United States Military

The **United States Military** are the military forces of the United States featured in the **Into the Dark** *series*. They are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense.

Throughout the series the only remnants of the US Government are the C.D.C., F.E.M.A. and the U.S. military.

## **Into the Dark** *series*

### Early outbreak

During the early outbreak, the Army National Guard and S.W.A.T. teams are dispatched in an attempt to contain the outbreak. As Ethan noticed a news report, a soldier in the background orders his men to leave the area due to a gas leak nearby. An explosion interrupts the broadcast before the newscaster can be warned. When Ethan, Barry as well as his wife and two daughters attempt to escape the infection, they witness that the military set up roadblocks along the highways, causing a large traffic jam.

Soldiers resorted to shooting civilians suspected of infection, including children; in one instance, a soldier reluctantly executes a father and son after being ordered to do so by his chain of command. As social order collapsed, the remaining U.S. military forces were deployed into major cities and created massive Quarantine zones to contain the masses and isolate the infection. The National Guard was often tasked with defending the surrounding areas while the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and 82nd Airborne Division were tasked with actually combating the Infected.

The United States Air Force carpet-bombed the surrounding areas of some of the quarantine zones, significantly the downtown area of Boston, with the objective of killing as many of the infected as possible, while also creating buffer zones. The military and F.E.M.A. are later depicted as working together, possibly as the result of the former seizing control of the latter, or vice versa.

### Late outbreak

In 2033, 20 years later, they currently hold Quarantine Zones in the remains of major cities such as Boston. However, they have abandoned others, such as Hartford,[3] and were defeated by Fireflies and civilian rioters in others, like Pittsburgh; both instances were due to running out of supplies to protect the citizens in the QZs. The military aims to contain all uninfected individuals in these Quarantine Zones, and keep anyone from leaving without permission, using barriers to cordon off certain areas in the city. There are regular checkpoints throughout these zones where civilians are required to present papers, and there are also random infection checks, with the military killing infected people immediately via lethal injection or outright shooting them.[5]

Some citizens from Hartford were trying to sneak into the Boston QZ during the Summer of 2033. Sergeant Asher encountered them and killed the ones that were Infected. He wrote to his superior Major Banks regarding the incident, asking for more patrols, but didn't expect the officer to reply as he felt he was incompetent and the military were running low on supplies at the time.

### Guerrilla Warfare

The Revolutionary Army's "Manifesto" envisaged a guerrilla warfare campaign against Angela Cartwright 's regime. It called for the drafting of a new Constitution, a social revolution, various social services, as well as "an alliance between the working class people and the defected soldiers of the US Military into a guerrilla army". As the manifesto circulated throughout the country, the guerrillas grew in membership and strength.

Dante's guerrillas increased their attacks on various military outposts, eventually forcing the US Government to withdraw from the the Appalachian Mountains region and by springtime of the following year, the rebels controlled a hospital, schools, a printing press, a weapons factory and a shoe making factory. By the following year Angela was under increasing pressure, a result of her military failures coupled with increasing domestic criticism surrounding his administration's press censorship, torture, and extrajudicial executions influenced by anti-government sentiment among their citizens. The opposition called for a general strike, accompanied by armed attacks by the Revolutionary Army. On the 9 of April, it received strong support in central and eastern regions of Chicago resulting in a number of riots and clashes with SWAT, but little else.

President Rodriguez responded with an all-out-attack, Operation Gringo, sending the United States Air Force it bombarded forested areas and people suspected of aiding the militants, while 2,000 soldiers of the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment commanded by Colonel Bradley surrounded the Appalachians, driving north to the rebel encampments. Despite their numerical and technological superiority, the army as a whole had no experience with guerrilla warfare, leading to Dante halting their offensive using land mines and ambushes. Many of Batista's soldiers were executed either by Dante's rebels or devoured by the Infected.

### Assassination

Meanwhile, another rebel group the United Forces also became active in the country. Led by Alexander Jones a former Senator of the United States Congress. He had successfully recruited a number of former active military officers as well as disenfranchised civilians and formed an alliance with the Revolutionary Army's general staff.

Jones authorized the assassination of President Rodriguez and the mission was carried out by Ruby, Willy, Gabriel and Lisa Warren (a ranking officer in the rebel group) who were all active combatants within the 7th Division of the United Forces' paramilitary which was under the command of **2nd Lt.** Thomas Richards a former soldier of the United States Marines Corps' Force Recon.

### Downfall and Defeat

In the summer, the Revolutionary Army launched an offensive with the new information gathered by **Officer** Annie Stevens a spy for the rebels they launched an attack on the most fortified outpost of the army and were able to successfully take it over while only suffering minimal casualties, pushing the remainder of the US Army out of the mountains, with Dante using all of his columns in a pincer movement to surround the main army concentrations in each area. By November, Dante's forces held effective control over Flint and Detroit while also dividing the mid-western region in two by closing all major roads and rail lines, severely disadvantaging the US Military.

Accompanying celebrations at news of Angela's downfall on January, Dante ordered the Revolutionary Army to prevent widespread looting, vandalism and executions. Jacobs and Ethan led Expeditionary Force and the Special Operations Group respectively into Washington DC the following day, while Dante entered Santiago and gave a speech invoking the wars of independence. Heading toward the capital, he greeted cheering crowds at every town, giving numerous interviews. Dante eventually reached Washington DC eight days later.

## Internal Structure

### Strength

Of the survivor factions facing the Infected, the **U.S. military** has lost of their personnel, supplies, equipment, etc. despite being the best-trained and equipped faction left in the United States.

The platoon lead by an unnamed commanding officer were overrun by a horde of infected with many of his men turning themselves or being eat alive. The entire 4th Infantry Division was beaten by the Hunters during the Hunters Uprising, resulting in the abandonment of Boston, Massachusetts. Even a five man squad lost all of their men to a pack of infected dogs.

These defeats are likely due to the military rarely encountering Infected, unlike the Hunters, who face them daily to find supplies. The higher casualties for the U.S. military could also be due to the more dangerous nature of urban combat at night, as well as their constant war with the Revolutionary Army and other rebels.

Throughout the **Into the Dark** *series* the National Guard along with SWAT are shown to be constantly fighting against the Infected. They are also seen working alongside F.E.M.A. to help contain the outbreak using combat helmets, ballistic vests, and standard military uniforms although most of it ended up being used by other survivor groups such as the Revolutionary Army and the New Patriot Movement.

## Equipment

Members of the United States Military specifically members of the Army National Guard, United States Army, United States Army Special Forces, 75th Ranger Regiment, Delta Force, United States Marine Corps and United States Air Force are seen using an array of weapons, including various forms of the following.

### Firearms

* M4 Carbine with **M203 grenade launcher**

* Benelli M4 Super 90

* Mk18 Mod 0

* M2 Browning
* M249-E1 SAW

* M24 Sniper Rifle

* Milkor MGL

### Sidearms

* Beretta 92FS
* Colt Combat Commander

### Others

* Ballistic Vests
* Combat helmets
* M26 Hand Grenades
* Gas Masks

Outside of its firearms, melee and explosives the United States Armed Forces also employed several american heavy battle tanks and heavy-cargo helicopters ( like the CH-47C Chinook) employing tandem rotors to drop off US Army Rangers. Outside of these vehicles, the US Army was also shown to employ a number of Humvees and Jeeps when fighting against the Revolutionary Army's Special Operations Group.