Asymmetrical Action Group

The Asymmetrical Action Group is a top-secret special warfare group under the Office of Naval Intelligence, Section Three, Beta-5 Division. The Group is known to operate the SPARTAN-III Program under the direct supervision of Colonel James Ackerson.

Creation
Following the meeting on the UNSC Point of No Return, Colonel Ackerson was authorized to start the SPARTAN-III Project under his command. Meeting with Section Three's Covert Operations Division, Colonel Ackerson submitted his request for the Asymmetrical Action Group to be stood up and under his direct control. With the approval of the group, Ackerson hid the SPARTAN-III Project within the unit and began recruiting personnel to help run and sustain the project. He submitted a roster of personnel from the Aerospace Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps to Vice Admiral Margaret Parangosky and she authorized teams to retrieve personnel across UNSC controlled space. He selected Onyx as the primary planet to conduct training after ruling out Reach due to the increased activity during the Human-Covenant War. Ackerson also made plans to retrieve a SPARTAN-II along with recruiting Franklin Mendez to create the training program and run it.

Personnel from the UNSC Medical Corps and ONI Section Three were brought in to create a database to track possible candidates and recruitment strategies. While the Medical Corps and Section Three went to work on creating the database, Ackerson met with personnel from the Watershed Group and offer them a contract to create Semi-Powered Infiltration armor and the facilities to house the SPARTAN-III Project. With contractors and personnel from the Watershed Group, they moved to construct the facilities first with help from a UNSC Army Engineering Brigade. Ackerson established three squadrons under the AAG known as the Asymmetric Action Squadron, Asymmetric Training and Tactics Squadron, and Asymmetric Operations Support Squadron. He changed the names of each squadron every three months to keep Section Zero unaware of what he was doing. With personnel arriving from their previous assignments, Ackerson stationed the AAG Command Detachment and squadron leaders except for the training and tactics on Reach, training and tactics were stationed on Onyx.

Alpha Company
Beginning training in December 2531, Alpha Company was the first generation of SPARTAN-III supersoldiers. It built off the data collected from the SPARTAN-II Program, but rather than be used against insurrection, they were purpose-built to combat the Covenant in large-scale confrontations, where they may have little in the way of support. As a result, they had been drilled extensively in direct-action engagements, with a significantly greater reliance on the larger company. Covert operations had also been trained into them, but this was a secondary concern. One of the most important changes had been to recruit the trainees from those who had been orphaned by the Covenant, giving them the motivation to complete their training and defeat the alien invaders.

Although it started off with 497 candidates, only 300 were deployed as a complete unit due to a insufficient budget. 28 more were augmented as part of the SPARTAN-III reserves, and replaced their peers which were either wounded or killed in combat to maintain Alpha's strength at all times. Six Spartans had been syphoned for use as Headhunters or lone-wolf operators. The others were not augmented, either because they washed out of the program due to injuries or forbidden from going through the Project CHRYSANTHEUM procedures. These individuals were either kept on Onyx to train the next class of SPARTAN-IIIs, brought in as staff for Beta-5's various projects, or conscripted as Ackerson's own security detail.

Graduating in late-2536, Alpha Company was first deployed in the Insurrection of Mamore, where they utterly crushed the rebel forces. They then went on to participate in ten other operations, where they won the battles of New Constantinople, the Far Gone Colony Platforms, and fought within the Bonanza Asteroid Belt. The Company was completely wiped out during Operation: PROMETHEUS in July 2537, where they succeeded at shutting down the Covenant shipyards at K7-49.

Organization
The Group is led by Colonel James Ackerson who oversees all operations across the organization. However, the Group is described by ONI Section Zero to be a deep state where units and the name of the Asymmetrical Action Group consistently change. The Group is considered to staff around 2,000 to 2,500 by Section Zero analysis with the majority of members from the UNSC Armed Forces and a small number of contractors and civilians. Unlike other units, the Asymmetrical Action Group is capable of reporting to the Chief of Office of Naval Intelligence. There are six major units organized under the Asymmetrical Action Group who report directly to the Command Detachment.
 * Asymmetric Action Squadron 01
 * Asymmetric Action Squadron 02
 * Asymmetric Operations Support Squadron
 * Asymmetric Intelligence Support Squadron
 * Asymmetric Training and Tactics Squadron
 * Asymmetric Research and Development Squadron

Action Squadron 01 holds all field-ready SPARTAN-III supersoldiers ready to deploy. There are four detachments under the squadron named Detachment 01, 02, 03, and 04 where each SPARTAN-III program is assigned to after graduation. 01 held Alpha Company, 02 held Beta Company, 03 holds Gamma Company, and 04 holds Delta Company. Action Squadron 02 holds all SPARTAN-III supersoldiers not assigned to Squadron 01. Their assignments can include Non-Company teams, Headhunters, Remote Contact Teams, and other assignments. The Operations and Intelligence Support Squadron provide analysts, operations specialists, planners, and operations officers to help with planning and executing augmented special warfare operations. The Training and Tactics Squadron includes the recruitment, training, and augmentation procedures during a SPARTAN-III program. The Research and Development Squadron includes personnel from around the UNSC and UNSC defense corporations to provide material and technologies to equip the personnel under the SPARTAN-III Program.