The Spartan Programs created, what for millenia had been the dream of every military commander,
a soldier that was stronger, faster, and more resilient, a weapon not confined to the limits
of humanity. Through their initial baptism by fire in the insurrectionist conflicts,
to the end of the most devastating war in the history of mankind, Spartans became renowned
for their almost supernatural ability to turn defeat into triumph, hopelessness into raw belief.
In victory, the contributions of the Spartans to the destruction of the Covenant
was formally recognized by United Nations Space Command. What was once a shadowy element of the
Office of Naval Intelligence was brought out into the light and Spartan Operations was established.
The newest branch within the UNSC armed forces, Spartan Operations represents
an end to the use of Spartan “supersoldiers” within the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.
Its role, distinct from that of any other special operations institution,
is to conduct unconventional warfare, emphasizing sufficiency, stealth, speed, and
tactical coordination, all while leveraging the unique capabilities of the Spartans themselves.
Though independent, the branch maintains close ties with its fellow services
and is organized under the overarching military structure of the United Earth Government. Joint
operations on terrestrial battlefields fall under UNSC Unified Ground Command, while interstellar
operations are organized under UNSC Naval Command. Spartan Operations remains heavily reliant on this
doctrine of joint warfare, commonly sharing assets with the Army and Marine Corps.
Officially, the Spartan Branch does not follow any hierarchical rank structure, with every Spartan
considered an equal. Dominance, authority and responsibility are instead conferred with more
informal titles, ranging from simply “Spartan”, to “Fireteam Leader”, “Mission Handler”,
and “Spartan Commander”, with “Director of Spartan Operations” functioning as the commander in chief
of the service itself. These titles have a loose equivalency to the ranks used within
other UNSC branches, used to maintain an united organizational structure during joint-operations.
Individual Spartans, whose abilities in certain fields are superior to the already high-standards
of the service, can additionally apply to become specialists in their area of expertise.
Doctrinally, Spartan Operations are focused on small unit tactics. Their personnel are
organized into fireteams, consisting of four or five spartans led by a designated team leader.
Fireteam members are carefully selected, with Spartans specifically chosen to compliment
the skillsets and abilities of one another, as well as mitigating any individual weaknesses.
It is rare that any more than a single fireteam might be deployed as a single combat element.
It is instead more common to see Spartans deployed in smaller groups, or even individually.
The defining characteristic of the Spartan Branch however, is ultimately their personnel themselves.
Recruitment is undertaken not directly from the Unified Earth Government’s colonies,
but rather from within the other services. Career veterans that have proven their aptitude,
and younger soldiers who demonstrate higher potential are prioritized for recruitment.
Every candidate must then undergo a series of physical and psychological tests before undergoing
Spartan augmentations. These augmentations involve gene therapy, artificial organ implants
and cybernetic enhancements, custom tailored to each individual spartan candidate.
The majority of personnel within the service are the result of the Spartan-IV program,
with those of previous iterations given the option of serving out the remainder of their careers
in their respective, current branches of the UNSC.
But the augmentation of a Spartan candidate is only the first aspect of their training.
Their familiarization with both their enhanced biology and the
expectations of the service is primarily achieved through a series of wargames.
Emphasis is also placed on a near-universal understanding of the UNSC’s weaponry and
equipment. A Spartan graduate will be proficient in every common small arm and possess at least a
basic understanding of how to operate the UNSC’s various vehicles, tanks, jetpacks and aircraft.
A Spartan candidate’s training culminates in the selection of their armor.
Members of the service are granted the exclusive use of MJOLNIR Powered Armor,
designed to enhance the already heightened abilities of an augmented individual.
This armor is highly customizable and adaptive. It might incorporate a reaction control system,
active camouflage and other sophisticated technologies depending on the parameters
of a mission. Members of the public will rarely see a Spartan beneath their armor,
and it is MJOLNIR above all else that has come to represent the Spartans throughout their history.
Though limited numbers of Spartans were active during the UNSC-Covenant War and some preceding
conflicts, the mass production of augmented soldiers only became possible towards the
end of 2552. The unlawful abduction of children to serve as Spartan candidates, and the immense
expense of their enhancements and training had obstructed the scaling of the initiative;
deficiencies solved within the Spartan IV program. Advancements in technology meant
that adult candidates could now be considered, while genetic alterations were scaled back in
favor of technological solutions. A Spartan Corps numbering in the hundreds of thousands
had always been the expectation and was now practical for the first time.
Musa Ghanem, a Spartan-II candidate left disabled by that program’s more dangerous augmentations
was an early proponent of both the Spartan IV program and the Spartans as an independent branch.
An incident involving the attempted capture of the newly commissioned UNSC Infinity
in 2553, proved the viability of this concept, and Spartan Operations was established that same year.
Since its creation, Spartan Operations have become a pivotal component of the UNSC’s
ability to respond to internal and external threats. In campaigns against both resurgent
insurrectionist elements and rogue post-covenant splinter groups, it has upheld the track record
of success against hostile odds initiated by its predecessors. But perhaps most importantly,
it has given to the Spartans of the UNSC today a formal legitimacy,
so that they no longer need sever themselves from their humanity in order to preserve it.