| “ | The brave men and women of the Dominion Armed Forces defend our homefront, but they cannot do it alone. Enlist today, to have your sentence commuted by more than half!"
|
„ |
| ~ Emperor Arcturus Mengsk |
| “ | Obedience is protection. | „ |
| ~ Dominion slogan |
The Dominion Armed Forces, also known as the Dominion military are the major antagonists of the Starcraft franchise.
They are are the military branch of the Terran Dominion, serving as the primary enforcers of the Dominion’s authority across the Koprulu Sector. Established alongside Emperor Arcturus Mengsk’s rise to power, they are a formidable organization equipped with advanced weaponry, elite troops, and a vast fleet of starships. Tasked with maintaining order, suppressing rebellions, and expanding the Dominion’s influence, the Dominion Armed Forces are infamous for their militaristic discipline, strategic prowess, and ruthless enforcement of imperial policies.
History[]
Formation and Rise of the Dominion[]
General Edmund Duke
The Dominion Armed Forces were founded in March 2500, forged from the blood and ashes of the fallen Terran Confederacy.
After the Confederacy’s collapse during the Zerg invasion, Arcturus Mengsk seized the opportunity to reshape the Terran sector into his vision of a new empire — the Terran Dominion. His former revolutionary army, the Sons of Korhal, became the backbone of this new force, while surviving Confederate officers, engineers, and warships were absorbed, re-trained, or subjugated into service.
The DAF became a symbol of Mengsk’s power and ruthlessness. It was not simply an army — it was the instrument of his will. Dissenters were hunted, rebellious colonies were bombarded, and loyalty was enforced through propaganda, military occupation, and psionic monitoring. The DAF’s creation marked the birth of an authoritarian military state where soldiers were both heroes and enforcers of tyranny.
The Brood War[]
The Dominion's forces under Emperor Arcturus Mengsk
When the Brood War erupted, the Dominion Armed Forces were thrown into one of the most chaotic conflicts in Terran history. Beset by the Zerg Swarm, the Protoss, and the invading United Earth Directorate, the DAF fought on multiple fronts simultaneously. Despite the vastness of its military, internal disorganization and technological inferiority plagued early campaigns.
General Edmund Duke, one of Mengsk’s key commanders, led several major offensives — but the Dominion suffered catastrophic losses, including entire fleets, worlds, and the deaths of countless soldiers. The UED seized Korhal temporarily, humiliating Mengsk’s regime. Even then, the DAF showed its most villainous side: indiscriminate bombardments, scorched-earth tactics, and suppression of civilian evacuations were routine.
Though ultimately surviving the war, the DAF emerged battered and divided, its reputation tarnished by atrocities and the deaths of millions of Terran civilians who perished in “containment operations.” The Brood War solidified the Dominion’s reputation as a brutal empire that valued control above life.
Era of Rebellion and Frontier Wars[]
After the Brood War, the Dominion entered an unstable age. Its outer worlds were plagued by uprisings, piracy, and Zerg infestations. The DAF, stretched across dozens of systems, transformed into an occupying force rather than a defensive one. Garrisons and orbital platforms enforced “peace” through fear, propaganda, and overwhelming firepower.
The Raynor’s Raiders rebellion became the military’s most persistent enemy. In response, the DAF launched ruthless campaigns of extermination, often sacrificing entire colonies suspected of aiding rebels. Planetary bombardments, psy-ops broadcasts, and conscription raids became the norm. Soldiers began to lose morale, and the Dominion’s promise of “security” turned into a regime of total surveillance and obedience.
Behind the scenes, secret divisions such as the Ghost Program and Psi-Ops conducted assassinations and experiments. Civilians disappeared, colonies went silent, and “classified” research into psionic weaponry deepened the military’s moral decay.
The Return of the Swarm[]
The sudden reappearance of Sarah Kerrigan and the reborn Zerg Swarm plunged the Dominion back into war. The DAF mobilized under General Horace Warfield, a hardened veteran whose loyalty to the Mengsk family was unquestionable. Massive planetary offensives, such as Operation Burnout, sought to secure the Sara System and annihilate Zerg nests across the sector.
The battles were catastrophic. Billions of credits worth of armor, ships, and soldiers were lost. The Zerg assaulted Korhal IV itself, breaching the Dominion’s heart. Mengsk responded by deploying the Psi Destroyer, a superweapon that targeted psionic entities — an act that led to further civilian casualties and military disillusionment.
Eventually, Kerrigan personally overthrew Arcturus Mengsk, killing him and decapitating the Dominion’s old regime. Yet even in defeat, the DAF did not collapse as it reorganized under his son.
Reformation under Valerian Mengsk[]
After Arcturus’s death, Valerian Mengsk inherited both his father’s empire and its sins. The Dominion Armed Forces underwent sweeping reforms. Valerian sought to transform the DAF from a feared oppressor into a professional defense organization.
He disbanded corrupt commands, restricted the Ghost Program, and restructured the fleets. Propaganda shifted from obedience to unity — but the scars of tyranny remained. Many soldiers, indoctrinated by decades of Mengsk’s rule, distrusted Valerian’s “softer” ideals.
Even as it rebranded, the DAF continued to police rebellious systems, suppress uprisings, and maintain martial law across the Dominion. Though reformed in appearance, its core remained the same: a centralized, militaristic regime that believed peace could only exist under the barrel of a gauss rifle.
The War Against Amon[]
The Dominion armed forces entering the Void with the zerg and the Daelaam
When Amon, the fallen Xel’naga, unleashed his hybrid army upon the Koprulu sector, the Dominion Armed Forces were thrust into a war for existence itself. DAF units fought alongside the Protoss Daelaam and Zerg Swarm, defending the sector against near-cosmic annihilation.
Despite their valor, the Dominion’s militarism again showed its darker side. Commanders sacrificed entire fleets to buy time, ordered mass conscription, and used enslaved psionics as weapons. The Sky Shield defense platform was nearly destroyed, and the Keystone project — a device tied to Amon’s defeat — became a military obsession, guarded by entire DAF task forces.
The war ended with Amon’s fall, but the cost was unimaginable. Entire planetary systems lay in ruin, and countless Dominion soldiers were either dead or driven insane by psionic exposure. Even in victory, the DAF’s legacy was one of devastation and sacrifice.
The Defenders of Man Rebellion[]
Not long after the war, the Dominion faced a new enemy from within.
General Carolina Davis, a decorated officer disillusioned with Valerian’s reforms, secretly founded the Defenders of Man — a rogue paramilitary movement that manipulated the Zerg threat to incite fear and reclaim “true Dominion strength.”
Using stolen technology, covert ghost operatives, and massive psionic emitters, Davis staged Zerg attacks against Dominion worlds to destabilize Valerian’s rule. The DAF’s darker branches — propaganda networks, ghost operatives, and elite strike teams — were split between loyalty to Davis or the Emperor.
Nova Terra, a former Ghost operative, uncovered the conspiracy, infiltrated the Defenders, and exposed Davis’s crimes. The resulting civil war inside the Dominion Armed Forces left deep scars and further fractured the military’s loyalty.
The One-Day War and the Modern Era[]
By the time of the One-Day War, the Dominion Armed Forces had endured decades of unending conflict. Under Valerian’s command, they entered fragile peace negotiations with the Zerg Swarm (now led by Zagara) and the Protoss Daelaam.
However, peace was short-lived. When the Dominion encountered a new, aberrant strain of Zerg known as Chitha, conflict erupted once again. The DAF mobilized its fleets to defend strategic worlds, clashing with hybrid forces in battles that shook entire systems.
In the chaos, it was revealed that Abathur, the Zerg’s genetic master, had manipulated events behind the scenes. Though the DAF emerged victorious, the war reinforced its defining nature — a military that thrives in crisis, one built not for peace but for endless warfare.
Today, the Dominion Armed Forces remain one of the most powerful and feared militaries in the sector.
Though reformed in structure, their history is inseparable from oppression, mass destruction, and authoritarian rule — a grim reminder that in the Dominion, order always comes at the price of freedom.
Notable Battles / War Record[]
The Dominion Armed Forces have participated in countless conflicts across the Koprulu sector. Below are the most significant:
- Korhal Uprising (2500) – Consolidation of the Dominion. Suppression of rebellious colonies and full integration of Sons of Korhal and Confederate remnants. Marked by heavy civilian casualties and occupation tactics.
- The Brood War (2500–2504) – Fought simultaneously against the Zerg Swarm, Protoss forces, and the United Earth Directorate (UED). Significant losses at Boralis, Dylar IV, and Korhal; General Edmund Duke killed. Notorious for scorched-earth policies and civilian suppression.
- Frontier Wars / Interbellum (2504–2509) – Enforcement of Dominion authority on frontier colonies. Campaigns against Raynor’s Raiders, pirate fleets, and Zerg infestations. Introduced mass recruitment, mercenary use, and covert assassinations.
- Return of the Swarm (2510) – Operation Burnout and subsequent campaigns to repel Zerg incursions. Heavy losses in the Sara System; use of orbital bombardments and psionic weapons against enemy and civilian populations.
- Internal Rebellion: Defenders of Man (2514–2515) – Rogue faction led by General Carolina Davis. Infiltration, sabotage, and manipulation of Zerg attacks. Countered by Nova Terra and loyalist forces. Resulted in purge and restructuring of DAF intelligence units.
- War Against Amon (2513) – Sector-wide defense against hybrid armies. Battles at Sky Shield Platform, Keystone retrieval, and frontline planetary engagements. Highlighted DAF’s tactical ruthlessness and reliance on total war strategies.
- One-Day War (2516–Present) – Skirmishes with aberrant Zerg (Chitha strain) and hybrid forces. Coordinated operations with Protoss and allied Zerg factions. Reinforced DAF’s reputation as a militarized enforcer of sector stability, capable of decisive action in high-casualty scenarios.
Military Structure[]
Army / Ground Forces[]
- Heavy armored divisions (Siege Tanks, Marauders)
- Infantry (Marines, Reapers)
- Special units: Ghosts / Psi-ops / Covert Ops
Air & Fleet[]
- Battlecruisers, Carriers, Liberators
- Drop ships for planetary assaults
- Orbital platforms and space control systems
Special Divisions[]
- Intelligence / Covert Ops (espionage, sabotage)
- Psychic research & psionic integration (Kerrigan’s involvement)
- Science / Artifact recovery (Xel’naga, Keystone)
External Links[]
- Dominion Armed Forces on the Heroes Wiki
- Dominion Armed Forces on the Starcraft Wiki