War Bear (Red Alert 3)

The brown bear (*ursus arctos*) is a large and powerful land mammal, found across North America and Eurasia. It is a symbol of the Soviet Union and, during the Third World War and the Uprising, the USSR trained bears to be combatants. Like attack dogs, **war bears** were raised since they were cubs to be ferocious and obedient guard animals. With their size and strength, they can easily kill any enemy infantry.

## Background

As the Soviet war machine gathered momentum, it became increasingly obvious to the leaders of the Soviet Union that fear was among their most powerful weapons against their many enemies. Along with the V4 Rocket Launcher, Kirov airship, and Apocalypse tank, it would be fear that would ultimately force the Union's enemies to submit to their ironclad will. So it was that the Ministry of Experimental Science received an extraordinary research grant, composed of the combined salaries of the entire Soviet intelligentsia, to develop a variety of new fear-based armaments. Among the successes of this exploration are the so-called Desolator Bomb, the stingray strike craft, the oft-rumoured orbital magnetic satellite, and, of course, the Union's war bear program. Russia's use of these mighty mammals in frontline combat not only bolstered the morale of its human combatants, it resoundingly succeeded at making enemy infantry even more reluctant to engage Soviet forces on the ground.

Intended as a more-durable replacement to Soviet attack dogs (which proved unsuited to harsh weather conditions and Allied ordnance), these Russian bears were born in captivity, trained from birth in military tactics, and conditioned to withstand the rigours of frontline modern warfare. Their claws are specially sharpened to cut through light armour, and their bodies are fitted with special scanning arrays and a vocal amplification module that turns a mighty roar into such a deafening blast that it can stop a man dead in his tracks, paralysed. War bears are even hardy enough to brave the icy waters on the periphery of the Soviet Union, which they often must patrol in search of would-be spies and Shinobi.

Though it is difficult to remember a time before trained bears fought alongside Soviet men and women for the glory of their Motherland, the war bear program was not without bumps in the road. Early attempts at training met with mixed results, as certain war bears—in spite of a lifetime of handling—would become unpredictably enraged during combat situations, turning their claws upon the closest conscript rather than on enemy combatants. A disturbingly high percentage of war bears also suffered from vagrancy, anemia, or other general unwillingness to perform at acceptable levels. While this directly benefited the Union's typically-grim food supply, it was disastrous to the public image of the Ministry of Experimental Science, which eventually recovered its good standing after the introduction of special training collars. Fitted with millions of tiny Tesla-based eletrotherapy transmitters, these training collars allow a direct interaction between bear and battlefield commander, while a standard microchip implant makes the bears show up on battlefield scanners. War bear obedience and delinquency has never since been an issue.

The conditions under which war bears are prepared for their day on the battlefield is a closely guarded secret, though commonly-held assumptions are that these conditions probably are not great. One world-leading animal psychologist has noted that war bears, though all different, do seem to display acute signs of depression and anxiety, even more so than their human comrades fighting battle alongside them. The psychologist recommended that the bears be released back to nature at once. When faced with this accusation on a live telecast, representatives for the Ministry of Experimental Science responded by repeating the psychologist's words in a mocking, high-pitched tone, then ordered her to be incarcerated for treason.

The Soviet Union is also rumored to conduct genetic experiments with these bears. Once, commanders reported to see giant bears that destroyed their tanks and infantry very easily.

During The Shark and the Lure, Tanya killed multiple bears to provide safe passage for Allied spies.

During Circus of Treachery bears were held captive by the Imperials but were freed.

During To Tame a Living God a single Conscript and Bear tried to kill the Emperor but killed a fake and got captured. This distraction allows Apocalypse Tanks and MCVs to move in.