The armies of the Republic were also made up of the local militias as well as the sector forces who reported to their generals rather then the central command authority such as the Defense Ministry. Darth Revan, before he fell to the Dark side of the Force, was the first field marshal who commanded all the separate units in order for the Republic to better coordinate their defense against the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. However, the nature of the conflict meant that they often spent more time as guards on their capital ships than as troopers on the ground. During the Great Galactic War, Republic soldiers were professionalized, and millions of volunteers across thousands of planets fought in the Republic Army. The Army's logistical network brought constant reinforcements to those planets. Republic Army basic training was eighteen weeks of drills, tests, and exercises, followed by up to twelve months of specialist training. Infantry units saw combat in eighty percent of engagements against the Sith Empire.