ADVENT: Organizations
State Special Response
"The SSR are the Lancers of law enforcement."
- Officer Ric Waters
ADVENT SSR Operational Record 017
Status: Complete
Target Category: Organized Crime
Location: Mexico, Nuevo Laredo
Operation Type: Elimination
Number of Participating Operatives: 16
Number of Allied Casualties: 0
Number of Enemy Casualties: 53
Number of Civilian Casualties: 2 (Killed in ensuing firefight, discovered in aftermath - Bodies unable to be identified. Suspected homeless or illegal immigrants)
Operation Summary: Previous operations and information revealed to us by the previous Mexican government, FBI, ATF, and DEA, has identified a major hub of the infamous cartel known as Los Zetas, primarily known for sex, drug and arms trafficking. Once this information had been verified by SSR Cyber Operatives, an Elimination operation was launched with the intent of crippling one of their primary nerve centers.
In the resulting firefight, all occupants were killed and multiple electronic devices, drug shipments, and additional weapons were recovered and are being examined further. From this data we have recovered evidence of deep corruption within Nuevo Laredo itself, and all relevant information has been passed to the Peacekeepers to make arrests and executions. Three minor, and one major hubs have also been identified, along with recovered intelligence on their rivals, Cartel Del Noreste, and further information was acquired relating to the Gulf Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Further operations are being planned.
Additional Material:
- Attachment: List of recovered items.
- Attachment: List of identified bodies
- Attachment: Evidence (Cartel Del Noreste)
- Attachment: Evidence (Nuevo Laredo)
- Attachment: Evidence (Gulf Cartel)
- Attachment: Evidence (Sinaloa Cartel)
- Attachment: Evidence (Los Zetas)
Recording: Recovered Security Footage of Assaulted Los Zetas Operation Center
Transcript of Recording:
Security footage shows a run-down building in known Los Zetas territory, an area also known for the high density of homeless and drug-addicted persons. The building shown is guarded by armed Los Zetas enforcers, outer perimeter shows twelve armed personnel.
Current time is 8:19 P.M.
All recorded conversations have been translated for convenience.
[Unidentified Enforcer 1]: "[Boss is saying we might have to pack up and move. ADVENT wants to shut us down.]"
[Unidentified Enforcer 2]: Laughs. "[They want to shut down Los Zetas? Even the pig in office knew better than to mess with us. Not after his little girl got sent back in little pieces.]"
[UE1]: "[Just telling you what I heard man.]"
[UE2]: "[You know how all those types are. Spineless politicians either fold or get the kickbacks. Don't care what ADVENT says, that ain't changing.]"
[UE1]: "[Hope so man, but them aliens will keep them busy. In the meantime we keep the clients happy.]"
[Unidentified Enforcer 3]: "[Shut it! You! Stop walking or we shoot!]"
[UE1]: "[Hey, isn't that-]"
He is abruptly cut off as gauss fire kills him, and three SSR soldiers enter the camera view and begin firing. All immediate enforcers in the area are killed within several seconds of contact. Front entrance secured. Camera transition to building interior.
Shown is a garage filled with old cars, pallets of drugs, and old containers. More enforcers are taking positions as they hear the gauss fire. Enforcers will simply be referred to as Unidentified Enforcer (UE) for the duration of this transcript as they rarely last longer than one recorded sentence.
[UE]: "[What is that?]"
[UE]: "[Fucking cops likely. What the fuck they doing here?]"
Outer garage door suddenly explodes inward and the area erupts into gunfire, with lots of frantic, sometimes unintelligible shouting. The SSR Soldiers continuously march forward unaffected by the gunfire of the enforcers.
[UE]: "[Why don't they die!?]"
[UE]: "[Hit! Ah-]"
[UE]: "[Run! Run!]"
[UE]: "[They're coming from the back!]"
Camera feed ends presumably due to a stray round, and all remaining footage shows enforcers falling as SSR soldiers close in from all sides. SSR operatives secure the perimeter and interior, then begin properly gathering evidence.
Proposal 0062
Last Revision: 08/14/2016
Designation: State Special Response (SSR)
Program Type: Counter-Terrorism; Law Enforcement
Authors: Amalda Stein, Chief of Peacekeeper Operations of Germany; Dennis Harrison, SWAT Chief of the United States of America; Lavr Nevzorov, SOBR Director of Russia
INITIAL PROPOSAL: In the pursuit of justice and the goal of reduced crime, we understand that there are certain violent situations that are too dangerous or specialized for standard Peacekeepers to reliably handle without sustaining casualties or worse. Thus, we propose the creation of the STATE SPECIAL RESPONSE (SSR), a unit of elite soldiers created specifically for the handling of high-risk situations.
This will be a branch of the Peacekeeper Corps, one overseen by the CHIEF of Peacekeeper Operations, although the SSR will maintain an internal leadership. The SSR will focus on finding, engaging, and eliminating higher-profile crimes and terrorist activity. This includes all types of organized crime including, but not limited to the following:
- Gun running
- Drug trafficking
- Human trafficking
- Prostitution rings
- Protection rackets
All activities relating to these crimes will be subject exclusively to the SSR, and will not utilize standard Peacekeeping forces. In addition, the SSR will participate in the investigation and arrest of high-profile figures which include, but are not limited to the following:
- Government officials
- Military officials
- Business leaders
- Activist leaders
- Civilian leaders
The SSR is also in charge of the extradition or retrieval of foreign targets identified by the Peacekeepers and/or ADVENT Intelligence.
The SSR will also be responsible for the investigation and response to violent events which include all forms of terrorism and hostage situations. As such, the SSR will not maintain normal Peacekeeper duties, and will have a separate objectives and goals. The SSR will also not act in a military capacity, and will restrain themselves to domestic affairs ONLY. Note that this restriction does NOT apply to the arrest or transport of foreign criminals. If the SSR determines that targets are residing in a foreign location, the relevant information will be forwarded to the LANCER CORPS, ADVENT INTELLIGENCE, and the ADVENT MILITARY for further operations.
UNIT COMPOSITION: Squads within the SSR will vary depending on the size of operations, and there will be squads for specific tasks. The MINIMUM squad size is FOUR; the STANDARD squad size is EIGHT; the MAXIMUM squad size will be SIXTEEN. A standard TEAM of SSR Operatives is TWENTY-FOUR, which can be composed of multiple specialties.
Within the teams, there are distinct roles and specializations:
SSR SOLDIERS: These operatives will be the primary face and unit within the SSR. They will be heavily armored, genetically modified with recent breakthroughs such as the IRON SKIN modification, with more potentially being added in the future. They will handle multiple types of weapons during combat, including gauss-based shotguns, rifles, and sidearms.
SOLDIERS will be allowed to choose weapon composition, and strategies will be determined based on selection. They are not authorized to engage in diplomacy or non-combat scenarios, as they will only be primarily used in HOSTAGE RESCUE, ASSET RECOVERY, and ELIMINATION operations, though they will participate as guards during ARREST operations. This can be modified by the ranking SSR OFFICER.
SSR ELIMINATORS: These operatives support SOLDIERS and utilize heavy weaponry including SAW-caliber weaponry of both gauss and laser varieties. They are trained in utilizing explosives, and have laser pistols to cut through barricades. Their primary goal is to draw fire and cause chaos within enemy forces, and are additionally equipped with a variety of grenades they can choose from, such as White Phosphorous, Flashbangs, High Explosive, Tear Gas, Anti-Personnel, and Acid grenades to utilize in combat. They receive the same genetic enhancements as SOLDIERS.
Due to their combat focused role, they will only be deployed in ELIMINATION operations.
SSR CONTROLLERS: These operatives specialize in removing potentially troublesome obstacles during delicate operations. Multiple CONTROLLERS may be used during HOSTAGE RESCUE situations that require the immediate removal of multiple targets. To do this, they are equipped with long-range weaponry (Gauss and laser), lethal, and non-lethal explosive devices. They are also trained in various assassination and close-range killing techniques. They also undergo genetic modification, specifically utilizing the ENHANCED EYESIGHT modification. They can fulfill the role of scouts as well, and will usually be deployed for reconnaissance and observation.
SSR OFFICERS: These operatives will possess the standard weaponry and enhancements as SOLDIERS, but will act as the leader of the team in question, and will design, participate in, and execute operations. They have complete authority over the mission, and can set or change the mission parameters depending on information known.
SSR INVESTIGATORS: These operatives conduct investigations from previously compiled evidence, perform interrogations on designated targets and work with CYBER SPECIALISTS to corroborate and maintain evidence integrity. These are the ones most likely to interact with civilians. Despite their primarily non-combat role, they carry sidearms and have the same armor as SOLDIERS with proper identifying marks
SSR CYBER SPECIALISTS: These are support operatives that do not participate in combat, but provide computer assistance and evidence recovery after areas are secured. Their primary function is to recover evidence and utilize or dispose of it properly. They are also tasked with attempting to identify killed hostiles or civilians, and provide recommendations and analysis of evidence found. While they are not to engage in combat, each one is armed with a gauss sidearm and they retain the armor of the SOLDIERS with proper identifying marks.
RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING: While the SSR is not meant to be an expansive or dominating force in the Peacekeepers, it is nonetheless intended to be composed of elite operatives similar to the LANCER CORPS. As such, recruitment will heavily be drawn from existing military personnel, with a particular focus on special forces groups.
In addition, recruitment will be emphasized for CYBER SPECIALISTS, particularly those with law or computer science degrees or experience, and efforts should be made to recruit these types of people as soon as possible, preferably before graduation, or offer better compensation to established and experienced people with this experience.
Recruits must not have a criminal record, and be able to pass full psychological and mental tests.
Training will be conducted on SSR Training sites, and for recruits to formally enter the SSR, they must pass specific parts of the LANCER CORPS training. SOLDIERS, ELIMINATORS, CONTROLLERS, and OFFICERS must pass the COMBAT stage. CONTROLLERS and OFFICERS must pass the CRISIS RESPONSE stage. OFFICERS, INVESTIGATORS, and CYBER SPECIALISTS must pass the INTELLIGENCE stage (Please refer to the Lancer document for more information on these training stages).
Upon successful completion of these stages for their role, the recruit will officially join the SSR and immediately begin participating in operations.
MISSION TYPES: There are FOUR standard mission types that identify the potential objectives in SSR operations. These can be combined, but can each function as a standalone mission type:
STANDALONE
ELIMINATION: The goal of this operation is simply the elimination of all personnel in the target areas. There is no attempted negation or surrender accepted. All enemies within ELIMINATION operations are marked for death and will be executed by the participating SSR operatives.
ASSET RECOVERY: The goal of this operation is to recover a potential asset, which can be anything from a person to a piece of equipment. It is essential that the asset is not damaged or evacuated, and some care should be taken to ensure that it does not come to harm. There can be one or multiple assets per mission. Also note that assets can also be recovered during other mission types.
HOSTAGE SITUATION: The goal of this operation is to neutralize or mitigate perpetrators who have created a hostage situation. Preferably all of the hostages are secured with no casualties, but under no circumstances are the perpetrators allowed to escape. SSR personnel who attempt negotiation are not allowed to permit escape, and are allowed to lie to secure hostages. The lives of the perpetrators are not a concern and can be arrested or disposed of in the manner the Officer sees fit.
ARREST: The goal of this operation is to assist in the arrest of a high-profile figure, and ensure the arrest is carried out smoothly and that the target does not come to permanent harm, and protect local Peacekeeper forces from potential reprisal.
COMBINATION
ASSET RECOVERY-ELIMINATION: This is a standard operation where the asset is recovered and all hostile enemies in the vicinity are terminated. This differs from standard Elimination missions in that there is an additional goal of securing an asset while also neutralizing all who guard it.
HOSTAGE SITUATION-ELIMINATION: A decision made by the Officer during the situation, which will typically utilize CONTROLLERS to set up multiple fast eliminations on targets in conjunction with other SSR forces. This is a risky operation for hostages, and is not recommended unless there are at least an equal number of Controllers on sight to those holding hostages.
CONCLUSION: The SSR represents the pinnacle of our response to the scourges of organized crime and terrorism, and will serve as an example and warning to those who threaten to disrupt the lives of our citizens. While the SSR may be comparable to a military special forces unit, I will reiterate that the focus will be strictly domestic, and will not expand beyond their own sphere of influence (With the exception of an unexpected alien attack), and will fully work with other branches of ADVENT.
The ADVENT State Special Response, or SSR as they are commonly referred to, are some of the most well-known, but enigmatic figures in ADVENT itself. Prior to them participating during the Vatican situation, few even knew they existed, but ever since their dramatic appearance, people have been trying to find out more.
It is rare for the average citizen to interact with an SSR operative knowingly. Unlike Peacekeepers, they do not interact with the community they protect, and if you do happen to meet one, it usually isn't for the reasons one might hope. It's extremely likely that, if you meet one of the SSR, you're connected to someone they arrested or killed and they need to question you.
As a result, this has cast an aura of suspicion and fear upon them, since even if most don't know what the SSR does, their association, aesthetic, and mechanical demeanor towards everyone does not endear them to the average person. This is likely intentional, and works in their favor when they interrogate citizens, who are very quick to speak to the SSR about anything they may know.
For those who are still curious about what the SSR does, they maintain a website that lays out the goals and duties of their organization in very brutal detail. Upon hearing what the SSR does, the response to them changes depending on several factors such as race, nationality and political leanings. Calling the SSR a kind of death squad is not an inaccurate assessment, as they clearly state that one of their main operations is titled 'Elimination'.
Their focus on drug trafficking and terrorism does generally make people feel better about them, which is until they learn that the SSR doesn't just go in and kill targets, but identifies the corpses and then traces them back to family and associates. The SSR proudly displays this information prominently, in addition to an extensive list of ways to contact them.
As can likely be easily imagined, in countries like Mexico and much of South America, groups like the Cartels are extremely dangerous, and as a result many people are almost as fearful of the SSR just because of how large the drug trade is. While the SSR do not perform arrests without evidence, it is nonetheless an intimidating experience to be questioned by an armored soldier.
It isn't just organized crime the SSR do. Gang violence is also handled by them, often in the same violent fashion. One of the first major operations of the SSR, the largest to date, was one in the city of Detroit in the United States. One team of SSR operatives, twenty-four men and women, took the gathered data compiled over years by the police and other law enforcement, and invaded the known crime areas and wiped out nearly all the major gangs, and the Peacekeepers maintained a massive presence the following days as each section was slowly cleared out. This was repeated in other cities in the United States with high crime, such as Baltimore and Oakland.
While they were certainly effective, the firefights that broke out killed a large number of civilians, which has raised calls for the SSR itself to be investigated, though the ones that raised this were decisively rejected by ADVENT by stating that the SSR did its job and no civilians were intentionally killed. In short, it has generally not fostered as much goodwill in certain parts of those cities, and done very little to alter the perception of the SSR being death squads.
I do not believe it would be outlandish to suggest that this is intentional by the SSR. Fear helps them, and each successful operation only increases their reputation. While they don't have many outreach programs, one of their initiatives in crime-ridden areas is to dispatch pamphlets, print newspaper articles, and air TV spots for citizens to report criminal activity, though these appear to target areas with known protection rackets and trafficking rings, possibly a way for the SSR to say "Help us and we'll protect you."
Sadly, the number who have taken the SSR up on this offer are few and far between. But if the body counts keep rising and the SSR keeps dismantling the cartels and organized crime rings with the same violent effectiveness, this number is likely only going to go up, even if only because of fear of being the next victim of the SSR.
Article: "The State Special Response and its Citizens", by BBC Journalist Brian Cooley
THREAT ANALYSIS: 11110111
ANALYSIS COMPILER: COLLECTIVE ANDROMEDON COMMANDER J'LORAN
RESTRICTION: ANDROMEDON MILITARY COMMAND; COLLECTIVE MILITARY COMMAND
ORGANIZATION OF INTEREST: STATE SPECIAL RESPONSE
SPECIES: HUMAN
INFORMATION OF NOTE: BRANCH OF THE ADVENT PEACEKEEPERS
INFORMATION OF NOTE: SCOPE IS STRICTLY DOMESTIC
INFORMATION OF NOTE: SOME DEGREE OF GENETIC MODIFICATION
INFORMATION OF NOTE: EQUIVALENT TO A SPECIAL FORCES UNIT
INFORMATION OF NOTE: PRIMARILY UTILIZES GAUSS AND LASER WEAPONRY
THREAT LEVEL TO ANDROMEDON FEDERATION: LOW
ADDITIONAL MANUAL COMMENT: The State Special Response, or more commonly abbreviated SSR, is similar to the Oversight Division in that it is a dangerous entity, but ultimately one that we do not necessarily have to worry about. With that said, the SSR is proof that ADVENT does not hold back in dealing with the disruptive elements within itself.
The SSR appears to be designed for a specific purpose: To eliminate organized criminal elements within the Human species. This is a historical problem for them, and it has only gotten more problematic as their technology has advanced and the population has grown. Organized crime comes in multiple varieties, such as slavery, illicit substances, and weapons; these are sold and traded for resources and money.
This clearly poses issues for any government, but the risk of collateral damage and corruption within the government or law enforcement has always stopped many from taking necessary steps to eliminate it entirely. With ADVENT, that restriction is gone and the sole goal is the complete elimination of this type of crime.
A quick analysis of news articles from crime-riddled cities and countries within the past several months will show that the SSR have made a violent impression on nearly everyone involved. They are impressively merciless in their operations, and to date have completely destroyed entire cartels, gangs, and criminal rings through simply attacking known locations, and either interrogating survivors or gathering information through leftover technology.
A typical SSR operation will run an elimination mission on a known location, usually a formerly untouchable base of a cartel or gang. A group of eight to sixteen operatives will be sent, and they will almost always kill everyone at the location (If the area is one with high civilian traffic, they will typically perform a combined mission with the Peacekeepers, though this is typically for arrests of figures, while the SSR is usually only sent to eliminate criminals in known dangerous territory). Sometimes they will identify a target that the leader will order to take captive, and for this scenario, we will assume this is done.
The next step would be the gathering of evidence and information. The SSR has dedicated operatives for recovering this, and they first identify the bodies of the criminals they killed, and a separate team immediately determines their known associates and/or family. Another team will examine physical and digital evidence, documents, computers, and other devices, and scour it for information on deals made, names, locations and more. All this will be used for future operations.
At this time, the SSR will then send out operatives to interrogate family members and associates of the criminals, should any exist, on additional information related to their operation. This rarely yields results from the reports, but it does have the effect of spreading their reputation and increasing the psychological effects of their presence. The SSR appears to want to be feared, and to date they are doing an excellent job.
At some point, they will interrogate the captive and have a psychologist determine the possible weaknesses he has, and then they will follow it to extract additional information. This could be as simple as torture, bribery, seduction, or anything else that would achieve the desired result. Now this is where the SSR differs heavily from standard ADVENT philosophy.
ADVENT focuses on sincerity and clarity. If they say something will be done, they will do it. They do not make the public promises they can't keep, even their negotiations with enemies are straightforward even if they don't tell them what they want to hear. Ironically, ADVENT is surprisingly honest, if for no other reason that they simply don't inform their citizens about specific functions. There are two organizations within ADVENT that are exempt from this from what I have found: ADVENT Intelligence, for obvious reasons, and the SSR.
The SSR are allowed to lie, and do it frequently to achieve their goals. They will promise whatever the person wants to hear, and end up killing them regardless. People holding hostages will have their demands met…until they leave and are tracked by an SSR operative and slaughtered in their sleep, or more likely, simply shot on sight at the slightest hesitation by coordinated sniper fire.
The reason for this is simple, I believe. The people the SSR frequently encounter are ones that ADVENT simply wants removed. They are irredeemable, and they are perfectly willing to have the SSR kill each and every one of them. It is a sentiment I am impressed by, and while the SSR will have few fans with their brutal methodology, it will cull the Human filth from the world.
However, from a tactical standpoint, they are more of a professional curiosity than something to be concerned about. The reason for this is that the SSR are a purely domestic force. They only fight organized crime and terrorism. They don't participate in military operations and don't operate outside of ADVENT. As such, they pose no threat to us.
There of course is the chance that they accidentally disrupt a Zararch operation, but such a result would be purely coincidental and once it was discovered, the SSR would almost certainly turn the matter over to the Lancers or ADVENT Intelligence. The threat they pose is almost non-existent because of this reason.
Despite this, I see no reason to engage them unnecessarily. Let them clear the Humans out, for it will be fewer for us to dispose of when they are conquered.
END REPORT
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