Covenant military: Difference between revisions

In the early centuries of the Covenant, the [[Writ of Union]] established the armed forces of the Sangheili as the hegemony's sole military force, with the [[San'Shyuum]] having little part in its day-to-day operation. The military's original purpose was to allow the Covenant to establish dominance in the [[Milky Way]] by force, but its primary goal was to acquire [[Forerunner]] technology and to bring forth the [[Covenant religion|Great Journey]]. The fact that the Covenant military, the empire's largest and most powerful entity, was completely under the control of Sangheili led to some San'Shyuum distrusting the species.<ref name="wp cov"/> One of the Covenant military's earliest engagements was during the [[Rending]], an insurrection led by [[Ussa 'Xellus]] which was seemingly quelled by [[Mken 'Scre'ah'ben]] and his [[Ministry of Relic Safety]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''', ''pages 178-181'' (Google Play edition)</ref> As the Covenant conquered and assimilated various species for its cause, members of each race were incorporated into the Covenant military to perform different roles, adding their own unique advantages and disadvantages. The [[Unggoy Rebellion]] in [[2462]] ushered in a major restructuring of the military: because they had proven themselves in combat in the eyes of the Sangheili, the [[Unggoy]] were allowed into formerly Sangheili-only units and were given better weaponry, giving rise to the Unggoy as a proper infantry class.<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 151''</ref>

The Covenant did not posses a single standing military force like that of the [[UNSC]]. Rather, it possessed a number of martial organisations under the control of one or more governmental ministries,<ref name="fb"/> each competing with one another in bloody internal wars for prestige and promotion of their orthodoxy.<ref name="executioners">'''[[Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo|Halo: Warfleet]]''', ''p.60-61''</ref> The power of these ministries waxed and waned over the years, though only three of any significance to humanity during the war.<ref name="fb"/>

Politically, most of the military fell under the jurisdiction of the [[Ministry of Resolution]],.<ref name="evg1">'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''pages 10, 11, 175''</ref> The Ministry of Resolution originally started as one dedicated to anti-piracy operations, but soon grew in scope and power at the start of the war with humanity, as its postings that regularly involved extended periods of removal from Covenant society gave perfect cover to send Covenant fleets beyond the borders to fight humanity, while hiding the losses of troops to stall inconvenient questions by the Sangheili military leaders.<ref name="fb"/>

Some ministries, however, maintained much more specialised military forces with different objectives, such as the [[Ministry of Fervent Intercession]] in the [[Sangheili Zealot|Zealots]]' case.<ref>'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 60''</ref> The Ministry of Fervent Intercession was primarily tasked with discovery and control of Forerunner sites, and would be able to call upon resources and volunters directly from the colonies and even other ministries. Their fanaticism made them useful during the war, though they would pay little heed to orders not directly concerned with the safety of Forerunner artifacts.<ref name="fb"/>

The [[Ministry of Tranquility]] was granted military assets to aid in the ministry's function: the acquisition of [[Forerunner]] relics. However, ships of the Ministry of Tranquility rarely participated in fleet action.<ref name="fb"/> The [[Ministry of Preservation]] had some oversight in the military, as the ministry was tasked with quelling internal rebellions and uprisings.<ref>'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 10''</ref> The [[Ministry of Abnegation]] likely had some authority in the military, as the ministry absorbed the [[Ascetics]]' guard.<ref>'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 56''</ref> Like the rest of the Covenant, the Covenant military was under the ultimate jurisdiction of the [[High Council]],<ref name="theflood">'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', ''page ??''</ref> formerly composed of [[Sangheili High Councilor]]s who oversaw the operation of the military.  

The Covenant military was heavily naval-oriented, with [[Covenant fleet|fleets]] ranging from small [[battle group]]s to entire armadas serving as the basic unit of organization. These fleets appeared to be under the direct authority of a given ministry,<ref name="evg1"/> and there was seemingly no meaningful distinction between service branches, such as the human notions of a dedicated "navy" and "army"; for example, field officers, including [[Sangheili General]]s, could command ground operations as well as starships,<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]''</ref> while Sangheili pilots would often see their [[starfighter]]s as tools to acclaim enough personal glory to be permitted to join those chosen warriors on the ground.<ref name="strikecraft">'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''p.58-59''</ref> Individual fleets operated a number of task-based groups, including the ground-oriented Occupational Forces<ref name="evg57">'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 57''</ref> and the [[Special Warfare Group]], which contained the [[Special Operations|Special Operations Division]].<ref name="evg1"/>

Although the naval arm was the backbone of the Covenant, fleets would be called upon to conduct trade and transport missions as often as they would be called upon to to convert and ensure compliance. As such, the Covenant maintained very few dedicated warship classes, named "Executors", with those that did exist - such as the [[CPV-class heavy destroyer]] - considered distasteful reminders that the Great Journey could not be attained without bloodshed. As such, the Covenant had few dedicated warships on hand at the outbreak of war with humanity, and had to recall ships from the outer reaches of the empire to serve, though these vessels and their crews would gain little honour for their work. The crews assigned to these ships were often those who were deemed unfit for service in regular ministry fleets, with reputations damaged by disloyalty or disobedience.<ref name="executioners"/>

Despite the power of the Covenant ministries, extraordinarily powerful warships such as the [[ORS-class heavy cruiser]] required hierarchical approval for construction, crew and deployment, and as such these extremely powerful warships were only commissioned in times of need. Vessels such as these were classed as "Examiners", and their crews were often hand-picked to serve alongside the accumulated ancient honour the ship's previous deeds.<ref name="examiners"/>

The Covenant's military leaders, however, class any ship not dedicated enough to be deserving of a shipmaster's chair as an attack ship - an ambiguous role rarely considered in the plans of a supreme commander.<ref name="attackships">'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''p. 72-73''</ref> Attack ships like the [[CRS-class light cruiser]] would often be assigned to escort duties for executors,<ref name="executioners"/> examiners,<ref name="examiners">'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''p. 64-65''</ref> and convoys of pilgrims passing to and from High Charity,<ref name="attackships"/> though would complete their mission without fervor and could not be counted upon for more than the most basic tasks.<ref name="executioners"/> However, these crews would make almost any sacrifice necessary to serve on the crew of the main ship when escorting "Examiner"-type vessels.<ref name="examiners"/> As such, these vessels were typically staffed by Jirlahanae and Kig-Yar, who were less concerned with the acquisition of honour and glory.<ref name="attackships"/> Attack ships would also serve in roles analagous to a UEG police cutter, patrolling systems to conduct inspections and enforce travel laws.<ref name="attackships"/> Some ships were also tasked with chartering dangerous routes through slipspace and fighting civilisations who resisted the prophets, though such matters were considered beneath the attention of true warriors.<ref name="ardent">'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''p. 76-77''</ref> Smaller deployment craft such as the [[Lich]] would also be utilised in civilian and security roles alongside their military applications.<ref name="vestiges">'''Halo: Warfleet''', ''p. 78-79''</ref>

The reasons for these restrictions are often cultural; for instance, Sangheili view wielding shield gauntlets as dishonorable and that "lesser species" do not deserve their privileged weapons. The Covenant's interspecies politics also played a large part in this segregation: while Sangheili-led mixed units existed, the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae often maintained their own individual command hierarchies largely segregated from one another to prevent conflict and authority issues from arising between the two. It was originally rare for the Jiralhanae to receive their own ships to begin with, and the ones given to them by the Sangheili were smaller and less powerful such as the lowly attack ship classifications,<ref name="attackships"/> while the Sangheili maintained the bulk of the Covenant's fleet.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''pages 195, 199''</ref> When the Jiralhanae were made the Covenant's main military caste, their indigenous weaponry and vehicles—equally brutal in design and function—became a staple on the battlefield alongside the Covenant's more refined technologies.<ref name="h3"/>

****Occupational Forces — land-based troop contingents<ref name="evg57"/>