Joint Strike Force Soldier

JSF Soldiers examining their dead comrades.

**Joint Strike Force Soldiers** are the main troops of the Joint Strike Force. JSF soldiers were first encountered in Episode 4 of a New Beginning. They are a very common enemy encountered throughout the New Beginning series as the JSF grows to be a more prominent enemy. They have been voiced by Eric, Splonder, and Exploding Barrels.

## Pre-Apocalypse

Prior to the apocalypse, Joint Strike Force soldiers served in operations conducted by the Joint Strike Force. Like most Private Military groups, their job likely consisted of private work such as guarding important overseas assets of companies, protecting ships from piracy, or defending important individuals in unstable areas. JSF soldiers, again similar to other private military groups, would usually have to undergo a training similar to that of the military, so it's likely most soldiers would be ex-military.

## Post-Apocalypse

When society collapsed and the outbreak could no longer be contained, JSF soldiers were contracted by the government as a last resort after the military had been overrun. The official duty of JSF soldiers was to assist the military, and take over operations in military-run safezones, however their actual task is to eliminate any remaining military personnel, as well as civilians.

## Classes of JSF Soldiers

There are several different classes of JSF soldiers seen so far in New Beginning.

### JSF Soldier

*"Ok, these guys definitely aren't part of the military!"*

--Nathan, after being shot by JSF soldiers.

The most common JSF unit seen thus far is the basic JSF soldier. They are based off the Hazardous Environmental Combat Unit from the Source Engine remake of Half-Life 1, Black Mesa. They wear M81 urban-camouflaged fatigues, and black combat boots. In terms of protection, the standard JSF soldier wears an olive drab colored kevlar vest, with matching knee and thigh pads. Some, but not all, JSF soldiers come equipped with black combat helmets, gas masks, or combat gloves, however this equipment seems discretionary as not all soldiers seem to wear it.

JSF soldiers seem to be the backbone of JSF operations, as there are really no other JSF infantry units in such a large quantity. They appear to manage at least one, but very likely more, outposts across the country, such as the one seen at the coast where Nathan was being held.

### JSF Elites

*"Well that was easier than expected."*

--JSF Elites on convincing Connor to reveal David's location.

JSF Elites soldiers seem to be the most rare of JSF soldiers. Based on the look of their equipment it seems they are much more expensive to equip and deploy than the standard JSF soldier. They wear a silver power suit that covers their full body, with what appears to be a helmet with a retractable mask protecting their head. Interestingly enough, they wear a strange combination of the Resistance's lambda and the Combine's logo on their armor. The weapon they use appears to be some modification of the XM8 Rifle and G36C.

In terms of their operations, the Elites seem to be the best the JSF has to offer in terms of infantry that has been seen so far. Due to their elite nature, they only seem to be responsible for the most important of tasks, such as guarding the JSF Commander and high priority prisoners like Connor Ashman.

## Sources

1. ↑ https://youtu.be/itG5sP\_vgg8?t=579
2. ↑ https://youtu.be/itG5sP\_vgg8?t=325