Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
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| Orbital Drop Shock Troopers | |
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 The emblem of the ODSTs
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Rapid reaction force[4] |
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Helljumpers[4] |
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- Major Antonio Silva: "Most of the crew—not to mention your fellow jarheads—will be leaving the ship in lifeboats. They'll ride to the surface in air-conditioned comfort, sipping wine, and nibbling on appetizers. Not you, however. Oh no, you're going to leave the Pillar of Autumn in a different method. Tell me boys and girls… how will you leave?"
- Shock Troopers: "We go feet first, sir!"
- — Major Antonio Silva rousing his battalion aboard the Pillar of Autumn[7]
The Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST),[Note 1] informally referred to as Helljumpers,[8][Note 2] are an elite special operations[8][9] component of the UNSC Marine Corps and the Corps' rapid reaction force specialized in transorbital support interdiction tactics.[4] One of the primary special operations forces of the United Nations Space Command, the ODST are under the administrative and operational control of Naval Special Weapons.[2][3] The organization is headquartered in the Martian city of Kenosha, Tanais.[1] Its primary training facilities were located on Reach prior to the glassing of the planet.[10]
Roles and operations[edit]
- "We had a damn hard job, and we did it better than anyone."
- — Spartan Edward Buck, a former Shock Trooper, referring to the ODST.[11]
Serving as the rapid reaction force of the UNSC Marine Corps,[4][12] Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are distinguished by their unconventional method of deployment, known as "transorbital support interdiction",[1] in which the troopers are dropped to the surface of a world aboard small, purpose-built deployment vehicles. This allows them to conduct a variety of missions against targets that more conventional forces cannot approach undetected.[2] ODSTs—trained for any kind of landing operation—expect to arrive at a world with hellish conditions, only to enter incredibly difficult combat zones.[12] ODST deployment via SOEIVs is often considered more effective than dropship deployment, as it allows for a spacecraft to make a quick pass over a world and deploy hundreds of ODSTs in SOEIVs in rapid succession. Additionally, since ODSTs are deployed separately, rather than together in one ship, the casualty rate of SOEIV deployment is lower than that of conventional dropship deployment.[13]
Each ODST combat team specializes in a particular mission set, though they are expected to be flexible enough to adapt to any given situation. ODSTs are known for their unusual methods of insertion, dropping from orbit onto terrestrial environments.[2] Often landing behind enemy lines, ODSTs are sometimes ordered to eliminate enemy units and clear a landing zone for the wave of troops that follow.[11] ODSTs also operate as the primary special forces raiding unit of the Marines, deployed to tip the scales in a close battle, raid enemy bases, capture strategically valuable points, and eliminate high-value targets.[14] Similar to their infantry counterparts, the ODSTs maintain units of varying strength aboard many UNSC vessels and installations.[2] ODSTs may also occasionally serve as military police for UNSC installations.[15]
The ODSTs perform highly specialized, small-scale, high-risk operations including the following:[2][3]
- Deep ground surveillance (DGS) and long range reconnaissance: Patrols in small groups, in uniform, usually far behind the enemy lines. While direct ground surveillance units may direct air or artillery strikes against enemy positions, they strive to be unobserved, and have only self-defense, not direct action, capability. Groups engaging in surveillance deep behind enemy lines, are commonly known as Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols.[2]
- Direct action (DA): Short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions conducted as a special operation in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments and which employ specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover, or damage designated targets. Direct action differs from conventional offensive actions in the level of physical and political risk, operational techniques, and the degree of discriminate and precise use of force to achieve specific objectives.[2]
- Unconventional warfare: Military and paramilitary operations, normally of long duration, predominantly conducted by indigenous or surrogate forces who are organized, trained, equipped, supported, and directed in varying degrees by an external source. It includes guerrilla warfare and other direct offensive, low visibility, covert, or clandestine operations, as well as the indirect activities of subversion, sabotage, intelligence gathering, escape and evasion.[2]
- Counter-terrorism operations: The response to