Colonial Military Authority: Difference between revisions

The Colonial Military Administration was formed alongside the [[Colonial Administration Authority]] in [[2310]],<ref name="H4EVG"/> by the [[Unified Earth Government]]. Originally, the CMA was charged with taking control of all [[United Nations Space Command]] vessels and ground forces that were reassigned to defend [[human]]ity's [[human colonies|colonies]]. Colonial protection was seen as a ceremonial function that was largely intended to appease the colonists' fears of [[Piracy|pirates]] and marauders in human space. The UNSC determined that a separate command to administer these activities and operations of little significance would suffice. As such, the UEG assigned the CMA to uphold these tasks.<ref name="ENC68"/> On [[2321|April 13, 2321]], the original supersoldier program was established with the Colonial Military Administration.<ref name="ENC80">'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''pages 80-81''</ref> However, poor results led to the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] putting the project on hold.<ref name="wp spartans">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/factions/spartans '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Spartans'']</ref>

At the time of the CMA's formation, the UNSC's [[UNSC Naval Command|Naval Command]] and [[Unified Ground Command]] were convinced that their own resources were better spent on operations within the [[Sol system]], and left the interstellar colonies to be protected by the CMA. However, as humanity's colonies began to expand and started to take on vital roles, NAVCOM and UNICOM attempted to disband the CMA and usurp its role on several occasions. Despite this, the colonial command was uncompromising and insistent on protecting their territory. The CMA's founding charter—approved by the UNSC—gave the organization little room for external maneuvering. In spite of the many efforts taken by both sides to take sole military command of the colonies, by 2400, NAVCOM and UNICOM were both operating within the [[Inner Colonies]] alongside the CMA.<ref name="ENC68"/>

As NAVCOM and UNICOM continued to encroach on the Colonial Military Administration's control, the CMA began to move to the recently established [[Outer Colonies]]. Making the Outer Colonies their province, the CMA began assigning a majority of its military forces on frontier worlds. Most of the CMA's personnel were recruited from the Outer Colonies, and the organization's soldiers believed themselves to be humanity's "frontiersmen" and considered themselves to be exceptionally bold and adventurous compared to their UNSC counterparts. The Unified Earth Government's colonies continued to expand and, with the CMA at the forefront of this expansion, the colonists were aided with "taming" their worlds. In sparsely populated areas, the CMA protected citizens from lawlessness.<ref name="ENC68"/> However, tensions began to rise throughout the Outer Colonies as the CMA increased trade restrictions and taxes.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]", ''page 470''</ref>

In the late 2400s, as the [[Insurrection]] began across the various colonies, tensions developed within the UEG's hierarchy. The CMA's control over the Outer Colonies and already strained relationship with the rest of the UEG led to several of the organization's soldiers sympathizing with the [[Insurrectionist]]s and the plight of the colonists. However, the soldiers of UNICOM and NAVCOM continued to hold more allegiance to [[Earth]] and the Inner Colonies.<ref name="ENC68"/> On [[2491|January 29, 2491]], ONI and the Colonial Military Administration secretly relaunched the [[ORION Project]] in order to quell increasingly violent insurrections. Although the initial results were costly, ONI deemed the project "adequate".<ref name="wp spartans"/><ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', ''page 17''</ref>

In [[2494|June of 2494]], secessionists within the [[Eridanus system]] began a campaign of violence against the Unified Earth Government, using equipment supplied by [[Treason|traitors]] within the Colonial Military Administration. The CMA-equipped rebels performed a violent, well-planned, and efficiently executed campaign against [[Eridanus II]] that heavily impacted the planet's shipping industry, and ultimately taking control of the world.<ref name="ENC44">'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 44'' (2011 edition)</ref> The [[Eridanus Government]] petitioned the UNSC for aid, and [[UNSC High Command|HIGHCOM]] dispatched a [[battle group]] in [[2496|January of 2496]] that [[Operation: CHARLEMAGNE|crushed the rebellion]], though not so conclusively as to avoid continued dissent.<ref name="ENC68"/><ref name="HE34">'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 34''</ref>

In [[2496]] during [[Operation: VERITAS]], [[Project ORION]] operators obtained the [[Wikipedia:Non-official cover|non-official cover]] list of undercover [[Secessionist Union]] operatives working in high-level office positions within the CMA. This prompted the UNSC to take action against the CMA, moving for the organization's shut down.<ref name="wp spartans"/> In [[2497]], the Colonial Military Administration's involvement with the rebels went public.<ref name="HE34"/> This was considered the beginning of the end for the colonial military. Citing security concerns, the UNSC gradually shifted the resources of the CMA to NAVCOM or UNICOM control over the following decades.  The CMA was relegated to patrolling the UEG's most distant colonies and with providing logistical support to remote stations.<ref name="ENC68"/> The funding of the ORION Project was reallocated from the CMA, leading to the program's shut down.<ref name="wp spartans"/> Although ONI's [[Beta-5 Division]] attempted to resurrect the program from the remnants of the CMA's ORION Project, the mission was abandoned when the program proved to be too expensive to continue.<ref name="ENC68"/> The remaining ORION soldiers were reassigned to various [[UNSC Special Forces]] units.<ref name="HWtimeline">'''[[Halo Wars]]''', ''[[Halo Wars Timeline Events|Timeline]]''</ref>

After contact was lost with [[agriculture world]] [[Harvest]], the CMA sent the scout ship ''[[CMA Argo|Argo]]'' to investigate. When the scout ship failed to report for six months, the CMA-controlled [[Battle Group 4]]—under the command of Captain [[Maribeau Veredi]]—then followed the ''Argo''. The battle group discovered that the planet was [[glassing|glassed]] by the [[Covenant]] and they were attacked by a Covenant ship upon exiting [[slipspace]] in [[Epsilon Eridani system|the system]]. Only Veredi's heavily damaged [[CMA Heracles|vessel]] survived by limping back to [[Reach]].<ref name="FOR96">'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''pages 96-98''</ref> On November 1, [[2525]], all CMA combat forces were placed under NAVCOM or UNICOM control "for the duration of the crisis" and the organization was fully absorbed by the UNSC.<ref name="HWtimeline"/> This reorganization essentially became permanent as the [[Human-Covenant War]] dragged on, and by [[2552]], the Colonial Military Administration was essentially a small fleet of navigational buoy tenders and remote fuel depots manned by wounded veterans and personnel considered unfit for combat service.<ref name="ENC68"/>

The Colonial Military Administration was originally responsible for patrolling and protecting the [[Outer Colonies]], while the [[United Nations Space Command]] defended [[Earth]] and the [[Inner Colonies]].<ref name="ENC80"/> Due to widespread corruption and many officers sympathetic to the [[Insurrectionist]]s within its ranks, the CMA's role and powers were largely taken over by the UNSC.<ref name="ENC68"/> By [[2525]], the CMA had been sidelined to the point of redundancy. Its budgets had been slashed and as such it was reduced to using obsolete and worn-out vehicles, equipment, and uniforms. Unlike the UNSC, CMA boot camp lasted just two weeks, which in the words of CMA veteran [[Gage Yevgenny]] was "''enough to teach you how to use your weapon, salute, march, and drive a Warthog before they booted you right on out there.''"<ref name="Dirt"/> The CMA became responsible for minor operations in the colonies after its takeover by the UNSC, such as guarding [[military base|military installations]] and riot patrol.<ref name="Dirt146">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "Dirt", ''page 146''</ref>

The CMA lost most of its vessels during the organization's fall from power.<ref name="Dirt140">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "Dirt", ''page 140''</ref> However, the CMA continued to maintain a fleet of its own by 2525, composed of UNSC {{Class|Charon|light frigate}}s, {{Class|Hillsborough|destroyer}}s, and scout ships.<ref name="FOR96"/> Due to a lack of vessels, the CMA had to purchase its personnel tickets on [[civilian]] flights to transport them between worlds.<ref name="Dirt140"/> The CMA once owned many colonial ships that aided in the establishment of new colonies and settlements, such as {{CMAShip|Season of Plenty}}.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 421''</ref> The CMA was also the first military organization to incorporate [[AMG Transport Dynamics]]' [[M12 Warthog]] in [[2321]] to meet most of its land-based transportation needs.<ref name="wp warthog">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/warthog '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Warthog'']</ref>