UNSC Army (Classified series)

The UNSC Army is the main land-based fighting force of the UNSCDF, with active garrisons on nearly every colony. The Army is responsible for the training and arming of several Colonial Militia units, a duty it shares with the UNSC Marine Corps. Although the Army's main purpose is the security of the colonies each individual unit is stationed on, any unit may be deployed to another colony to aid in active conflicts.
==Background==
The UNSC Army primarily deploys from pre-established land bases to engaged hostile forces. Assaults can be commenced from air, land, or sea, making the Army (along with the Marine Corps) one of the most versatile branches of the UNSCDF. The Army is known to use equipment and weaponry that differs from their marine counterparts. Examples include: the M392 DMR, the MA37 Assault Rifle, and M45 Tactical Shotgun, as opposed to BR55 Battle Rifle, the MA5B/MA5C Assault Rifles, and the M90 Shotgun.
==Types of Units==
The Army utilizes several specialized units to conduct offensive operations throughout UNSC territories.
===Infantry===
Infantry units are the make up the main portion of the Army with soldiers deploying into combat through specialized means.
*Light Infantry: Capable of rapid deployments these units can be sent into active combat zones faster than the majority of other units.While these units lack the tactical mobility of vehicles, as well as the lethality and protection of armored units, they can remain effective in weather and terrain that would hinder vehicles. Ironically due to the fact that these units do not utilize vehicles "light" units carry much heavier personal loads.
*Mechanized Units: These units are deployed into battle utilizing Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs). These units can typically deploy faster than regular armored units and have more protection than light infantry.
*Air Assault: These are light infantry units that rapidly deploy to combat zones through the use of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) air craft such as the UH-144 Falcon and the D77h-TCI Pelican Dropship.
*Airborne: Light infantry units that are aerially dropped behind enemy lines to disrupt enemy supply chains, conduct sabotage, or spearhead assaults. these units are all volunteer forces that receive much more intensive training than most infantry units.
===Support===
Support units are responsible for aiding active combat units ensuring their continued functionality by providing them with up to date intelligence, supplies and equipment, as well as medical care.
*Intelligence: The UNSC Army's Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) is tasked with providing unit commanders with intelligence for the battlefield and the focus of combat power. They specialize in counterintelligence, electronic and information warfare, and force protection. Due to the nature of this unit a large number of AIs have been allocated to them.
*Medical: Medical units are tasked with ensuring the sustained health of soldiers whether through the training and utilization of combat medics, or the establishment of Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) units. These Units are established a significant distance from the front and usually receive wounded via helicopter Air Ambulance.
*Aviation: Army aviation provides close fire air support for ground based units. These units are also responsible for the quick insertion and extraction of many light infantry forces. Capable of aerial reconnaissance and rapid medical evacuations, aviation units are highly versatile in their active combat uses.
*Artillery: These units are located behind the the front and are responsible for providing close supporting fire for infantry units. They can also be utilized for the bombardment of enemy positions in harassing fire, defensive and covering fire, preparation fire, or Final Protective Fire (FPF).
==Special Operations==
===Ranger Divisions (Airborne)===
*Ranger units are the premiere Special Operations light infantry force of the UNSC Army. Specializing in direct action but also completely capable of sabotage, unconventional warfare, deep reconnaissance, and counter-terrorism.
*These units are Airborne in nature and deploy via specialized atmospheric High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) and High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) drops from heights of about 108,000ft. To conduct these drops Rangers make extensive use of HP/HALO and HP/PARAFOIL harnesses in addition to personal jet-packs.
*Rangers are also trained for orbital drops along with their Marine counter-parts the ODSTs
*Rangers are trained and selected through the 60 day Ranger Schools on Reach, Earth, and Cyrus VII. These schools have high attrition rates (an average of 60%) as many candidates voluntarily drop out. Even those that do complete Ranger school are not guaranteed to earn their tab, that is based on points. Those that complete the school but do not receive a tab are allowed to attempt Ranger School again.
===Special Forces (Green Berets)===
*Army Green Beret units are some of the most versatile in the UNSCDF's special operations community, capable of executing unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, direct action, search and rescue, hostage rescue, manhunts, psychological operations, and foreign internal defense.
*While these units are capable of Direct action such missions are usually deferred to the Rangers, however when conducting direct action they may work closely with Ranger units.
*All members of the Special Forces group must have completed and passed Ranger school.
===1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force)===
*Delta Force is the Army's premiere Tier-1 special operations force, having the capabilities to perform all previously mentioned special operation tasks.
*Delta Force falls under the UNSCDF's Joint Special Operations Command and occasionally works alongside the UNSC Navy's Spartan groups, more often the specialized Spartan-III groups such as Noble team.
*All members of the Delta Force receive strength and speed enhancing augmentations, while not on the level of the Spartan programs, these augmentations yield improvement results above all other programs.
===Intelligence and Support Activity (ISA)===
*Very similar to the Office of Naval Intelligence, the ISA is the special operations intelligence branch for the Army as a department of INSCOM.
*The ISA utilizes specialized operatives (spooks) for field work when covertly gathering intelligence.
*Through the leveraging by Colonels Ackerson and Holland, the ISA has been granted direct command over several Spartan-III teams from Gamma company directly following their graduation from Onyx.
Category:UNSC