Operation: RED FLAG

"Assembled here tonight are all surviving Spartans save three, who are otherwise engaged on fields of combat too distant to be easily recalled. In the last decade of combat there have only been three KIAs and one Spartan too wounded to continue active duty. You are to be commended for having the best operational record of any unit in the fleet. It is very good to see you all again."

- Dr. Halsey beginning her briefing.

Operation: RED FLAG was a planned UNSC operation designed to put an end to the Human-Covenant War. It was conceived by ONI Section III in late 2552 as a desperate attempt to avert humanity's imminent defeat at the hands of the Covenant; however, the operation was never carried out due to the Fall of Reach and the UNSC's subsequent retreat to Earth.

Operation
The operation was to be executed in four phases.

Phase One
The first phase consisted of the disabling and capture of a Covenant vessel. For the first phase, Dr. Halsey selected Captain Jacob Keyes for his exemplary performance during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV, and his newly fitted cruiser.

Phase Two
The second phase involved the boarding of the captured Covenant vessel by the SPARTAN-IIs, who would then neutralize the onboard defenses and take control of the ship. They, with help from a then-unidentified mission specialist, would then crack the navigation database of the ship and discover the location of the Covenant home world.

Phase Three
With the help of Cortana, the Spartans would then pilot the captured Covenant vessel to the Covenant homeworld.

Phase Four
The fourth and final phase of the operation involved the infiltration of the Covenant home world and the capture of a Covenant Prophet for negotiating purposes. The UNSC hoped that by capturing a Prophet and holding it hostage, they could force the Covenant into agreeing to a truce, thereby ending a war that the UNSC would most certainly have lost.

Results
Though the operation was never completed, it did introduce two pieces of technology: the AI Cortana and the MJOLNIR Mark V. These two items, used later by the Spartans, would be instrumental in the outcome of the war.

Despite the Fall of Reach, the loss of most of the SPARTAN-IIs, and the Battle of Installation 04, John-117 had every intention of continuing Operation: RED FLAG, despite arguments against it by Lieutenant Haverson and Cortana. The Master Chief only agreed to not continue to confirm with the Admiralty if RED FLAG was still active.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: Reach
 * Dr. Halsey's personal journal