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| {{era|H1|H2|H3|HW|FOR|TF|FS|GOO|CH|HGN|UP|ILB}}
| | #REDIRECT [[United Nations Space Command#History]] |
| {{UNSC History}}
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| {{ratings}}
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| {{main|United Nations Space Command}}
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| The '''United Nations Space Command''' ('''UNSC''') might be the prime human government in the ''Halo'' universe. The UNSC's military arm is called the UNSCDF or the '''United Nations Space Command Defense Force'''.
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| ==History==
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| ===Pre-UNSC period===
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| [[File:United nations flag.png|thumb|150px|The United Nations flag.]] | |
| The United Nations Space Command's history begins with the official establishment of the [[United Nations]] following [[World War II]] in [[1945]], creating for the first time in human history a political and military entity that could administrate worldwide economic, social and military matters such as operations and campaigns aimed at providing humanitarian aid and global military intervention with the objective of preserving peace in unstable regions.
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| As space exploration progressed in the 21st century, colonization operations required international cooperation and assistance in order to effectively conduct territorial expansion throughout the [[Solar System]]. The [[International Society of Civil Engineers]]<ref>''[[Halo 3]] level, [[Orbital]]''</ref> was formed at this time ([[2021]]), an organization that contributed immensely to furthering the quality of space engineering. National-conservative philosophies slowly made way for progressive, international globalization to take effect. An imperative change in worldwide government was necessary to accommodate space colonization demands, which the only global administration organization humanity could rely on - the United Nations - took initiative to lead. [[National Governments|National governments]] lost their overall authority on a global scale, and it can be assumed that national militaries were, as well, absorbed by the international UN military forces.
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| ===Solar System colonization===
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| With the radical shift of political power from divided national governments to the global United Nations, human settlement in the Solar System was underway by the mid-21st century. Offering reasonable living conditions and a physical composition similar to that of Earth, [[Mars]] was the first planet to be colonized, followed by the [[Jovian Moons]] in [[2080]], and presumably various satellites and asteroid belts beyond Jupiter afterward.<ref>''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''</ref><ref>''[[Halo Encyclopedia]], page 32''</ref>
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| ===Formation of the UNSC===
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| ====Political conflicts (2160-2200)====
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| As the UN's campaign of centralization and globalization progressed and increasingly more space settlements were being established, ideological political and economic tensions did not disappear with them. With the transition being made from [[Earth]]-based [[capitalism]] to post-industrial space capitalism, elements on the extreme fringe of the political left-wing saw a rebirth of doctrinal origin, and revolutionary ideas of change once again took the form of military organizations.
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| One of these ideological resurgences centered around Russian-born revolutionary [[Vladimir Koslov]], who proceeded to form a [[communism|Marxist-Leninist]] guerrilla armed force named after himself; the [[Koslovics]]. With a possibly Maoist or Stalinist undertone, the new group of communists aimed to dismantle capitalist systems and corporate power on Earth and in newly-occupied space territories, putting a particularly strong emphasis on liberating orbital installations and orchestrating so-called "workers' crusades," or armed campaigns against their foes on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
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| The [[Frieden]] military movement, based in the Jovian Moons and sponsored by corporate powers in the [[Unified German Republic]], reacted once this upsurge of communism became obvious and Koslovic revolutionaries began attacking their infrastructure. Drawing its philosophical origin from twentieth-century [[Fascism]] and National Socialism, the Frieden's ardent anti-Koslovism and anti-communism convinced them to adopt revolutionary ideals as well. Among their primary objectives was gaining corporate independence by seceding from UN colonial administration and establishing a self-contained Jovian state. Frieden propaganda claimed that in order to reach a peaceful (as their German name suggests) and independent Jovian nation, the UN, an advocate of internationalism, was to be driven out of the Jovian Moons and destroyed around the Solar System, including on [[Earth|home ground]].
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| United Nations militaries soon found themselves pinned from the extreme left-wing and extreme right-wing alike. These political tensions would soon lead to a final face-down between fascism, communism, and international representatives of democracy throughout various colonies, space environments, and national territories.<ref name="Xbox.com Halo Storyline">[http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo/storyline.htm Xbox.com '''Halo Storyline''']</ref>
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| =====Jovian Moons Campaign=====
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| {{See also|Jovian Moons Campaign}}
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| [[File:Jupiters Moons.jpg|thumb|150px|Panorama of the Jovian Moons.]]
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| Despite Frieden war-mongering propaganda, the Jovian Moons were still held under tight UN control up to 2160, having assigned detachments of military advisers to help administrate and possibly train the Jovian inhabitants in weapons combat and self-defense in the potential instance an armed conflict would destabilize peace in the area.
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| In March of 2160, the Frieden's led its first revolutionary assault against UN authority, attacking [[UN Colonial Advisors]] on the moon [[Io]] and giving rise to political reactions on Earth. International UN navies deployed to the Jovian system, engaging the fascist rebellion in three months of ship-to-ship, orbital and zero-gravity battle. It is highly likely the [[UN Navy]] did not succeed in repelling Frieden attacks, as indicated by future rebel mobilizations.
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| '''Additional conflicts'''
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| The Jovian Moons Campaign heated tensions within faltering national governments of Earth, paving the way for wars-by-proxy between military corporations, national armies, and political renegades as governments that sponsored colonies in the Solar System responded to Frieden-UN ballistic exchanges and initiated military campaigns of their own, either for their own benefit, or for the benefit or their respective colonies. In a vicious chain reaction, politics on Earth took a downturn to arms mobilization.
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| =====Rain Forest Wars=====
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| {{See also|Rain Forest Wars}}
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| Following a relatively blurry outcome in the Jovian Moons, Koslovic, Frieden and UN forces prepared for an engagement in [[South America]] in the year [[2162]], one of the most fertile and economically-promising regions of Earth. Presumably in an attempt to gain some material goods from industries in South America, the two military juntas assaulted each other and the UN troops scrambling to defend home territory, culminating in what is now symbolically known as the Rain Forest Wars.
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| It can be speculated that the conflict in South America resulted in an enormous amount of human casualties, especially in the lines of infantry on all three sides, due to difficult fighting conditions among the continent's numerous mountain ranges, rainforests, wildlife and volatile weather. Real consequences of the conflict, however, consisted of severe starvation and famine on an international scale - which is reason to believe the UN was no longer acting solely as a military defense force in the face of political extremists, but also as a primary provider of starvation relief - along with a further tensing of military conflicts already raging through the Solar System.<ref name="Xbox.com Halo Storyline"/>
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| =====Argyre Planitia Campaign=====
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| {{See also|Argyre Planitia Campaign|United Nations Space Command}}
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| [[File:Argyre.jpg|thumb|150px|The [[Argyre Planitia]].]]
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| In the most spectacular offensive since the start of the bloody tripartite war, UN command adopted a military strategy long-forgotten throughout the peace-dominated period prior to the outbreak of the Jovian Moons Campaign in 2160 - the "Blitzkrieg"-style lightning ground assault. After capturing both Frieden and Koslovic forces on Mars, international militaries delivered the first space-deployed contingent of [[UN Marine Corps|UN Marines]] in December of [[2163]] on a mission to crush communist infantry encampments in the basin of [[Argyre Planitia]], marking a turning-point in space warfare through dedicated utilizations of Marine forces in ground assaults and ship-boarding operations that would follow during the war.
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| [[File:Perfect Black UNSC logo.png|left|thumb|160px|Stylized UNSC emblem.]]
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| The offensive was an incontestable success for democratic UN militaries. 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.
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| However, the most important consequence of the anti-totalitarian campaign was of both political and military nature. The United Nations presumably did not control a dedicated space-military prior to the Argyre Planitia Campaign, a lacking element which it would replace with a special emergency military force that would come to represent humanity's overall military might. The [[United Nations Space Command]] (or the UN Space Command, as it was initially known) was created.<ref name="Xbox.com Halo Storyline"/>
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| =====Final Campaign=====
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| {{See also|Interplanetary War}}
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| [[File:Honorfame.jpg|thumb|Example of a UNSC propaganda poster.]]
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| 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 name="Xbox.com Halo Storyline"/>
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| =====Callisto Treaty=====
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| {{See also|Callisto Treaty}}
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| Almost paradoxically, 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 [[UN Colonial Advisors|UN colonial authorities]], definitively ending the 10-year-long conflict with a victory of UNSC forces and democratic leadership.
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| ====Unified Earth Government====
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| {{See also|Unified Earth Government}}
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| [[2170]] saw the creation of the first multinational and multicolonial representation of democracy in outer space. Faced with concerns of overpopulation and starvation on Earth, consequently coupled with a looming destabilization of [[capitalism|capitalist]] economy, the [[Unified Earth Government]] was formed in a time of cultural and military reconstruction.<ref name="Xbox.com Halo Storyline"/>
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| ===Interstellar Colonization===
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| [[File:Shaw-fujikawa.png|thumb|170px|Dr. [[Tobias Fleming Shaw]] (above), and Dr. [[Wallace Fujikawa]] (below), co-creators of the [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]].]]
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| Massive overpopulation and overmilitarization presented immediate problems for the postwar United Nations Space Command. Utilizing the newly developed Shaw-Fujikawa [[Slipspace]] Drive, in 2310 the UNSC deployed a vast line of colony ships to colonize the nearest planets and systems, giving birth to the "Inner Colonies." Vast numbers of citizens and soldiers travel to these new colonies, stabilizing the overpopulation problem on Earth and giving the military new tasks to handle. As the first colonists are stringently selected, the Inner Colonies eventually formed an "elite" society of the best physical and mental human specimens.<ref name="Xbox.com Halo Storyline"/>
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| By 2490 over eight hundred worlds in the Orion arm of the Milky Way galaxy were colonized. These settlements ranged from fairly well-tamed planetary strongholds to tiny hinterland settlements. Outward expansion continued, and the Inner Colonies become a political and economic stronghold, though they relied heavily on raw materials supplied by the "Outer Colonies."
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| 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 Special Forces.
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| However, this expansion did not come without cost, as ideological and political causes resulted in many of the Outer Colonies engaging in open rebellion. A series of brushfire wars across human space sprang up, with hundreds more threatening to erupt as well. By 2517, UNSC estimates put massive, overwhelming, and uncontrollable rebellion at less than twenty years away. This resulted in the start of the [[Spartans|Spartan-II program]], to quickly and quietly deal with insurrections without incurring massive civilian casualties.
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| ===Inner Colony Wars===
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| The [[UNSC]] participated in the [[Inner Colony Wars]] in the 2400s'. Almost nothing to little is known about the wars, apart that "instant, unformatted news reports caused massive civil unrest" and "almost tore down [[Earth]]'s culture." It seems that the war had a major effect upon [[Earth]]'s cultural devolopment and the [[UNSC]] as a whole.<ref>[[Halo_Graphic_Novel#Second_Sunrise_Over_New_Mombasa|Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa]]</ref>
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| ===First Special Forces efforts===
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| Before the UNSC expanded its genetic engineering powers to create successful Special Forces programs in the 26th century, the [[Colonial Military Administration]] experimented with a prototype Special Forces project in the 24th century that tested the effects of bio-augmentations on [[Marine Corps]] and [[Navy]] personnel. The experiments proved ineffective and were formally canceled as a result, marking the first attempt to create a specialized force of covert-warfare operators in response to insurgent outbursts within the hierarchical domain of the [[Unified Earth Government]].
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| ===Insurrections (2494-2537)===
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| {{See also|Insurrection}}
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| [[File:Insurrectionist sci trooper.jpg|thumb|150px|''[[Halo Wars]]'' concept art of [[Insurrectionist]] trooper.]]
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| Military conflicts continued disrupting UNSC authority in the colonies, particularly in the [[Outer Colonies]] where serveral uprisings among working-class agriculturalists and other social classes grew unhappy with the UNSC's largely inconsiderate governance. Of major military importance to the UNSC were the rebellions in the [[Epsilon Indi System|Epsilon Indi]], [[Epsilon Eridani System|Epsilon Eridani]] and [[111 Tauri System|111 Tauri]] systems.
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| ====ORION Project====
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| {{See also|ORION Project}}
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| Due to increasing risk of insurrectionist activity, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] conceived a project to train Special Forces soldiers in counter-insurgent and counter-revolutionary warfare. The ORION Project sometimes referred to as Spartan I, was an [[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare]] program, overseen by the [[Colonial Military Administration]], created to train special advanced warfare squads to combat the [[Insurrection]]. They became experts in counter-insurgency operations, assassinations, raids, and eliminating high value targets (all considered black operations)<ref name="HCH">[[Halo: Contact Harvest]] Prologue</ref>. ORION Project personnel utilized [[HEV]] orbital drops, [[Hornets]], [[Armed Assault Boats]] (which were replaced by the HEV), and [[Pelican dropships]] to insert into mission areas. However, expectations for the new soldiers were not met, and the project was deactivated in 2506, and all members reassigned to other Special Operations units.<ref>Halo Wars Timeline</ref>
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| ====Operation: TREBUCHET====
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| {{See also|Operation: TREBUCHET}}
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| Starting [[2494]] secessionist movements attracted popular support around the [[Eridanus Rebels]]. Aiming to overthrow UEG authority in the Eridanus Star System, local insurgents undertook a large campaign of military modernization and intelligence-gathering expansion. Relying mainly on coordinated piracy, the Eridanus rebels managed to amass a naval presence of extraordinary strength and size, consisting of modernized [[Pelican]] dropships, new-generation corvettes and infiltration prowlers, along with an entire defense fleet of [[Parabola-class]] and [[Laden-class]] freighters. Their considerable intelligence force often infiltrated UNSC lines of frontier-patrol forces, determining the Earth military to bolster its presence in the Eridanus system.<ref>’’Halo: The Fall of Reach,’’ pages 75-76</ref>
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| ====Eridanus Rebellions====
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| =====Eridanus II=====
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| The year [[2513]] saw a two-stage battle at [[Eridanus II]]; a UNSC response to the rebel overthrow of Eridani government since [[2511]] that involved a deployment [[destroyers]] and [[carriers]] to engage the large rebel fleet commanded by [[Colonel Robert Watts]]. The battle resulted in severe losses for the rebels, having been routed away from Eridanus II and into the local asteroid belt, but also struck at least four UNSC destroyers in the process.<ref>[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]], pages 75-77</ref>
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| A second engagement involved the [[9th Marine Expeditionary Force]] on an operation to capture leaders of the movement, and in particular the second-in-command of the Eridanus Rebels in [[Elysium City]] on Eridanus II. The brief battle resulted in the leader’s family being killed and the commanding officer of the UNSC detachment, [[Colonel]] [[Ponder]] being demoted for the failure.
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| The Eridanus Rebellions saw the only deployment of a full unit of Spartan-Is. The Spartans recovered the sub-orbital station above [[Eridanus II]]. In the process they lost only one soldier and were never observed.<ref>Halo Encyclopedia, page 81</ref>
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| ====Epsilon Eridani rebellions====
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| Unlike rebel activity in the Eridanus Star System, [[insurrectionists]] in [[Epsilon Eridani System|Epsilon Eridani]] resorted in [[2525]] to more covert revolutionary tactics, while taking advantage of local explosive manufacturing facilities in an attempt to render UNSC forces effectively crippled.
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| =====Tribute=====
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| Fighting continued in Epsilon Eridani. By this point, the war had taken over a million lives, the majority of which being civilians. A Marine Battalion is posted at the colony world of [[Tribute]], commanded by [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Aboim]] and supported by the corvette {{UNSCship|Bum Rush}} and air support from [[Hornets]]. The battalion attempts to put a stop to rebel bomb makers. Two special warfare [[squad]]s, led by [[Staff Sergeant]]s [[Avery Johnson]] and [[Nolan Byrne]], are involved in disastrous operation in June. Byrne's team is killed during a hostage situation at a [[Jim Dandy]] restaurant near [[Casbah]] city. Thirty-Eight civilians, three Marines, and two rebels are killed in the bombing. Byrne and Johnson are pulled from the system, and later sent to [[Harvest]].<ref>''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', pages 9-20</ref>
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| In the meantime, the Insurrectionists resort to bolder, more deadly tactics, such as the bombing of a luxury civilian liner in orbit over [[Reach]].
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| =====Eridanus IV=====
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| Insurrectionist movements on Tribute reached the colony [[Epsilon Eridani IV]], sparking an insurgency on the planet which the legendary [[Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]] was sent to put down.<ref>’’[[Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide]]’' page 22</ref>
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| ====Epsilon Indi rebellions====
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| Rebellions in the [[Epsilon Indi System]] originated from a different strand of ideological dissent than their counterparts in other systems. Located on the absolute fringe of human colonial space and benefitting from extensive infrastructural advantages like largely agricultural industries and resulting social classes, insurgency in Epsilon Indi relied heavily on massive civilian and popular support, drawing sympathizers from its colonies’ working-classes and forming stable anti-UNSC organizations.
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| =====Harvest=====
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| {{See also|Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE}}
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| [[File:URebels.png|thumb|right|Rebel infantry of Harvest and Arcadia.]]
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| By [[2502]], a so-called [[People’s Occupation Government]] (or Secessionist Union), rose to challenge [[Colonial Militia]] and UNSC Marine forces on [[Harvest]], gravitating around an experienced erstwhile police officer and SWAT operator [[Jerald Mulkey Ander]]. His activity leading up to 2502 determined NavSpecWar’s ORION Project to effectively end his rule, deploying a successful mission involving [[Corporal]] [[Avery J. Johnson]] to assassinate him and his supreme officers as they proceeded with a routine convoy patrol.<ref>[[Halo Graphic Novel]], page 122</ref>
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| Secessionist Union forces were not the sole insurgent powers on Harvest, however. A certain [[Unnamed Rebel Group|Harvest Rebel Group]] with branches reaching as far out as the colony [[Arcadia]] <ref>''[[Halo Wars]]'', level ''[[Pirth Outskirts]]''</ref> maintained a well-organized military presence that relied on stolen UNSC weaponry and terrorized government forces wherever they crossed their paths.<ref>''[[Halo Wars]]'', level ''[[Chasm]]''</ref>
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| ====111 Tauri Rebellions====
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| =====Victoria=====
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| A more technologically and logistically-sophisticated rebel cell conducted insurrectionist operations on planet [[Victoria]] in the [[111 Tauri System]]. In [[2537]], a certain "united" rebel front used its formidable intelligence manpower to establish a deal with the UNSC whereby experienced Navy medical staff were to treat rebel soldiers affected by [[Boren's Syndrome]] in exchange for a stockpile of nuclear weapons captured from UNSC vessels. The trade was "accepted" by the UNSC NavSpecWar, sending Spartan-II [[Blue Team]] to recover the nuclear warheads from a rebel camp.<ref>[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]], chapter one</ref>
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| ====Mamore Rebellion====
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| {{See also|Insurrection of Mamore}}
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| [[SPARTAN-III]] [[Alpha Company]] responded to an insurrection on the colony of [[Mamore]], marking the first and possibly only operation where generation-III Spartans engaged human opponents.<ref>[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]], page 81</ref>
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| ==See also==
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| *[http://halostory.bungie.org/history_of_unsc.html History of the UNSC] on the Halo Story Page
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| *[[Interplanetary War]]
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| *[[Inner Colony Wars]]
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| *[[Human-Covenant War]]
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| ==Sources==
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| <references/>
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| [[Category:UNSC History]]
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