The Klingon Defense Force is the military branch of the Klingon Empire.
History
As of 2373, the Klingon Defense Forces are headquartered at Ty'Gokor. The majority of Defense Force members are common warriors. 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 can 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. (DS9: "Apocalypse Rising")
The system of hierarchy aboard ships within the Defence Forces is highly structured. According to one of their systems, one that has operated successfully for centuries, the First Officer of any Klingon vessel has the duty to assassinate his Captain 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 similiar duties with his "first". (TNG: "A Matter of Honor"; DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire")
The Defence Forces are capable of deploying a fleet of ships to destroy an entire planet. They have done so on several occasions, including an attempt to contain a mutagenic virus in 2154 (ENT: "Affliction", "Divergence") and the successful destruction of the tribble homeworld. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
Agencies
Military Conflicts
- Hur'q invasion (c. 14th century)
- Attack on Breen (Second Empire)
- Battle of HarOs
- Temporal Cold War (2151)
- Augment Crisis (2154)
- Federation-Klingon Cold War (c. 2220s-2293)
- Occupation of Organia (2266-2267)
- First Federation-Klingon War (2267)
- Raid on Caleb IV (c. 2260s)
- Battle of Klach D'Kel Brakt (2271)
- Battle of Narendra III (2344)
- Second Federation-Klingon War (alternate timeline) (2344-2366)
- Khitomer Massacre (2346)
- Klingon Civil War (2367-2368)
- Battle of Veridian III (2371)
- Klingon-Cardassian War (2372-2373)
- Second Federation-Klingon War (2372-2373)
- Dominion War (2373-2375)