Editing Operation: RED FLAG

{{Era|HCW}}

{{Ratings}}

|image=[[File:PoA Reach.jpg|300px]]

|name=Operation: RED FLAG

|timeframe=

|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]

|date=Summer to Fall 2552

|place=[[Milky Way galaxy]]

|outcome=Mission canceled, objectives achieved through [[Great Schism|other events]].

|key=[[United Nations Space Command]]

*[[UNSC Navy]]

**[[Office of Naval Intelligence]]

|participants=*[[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]]

*[[SPARTAN-II]]s

**[[John-117|MCPO John-117]]

*Crew and Marines of the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}

**[[Jacob Keyes|Captain Jacob Keyes]]

**[[Antonio Silva|Major Antonio Silva]]

**[[Avery Johnson|Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson]]

'''Operation: RED FLAG''' was a planned [[United Nations Space Command]] operation designed to put an end to the 27-year struggle of the [[Human-Covenant War]]. It was initiated by [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] [[Office of Naval Intelligence#Section Three|Section Three]] in mid-[[2552]] as a desperate attempt to avert humanity's imminent defeat at the hands of the [[Covenant Empire]]; however, the operation was never carried out due to the [[Fall of Reach]] and the UNSC's subsequent retreat to [[Earth]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', ''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''</ref>

[[Admiral]] [[Margaret Orlenda Parangosky]], head of the Office of Naval Intelligence, would first reference RED FLAG in a letter to [[Vice Admiral]] [[Hieronymus Michael Stanforth]] on [[2552#July 19|July 19th, 2552]].<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/news/headline/office-of-naval-intelligencesection-3-data-drop-three/252256 '''Halo.xbox.com:''' OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE//SECTION 3 - DATA DROP THREE]</ref>

The operation was to be executed in four phases,<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''pages 240-245''</ref> around a colony under attack by the Covenant; Admiral Stanforth preferred one with a large amount of Forerunner relics. [[Reach]] was at first only a hypothetical option, but [[ONI]] was willing to sacrifice the planet after calculating the inevitability of its discovery.<ref>'''Halo Waypoint''', Data Drop 3</ref><ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/Content/assets/en-us/ONI/489872090930784032/93893-PRELIM.pdf '''Halo Waypoint''', Data Drop 4]</ref>

*'''Phase One''' — The first objective of the operation consisted of the disabling and capture of a Covenant flagship carrier (either a [[CAS-class assault carrier]] or the [[CSO-class supercarrier]]). For the first phase, [[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey|Dr. Halsey]] selected [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]] for his exemplary performance during the [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]], and his newly fitted cruiser, the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}. For the completion of the mission, Stanforth was willing to risk his own ships in order to bait any artifact-retrieval ships into going planetside.

*'''Phase Two''' — Involving the boarding of the captured Covenant vessel by a group of [[SPARTAN-II]]s. They would then neutralize the onboard defenses and commandeer the ship. They, with help from a then-unidentified [[Cortana|mission specialist]], would then crack the navigation database of the ship and discover the location of the Covenant capital world, "[[High Charity]]".

*'''Phase Four''' — The final phase of the operation involved the infiltration of High Charity and the capture of one of the three Covenant [[San 'Shyuum|Prophet]] [[Hierarchs]] for negotiating purposes. The UNSC hoped that by capturing a Hierarch and holding him hostage, they could force the Covenant into agreeing to a truce, thereby ending a war that the UNSC would most certainly have lost.

Despite the [[Fall of Reach]], the loss of most of the SPARTAN-II force assigned to the operation, the death of almost all ''Pillar of Autumn'' crew, and the [[Battle of Installation 04]], [[John-117]] had every intention of continuing Operation: RED FLAG, despite arguments against it by [[Elias Haverson|Lieutenant Elias Haverson]] and Cortana. The seasoned Master Chief only agreed to not continue the mission once proper instructions were given by the [[UNSC High Command|Admiralty]] on Earth if RED FLAG was still an active endeavor by the UNSC.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''pages 90-93''</ref>

[[File:Regret.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Death of the Prophet of Regret.]]

Ultimately, the plans would be canceled by a lack of resources and manpower. The [[Battle of Earth|Invasion of Earth]] began shortly after the remains of RED FLAG arrived back at the homeworld, effectively scrubbing any chances of a high-risk offensive by special warfare units accompanied by fleet support.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', level [[Cairo Station (level)|''Cairo Station'']]</ref> However, events initiated within the ranks of the [[Hierarchs]] and [[High Council]] would provide a similar outcome to that envisioned by High Command and Naval Intelligence just months before. An ongoing feud between the increasing [[Jiralhanae]] threat encroaching on [[Sangheili]] commanders throughout the military planned by the Hierarchs would ultimately culminate in its fall, the [[Great Schism]] tore a rift between these two castes, with the former of the two species becoming the favored guardians of the [[Great Journey]].<ref>'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', level [[Tayari Plaza (level)|''Tayari Plaza'']]</ref><ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', level [[Gravemind (level)|''Gravemind'']]</ref> Taking advantage of these brewing events, on November 2nd, 2552, the former Spartan leader of RED FLAG managed to infiltrate a heavily-occupied area on [[Installation 05]] (Delta Halo), defeat a detachment of [[Honor Guard of the Covenant|Sangheili Honor Guardsmen]], and assassinate the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]].<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', level [[Regret (level)|''Regret'']]</ref> Just days after during a [[Flood]] assault on ''[[High Charity]]'', the [[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]] was killed by the spreading infection in front of John-117.

A month later, a joint Human-Sangheili force of the [[Fleet of Retribution]] led by [[Miranda Keyes|Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes]] began an [[Battle of the Citadel|operation]] to destroy the remaining command elements of the [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] and his fleet at the [[Citadel (Forerunner)|Citadel]]. This joint force destroyed a handful of Covenant infantry forces, in addition to their armor and aerial assets. The push to the Citadel ultimately led to end of the Human-Covenant War with the assassination of the Prophet of Truth by [[Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter Thel 'Vadam]], with John-117 as witness.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', level [[The Covenant (level)|''The Covenant'']]</ref>

While the assassination of the three Hierarchs did result in the end of politically-organized major combat operations by the Covenant Empire, it's unknown if the military leaders of the Covenant's vast armies and fleets either surrendered or took part in a galactic-wide cease fire. However, pockets of Jiralhanae resistance did continue small-scale skirmishes against the Sangheili until the end of the decade.<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', ''[[The Return]]''</ref>

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