New California Republic New California ( officially the New California Republic , often abbreviated to NCR ) is a large , democratic federation of well over 700 , 000 based in California , with holdings in Nevada , Oregon , Mexico ( Baja California ) and along the Colorado River . The NCR emphasizes and claims to support a myriad of old world values , such as democracy , personal liberty , and the rule of law . It also strives to restore general order to the wasteland , the improvement and development of infrastructure and economic systems , and a basic common peace between the people . Though appearing to be a benevolent entity of governance , the ability to control the land it claims to protect , the fidelity of those who live under their rule , and the widespread corruption within their political system has been questioned by many , without a clear response by the NCR themselves . Background . The New California Republic was born from the remnants of the survivors of Vault 15 and the small walled community they founded , Shady Sands . Under the leadership of Aradesh , and with the assistance of the Vault Dweller ( who saved Tandi , Aradesh ' s daughter and a future president of the NCR ) , the community prospered . Trade routes with other settlements allowed cultural exchange , and a movement to form a national entity gradually took root and won popular acceptance . In 2186 , the town of Shady Sands changed its name to " New California Republic " and formed a trial council government to draft a constitution . Four more settlements joined the council , and in 2189 the NCR was voted into existence as a sprawling federation of five states : Shady Sands , Los Angeles , Maxson , the Hub , and Dayglow . By post - apocalyptic standards , the NCR is a paragon of economic success and good ethical character : political enfranchisement , rule of law , a reasonable degree of physical security and a standard of living better than mere subsistence are daily realities for its impressive population of citizens . Currently , the NCR is in a state of transition , with rapid economic growth and a series of changes in political leadership endangering its grand humanitarian ideals . Nowhere is this more evident than in the Mojave , where the occupation of Hoover Dam has improved access to electricity and water , but at the cost of straining its budget and embroiling its armed forces in a morally corrosive imperialist project . The NCR government ' s aim is to annex New Vegas as the republic ' s newest state . While it already controls Hoover Dam , its treaty with Mr . House and the three families compel it to allocate 5 % of the dam ’ s electrical and water production to local use free of charge . Adding insult to injury , the NCR is locked into protecting New Vegas from invasion by Caesar ' s Legion even as it receives not one cap in tax revenue from the Strip ' s highly lucrative resort operations . NCR citizens in the Mojave have largely come here for economic reasons , whether as paid citizen soldiers or as prospectors and fortune - seekers . Society . The majority of the NCR populace is made up of farmers , traveling merchants and poor settlers seeking protection from the dangers of the post - apocalyptic world - a luxury usually only available to the rich and powerful . In exchange for their protection , the NCR classes them as a ' citizen ' and collects taxes from them which is mostly used on the military to arm , train and supply their troops . Citizenship can be given to entire settlements and put under NCR jurisdiction if requested , however , this practice is controversial in the Mojave due to rumors of the NCR supposedly bullying weaker settlements and incorporating them against their will . The NCR enforces strict rules upon their citizens and in their cities . In areas under military law , such as the Mojave , crimes are typically punished by death . Openly carrying arms , prostitution , gambling , and slavery are not permitted within NCR city limits . Persons found under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be arrested . A notable trait of the New California Republic , often to the annoyance of its citizens , is the government ' s tendency to be overly bureaucratic and give power to those of an important background rather than by ability . As much power is invested in particular individuals in the cities back west , citizens at the frontier regions often feel that they are not listened to and forgotten . This type of governing has lead to many of the towns in the Mojave wishing to stay independent rather than living under NCR rule , having seen only inefficiency and an inability to govern for its people . Structure . The NCR is a democratic federation , modeling itself on the government of pre - War United States . The government is divided into three branches : legislative , executive and judicial . The legislative branch is the Congress , staffed by representatives elected by their states and senators , forming two houses : House of Representatives and the Senate . The Congressmen use a variety of titles : " Councilor , " " Counselor , " " Councilman , " " Representative , " and " Senator . " In particular , the Hub ( in its own obstinate way ) prefers to call their representatives " Governors . " The executive branch is the Republic council , headed by the President and Vice - President . The President and Vice - President are elected by NCR citizens , with advice from the Congress . Last , the judicial branch comprises courts and judges ruling in accordance with NCR ' s adapted version of American common law . In theory , this is a sound and well - balanced system , but in practice , every state tries to assert its independence and work toward furthering its own agenda . There is a great amount of friction between the states of Hub and Shady Sands , usually related to trade rights and caravan routes , while New Reno remains dominated by various criminal interests . Significant pressure is exerted upon the political and economic direction of the NCR by a variety of private interests : in particular , the brahmin barons whose wealth gives them great influence at the ballot box and whose needs are often placed first by officials seeking support in their political ambitions . With the armed forces , the Gun Runners gain special dispensation and influence as they are the primary contributor to NCR ' s weapon arsenal . Elsewhere , monopolies like the Crimson Caravan and similar trading families dominate the trade routes and use their wealth to gain influence with the NCR government and extort large amounts of money . Smaller competitors who are unable to compete with both the larger competition as well as the high taxes are inevitably muscled out . The president is the biggest factor in deciding the course the Republic should take . For example , under Tandi ( who served over ten terms as President ; something Caesar mocks as indicative of monarchy rather than democracy ) , the NCR grew substantially , focusing its efforts on rebuilding the pre - War infrastructure and restarting technological development . Conversely , while under Aaron Kimball , the NCR has become more imperialistic and expansive , overextending itself on multiple fronts in the process . There is little to no sexism in the NCR ( unlike many other factions in the wastes ) , most likely due to the community ' s origins in Vault 15 and Tandi ' s extended presidency . The republic has also shown little discrimination against ghoul s and mutants , though many political analysts argue that this is because NCR has had limited contact with them ( the NCR did have little contact with Necropolis or the Master ' s Army ) . Some of their Veteran Rangers are ghouls , however , and they accept ghouls into their army . In any event , some politicians use lingering anti - mutant sentiments to boost their popularity among voters . There is a clear separation of church and state within the NCR . In particular , the NCR has resisted any attempts to canonize the Vault Dweller within its city limits ( the statue outside the Hall of Congress being the only exception ) . Both Aradesh and Tandi found that politics and religion don ' t mix ; a realization that was cemented when they gained more exposure to the people of the Hub and received visits from a few well - spoken members of the Followers of the Apocalypse . As long as there is no interaction between church and government , the NCR ( past and present ) allows any non - radical religious groups within their borders . Accordingly , the NCR are very tolerant of religion as long as its various assemblies do not participate in human sacrifice or indulge in dipping people into vats of Forced Evolutionary Virus , such as with the Legion and the Master ' s Army . States and known cities . " ( State ) – ( Capital ) * indicates that the State and Capital have the same name . " Military . The NCR ' s military is composed of several Divisions , including marksmen , scouts , mechanized units and a small number of Vertibird s . In addition , many of their major cities are protected and patrolled by heavily armed police officers . One of their Special Forces units consists of the New California Rangers , a select group that is pledged to protect the people of the Wastes much like the Texas Rangers of old . The Rangers are said to have numerous safe houses throughout the wastes , and they use these to strike at slavers outside of NCR territory ( usually in the North ) . As expected , the two groups hate each other with a passion . NCR was also in the habit of establishing marshals in the major population centers in their territories , responsible for enforcing the laws of NCR throughout the Republic . Ghouls , super mutant s , and human s were all known to serve in the NCR armed forces . The NCR gained access to a limited number of Vertibirds from their battle with the Enclave over Navarro , along with the Brotherhood of Steel . Although diverse , the NCR military is mostly composed of their regular troopers who are characterized by their tan uniforms , wide - brimmed hats , goggles and armed with a standard service rifle . These soldiers are the image often associated with the NCR and are commonly seen in both pro - and anti - NCR propaganda . Relations with the outside . Many people in the western wastelands have mixed feelings about the NCR . Some people strongly support the Republic ' s goals of spreading democracy and the rule of law , and others vehemently oppose their methods of " controlling " everything they come into contact with . With wastelanders who were used to having no more than a mayor or sheriff now suddenly being part of a complex political structure and having to pay taxes , some view it as a loss of the frontier lifestyles that once defined them . As the NCR ' s power and territory grew , it made progressively stronger enemies who would test the resolve of the Republic . Under President Tandi , the NCR made slow but sustainable territorial expansion , allowing towns and other small communities , who were impressed by the principles of the NCR , to join of their own volition . While defending their borders from hostile raiders like the once legendary Vipers and Jackals , who would be ravaged by the NCR ' s military until they became broken shadows of their former glory . Eventually taming Southern California , these achievements would garner such respect for President Tandi that the people would come to adore her , and tribals outside the NCR ' s borders would refer to her as the " Great Mother . " Viewing the NCR ' s growth and success as a threat to their already stagnating power and influence , the Brotherhood of Steel would launch a military campaign with the goal of pacifying the NCR and reclaiming technology that they felt the NCR was not fully capable of understanding . After narrowly avoiding defeat in the early days of the war , the NCR would ultimately prevail and force the Brotherhood into retreat and hiding . The NCR had pushed back their strongest opponent yet but at a cost . With the destruction of their gold reserves in the early days of the war , the Republic could not continue to fund their costly war with the Brotherhood for long , unless more revenue was acquired . After the death of President Tandi , her successors would gradually change the direction of the NCR . Rapidly expanding the Republic ' s borders in every direction in a more imperialistic fashion , they sacrificed some of the NCR ' s principles and moral high ground in the process . Now led by President Aaron Kimball , the NCR ' s expansion has led it to the Mojave Wasteland , where it would encounter the impressive city of New Vegas , and the even more promising Hoover Dam . However , it would also encounter its greatest enemy to date , Caesar ' s Legion , across the Colorado River . Seeking to annex New Vegas and drooling over the prospects of the money that would flow back towards the Republic in taxes , they sent their army east . The NCR initially had great success in the Mojave Wasteland , setting up several bases and even an embassy on The Strip . The front line of the new conflict between the NCR and Caesar ' s Legion moved towards the Colorado River . The Legion attacked the NCR with its full strength during the First Battle of Hoover Dam . The NCR was forced to retreat , but lured the Legion into a trap at Boulder City and was able to retake the Dam . After their defeat , the Legion regularly conducted raids on the west side of the Colorado , even creating permanent bases at Cottonwood Cove and sacking towns like Nipton and Nelson with little response from the NCR . Known wars and military conflicts which the NCR was involved : Technology . The NCR has access to stockpiles of pre - War technology . Standard NCR soldiers have service rifle s along with standard pre - War and self - made combat armor . The NCR possesses salvaged power armor acquired from engagements with the Brotherhood , but lack the training to use it . Instead , the servos in the joints are stripped out and an air - conditioning unit is installed in place of the power core , turning it into extremely heavy , but effective , armor . However , the NCR special forces , the NCR Veteran Ranger s , use pre - War riot gear and armor . The weapons used by the Rangers include : anti - materiel rifle s , Ranger Sequoia s , hunting revolver s and brush gun s , among others . As for civilian technology , they appear to have knowledge of irrigation ( as apparent in the NCR sharecropper farms ) . They can also maintain some pre - War transportation , such as the monorail at Camp McCarran . The NCR were also working on an extensive railroad network in the New Vegas area into New California . The network used in the Mojave was used for transporting limestone from Quarry Junction to Boulder City ; these efforts were halted by the Powder Gangers revolt and the unsuccessful efforts to curb deathclaw population growth . Currency . The NCR created its own currency in the form of gold coins around the turn of the 22nd century . Bottle cap s were useless at this time due to the gold reserves of the NCR . This changed when the Brotherhood of Steel destroyed the gold reserves in 2281 . The NCR dollar devalued and the conversion rate lowered to 2 . 5 NCR dollars to one cap . The common denotations of NCR currency are the $ 5 , $ 20 , and $ 100 bills . The $ 5 bill features a picture of Aradesh and Shady Sands , the $ 20 bill features pictures of Seth and the NCR Ranger insignia , and the $ 100 bill features pictures of Tandi . Appearances . The New California Republic was first mentioned in the " Fallout " end cutscenes for Shady Sands and it first appeared in " Fallout 2 " , and was to appear again in the canceled " Van Buren " project . In " Fallout 3 " , it is mentioned in a terminal of the Citadel . It appears once more in " " as one of the major factions fighting over the control of the Mojave Wasteland . It also appears in " Lonesome Road " and is mentioned in " Dead Money " , " Honest Hearts " , and " Old World Blues " by various characters . In " Fallout 4 " , it is mentioned in Kellogg ' s memories and in the Mysterious Stranger casefile .