Assassination for military purposes, falling as the military does into the jurisdiction of an Imperial governor, has long been espoused, forming a standard part of Imperial military doctrine and. A group or an organisation might be based upon and around a particularly strong, canny or charismatic leader, whose loss could paralyze the ability of both to make war or threaten Imperial rule. However, in modern warfare a soldier's mindset is generally considered to surround ideals far more than specific leaders, while command structures are more flexible in replacing officer losses. While the death of a popular or successful leader often has a detrimental effect on morale, the organisational system and the belief in a specific cause is usually strong enough to enable continued warfare.

There is also the risk that the target could be replaced by an even more competent leader or that such a killing (or a failed attempt) will "martyr" a leader and support his cause (by showing the moral ruthlessness of the assassins). Faced with particularly brilliant leaders, this possibility has in various instances been risked.

There are a number of additional examples from the Galactic Civil War, the last major total war, which show how assassination was used as a military tool at both tactical and strategic levels:

• The Rebel interception of Admiral Yerris' shuttle during the Isomari campaign, after his travel route had been decrypted.
• The Rebel perception that Crix Madine's commandos were planning to assassinate Admiral Seng during the Battle of Retel played havoc with The Admiral's personal plans for some time, though it did not affect the battle itself.
• There is also mention of a planned Rebel commando raid to capture General Maximillian Veers shortly before Hoth, which might have had strategic effects in removing one of the most skilled Imperial commanders, particularly in the following Battle of Hoth.
• The Ubiqtorate in turn decided not to try to assassinate Admiral Honora, a Rebel battlegroup commander, because to do so was considered risking the chance that a superior officer might replace him, Honora having shown his inability to defend against precision Imperial attacks on numerous occasions.

Therefore even in military operations, just as in civil, careful consideration of the effect of an assassination must be made and assessed on a tactical and strategic level, and the possibility of failure and its consequences always borne in mind - the price a Governor has to pay for the availability of assassination within his arsenal.