When this report began, I must admit, I was slightly overwhelmed. What was a simple study of the New Class, required an even further and in-depth study of the New Republic Defense Fleet. While the New Class is the focus of this report and study, in order for it to be effective and complete the objective at hand, the Defense Fleet as a whole must be reviewed. To being however, I will detail the various ships of the New Class and the program itself.

The New Class Modernization Project
The New Class Project was a standardization program by the Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic, focusing primarily upon the Defense Fleet and Starfighter Corps, as Army, aside from an effective battle armor, which was developed, was otherwise deemed still entirely combat effective against the Imperial Army, Stormtrooper Corps, and other surface combatants. The program was initiated by Chiefs of State Leia Organa-Solo and Eli Fitzgerald under the direction ofthe late former Defense Council Chair Exar Ray and later former Defense Council Chair Cul'utaan Forte.

The driving force behind the New Class project isn't force projection, dominance, or conquest, but to develop an organized, professional military force. This biggest strength of the Defense Fleet and Starfighter Corps is its diversity in vessels, and yet at the same time, it is also its biggest weakness. The Defense Fleet must provide parts, repairs, and crews for over twelve classes of space stations, seventy-one classes of capital ships, and twenty-two classes of transports while the Starfighter Corps must do the same for thirty (soon to be thirty-one) classes of craft, and this is not including NRDF support to the planetary armed forces as well. The cost of field such a diverse force, as well as maintenance and supply issues, along with the personnel issues, such as training, rotating, and promoting crews across multiple classes of vessels, put an enormous strain upon the Defense Forces that will soon bring it to its breaking point.

This issue, that is critical, was what brought about the New Class program, and it was this problem that the New Class team has sought to fix as their planned research and development operations comes to a close by the next fiscal year with the completion of the XJ X-Wing Starfighter, which is currently undergoing field tests by Rascal Squadron. It seeks to take the versatility, which is a great asset, that the current fleet has, keep it with a mere fourteen classes of ships, five classes of fighters, and eleven classes of transports. Our current transport fleet, while not directly influenced by the New Class Project, we have limited our transport fleet to a mere eleven classes, however the other classes are required to be still used in service, due to the costs of operating the current Defense Fleet and Starfighter Corps.

With this reduced amount of supplies and parts needed, and the larger amount of firepower, versatility across a smaller amount of ships, the required defense budget, as well as personnel demands, will do the downsizing sought by some elements of the Senate, and do the modernization and standardization sought by others. The capabilities of the New Class ships can be seen in the track record of the Fifth Battle Group. While there have been losses, which can be attributed however to commander error, that despite taking moderate losses, a fleet of New Class ships can take on and win against a numerically superior force. At the same time, our current fleet composition has been known to take heavy losses and forced into retreat in such a situations.

List of New Class Vessels
MC90 Star Cruiser

Republic-class Star Destroyer

Belarus-class Medium Cruiser

Corona-class Frigate

Endurance-class Fleet Carrier

Nebula-class Star Destroyer

Defender-class Assault Carrier

Majestic-class Heavy Cruiser

Hajen-class Fleet Tender

Sacheen-class Light Escort

Warrior-class Gunship

Agave-class Picket

Prowler-class Reconnaissance Vessel

Ferret-class Reconnaissance Vessel

XJ X-Wing

BTL-S8 K-Wing Assault Starfighter

Series III E-Wing

V-Wing

Defender Starfighter

Action VI Transport

Bantha-class Assault Shuttle

Corellian Heavy Lifter

GR-75 Medium Transport

T-4a Lambda-class Shuttle

Sentinel-class Landing Craft

V-Wing Airspeeder Transport

YT-1300 Freighter

YT-2000 Freighter

YT-2400 Freighter

RM-09 Alliance Shuttle

Summary
In summary, the New Class merely seeks to standardize and modernize the Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic, rather than building a entity of conquest as some may fear. It in fact can bring about the same capabilites and firepower against an enemy, in a smaller, streamlined package. These developments help reduce supply needs, repair needs, crew requirements, amount of training needed, and can produce a more effective and smaller military force. The current administration's sought role of "repel, respond, and resolve" can be in fast, more easily and cheaply obtained by further implementation of the New Class Project's developments. If anything, the New Class vessels are in fact more suited for service in peacetime than the current fleet, as force reduction and cost limitation are the primary concerns of a peacetime military. At the same time, it can quickly rotate into a wartime stance when necesarry.

Recommendation
It is my personal recommendation upon researching the New Class Project, is to not freeze New Class production, but rather increase it. While many may consider this politically motivated by my constant opposition to the current Chief of State in my Senate career, I must reinforce that this is merely a sound, military decision that in fact tries to give the current Chief of State the best force to enact his revised defense policy, of which I am more agreeable to as a side note. I believe, and recommend, that the NRDF adopt a eight year plan to transform the entire Defense Fleet and Starfighter Corps into a New Class only force. The timeframe allows the cost of production to be spread out, part of which I recommend, should this course of action be adopted, be covered by the sale of all non-New Class vessels to the planetary armed forces or for scrap. Now, the firepower can be overwhelming at first, but we can bring about the same amount of firepower the current Battle Groups can bring to bear, in a more advanced and smaller force. Adoption of this policy, following the production and implementation, can reduce the defense budget to a mere 1/5th of what it is today. Our personnel requirements and training times can be reduced by at least a 1/2 of what they are now. This greatly reduced the major source of our defense costs outside of maintenance. Ultimately, this, in my mind, is the best course of action. I also recommend two additional courses of action that should be taken with the implementation of my main recommendation. First, the New Republic, considering the power of the New Class Vessels, should limit the New Class vessels to service in the Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic only. Planetary armed forces should NOT be allowed use and sale of the New Class vessels, as has been allowed in the past, as some member worlds can not be trusted with such craft, and rather bank on the good record of most, we should eliminate the temptation of abuse for the few. My second additional recommendation, to keep our defense industry vibrant and flourishing, the current classes in service, with the exception of the New Class, should be built for our planetary defense forces through various programs and funds that provide assistance for such endeavors. These programs and funds should be built in a way that makes any other route than Republic provided military assets not an option to our member worlds. Ultimately, the costs are replaced with the profits that trickle their way back through the economy, thus providing a steady stream of economic stimuli.

NOTE: Some items in this report may be classified, and if so, will not be included in the final public release.

[signed]
General Orion Karath (Ret.)
New Republic Army