Bravo-9 Special Operations Group

"As a species, we are required to adapt to survive. Think of B-9 SOG in the same idea, it adapts to the threat to defeat it. We molded ourselves to become a solution to a problem and became very efficient. Everything we did was to ensure Humanity lived another day."

- Captain Luka Basayev, Group Commanding Officer from 2548 to 2553.

The Special Operations Group under the Bravo-9 Division's Operations Directorate is a classified tactical and operational intelligence unit designed to carry out clandestine and covert missions. The unit was stood up in 2517 after completing a Proof of Concept tour to the Bravo-9 Division Head. B-9 SOG, among its other cover names, grew throughout The Great War and later in the Reconciliation Era. The unit has been involved with many high-profile operations and is considered the most deployed out of all units at the Bravo-9 Division.

Mission
Early on, B-9 SOG built their main mission focus surrounding paramilitary operations and organizing resistance forces. Most of the officers and enlisted were trained in Foreign Internal Defense, Special Reconnaissance, and Intelligence Collection with previous experience in special warfare and intelligence. Organizing resistance movements during the Insurrection paid off in the long-run giving UNSC Naval Special Warfare Command a boost in combat operations and understanding the region. During The Great War, the paramilitary operations varied from planet to planet based on the Covenant's ability to decimate the colony's defenses.

Splitting off from the paramilitary mission, the Special Actions program allowed for B-9 SOG officers to take command of a Naval Special Warfare unit for specialized missions during The Great War. The program allowed for B-9 SOG to conduct mission sensitive operations to deny the Covenant information about the UNSC and UEG. B-9 SOG officers worked closely with Orbital Drop Shock Troop and Trident platoons for such missions.

In addition to the paramilitary mission, B-9 SOG ran an extensive spy network utilizing Commercial and Non-Official Cover to collect information. Human, Signal, and Cyber Intelligence are the two discplines used in collecting sensitive information against denied and hardened targets. Individuals selected for operations have a ranging background to blend into environments with unique skillsets in spoken languages, region experience, collection methods, and other mission specific requirements. Following the Great War, the spy network expanded into Covenant remnants and became a valuable asset for understanding the Covenant remnants.

In the wake of The Great War, B-9 SOG was directed to create a unit specialized in assassination. Between 2554 and 2555, B-9 SOG put together a troop sized force specialized in poisoning, explosives, surreptitious entry, and direct action. The troop has expanded to include remote operations and close-target capabilities to increase plausible deniability.

As of 2588, Bravo-9's Special Operations Group mission profile includes:
 * Foreign Internal Defense
 * Special Reconnaissance
 * Direct Action
 * Information Operations
 * Intelligence Collection
 * Espionage
 * Assassination

Structure
From its inception, the organization of B-9 SOG varied based on capabilities needed and the size of the unit. The Group is led by a Captain with another Captain as its Executive Officer within the Command Action Group. Squadrons, led by Commanders, make up the operational arms of the Group while also being known as Teams, Detachments, Divisions, and Forces to confuse the enemy. Troops are commanded by Lieutenants and Lieutenant Commanders, depending on their size, while also being called Companies, Departments, and Flights. Elements are led by a Chief Petty Officer while a Team is led by an Petty Officer First, Second, or Third Class.

In 2589, an internal audit from Bravo-9 Division to ONI Section Zero included the following units of B-9 SOG:
 * Tactical Development Squadron 1 (Paramilitary)
 * Tactical Development Squadron 2 (Paramilitary)
 * Information Operation Squadron 1 (HUMINT Collection)
 * Information Operation Squadron 2 (SIGINT Collection)
 * Information Operation Squadron 3 (CYBER Collection)
 * Dissposition Target Matrix Squadron (Assassination)
 * Combat Mission Support Squadron

Both Paramilitary and the Information Operation Squadrons have three troops per squadron, averaging about 60 people per troop. The Assassination Squadron has four troops with each being a specialty of tactics. The assassination squadron is the smallest squadron within B-9 SOG but also considered the most valuable. The assassination squadron has about 120 people with 100 being operational. For more support on a mission, the unit can request support from B-9's Support Directorate with requirements and assign personnel on a Temporary Duty until the mission is completed.

Former Designations
Prior to being designated as the Special Operations Group, the unit was known as the Tactical Operations Detachment and Strategic Operations Activity. Individuals who named the unit focused on keeping it obscure to prevent information from being exposed about operations. Internal memos described the Special Operations Group as the Tactical Concept Group, Strategic Support Element, and the Office of Intelligence Application. Code names were used when reaching out to defense contractors and corporations often being called the Department of Naval Integration Group or Intelligence Operations Cell to not allow corporations know the true size of the organization. Despite its complexity, many focused on keeping the activities of SOG compartmentalized to not damage the reputation of the UNSC.

Proof of Concept and Expansion
The end of the ORION Project in the early 26th century led to a number of offshoots within the Office of Naval Intelligence trying to recreate the biological soldier program. The Division Head noticed a gap in the capabilities of the Division and sought a way to fill the gap. Due to ONI Section Three failing multiple projects and killing test subjects, the Division Head developed an Executive Action Plan to create a small force to conduct sensitive operations based on intelligence collected by the Division. Relying on Naval Special Warfare Command to act swiftly caused multiple issues and time sensitive targets disappeared when Bravo-9 had them in sight.

With the Executive Action Plan submitted to ONI Section One Chief and approved, the Division Head authorized a Special Access Program - Operations to conduct a Proof of Concept tour. The SAP-OP held a Troop led by a Lieutenant Commander who previously served as a Trident Platoon Commander before becoming an Intelligence Officer. Individuals were recruited with deployment experience and served as a Tactical Information Operations - Operator in a Naval Special Warfare unit or attached to an Orbital Drop Shock Troop support assignment. In 2514, the troop had 60 people and became known as the Tactical Operations Detachment within the Division.

The detachment deployed to Eridanus II in 2515 to support Operation: TREBUCHET and operated closely with a Naval Special Warfare Task Group assigned to the planet. The deployed teams specialized in SIGINT and CYBINT produced valuable information on time sensitive targets and passed it along to a strike force. The detachment utilized aerial drones to strike targets and conduct follow-on target development through close-target reconnaissance and close-in exploitation. In 2516, a SIGINT team tapped into the United Rebel Front's homegrown communication network and tracked users to learn who they were. The detachment's headquarters returned in 2517.

The Division Head decided to not dissolve the Proof of Concept and added a new unit under the Operations Directorate known as the Strategic Operations Activity. The unit expanded to include two other troops where each was specialized in their own intelligence discpline; HUMINT, SIGINT, and CYBINT. The commanding officer became a Commander and introduced case officer training for those who wanted to manage spy networks in a warzone to gather information. He encouraged SIGINT and CYBERINT specialists to attend case officer school to build out their capabilities. By 2518, the Strategic Operations Activity was organized as:
 * Special Operations Activity - Headquarters Command Executive Team
 * A Troop (HUMINT)
 * B Troop (SIGINT)
 * C Troop (CYBINT)

In 2520, the Activity grew to become a group when they added their first tactical arm known as the Field Operations Activity, another Proof of Concept within the Bravo-9 Division. Individuals within the Field Operations Activity were trained intelligence specialists with experiences in special warfare, leveraging both skillsets to conduct sensitive operations. The action arm grew alongside the collection and analysis unit to work together on operations. During a deployment on Operation: TREBUCHET, both the Special Operations Activity and Field Operations Activity captured Colonel Robert Watt's second-in-command. By 2521, the Special Operations Group was stood up.