Our militaries deployed many ships and soldiers to the fighting in the Outer Colonies.  Tours of duty out there became a prerequisite to advancement, though large warships or formations rarely showed the flag.  The Outer Colonies were the province of small warships and Special Forces.  When The War finally started back home, and the Western Alliance lost so much of our Core Worlds fleets, it was the experience of the Outer Colonists that turned the tide.