United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition

The United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO) is an agency of the United Nations officially created as a response to the growing threat of international terrorism. In reality, it is actually the military arm of Majestic 12 and is used to exert direct control over the world - especially the United States. 
The agency plays a pivotal role in the story of the game, beginning as the noble employer of JC Denton and foil to the terrorist National Secessionist Forces, before revelations invert the situation and UNATCO is revealed to be the real threat to world peace and liberty. Many of the major characters of Deus Ex are members of UNATCO, including the Denton brothers, Jaime Reyes, Sam Carter, Alex Jacobson, Anna Navarre and Gunther Hermann. During the course of the story, many of them defect or die, as Majestic 12 steps up its campaign of global domination.
The director of UNATCO in the first few levels of the game is Joseph Manderley, but after the defection of both Denton brothers, Walton Simons takes full charge of the organization, due to Manderley's inability to control his subordinates. To further compound the conspiracy between UNATCO and MJ12, there is a vast MJ12 research facility located beneath the UNATCO HQ bunker. The entrance to this facility is located behind UNATCO's medical lab. On your visits to UNATCO HQ prior to being held prisoner in the MJ12 complex, this entrance is inaccessible, but upon your escape from the complex, the door can be opened.
==History==
Established in the wake of Task Force 29's foundation and success, UNATCO was the first unified force fully outside the jurisdiction of any political power, ratified by the United Nations to circumvent international red tape and respond to global threats without interference from local authorities.The Next Three Decades The precise date of its foundation is not established, but occurred in the first half of the 2030s,UNATCO is not yet in existence in 2029, as per previous reference, but is already in existence by 2035, as per the Dentonian Timeline from the Deus Ex Bible, mentioning that Paul vowed to join UNATCO in the wake of his and JC's parents' deaths. against a backdrop of rapidly increasing inequality, collapsing public services worldiwde, pervasiveness of the Net redefining the fabric of society - and the resulting global rise in terrorism.Righteous Angels: Perspectives on UNATCO 
UNATCO was intended to be an ostensibly neutral agency to enforce international law in an impartial manner around the world. It was theoretically supposed to be a fair and just entity concerned with the preservation of liberty and freedom across the world.UNATCO Handbook, Appendix A: Origins of UNATCO 
In practice, UNATCO became a tool for subverting national sovereignty and subjugating entire nations to the will of Majestic 12, proving grounds for experimental technologies, in particular nano-augmentation, and controlled environment for people of interest to the organization, like Paul Denton. Denton joined UNATCO in 2040, straight out of university, completing a vow made in 2035 after his parents were killed in an apparent terrorist attack.Deus Ex Bible: "The Dentonian Timeline
2018: Paul Denton born
2023: Paul, age 5, selected as test subject, cloned
2028: Tests on clones show limited success; Paul's mother impregnated with J.C.
2029: J.C. Denton born; scientists perfect embryonic incubator; additional clones grown over the next 15-20 years
2034: Experiments begin on second generation of clones (~age 5)
2035: Paul and J.C.'s parents killed by Majestic 12; J.C. sent to Swiss school
2036: Paul goes to four-year university
2040: Paul, age 22, joins UNATCO
2044: Common emotional centers in brain discovered (+/- 2 years)
2046: Work on Ambrosia project begins (?)
2047: J.C. graduates from Swiss school
2049: Last kinks are worked out of nano-augmentation
2050: Paul is offered nano-augmentation; procedure is successful; work stops on
clones; most clones destroyed
2051: J.C., age 22, joins UNATCO, trains, is offered nano-augmentation
2052: Nano-augmentation procedure is successful." 
In 2050, after a decade of meritorious service, Paul became the first nano-augmented human in existence. His brother would join the organization a year later and undergo the same procedure while undergoing training.JC Denton: "Don't you think we should give Paul a chance to explain himself? He's been with UNATCO for years."Gunther Hermann: "Only one thing can happen when you break your oath to the Coalition." That same year, UNATCO succeeded in the total subjugation of France by UNATCO. Leveraging high profile attacks by Silhouette, UNATCO deployed in force and gained control over the French government. The group responded by hacking the 2050 World Cup Net transmittion, calling out UNATCO for its indiscriminate use of augmented agents and military troops against the civilian population.Know Your Enemy - Silhouette 
However, this was a minor prize, as Majestic 12 desired complete control of superpowers like the United States. While MJ12 inherited the infrastructure and influence of the Illuminati after Bob Page's coup, most notably Area 51, its control was limited. The US did not sign the UNATCO charter and thus was not permitted to operate on US soil, despite Majestic 12 influence over President Philip Riley Mead. This was bypassed by staging a false flag attack in 2051: The Statue of Liberty was bombed in an apparent terrorist attack blamed on Silhouette and the NSF. The resulting outrage led to bipartisan support for permitting the deployment of UNATCO on US soil, with the full support of the public. APR, Mead Bucks Congress 
Following an energetic State of the Union address, when Mead declared that "Enough is enough!", the United States became a UNATCO charter member. A combination of congressional legislation and executive orders led to the agency being reformed, with UNATCO headquarters established on Liberty Island,Bob Page: " Your appointment to FEMA should be finalized within the week. I've already discussed the matter with the Senator."
Walton Simons: " I take it he was agreeable?"
Bob Page: " He didn't really have a choice."
Walton Simons: " Has he been infected?"
Bob Page: " Oh, yes, most certainly. When I mentioned that we could put him on the priority list for the Ambrosia vaccine, he was so willing it was almost pathetic."
Walton Simons: " This plague -- the rioting is intensifying to the point where we may not be able to contain it."
Bob Page: " Why contain it? Let it spill over into the schools and churches, let the bodies pile up in the streets. In the end, they'll beg us to save them."
Walton Simons: " I've received reports of armed attacks on shipments. There's not enough vaccine to go around, and the underclasses are starting to get desperate."
Bob Page: " Of course they're desperate. They can smell their death, and the sound they'll make rattling their cage will serve as a warning to the rest."
Walton Simons: " Mmm. I hope you're not underestimating the problem. The others may not go as quietly as you think -- intelligence indicates they're behind the problems in Paris."
Bob Page: " A bunch of pretentious old men playing at running the world."
Bob Page: " But the world left them behind long ago. We are the future."
Walton Simons: " We have other problems."
Bob Page: " UNATCO?"
Walton Simons: " Formed by executive order after the terrorist strike on the Statue. I have someone in place, though. I'm more concerned about Savage -- he's relocated to Vandenberg."
Bob Page: " Our biochem corpus is far in advance of theirs, as is our electronic sentience. And their...ethical inflexibility has allowed us to make progress in areas they refuse to consider."
Walton Simons: " The augmentation project?"
Bob Page: " Among other things -- but I must admit that I've been somewhat disappointed in the performance of the primary unit."
Walton Simons: " The secondary unit should be online soon. He's currently undergoing preparation and will be operational within six months. My people will continue to report on his progress. If necessary, the primary will be terminated."
Bob Page: " We've had to endure much, you and I, but soon there will be order again, a new age. Aquinas spoke of the mythical City on the Hill. Soon that city will be a reality, and we will be crowned its kings."
Bob Page: " Or better than kings. Gods."
 in the shadow of the Statue bombed by it in the first place.UNATCO Handbook, UNATCO and the World Control over the crime scene also allowed UNATCO to exert further pressure on France, fabricating evidence tying Silhouette to the bombing.APR, French Connection Found in Rubble
While professing to fight terrorism, UNATCO was really used to consolidate the power of Majestic 12, such as by eliminating the Templar leadership in Paris in UNATCO bulletin terminal: Know Your Enemy -- Templars or providing a useful front for mass global surveillance through the Echelon IV system, officially dismantled as per UN public declarations.UNATCO bulletin terminal, Stopping Terror -- A New Perspective on Freedom Backed by the US, within a year UNATCO detachments were present not just in the US, but in capitals across the world, including Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Russia.APR, U.S. Situation Worsens 
UNATCO operations allowed for the expansion of Majestic 12 operations with little issue, as well as field-testing the first nano-augmented agents. The release of the Gray Death further destabilized the United States, while giving UNATCO the ability to influence the United States government: All Ambrosia shipments from VersaLife were routed through the Liberty Island headquarters, allowing UNATCO to prioritize distributionPaul Denton: " We've got the island secured. How did things look in the Statue?"
JC Denton: " The leader surrendered. So they were after Ambrosia..."
Paul Denton: " A month's supply for the East Coast. We think they've taken it back to the city."
JC Denton: " I didn't know UNATCO handled the Ambrosia distribution."
Paul Denton: " Manderley will brief us shortly. UNATCO makes sure the limited supply of vaccine gets to government agencies and key industries."
 and reward loyalty and collaboration, such as when Walton Simons was made Director of FEMA. UNATCO presence has also drew sharp criticism once patriotic fervor dissipated, particularly when Mead bypassed Congress to pay outstanding dues to the United Nations.Midnight Sun, U.S. Prez Sells Out
===Deus Ex===
JC Denton, the second nano-augmented agent in the ranks of the agency entered service six months after his brother's performance started to draw attention. Brought up in a carefully supervised environment in Switzerland after, JC considered the role of a UNATCO field agent his dream job, and was Joseph Manderley's prize pupil - an attempt to demonstrate that he could keep the second Denton under control.Shannon: " Oh! JC!"
JC Denton: " Carry on with your banking. I'm just taking one last look at the old place. Amazing, if you think about it, all the hours I spent dreaming about working here... all the heroic fantasies, when really this place is just a cinderblock bunker with carpet."
Shannon: " My banking... Oh yes! Never mind me... Go ahead and escape. I won't pull the alarm!"
JC Denton: " Something wrong? Really, as long as you stay out of the way, I don't have any reason to hurt you."
Shannon: " Okay! I admit it! I'm the one who's been stealing from HQ! It was me all along. Kaplan, the false floor in Alex's office, everything that's missing... It was me!"
JC Denton: " I'm the last person who's gonna bust you for stealing. What'd you take? Anything I could use?"
Shannon: " I don't know... You sure you can keep it hush-hush? I found a few scrambler grenades I was gonna give Kaplan -- good against bots, you know -- but you could take 'em . I have three, 1250 each."
 Denton arrived at UNATCO headquarters on Liberty Island as the NSF under Leo Gold launched an ambitious operation to capture the Ambrosia shipment, to secure a sample and replicate it, and thus break UNATCO's stranglehold on the United States. The operation was almost successful: NSF executed a large scale fighting retreat across New York City, buying time and sacrificing entire units just to get a single sample away from the City. However, the plan did not account for the second Denton, who played a critical role. Not only did he clear Liberty Island of the diversionary force, he also spearheaded the deployment to New York City proper, taking out the generator protecting NSF's New York headquarters, and soon located the captured shipment at the La Guardia airport, just as it was about to be loaded and shipped out. Juan Lebedev, NSF's high ranking commander and backer, was also captured. Complete with the wholesale slaughter of NSF troops (thinly disguised as "suicidal attacks"), UNATCO almost gained total supremacy.APR, UNATCO Nabs Terrorists in Hell's Kitchen Raid
However, JC also revealed that Paul Denton was actually an NSF mole, having defected after meeting Tracer Tong. MJ-12 decided to activate the killswitch and kill Paul Denton remotely, while sending JC to Hong Kong to kill Tong. At the behest of Jock, JC instead went rogue, joined his brother, uncovered evidence about corruption in UNATCO, linking high ranking members to bribes handed out by Walton Simons, Majestic 12's top ranking field operative and Director of FEMA, and finally sent a distress signal warning NSF's allies to go to the ground - effectively defecting to the resistance.Paul Denton: " Just listen to what I've got to say. We don't have much time."
JC Denton: " You got that right. UNATCO will have a team here in a few minutes."
Paul Denton: " The Gray Death is a man-made virus. Everyone up to the President is at UNATCO's mercy as long as UNATCO controls the supply of Ambrosia."
JC Denton: " You believe that?"
Paul Denton: " We have proof. We need to get the Ambrosia to Hong Kong. Heard of Tracer Tong? He can help us synthesize it ourselves."
JC Denton: " You better step away from the jet. Your boss is my next objective."
Paul Denton: " Join us, JC. Talk to Lebedev. He can convince you."
Captured by UNATCO troops, Denton was considered a liability and imprisoned in a laboratory beneath UNATCO HQ. A pattern-matching error by Daedalus, however, classified MJ-12 as a terrorist organization like NSF and Silhouette, leading the AI to aid Denton in his escape. Already frustrated with the defection of Denton, Walton Simons of FEMA accelerated his takeover of UNATCO, with Manderley disappearing and veteran members drummed out in short order.JC Denton's computer (Hong Kong), SitRef Soon, JC was branded a terrorist leader by UNATCO, with the agency imposing martial law on New York City in order to capture him and his allies, including Alex Jacobson and Jock, both defectors as well.APR, Search for Terrorist Leader Intensifies Simons turned UNATCO into a private army, brutally enforcing MJ-12's vision of world order at gunpoint, though his crude methods led to immense backlash: The declaration of martial law across the nationAPR, UNITED STATES INSTITUTES MARTIAL LAW led to open rebellion among political leaders and the military. UNATCO troopers, once presented as peacekeepers, became enforcers of the new order, operating outside any public control and opening fire on protesters whenever protests against the jack-booted UN rule coalesced.APR, U.S. Situation Worsens
===In 2072===
With the onslaught of The Collapse perpetrated by JC Denton at the end of Deus Ex, UNATCO, along with most other global entities, is portrayed in the game's sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, as having effectively ceased to exist. The old Liberty Island UNATCO base makes a cameo appearance at the end of Invisible War as it is used by JC Denton to store the dormant Aquinas protocol, though by the year 2072 when the game is said to take place, the complex is effectively a ruin.
==Organization==
UNATCO officially poses as peacekeepers, with a sharp focus on combating global terrorism by combining scientific breakthroughs with law enforcement operations: Using chaos theory combined with social sciences to understand patterns of unrest (considered an integral mechanism of society for righting itself) to predict uprisings that might escalate into a global situation or be escalated by ill-intentioned agents for their own ends. It claims to have no interest in interfering with any country's sovereign rights, as long as they are behaving in a civilized, reasonable manner.unatco.org, Letter from the Director: "At UNATCO, our goal is to monitor, contain, and eventually prevent the spread of global super-terrorism. We do this through the application of ultra-modern scientific breakthroughs as well as a few tried-and-true methods.
The new science of chaos theory has been applied to social sciences to suggest that social unrest is an integral part of the mechanism that a society uses to govern itself. We understand and support that idea. Part of what we do, as a matter of fact, is apply the branch of chaos theory known as "Catastrophe Theory" (developed by French mathematician René Thom) to study the patterns of unrest globally, and try to predict which uprisings will boil over into a global situation or attract the attention of terrorist mercenaries who may try to escalate a situation to further their own ends.
UNATCO has no interest in interfering with any country’s right to govern its citizens, or to deal with social unrest in any reasonable, civilized manner. UNATCO’s mission is to predict which uprisings have the potential to spill over, to find those groups whose message might be served by violence against world citizens, to prevent societal corrections from becoming worldwide tragedies, and to minimize the need for UN Peacekeeping troops to interfere with a sovereign nation’s right to govern its citizens."
UNATCO is also empowered to deal with other transgressions of the international legal code, such as drug trafficking, software piracy, and money laundering, and acts, in its own words, as the World's Policeman. While it purports to fight for freedom and liberty, its own operations are opaque by design: All of its activities are classified as above Top Secret, using Majestic 12 security clearances, starting at Angel/0A, and emphasizes strict, unhesitating obedience to orders coming from above.UNATCO Handbook, Welcome to UNATCO! To limit accountability, troopers are instructed to refuse comment and avoid speaking to members of the press, mischaracterized as primarily agents of misdirection and propaganda. The official line is "Secrets are Lives", and journalists are to be handled by UNATCO information officers and fact management teams to maintain the right public appearance.UNATCO Handbook, UNATCO and the Press Even internal documentation, like the UNATCO Handbook, was systemically filtered to limit the free flow of information, as per the UNATCO Terror Monitoring Act 919-05 Sec. IV.UNATCO Handbook, UNATCO and the Future
===Structure===
UNATCO is theoretically divided into three main branches: Administration, Security, and Intelligence. The Administrative branch is tasked with handling the operating tasks of the organization, including positions such as office and clerical workers, couriers, and public information officers. All applicants are expected to have a college degree and pre-existing security clearances with UN member nations' civil goverment or military. Screening includes a background check, fitness and psychological evaluations, and DNA and retinal data caollection. While UNATCO theoretically abides by the Equal Opportunity Employer guidelines and is open to applicants, all employees are hand-picked, preferably by invitation. Notably, if an application is rejected or the invited party refuses the offer, they are permanently blacklisted from future work with UNATCO.unatco.org: "Our Administration branch is always looking for intelligent, motivated, discreet personnel to handle the operating tasks of this organisation. We have open positions ranging from office/clerical, to courier, to public information officers. Regardless of job description, we require each applicant to have a college degree and existing high-security clearance with either the military or civil government of one of our Member Nations. Applicants will undergo a rigorous security background check, a fitness exam, a psychological evaluation, and a DNA and retinal typing. We abide by the Equal Opportunity Employer guidelines, so we are always happy to accept any application at any time. However, we encourage interested parties to wait until they are approached by UNATCO with a job offer. This minimizes the number of applicants that we have to reject. Once an applicant is rejected, that applicant will never be allowed to hold any position with UNATCO, ever. Likewise, if UNATCO makes an offer to a candidate and the candidate rejects it, there will never be a second offer. If you're really the kind of person we're looking for, we've probably already got our eye on you. We hope you're ready when we call. If you feel like you've been overlooked and could really be of service to us, please email personnel@unatco.com and we'll send an application and DNA submission kit to you."
Several smaller entities existed within the Administration branch, including the UNATCO Medical Directorate (MedDirectorate for short), responsible for distributing medical supplies and experimental technologies to troops.Datacube transcripts (DX): "Augmentation canister 10B (MJID-9138YU0983) has been shipped via suspension crate to UNATCO HQ for your distribution to nanotechnologically augmented agents under your care and should arrive within 24 hours. If you do not receive this shipment within 24 hours, contact UNATCO MedDirectorate. (...) UNATCO, Office of Medical Directorate"
====Security====
UNATCO is ostensibly a United Nations agency, devoted to fighting terrorism on a global scale, making Security the muscle. While historically United Nations depended on the contributions of member states in terms of funding and soldiers, UNATCO is a standing paramilitary force with troopers and other staff working for it on a permanent basis, sworn in through the Oath of Service. In theory, UNATCO is supposed to uphold the values of the UN charter, including a commitment to human rights and peace worldwide. 
In practice, while they are theoretically peacekeepers, much of UNATCO's modern operations are military in nature and based on historical experiences of armies, as it faces foes that cannot be fought over territory, bases, or on conventional fronts. Field operations are heavily based on the system used by the United States during the occupation of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, with the basic UNATCO Deployed Unit or UDU modeled on the Combined Action Platoon, a 15-man rifle squad responsible for securing a single rural hamlet. Beyond territorial control, the CAP was also supposed to work with Southern Vietnamese forces to strengthen ideological ties, on top of other mission roles. Deployments are decided based on sophisticated data analysis, once again inspired by Vietnam, this time the Hamlet Evaluation System or HES, which was a pioneering attempt to quantify counter-insurgency efforts and turn warfare into a science. Towns in Vietnam were analyzed using questionnaires filled out on the ground, assigning security rankings from a scale of one to five, with five being the safest. The resulting data was processed automatically to generate situational maps that would be used for planning operations. The modern UNACTO Sector Field Report is powered by much more sophisticated data collection and analysis, but many parts of Vietnam-era counter-insurgency operations have been integrated verbatim due to their applicability.UNATCO bulletin terminal, Terrorism - War Without Fronts 
This extends to troopers: UNATCO is keen to maintain the appearance of an elite organization, extending invitations to attend the UNATCO Academy on an individual basis to members of UN nations' armed forces, law enforcement, and veteran UN Peacekeeping troops, with the option to join UNATCO permanentlyunatco.org: "UNATCO serves two main functions: Investigation and prevention. When a terrorist attack occurs anywhere in the world, our Intelligence branch immediately dispatches a team to gather every possible scrap of information; eyewitness accounts, circumstantial evidence, and forensic evidence including chemical and DNA traces. We analyse these elements to develop a "signature" for each attack we investigate. If, for example, an ongoing hostage crisis in Hong Kong has signature elements that match a previous attack in Madrid, we can provide Hong Kong with more effective scenarios on how to deal with their situation. Also, if the perpetrators in Hong Kong manage to escape punishment on a technicality, the evidence we provide might very likely warrant extradition to Madrid for trial. Due process in any one country need no longer interfere with the prosecution of criminals who make the world their victim.Our Security branch is tasked with using the information developed by the investigators to continually develop and improve methods of preventing terrorist attacks. We operate a school similar to the US Army's School of the Americas where we share with the world our developments in combating terrorism. Students are accepted by invitation only and include officers from Member Nations' armed forces, law enforcement, and specially selected UN Peacekeeping troops. The UN troops are then given the option of joining our elite rapid-deployment anti-terrorism units. " extended only to the top 20% of any graduating class. Official materials claimed that in order to qualify for service in UNATCO forces, a candidate had to complete the Anti-terrorist Academy not just in the top 20th percentile, but serve in UN Peacekeeping forces prior and present a letter of recommendation from the supreme executive organ of their nation of origin (i.e. prime minister, monarch etc.), before being subjected to additional testing, training, and background checks. Only a half supposedly passed the secondary testing, and many would be then rejected due to background checks or psychological evaluation.unatco.org: "UNATCO's Security team members are exclusively selected from the members of the UN Peacekeeping forces who have graduated from the UNATCO Anti-terrorist Academy with excellent marks and letters of recommendation from a member of the United Nations Security council, and from the President, Prime Minister, Sovereign, or other supreme Executive from that soldier's nation of origin. Once a graduate has been selected to join UNATCO Security, he undergoes an extensive battery of tests, extremely rigorous training, and an additional background check. No more than 20% of any graduating class will be selected to continue through the testing phase. Less than half of those candidates will pass the secondary testing process, and often, 100% of the remaining candidates are eliminated by unsatisfactory background information or psychological evaluations. UNATCO Security Officers must be the strongest, smartest, quickest soldiers that any country has to offer."
Few of these strict requirements were followed, despite claims of being composed of the upper one percent of national ground combat units. UNATCO officially wanted the strongest, smartest, quickest soldiers, but in practice many of its troopers relished the opportunity to have a blanket license to kill, with standing orders to execute terrorists being standard practice. Official instructions to avoid civilian casualties, fire warning shots, and instructing bystanders to seek cover were more like a fig leaf than genuine operational requirements, and troopers routinely ignored them - especially since they were accompanied by a reminder than civilians shouldn't be trusted, unless they had a clearance of Angel/0A or above.UNATCO Handbook, UNATCO and the Public As a result, UNATCO resembled not a peacekeeping operation, but an army engaged in a war,UNATCO Trooper: " I didn't know we'd be fighting a war." equipped with superior weapons and training allowing it to cut through any militia with unmatched ruthlessness, and explicitly rewarding killing: Troopers who killed five enemy combatants qualified for the Red Eye decoration, with loose standards governing paperwork.Corporal Collins: " Just filling out a report on the mop-up operation."
Corporal Collins: " I saw quite a bit of action today."
Corporal Collins: " I think they give us these things to make sure we don't forget how to read and write."
Corporal Collins: " Is it five kills gets you the Red Eye? I think I'll put five."
 Some troopers even made it through the screening with difficulty understanding complex words (eg. philanthropist vs. philosopher), and many more willing to commit - effectively - war crimes as long as they were given the right justification. Idealists were present among the ranks, but they were the exception, rather than the rule.Injured Trooper: " I knew what I was getting into when I joined up."Injured Trooper: " Better I take a bullet than an innocent civilian."
Eventually, Walton Simons dispensed with the pretense. After JC Denton escaped the facility and went rogue, he ejected all veterans from the organization, with ranks exclusively made up of Academy cadets who have never been anywhere except UNATCO and the UNATCO Academy.JC Denton: " Mr. Carter..."
Sam Carter: " Yep, they ran the old dog out."
JC Denton: " You were dismissed?"
Sam Carter: " All of us career types. They want cadets who've never been anywhere except UNATCO and the UNATCO Academy."
JC Denton: " ... easier to manage, I suppose."
Sam Carter: " Time to come out here and lend a hand. I knew what Savage was up against; I just didn't want to admit it."
JC Denton: " It's an honor to have you with us, sir."
Sam Carter: " All right, enough bawling our eyes out. We've got work to do."
====Intelligence====
The most secretive branch of UNATCO, the Intelligence Division (UI) officially draws from the ranks of UNATCO Academy graduates, specifically those who finished it in the top 5th percentile. Candidates are then claimed to go through extensive testing, including simulated kidnappings and street wars. The pass rate is claimed to be less than a tenth of the 1% of graduates, with many Academy classes passing without a single new UNATCO Intelligence Agent.unatco.org: "Our Intelligence division draws from a broader scope of candidates, but has much higher standards for final selection. Each person who receives an invitation to attend the UNATCO Academy is a potential candidate for UNATCO Intelligence Division. After graduation, the top 5% of a given class will have the opportunity to enter the selection process for UI. The testing is extensive and demanding. Candidates undergo simulated terrorist conditions from kidnapping to torture to full-scale street war. There is no guarantee that any of these candidates will pass this preliminary round of testing. Often several Academy classes in a row will pass without a single graduate surviving this body of tests. Fewer than one-tenth of 1% of candidates actually become UNATCO Intelligence Agents. We demand the best from the best. Nothing else will suffice." In practice, UNATCO has much looser standards, focusing on demonstrated ability. Alex Jacobson, a key hacker and analyst, was recruited without a college degree thanks to his years spent as a hacker vigilante (and was, in fact, coerced with an offer he couldn't refuse).Deus Ex: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, "Alex Jacobson: Communications Tech": "When you try to imagine a gregarious loner, think of Alex and you'll get the right idea. Always secluded in a dark room, surrounded by candy bars and cans of soda, Alex spends his entire work day talking to people: agents in the field, the folks in UNATCO's data division, civilian librarians and record-keepers, etc.
Unusual in that he doesn't have a college degree, Alex hones his inherent computer talents by becoming a self-styled "hacker vigilante" in his late teen-age years. With methods the authorities could only envy, Alex ferreted out all sorts of on-line criminals and anonymously turned the evidence over to the police. UNATCO eventually located him and made him an offer he couldn't (and wouldn't) refuse. He's been happily jacked in, supplied with an endless variety of free sugar, ever since. He enjoys feeling like he's on a team, fighting the good fight in the best way he can." 
The Intelligence division is tasked with gathering information and analyzing it. Crime Scene Units (CSU)NSF HQ UNATCO Guard (roof): " Crime Scene Unit personnel only." are dispatched immediately to sites of terrorist attacks to gather every possible scrap of information: Eyewitness, circumstantial, and forensic evidence, down to traces of chemicals and DNA. The evidence is used to create a "signature" for the attacks and connecting seemingly disconnected attacks worldwide, for example, hostage crises in Madrid and Hong Kong. The UNATCO Cryptography Division is essential in investigating attacks and organizations, although it has had little success with eg. the NSF.UNATCO bulletin terminal: Know Your Enemy -- NSF In fact, the NSF has been able to effectively gather intelligence on UNATCO, though it is thanks to good-old HUMINT, not SIGINT.NSF HQ UNATCO Guard (balcony): " From what I can tell, the NSF were fabricating records that said Walton Simons was bribing people at UNATCO. Don't know what they expected to gain from doing that."
Failure of intelligence aside, UNATCO is a powerhouse of surveillance against common citizens. The organization gathers intelligence through sophisticated surveillance, and has been successful at implementing measures allowing to monitor every aspect of human activity: Sky-cams at every intersection, computer-mediated analysis of every phone call, e-mail, and snail-mail, on top of a purely electronic economy in which every transaction is recorded and data-mined for suspicious activity. The resulting police state is passed off as the ultimate expression of human liberty: In a world where everyone is constantly monitored, people would be "free from danger" (defined as physical assault, injury, or fraud), and eventually "quietly earn credits, purchase items for quiet homes on quiet streets, have cook-outs with neighbors and strangers alike, and sleep with doors and windows wide open", a supposed tranquil dream of every "free civilization".Stopping Terror -- A New Perspective on Freedom 
This redefinition of freedom and liberty is harshly criticized by grassroots organizations worldwide, most notably Silhouette, which engaged UNATCO in a Meme War to preserve the meaning of freedom, lest it become a meaningless word in a world where everyone is controlled and the only privacy exists within one's own mind.Terrorism -- Crime or Conscience?
===Controversies===
UNATCO conduct in the field has been a source of much controversy, as the UN agency engaged its political foes with extreme violence. In New York in particular, it took the form of what some members of the press identified as summary executions - frequently of civilians whose only fault was supporting the fastest-growing political movement in history. The official explanation was that armed rebellion was a crime, rather than political action, due to the US being a democracy.
JC Denton: " On second thought, I don't need your help."
Joe Greene: " Then let me ask YOU a question. What do YOU think about the summary executions happening on the very streets of New York?"
JC Denton: " I'd call it civil unrest."
Joe Greene: " Let me be more pointed. How does it feel to be ordered to murder civilians just because they support the fastest-growing political movement in this nation's history?"
JC Denton: " In a democracy, armed rebellion is criminal, not political."
Joe Greene: " Rebellion, as the Declaration of Independence tells us, is not only our "right" but our "duty" when we have suffered "a long train of abuses and usurpations.""
 Although the NSF was portrayed as an overwhelming threat, UNATCO propaganda consistently downplayed and portrayed the NSF as inferior and ineffective, regardless of their attack.New World Press, UNATCO Responds to Terrorist Attack 
Joseph Manderley, the head of UNATCO appointed by Majestic 12, was its chief propagandist. Despite his background in policing, Manderley was selected to give UNATCO an urbane, diplomatic face.
Walton Simons: " You will be much happier at the Library of Congress."
Joseph Manderley: " I can't control a man's mind..."
Walton Simons: " You aren't a commander, Manderley. We hoped you'd give UNATCO an urbane, diplomatic face -- that's all. We screwed up our priorities."
Joseph Manderley: " I refuse to be pushed into some obscure bureaucratic cubbyhole!"
Walton Simons: " Actually, I doubt you'll get the chance. Look around. Your star pupil has come back to teach a lesson to his old instructor."
Joseph Manderley: " JC!"
JC Denton: " I never had time to take the Oath of Service to the Coalition. How about this one? I swear not to rest until UNATCO is free of you and the other crooked bureaucrats who have perverted its mission."
Joseph Manderley: " Big words for a rookie. The only problem is that security is well aware of your escape. Trust me, you won't leave the facility alive. / Big words for a rookie. The only problem is that I've notified Agent Navarre of your escape. Trust me, she'll make sure you don't leave the facility alive."
Walton Simons: " You can't run, Denton. Even if you escape, your killswitch is counting down. You'll be dead in twenty-three hours. Another fifty billion dollars down the drain."
JC Denton: " We'll see about that."
 Manderley was incredibly talented at twisting facts, including lying about the Hell's Kitchen operation and wholesale execution of NSF fighters without trials: Instead, he claimed that UNATCO was negotiating for their surrender, when the NSF attacked and forced the troops to respond, leaving very few survivors.APR, UNATCO Nabs Terrorists in Hell's Kitchen Raid
====Indiscriminate use of violence====
UNATCO became much more aggressive in the 2050s than in its formative years, becoming more like a military force than a law enforcement agencies. Its practices again mimicked those of the Vietnam era, with UNATCO using targeted assassination of suspected terrorist leaders in a fashion similar to the Phoenix Program.JC Denton: " You just going to stay here?"
Paul Denton: " There's been some activity at sea. I'm going to watch the coast."
JC Denton: " Why'd they bring you back to New York?"
Paul Denton: " I don't know what they have planned. I messed up an assassination attempt on one of the Triad leaders in Hong Kong."
JC Denton: " UNATCO pulled you out?"
Paul Denton: " It's a long story. You better head to the Statue." Against the NSF, UNATCO adopted an even more brutal policy, essentially killing everyone suspected of being associated with the Secessionists, either on the spot or after capture and interrogation.Datacube transcripts (DX): "Paul, I'm sending this message from the plane -- UNATCO has been even more ruthless than we'd feared, and the reports I'm receiving now are that our people are being slaughtered in the tunnels; it's probably only a matter of time before I'm captured and executed, and I don't doubt that they'll kill everyone they can back at our headquarters.
If you find this, you must get a message out to our people. Align the communications dishes using the satellite dish control computer -- the login is MCOLLINS and the password is REVOLUTION. Nearby is the actual communications console; log in using NAPOLEON and the same password, and a coded warning will automatically be bounced to everyone on our network.
I can hear the gunshots. They've reached the plane. I'm sorry I won't be able to thank you in person -- you've done much for the peoples of the world.
JL" Troops were issued standing orders to shoot to kill, discarding any pretense about being a civilized force,JC Denton: " Mr. Carter, can I ask you a question?"
Sam Carter: " Certainly."
JC Denton: " I'm getting the impression that UNATCO is focused more on military operations than law enforcement."
Sam Carter: " The focus has shifted lately. I agree."
JC Denton: " Agent Navarre said something about wanting to exterminate the terrorists in Castle Clinton, so I skipped that objective. I can't work with someone like her./ The only way Anna would have been satisfied is if I'd executed every terrorist in Castle Clinton. The standing order seems to be "shoot to kill.""
Sam Carter: " Direct intervention is always part of the game. In my day we were just more civilized about it."
JC Denton: " Civilized. That's the word. I guess I was expecting a little more class from the world's anti-terrorist organization."
Sam Carter: " We just have to strike a balance. Why don't I throw in an extra clip with those multitools. I trust you will be able to judge when one or the other is appropriate for achieving mission objectives." completely ignoring the agency's origins as international peacekeepers (a fact noted and mourned by veterans like Sam Carter).JC Denton: " Mr. Carter, I can't tell you how great it is to be a part of UNATCO. You should have seen the fighting in Castle Clinton."
Sam Carter: " Yeah?"
JC Denton: " I cleaned the place out."
Sam Carter: " Went in shooting, huh? I guess that's what this agency is known for."
JC Denton: " I never thought I'd see this much action in one mission."
Sam Carter: " In my day international peacekeepers were citizens first and soldiers second. You can forget about that extra ammo. I'm only going to give you the multitools; I think you should concentrate more on mission objectives and less on the enemy body count." Civilian lives became secondary concerns, and any hostage situations were to be resolved with force only, with no room for negotiation (and any losses accepted as collateral damage).Anna Navarre: " How dare I delay your search for glory. The NSF in the subway station have taken hostages. Free them, but you know our standing orders -- we do not make deals. Use this EMP grenade to disable the electronic detonators of the booby traps. Now we will see who is made of steel." Paul Denton : " JC, we have to talk. That hostage rescue was a disaster."JC Denton: " UNATCO policy is clear: no negotiation. You try for a rescue, and if it works, it works. I don't need you second-guessing me."PaulDenton: " Always follow policy, and you end up like Anna Navarre. Is that how you want to operate? Never mind. Right now you've got other things to worry about."
 In fact, UNATCO operatives were expected to kill civilians when ordered to, while any civilian kills made in the line of duties would be hushed up by the agency.Joseph Manderley: " I don't even want to know what happened in the bar. We'll take the heat off you -- this time."
JC Denton: " Yes, sir. I can explain..."
Joseph Manderley: " But that will NEVER happened again. NEVER kill a civilian unless you are ordered to do so."
JC Denton: " Yes, sir."
Joseph Manderley: " All right. Now get moving."
Violence was theoretically sanctioned by the states UNATCO operated in (in the US it was a "war emergency" declared by President Mead)Anna Navarre: " President Mead has declared a war emergency. Shoot to kill."
Anna Navarre: " You have your orders."
Anna Navarre: " No bean-bag shells like during a training exercise; real bullets tonight."
 supported by both elite augmented agents and the rank and file troops, who relished every opportunity to use their superior training and equipment to kill,UNATCO troop taking Gold into custody: " The chief finally let us loose -- we were right behind you and cut through them like a hot knife through butter."UNATCO troop taking Gold into custody: " I shot a couple myself."
 and supported executing anyone branded a terrorist by UNATCO on the spot, regardless of rank or orders to take the alive.UNATCO Trooper: " If I catch sight of the NSF commander at the top of the Statue, I'm gonna take a shot. Screw Manderley."UNATCO troop taking Gold into custody: " That's exactly right. Give them a taste of their own medicine."UNATCO troops (after killing Leo Gold): " I'm glad you had the guts to take out the commander."UNATCO troops (after killing Leo Gold): " You got the right idea. Cap the bastards before the lawyers get involved."
 While policy technically protected prisoners taken into custody, UNATCO leadership could tortureNSF Prisoner 1: " The United States government has had "emergency powers" since World War II. We've never left a state of war."
Walton Simons: " Speak for yourself. The federal government is just responding to a threat."
NSF Prisoner 1: " A government should be about more than self-perpetuation."
Walton Simons: " You will confess, by the way. I don't like to dirty my hands with that sort of thing, but you will confess."
 and carry out summary executionsUNATCO prison guard: " Not much happening down here, Agent."
UNATCO prison guard: " We had to execute the prisoners."
UNATCO prison guard: " They wouldn't talk."
UNATCO prison guard: " Simons shot one of them himself. Now THAT'S somebody you don't want to piss off."
UNATCO prison guard: " All the same, this post is a little more exciting when we've got someone in custody."
UNATCO prison guard: " Take a look around if you want."
 at its discretion,Anna Navarre: " Good work. Now finish the job."
JC Denton: " He surrendered. He's an unarmed prisoner -- UNATCO policy protects him."
Anna Navarre: " Terminate the prisoner, Agent. If you are too afraid, you are ordered to return to base, on Manderley's authority. There is a helicopter waiting." doctoring reports afterwards to justify the murder.Anna Navarre: " We can say what we like in the paperwork."
 Similarly, any wrongdoing was buried and ignored. Even reports from high-ranking members as to the use of riot prods for torture and requests for investigation,Joseph Manderley's computer, Subject: Excessive Force were downplayed and dismissed with Jaime Reyes' computer, RE: Subject: Excessive Force
As a result, UNATCO lost much of the good will it enjoyed in the formative years. Even seemingly reliable contractors like Harley Filben became disillusioned with the organization, treating it as any other militia full of gun freaks, and considering the ongoing war between it and purported terrorists as the only way to keep the ordinary people safe. Any claims by UNATCO about protecting ordinary people were treated as a joke, at best.Harley Filben: " Hey, you're UNATCO. You're the new guy."
JC Denton: " Who's asking?"
Harley Filben: " I heard about you. I work for UNATCO, too. Freelance. I get paid by the answer."
JC Denton: " A real patriot."
Harley Filben: " I see it like this. It all balances out. UNATCO's just as much gun freaks as the militias, and if everybody's gonna shoot it out, fine, so long as neither side wins and takes over the whole country."
JC Denton: " The goal of UNATCO is not conquest. It's the safety of ordinary people like yourself."
Harley Filben: " I know an army when I see one. Look, I'll be blunt -- got any cash? There's a secret passage behind that phone booth over there. For 500, I'll tell you where to get the code."
 Especially when UNATCO freely murders people without a trial and treats cities it deploys to like occupied territories.Harley Filben: " I was BROKE, okay? I have a kid, and UNATCO's got the money, but if you're going to flat-out LIE --"
JC Denton: " What'd I do?"
Harley Filben: " You PROMISED not to kill my contact at the NSF, the commander inside the statue."
JC Denton: " Yeah, well, when you stand toe-to-toe with a terrorist..."
Harley Filben: " Killing people without a trial and taking over the city -- that's not what I'm about."
JC Denton: " The goal of UNATCO is not conquest. It's the safety of ordinary people like yourself."
Harley Filben: " I know an army when I see one. Anyway, from now on you pay double. The phone booth down here goes to the NSF underground hideout. I'll tell you where to get the code, but it's a thousand. Not a credit less."
 The most ironic aspect of the situation was that UN invading the USA was a common conspiracy theory in decades past, and UNATCO finally made it real.Park Bum Female 1: " This whole place got shot up just a few minutes ago."
Park Bum Female 1: " The United Nations invaded the city because of the NSF."
Park Bum Female 1: " I think most of rebels got away."
Park Bum Female 1: " The NSF won't get caught because they know how to use the secret parts of the subway."
Park Bum Female 1: " My dad always said that someday the UN would have an army and would try to take over the United States. I thought he was cracked in the head."
====Corruption====
UNATCO focuses to an overwhelming degree on the highest echelons of power, at the expense of the population at large. While some troopers question that logic, the usual explanation is that it's basic tactics: Just how like a military protects command centers, air strips, and industry, so does UNATCO protect those at the top, who keep the machine running and make decisions - not just in case of Michael Berry: " It's a question of who benefits society more."
Corporal Collins: " But who decides that? YOU?"
Michael Berry: " It's implicit."
Corporal Collins: " I think Paul just had a soft spot for the plague victims."
Michael Berry: " Every human institution is like a pyramid. Those with ability are at the top; they are more important."
Corporal Collins: " Maybe it's the foundation that's important, and when the foundation's gone..."
Michael Berry: " They make the decisions. They keep the machine running. Therefore, they must be protected first."
Corporal Collins: " I'm not saying Paul was right..."
Michael Berry: " It's basic tactics. Protect your command centers, your air strips, your industrial zones..."
Corporal Collins: " It's just... the rationing. Seems like the government could pay VersaLife to manufacture more."
 Beyond largely ignoring the needs of the people, UNATCO also tolerates corruption among its troopers, treating items taken from killed or arrested "terrorists" as spoils of war, which can be freely resold.
JC Denton: " Shouldn't you turn that stuff over to the quartermaster?"
Tech Sergeant Kaplan: " Carter? He don't care. NSF goods are the spoils of war. Hey, we're risking our lives out here."
 Grift by troops is small-time: Manderley and other high-ranking members receive monthly payments to ensure their loyalty to Bob Page and Walton Simons. Manderley alone receives over c10,000 per month, by way of an anonymous Zurich account, with payments dispersed through a number of shell companies and orbital banks, but all originating with companies in which Simons has a controlling interest.Datacube transcripts (DX): "Juan, I have a feeling that -- one way or another -- my time here is short, and I think my loyalties are already being questioned. The inevitable complications from the raid are only going to raise more doubts, so I've pulled together everything I could access without raising additional suspicions.
Attached you should find information linking Simons, Manderley, and other high-ranking members of UNATCO through covert communications and a series of monetary payments. If you check the records, over c10,000 a month is being placed into an anonymous Zurich account routinely accessed by Manderley -- the payments were slick, being dispersed through a number of shell companies and orbital banks, but they all eventually originate with companies in which Simons has a controlling interest if you follow the trail far enough back.
I also managed to document some of UNATCO's less than shining operations, including their role in the Statue bombing. Most disturbing is further verification of Tracer's suspicion that UNATCO may not only be involved with the distribution of Ambrosia, but also with the Gray Death in some way.
I've given a copy of all this same material to Jock with orders to deliver it to Tracer if things get as bad as I think they might. Be careful.
-P"
In fact, a large part of UNATCO's budget comes from Walton Simons, whose covert transfers permit the acquisition of modern body armor, assault rifles, and other military hardware. The fact is classified and known only to UNATCO's accounting department and the highest echelons of command. Regular troops have standing orders to destroy any evidence of these transfers, with the common explanation being that Simons is a philanthropist and "good to the bone".Comment: "These troopers, two men, are in the captured NSF headquarters in New York. They're chatting about the secret payments Walton Simons sends to UNATCO."
TrooperTalking1: "... but what's it for?"TrooperTalking2: "That's a dumb question."TrooperTalking1: "No, really. What does UNATCO need with that kind of money?"TrooperTalking2: "Just look around. Think UNATCO'd be handing out assault guns if funding was left to the UN?"TrooperTalking1: "Well..."
TrooperTalking2: "The uniforms... If it wasn't for Simons, we'd still be wearing those little white helmets."
Comment: "A breathy laugh."
TrooperTalking1: "Yeah..."
TrooperTalking2: "He's what they call a philanthropist."
Comment: "This is an aside; they're talking about classified material the rebels stole but which they are deleting.""
TrooperTalking1: "Axe this file?"
TrooperTalking2: "Yeah, all of it. The whole directory."
TrooperTalking1: "What I want to know is what he gets in return."
TrooperTalking2: "Don't you know what a philanthropist is?"
Comment: "He should mispronounce Nietzche as "Neechee.""
TrooperTalking1: "Yeah, like Nietzche."
TrooperTalking2: "No, a philanthropist. Giving to charity."
TrooperTalking1: "?"
TrooperTalking2: "That's why he volunteered for FEMA, to help out after hurricanes and that kind of thing."
TrooperTalking1: "?"
TrooperTalking2: "Some people are just good, you know? Good to the bone." When Paul Denton defected and delivered UNATCO's accounting information to the NSF, UNATCO trooper: "Turns out your brother was stealing balance sheets from UNATCO's accounting department. " UNATCO's assault on the base was partially to destroy evidence and contain the potential damage, before handing the site over to civilian authorities.UNACO Trooper: "Damage control. The NSF got their hands on some pretty sensitive material. "UNATCO trooper: "The civilian authorities will take over tomorrow." 
===Augmented agents===
====Mechanical augmentations====
UNATCO makes use of mechanically-augmented agents (or mechs), using them as spearheads during assaults or field commanders of UNATCO platoons. Early augmentation programs produced a number of veterans, who eventually quit service (like Jordan Shea).JC Denton: " That's some heavy augmentation."
Jordan Shea: " Yeah. Ex-UNATCO, what's it to you?"
JC Denton: " I'm in the business."
Jordan Shea: " Well, I was in an early program, okay? I can still polish a glass. Good luck with your "business.""
 In 2052, only two agents remain with the North American Division: Gunther Hermann and Anna Navarre. They are close friends and work well together, but the arrival of nano-augmented agents (JC Denton and Paul Denton) has raised concerns among them about becoming obsolete. Although not known to the agents, UNATCO does not consider them completely loyal and retains killphrases for both, which would instantly kill them should they rebel.JC Denton: " I'm prepared for a fight."
Jaime Reyes: " UNATCO never trusted its augmented agents. Any mech can be stopped in its tracks with a secret killphrase."
JC Denton: " Kill-somethings were standard issue, I gather."
Jaime Reyes: " Gunther's is "Laputan machine". Dug that out of the medical records before I left."
====Nanotechnological augmentations====
The game centers around JC Denton, a nano-augmented agent. The notion is that JC Denton's tissues are augmented with nanobots that increase certain attributes of his performance related to intelligence, stealth, speed, strength or combat abilities. JC Denton's brother, Paul Denton, is also a nano-augmented agent. The advantage of nano-augmentation over mechanical augmentation is that a nano-augmented agent is visually indistinguishable from any member of the public, unlike a mechanically augmented agent. The 'nano-augs', as they are typically referred to, tend to be more physically able than their mechanical counterparts, who often encounter trouble with their augmentations, and are also able to upgrade their systems with augmentation canisters, encountered through the game. Nano-Augmented agents are the new generation of antiterrorist agents.
==Trivia==
*When the game was released in 2000 Ion Storm created a website (www.unatco.org) for the fictional organization to promote the game. After the September 11th terrorist attacks, however, the organization might have been a little too believable; Ion Storm pulled the website shortly after the attacks.
*The motto of UNATCO is from the Sententiae of Publilius Syrus: "Nihil aliud scit necessitas quam vincere," loosely, "Necessity knows nothing else but victory."
==See also==
*UNATCO Handbooks
==References==
es:UNATCO
pl:UNATCO
ru:UNATCO
Category:Deus Ex organizations
Category:Factions
Category:UNATCO
Category:MJ12