The Division

"The Division", short for Strategic Homeland Division (SHD), is a secret organization that the player belongs to as an agent; it can be compared to how we call the CIA "The Agency" or the FBI "The Bureau". It is a response to weaknesses, and problems identified in exercises like Operation Dark Winter and real-world disaster scenarios. When society collapses, everyone competes for resources and that's when anyone can become a threat. As a Division agent you have to make tough moral choices to deal with any situation and obstacle even if the obstacle are your friends.

## The Authority

“The main difference from any other agency, organization or department is that the Division is a last resort measure. As such, the members of the Division supersede any other operative, agent or federal employee in the field. They have a form of executive power and answer directly to the President”.

In peacetime the Division's members are sleeper agents embedded within society all across the country preparing for when they are activated. The Division must ensure that the key infrastructures, and people that remain are protected. They investigate the cause of the emergency and monitor the situation as it unfolds, creating a shared picture for everyone to act on. Finally, they are mandated to engage any and all rising threats that hinder response efforts following the emergency. These three steps are the main objective of the Division and the agents achieve them by any means necessary. This could mean collaborating with other agencies or taking direct actions by themselves. While technically they have no dependence on other agencies, many of the members of the Division are drawn from various agencies and departments. Great organizations are made by great individuals. Agents are handpicked from various backgrounds, mostly in military, law enforcement, intelligence community, rescue services or engineering. The SHD is separated into three branches and receives federal funding without public oversight.

Analytics - This branch handles situation analysis, information processing, and data management. As the command and control centers they are in secured locations across the country.

Strategic - This branch handles extra security and staff detail for the most important government officials and leaders across the US. They make sure there is still some form of government in the worst case scenario.

Tactical - This branch handles mission execution and is the branch the players belong to. Split into teams they put boots on the ground becoming the eyes and ears of the Division making sure everything in the field goes smoothly.

## Rules of Engagement

There is no official rank among agents so everyone is equal, however most agents belong to a group or cell; that cell usually has a designated leader. Reputation is everything like any other specialist group. This dictates the relationship between agents, and forms a hierarchy based on mutual respect because of past deeds and actions. No one agent knows everyone and they don't need to because they are all linked through a highly secured data network that allows them to identify each other, share information, access advisers, and experts. All communication is done via the smart watch. Like any other government organization *The Division* has to establish rules of engagement, or they have none.