Editing United Nations Space Command

{{Status|Canon}}

{{Military infobox advanced

[[File:HW Cover-Wide.jpg|300px]]<br>[[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]], [[UNSC Marine Corps|UNSC Marines]], and several UNSC vehicles

|formed=[[2163]]{{Ref/Reuse|waypointuniunsc}}

|type=*Military, exploratory, and scientific force

*Emergency military government

|size-title=Divisions

|size=

**[[UNSC Naval Command]]

***'''[[UNSC Navy]]'''

**[[Unified Ground Command]]

***'''[[UNSC Army]]'''

***'''[[UNSC Air Force]]'''

|nicknames=UNSC

|motto=Per Mare, Per Terras, Per Constellatum{{Ref/Reuse|spartan ops}}

|commander4=[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Lord Terrence Hood]]<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters?page=4 ''Halo Waypoint'', Characters] "Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood is the UNSC Navy’s highest ranking officer and Chairman of the influential UNSC Security Council."</ref>  

}}

The '''United Nations Space Command''' ('''UNSC''') is the military, exploratory, and scientific agency of the [[Unified Earth Government|Unified Earth Government (UEG)]] and has acted as the emergency governing body of the [[human]] race at large for a time.<ref name="McLees">[http://halostory.bungie.org/oconnor_mclees_080508.html '''Halo.bungie.org''': ''Interview with Frank O'Connor and Robert McLees'']</ref> The UNSC was formed in the 22nd century, a time when remnants of old cultural ideologies clashed for supremacy in the [[Sol System]]. The UNSC served mainly as overseer of [[United Nations]] military operations in space. After initiating massive militarization [[propaganda]] throughout its off-world colonies, through the UNSC, the UN defeated [[Frieden]] and [[Koslovic]] insurgent forces in a conflict known as the [[Interplanetary War]], which consisted of several side-battles that took place on [[Mars]], the [[Jovian Moons]] and the [[South America]]n rainforests. Although the Interplanetary War brought a great deal of suffering to both the colonial population and the residents of Earth, it also united most of humanity's military forces by the end of the 22nd century.{{Ref/Site|Id=xbox|URL=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo/storyline.htm|Site=Xbox.com|Page=Halo Storyline|D=24|M=04|Y=2008|LocalArchive=Archive:Xbox.com/Halo/Timeline}}

The UNSC is divided into two primary combatant commands - [[UNSC Naval Command|Naval Command]] (NAVCOM) and [[Unified Ground Command]] (UNICOM). The former controls all space-based assets and operations, while the latter focuses on terrestrial and close-orbit missions.{{Ref/Book|Id=OSFMCommands|OSFM|Page=122-123}} NAVCOM has administrative control over the Navy{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Navy}} and its officers alongside select Marine Corps units.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Marines}} UNICOM has operational authority over UNSC Army{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Army}} and Air Force deployments and some Marine units{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Marines}}, and work alongside the Navy to coordinate [[Orbital bombardment|orbital fire support]] missions and in-atmosphere support.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Navy}}

==Military departments==

===Navy===

{{Main|UNSC Navy}}

{{Quote|Provide naval forces to ensure freedom of access for aerospace and terrestrial operations.|The Navy's official mission statement.{{Ref/Reuse|OSFMNavy}}}}

The Navy's collateral functions include;

The Navy has a dual chain of command; administratively, Navy personnel report to NAVCOM while operationally they report to their assigned Task Command. There are three Task Commands under NAVCOM;

*[[UNSC Naval Command|UNSC Navy Fleet Command]] (FLEETCOM) - Headed by the Secretary of Fleet Command{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/dimah-tchakova|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Dimah Tchakova|D=30|M=06|Y=2021}} and directs the movement and tasking of naval squadrons and coordinates with UNICOM. FLEETCOM is responsible for the deployment of Navy warfighting assets and maximizing their combat efficacy.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Navy}} Their direct deployment of the UNSC fleet sees them as the largest and most powerful of any NAVCOM grouping.{{Ref/Reuse|OSFMNavy}}

*[[Naval Special Warfare Command]] (NAVSPECWARCOM) - A smaller, culturally-distinct section of the Navy that trains, equips and oversees [[UNSC Special Forces|special forces]] personnel in support of UNSC space operations.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Navy}} Marine Corps special forces units are typically tasked under NAVSPECWARCOM, as were the [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] and [[SPARTAN-III program|SPARTAN-III]] program personnel prior to the establishment of the Spartan Operations branch.

*Defensive fleets - Named fleets (e.g. [[Epsilon Eridani Fleet]]) typically named after the star system in which they are based. Defense fleets were historically considered little more than revenue police, though the onset of the Covenant war saw these units take a valuable role in providing desperately-needed training cadres and battle-ready (if outdated) warships.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22Navy}}{{Ref/Reuse|HFB9}}

The UNSC Navy maintains its own [[military police]] force{{Ref/Book|Id=OSFM112|OSFM|Page=112}}

===Marine Corps===

{{Main|UNSC Marine Corps}}

{{Quote|Provide combined arms expeditionary forces and security detachments.|The Marine Corps' official mission statement.{{Ref/Reuse|OSFMMarines}}}}

[[File:H3ODST Mombasa Marines Concept.png|250px|thumb|Marines and ODSTs on deployment in [[Mombasa]].]]

===Army===

{{Main|UNSC Army}}

{{Quote|Provide forces for sustained terrestrial combat operations and civil works.|The Army's official mission statement.{{Ref/Reuse|OSFMArmy}}}}

[[File:HR Campaign Winter Contingency 3 Charlie attacking.jpg|250px|left|thumb|Troopers of [[3 Charlie]] engaging Covenant forces in the [[Visegrád]] region on the morning of [[2552#July|July 24, 2552]].]]

The Army's collateral functions include;

===Air Force===

{{Main|UNSC Air Force}}

{{Quote|Provide aerospace defense and conduct space control operations.|The Air Force's official mission statement.{{Ref/Reuse|OSFMAirForce}}}}

[[File:F-99 CAP.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The Air Force operates a number of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) such as the F-99 Wombat (pictured).]]

The Air Force's collateral functions include;

{{Main|Office of Naval Intelligence}}

{{Quote|Provide technical capabilities for the support of psychological, information and cyber operations.|The Office of Naval Intelligence's official mission statement.{{Ref/Reuse|OSFMONI}}}}

ONI's collateral functions include;

==History==

{{UNSC History}}

{{Main|Mars Campaign}}

The offensive was an incontestable success for the UN side. As a result, military theory and strategy implemented the use of Marines in high-priority missions as a baseline for successful operations, especially within the context of larger conflicts.{{Ref/Reuse|xbox}}

However, the most important consequence of the anti-totalitarian campaign was of both political and military nature. The United Nations itself did not control a dedicated space military prior to the Mars Campaign, a lacking element which it would replace with a special emergency military force that would come to represent humanity's overall military might. In the wake of the success of the UNSC Marines on Mars, the UN used its growing influence to not only take control of Earth's national governments, but also absorb Earth's national military organizations into a single, organized force; the United Nations Space Command was created.{{Ref/Reuse|xbox}}

{{Main|Interplanetary War}}

As of [[2164]], psychological results of the campaign on Mars were formidable; civilian trust in the newly-formed UNSC military was boosted by massive televised propaganda, providing the UNSC with large waves of enthusiastic volunteers from all military services around the world. A sense of urgency, courage and hope helped UN forces scramble extraordinary divisions of Marines, infantry and fliers for a final campaign to annihilate remaining communist and fascist outposts and strongholds on Earth as well as throughout the inner planets and beyond Jupiter. The final campaign for peace lasted from 2164 to [[2170]] in a series of brutal crackdowns on Frieden and Koslovic hardliners. The result of this war gathered strong civilian support for some sort of powerful international military that could repel revolts and uprisings wherever they may occur. The UNSC emerged as the leading force to further those goals.{{Ref/Reuse|xbox}}

Coincidentally, the war formally ended where it had begun: in the Jovian Moons. The [[Callisto Treaty]] was signed in 2170 by commanders of Koslovic and Frieden forces in the presence of [[United Nations colonial advisers|UN colonial authorities]], definitively ending the 10-year-long conflict with a victory of UNSC forces and democratic leadership.{{Ref/Reuse|xbox}}

The pressures engendered by the Interplanetary War made space colonization seem more attractive in subsequent centuries, and the Unified Earth Government would sign off on the first large-scale interstellar colony ship program that was revealed in [[2310]] to ease the burden of an overpopulated Earth. This would not have been possible without the invention of the [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]] in [[2291]], which allowed the ships to travel vast distances within a reasonable time by opening portals into [[Slipstream space]].{{Ref/Reuse|xbox}} At the same time, the UEG established a separate colonial governing body known as the [[Colonial Administration Authority]] as well as the [[Colonial Military Authority]], a dedicated military force to police the colonies.{{Ref/Book|H4EVG|Page=228}}

The apex of this colonization movement would come in [[2492]] when more then 800 worlds were inside UNSC territory, many of them targeted for human habitation. These settlements ranged from fairly well-tamed planetary strongholds to tiny hinterland settlements. During this period, the planet [[Reach]] (orbiting Epsilon Eridani, right on Earth's metaphorical doorstep) became the UNSC's primary naval yard and training academy. Reach was a major producer of warships and colony vessels, as well as a training ground for covert operatives and [[UNSC Special Forces|Special Forces]].{{Ref/Reuse|xbox}}

Over the course of humanity's interstellar expansion, a number of alien artifacts were discovered; while unknown at the time, these were the works of a long-vanished civilization known as the [[Forerunner]]s. However, virtually all of these findings were discreetly concealed by the UNSC's [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], which exerted virtually complete control over the research and information flow about [[xenoarchaeology|xenoarchaeological]] discoveries. A noted example of this is [[Onyx]], originally surveyed as an ideal world for human settlement but declared off-limits by ONI due to the alien technology discovered there.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11p42}}

===The Insurrection===

{{Main|Insurrection}}

====Spartans====

{{Main|Spartan}}

Fearing the consequences of the possible breakup of their fledgling interstellar empire, while wishing to preserve as much infrastructure as possible, the United Earth Government would embark on a series of covert efforts to quickly and quietly deal with insurrections without incurring massive civilian casualties.{{Ref/Reuse|xbox}}

During the Covenant War, the success of the Spartan-IIs would convince the ONI leadership to use similar methodologies to create hundreds of supersoldiers in the [[SPARTAN-III program]]. Despite various refinements in their training and augmentation processes, most of the Spartan-IIIs would be less well-equipped than their predecessors for budgetary reasons, and the majority of them would ultimately perish on strategically important, high-risk deployments.<ref>'''Halo Mythos''', ''page 76''</ref> Following the end of the war, the [[SPARTAN-IV program]] marked a return to ORION's recruitment protocols, drawing candidates from the UNSC's extant military forces; additionally, technological advances and the relegation of equipment manufacturing to the private sector allowed each operator to be issued with the previously prohibitively expensive Mjolnir armor. With Spartans being created in increasing numbers, their presence across UNSC-controlled space would become far more established and publicized in the years that followed than ever before.<ref>'''Halo Mythos''', ''page 128''</ref>

===Human-Covenant War===

{{main|Human-Covenant War}}

[[2525]] marked the most important turning point in human history. It would mark the beginning of the great technological advancement, the unification of a divided and fractured human race, and the [[First Battle of Harvest|first contact]] between humanity and extraterrestrial intelligence; the [[Covenant]]. It would also see a majority of the UNSC's colony worlds destroyed, with billions killed by orbital plasma bombardment, a technique latter known as [[glassing]]. The most important war in the history of the human race began with a disastrous first contact at the distant colony of [[Harvest]].

====First contact====

Stemming from the chance encounter of human and Covenant forces at [[Harvest]], the first contact made between humanity and the Covenant involved the ship ''[[Minor Transgression]]'', and was less peaceful than the second contact made between the two factions. A meeting between representatives of the two factions took place on the fields of Harvest, but the attempt at diplomacy soon turned into a bloodbath. The Covenant claimed the planet for the numerous "[[Forerunner]] relics" their [[Luminary|luminaries]] had detected, and slaughtered most of the colony's population.{{Ref/Reuse|xbox}} The vast majority of the Covenant remained unaware that the humans they were sworn to annihilate, were in fact the very [[Reclaimer]]s (mistranslated as "Reclamation") their ancient texts spoke of.<ref>''Halo: Contact Harvest'', p. 274-278</ref>

{{Clear}}

===Reconstruction and new conflicts===

{{Main|Post-Covenant War conflicts}}

{{Quote|For too many years, humanity was on the backfoot. Reacting to threats, rather than preventing them. Rest of the galaxy was bigger than us. Stronger than us. We were [[Rodent|mice]], hiding in the shadows, hoping the giants would not see us. No more. Humanity is no longer on the defense. ''We'' are the giants now.|[[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Thomas Lasky]]<ref>'''Halo 4''', ''[[Infinity (mode)|Infinity]]'' introductory cinematic</ref>}}

The UNSC transferred its emergency governing functions back to the UEG on [[2553|January 8, 2553]], although this formal shift of power did not significantly diminish the UNSC's practical authority.<ref name="CatalogUEG">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2969317_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2969317 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction (Query Answer: Human records indicate transition to noncombatant administrative control <nowiki>[ref: UEG] [January 8, 2553]. No notable adjustment in military [bureaucratic tactical]</nowiki> behavior and scope of authority.)'']</ref>

Since 2553, the UNSC has engaged in an extensive period of reconstruction in order to restore stability to the shattered remnants of its territory. The UNSC has moved to reclaim those worlds that were not completely destroyed during the Human-Covenant War. Former colonies such as [[Eridanus II]],{{Ref/Map|H4|[[Skyline]]}} [[Meridian]] and [[Draco III]] were resettled and became strategic staging points for humanity's efforts to reunite its reach across space.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 17-18'' (Google Play edition)</ref> New planets such as [[Oban]] have also been colonized for the purpose of resettling the countless millions of [[refugee]]s whose worlds were lost in the conflict. The UNSC also aimed to [[Salvaging|salvage]] any recoverable military assets lost during the war; paying companies such as [[Warner & Ives]] to [[Fetching|recover]] slipspace drives from derelict vessels, and buying scrap from clearing house auctions, such as those in [[New Tyne]] on the planet [[Venezia]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Fractures]]''', ''[[Into the Fire]], page 301''</ref> With the genocidal threat of the Covenant ended, the UNSC has employed some of its former species including [[Unggoy]] and [[Huragok]] in a limited capacity. The UNSC also maintains its earlier [[Treaty of 2552|peace treaty]] with the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] under the leadership of [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]. In [[2553]] the [[Joint Occupation Zone]]s were created and are now governed by both the UNSC and the Sangheili, with former colonies such as [[Carrow]] now hosting new citizens from both sides. The UNSC has also established outposts around the Halo Array and other such Forerunner installations, which they closely monitor with the Sangheili. However, tensions remain as insurrectionist movements have grown in strength, with worlds like [[Venezia]] and [[Gao]] effectively having seceded from the UEG as recently as 2553.<ref>''Halo: Glasslands''</ref><ref>''[[Halo: Last Light]]''</ref> In early 2553, the Office of Naval Intelligence began authorizing operations to sow dissent among the Sangheili, disregarding the alliance in the hopes of rendering them unable to fight should they become a threat again. These actions culminated in a [[Blooding Years|civil war]] between the Arbiter's forces and those who opposed the alliance with humanity.<ref>''Halo: The Thursday War''</ref>

In spite of the catastrophic damage UNSC's infrastructure and personnel suffered during the Covenant War, various secret projects initiated in the final years of the conflict enabled the UNSC to regain some degree of military power in the months after the cessation of hostilities.<ref>''Halo Mythos'', ''page 125''</ref> To symbolize their newly regained strength, the UNSC adopted [[Symbols of the UNSC|a revised version of its original emblem]] shortly after the war.{{Ref/Reuse|new symbol}} The UNSC's rebuilding efforts were spearheaded by the symbolic commissioning of the UNSC's most powerful warship, the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}, in February 2557. A dramatic modernization of the UNSC's military assets has been ongoing, with new warships implementing both Covenant and Forerunner technologies for use against humanity's enemies. While the reconstruction of humanity's territories continued for many years after the end of the Covenant War, various [[Covenant remnants]], most prominently [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant|a group led by Jul 'Mdama]], defied the truce between humans and Sangheili and arose to threaten the UNSC. In July [[2557]], the [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|ongoing conflict]] against the new Covenant was joined by the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]] and his [[Promethean]] constructs due to [[Battle of Requiem|an encounter]] on the shield world [[Requiem]].<ref name="h4">''[[Halo 4]]''</ref>

===Created uprising===

{{Main|Created uprising}}

{{Quote|The UNSC is gone!|[[Warmaster]] [[Atriox]] to [[Cortana]] during [[Battle for Zeta Halo]].{{Ref/Level|HI|Silent Auditorium}}}}

Following October 28, [[2558]] the UNSC was largely immobilized by the [[Created]] when Cortana and her [[Guardian]]s took over Earth and most human colonies.<ref name="H5G">'''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'''</ref> UNSC expeditionary forces that managed to avoid the Created's Guardians were able to regroup with the Swords of Sanghelios on Sanghelios.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-driving-force''Halo Waypoint'' - Canon Fodder: Driving Force]</ref>  

==Public perception==

{{Quote|We are UNSC! Today. Tomorrow. Forever.|General [[Daniel Black]] quoting the poem [[Forward Unto Dawn (poem)|"Forward Unto Dawn"]] in a [[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn: Recruitment|UNSC recruitment video]].<ref name=recruit>''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn: Recruitment]]''</ref>}}

The UNSC's pre-[[Human-Covenant War|Covenant War]] and wartime policies were viewed with hostility by the civilian populace, especially within rebel movements. Starting with the implementation of the [[Cole Protocol]] and martial law, the UNSC's political takeover of the [[UEG]] and [[CMA]] branches and its generally authoritarian military policies championed over the course of the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC's public image has been stained by rebel and civilian allegations of [[fascism]], totalitarianism and oppression.<ref name="mombasastreets">''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'', [[Mombasa Streets]]</ref><ref>''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]'', p. ??</ref>  

The UNSC also limits the freedom of the press to an extent, a measure put in place by ONI's Section Two after the [[Inner Colony Wars]]—allegedly to prevent humanity from tearing itself apart from within.<ref>'''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''', ''[[Second Sunrise over New Mombasa]]''</ref> ONI also exerts almost complete control over information about [[xenoarchaeology|xenoarchaeological]] findings;{{Ref/Reuse|Enc11p42}} any scientists studying alien artifacts are drafted to serve under ONI's supervision.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', ''"[[From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal]]"''</ref> Nepotism is notably prevalent within the organization,<ref>[[:File:MajesticBio-Madsen.png|Spartan Madsen's biography]]</ref><ref>'''Halo: Escalation''', ''Issue #5''</ref> sometimes openly; [[Corbulo Academy of Military Science]] was based around the concept of training the offspring of high-ranked military and government officials as commissioned officers.<ref>'''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]'''</ref>

==Production notes==

Acronym: {{Tooltip|''CST''}}

}}

*The UNSC's motto is derived from that of the British [[Wikipedia:Royal Marines|Royal Marines]], "''Per Mare, Per Terram,''": "''By Sea, By Land.''"

*While the new UNSC emblem introduced in ''[[Halo 4]]'' is canonically a new symbol the UNSC adopted in the post-war era instead of an artistic retcon of the classic design,{{Ref/Reuse|new symbol}} all ''Halo 4'' multiplayer maps set during the Covenant War feature the post-war emblem. However, the original, Covenant War-era symbol is appropriately featured in ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' multiplayer maps (e.g. [[Bloodline]]) and other uses, including labels on vehicles.<ref>[http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/10/20/zanzibar-remake-stonetown-rocks-in-halo-the-master-chief-collection-ign-first '''IGN.com''': ''Zanzibar Remake 'Stonetown' Rocks in Halo: The Master Chief Collection – IGN First'']</ref> Conversely, the post-war logo appears in the ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' campaign stamped on crates on [[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]].<ref>[[:File:H2A Crates New UNSC Logo.png|This screenshot]]</ref> Due to a lighting glitch in ''The Master Chief Collection'', the war-era UNSC emblem can be seen on the bridge of the UNSC ''Infinity'' in the cutscene at the end of the ''Halo 4'' mission [[Reclaimer (level)|Reclaimer]].

**''[[The Babysitter]]''

**''[[The Package (animated short)|The Package]]''

*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''

**''[[Blunt Instruments]]''

**''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]''

**''[[The Return]]''

*''[[Halo: Blood Line]]''

*''[[Remember Reach]]''

*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''

**''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]''

*''[[Halo: New Blood]]''

*''[[Hunt the Truth]]''

*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''

**''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition dossiers|Limited Edition dossiers]]''

*''[[Know Your Enemy]]''

*''[[Halo: Ground Command]]''

*''[[Halo: The Rubicon Protocol]]''

*''[[Halo: Outcasts]]''

{{Col-end}}