between the Klingons and the Federation when Starfleet tried to stop Klingon forces from invading Cardassian space.

- First Battle of Deep Space 9 (2372)
  A Klingon task force attacked Deep Space 9, attempting to capture the Cardassian Civilian Council members.