Unified Earth Government

The Unified Earth Government, or UEG, was the central civilian government that administers Earth and its colonies throughout a portion of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy. It housed the Colonial Administration Authority and Colonial Military Administration, and through them the United Nations Space Command.

History
The Unified Earth Government traces its origins back to the Interplanetary War of the mid- to late-22nd Century in the Sol System. With numerous Earth governments fighting independent battles against Frieden and Koslovic forces, the United Nations became involved, eventually using the war to absorb most, if not all, Earth governments into itself to form a global government to combat the terrorists and stabilize the planet and its other world colonies. The UN won the war and the United Earth Government was formed, with its primary defense, scientific and exploratory force, being the newly formed UNSC. Although the UEG seems to have complete control over Earth and its colonies, the United Nations still exists as a political and military entity in the 26th century.

Colonial Administration Authority
The Colonial Administration Authority is the branch that administers the various colonies that belong to the UEG, incorporating the UNSCDF. It keeps extensive files on every colony world and city under the UEG, available to UNSC members for planning missions.

Colonial Military Administration
The Colonial Military Authority is the department housing the United Nations Space Command Defence Force. Its functions are unknown, though it is likely that they serve as a supervision/oversight role for the UNSCDF.

United Nations Space Command
The UNSC is the UEG's primary defense force, intended to protect innocent colonists and colony worlds from attack by privateers, Insurrectionists and other unknown threats at the time, such as the Covenant. It includes various Special forces, and Militia organizations, but is mainly comprised of the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Army. It is also the UEG's main exploratory and scientific arm.

As of at least 2552, the UNSC has assumed the governing function of the Unified Earth Government in the face of overwhelming Covenant incursions. It is not known whether the UEG is still present or, if it is, what its functions are.

Trivia

 * It should be noted that both the UEG and UNSC are references to the Human government (Unified Earth Government) and military (Unified Earth Space Council) in Bungie's Marathon series. See List of Marathon references in Halo.
 * The Unified Earth Government is only mentioned in the instruction manual of Halo: Combat Evolved, the pre-release Halo Universe Timeline, an HSP interview with Robert McLees and Frank O'Connor, a | recent Bungie interview with Robt McClees regarding the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, and in the Halo Wars manual.