SPARTAN-II program

"You have been called upon to serve, you will be trained...and you will become the best we can make of you. You will be the Protectors of Earth and all her Colonies"

- Dr. Halsey to SPARTAN recruits

The SPARTAN-II Program was part of the SPARTAN Program, an effort to produce elite soldiers through mechanical and biological augmentation. The SPARTAN-II program would be the first in the series to meld advanced mechanical technology with the troopers' superior physiques.

Origins
In the years following the deactivation of Project Orion in 2506 the effectiveness of small special forces, combating the insurrectionists became too large for the UNSC to manage. As the insurrectionist attacks were becoming more effective and the military's responses heavier, the need for large scale actions were becoming more and more necessary. By 2517 the Office of Naval Intelligence concluded that the instability of the outer colonies would continue to escalate and unless drastic military measures were taken, it would result in a massive war between the inner colonies and the outer colonies.

The SPARTAN-II project, was conceived by Dr. Catherine Halsey of ONI's Section 3, as the successor to the original Orion project and the best possible solution to end the conflict. The project was created with several goals in mind: First to create a group of elite soldiers meant to subdue insurrections in their infancy, without substantial military casualties. Second to minimize civilian casualties, and advert civil war. And third, to substantially reduce the cost of conventional means of pacification.

Halsey's proposal of the project detailed radical changes in how it is carried out, the first and most controversial, is the selection process and candidates, who are selected by a gene-candidate pool, and must fit into a certain and strict age restriction protocol. They must also possess superior physical and mental attributes. Which meant that the best possible subjects were children, who would be trained from a young age in the art of warfare. Which would mean that the project would have to be launched in the highest form of secrecy.

The next radical proposal in the SPARTAN-II project would be to integrate the subject into a new type of powered exoskeleton device, designed to help keep the subject safe, while providing a powerful means of combating enemy forces. The drawback is that the new armor would require augmenting the subject, effectively turning the subject into a human Guinea-Pig.

The proposal of SPARTAN-II project was viewed as extremely risky, the use of children under the legal age of enlistment, and carrying out unproven augmentation procedures was unethical; but as the situation in the colonies continued to deteriorate the project was approved by the top brass at ONI who came to the conclusion that the SPARTAN project was the only thing that was going to truly put a smart and safe end to the conflict. By 2517, 150 suitable candidates, had been identified, but for budgetary reasons only half that number could be "conscripted".

Seventy-Five children, all six years old of both sexes were kidnapped, and in order to preserve the program's secrecy, the children are replaced by flash clones which would die soon thereafter due to numerous medical complications associated with flash-cloning an entire human being.

Training
Taken to the planet Reach, these child-soldiers began training under Chief Petty Officer Mendez. To marginalize the civilian lives they had once led, their names became a combination of their given names and a number, with family names being discarded. Seven years later they began receiving physical augmentations that would ultimately make them Spartans. The procedures were risky, as thirty died from the procedure, and twelve were crippled. These Spartans were discharged from the program and placed in non-combat positions where their enhanced mental faculties might still prove useful. Only thirty-three survived without complications and, now much improved, remained fit for combat duty. Those who died were cremated and their remains released in space.

The Human-Covenant War
The Human-Covenant War marked a change in objectives for the program, originally intended to quell rebellions, the Spartans were now forced into battle against a superior opponent to the UNSC this forced their training into it's final stage Project MJOLNIR outfitted with the Mark IV MJOLNIR armor the Spartans would be the first major UNSC response to the Covenant threat. During the course of the war, the Spartans frequently demonstrated their superiority over human insurrectionists who despite the Covenant threat continued to eroding the economic base in the outer colonies. Countless times throughout the war the Spartans proved highly effective against all threats they went up against, heroic rearguard and delaying actions saved countless human lives from the genocidal Covenant onslaught. In 2547, it was decided to make the SPARTAN-II program public, in an effort to boost morale among the UNSC, all the while making the Covenant see the SPARTANs as Demons.

Inevitably the small number of SPARTAN-IIs dwindled as casualties were sustained. As the exploits of the Spartans was a major propaganda boom to the UNSC, Section Two of ONI issued Directive 930 stating that Spartans killed or wounded would be listed as "Missing in Action" (MIA) or "Wounded in Action" (WIA), thus maintaining the illusion of Spartan invincibility.

In late 2552, all except three of the remaining active Spartans rendezvoused at Reach to receive new orders for an operation that HIGHCOM hoped would end the war. They would commandeer a Covenant vessel, locate the Covenant homeworld, and return with captured Covenant leadership to force a ceasefire. To this end the Spartans were slated to be re-equipped with MJOLNIR Mark V suits. The A.I. Cortana, carried within John-117's armor, would serve as the strike force's hacker and technology specialist.

However, all preparations were interrupted and subsequently canceled by the Covenant assault on Reach. In the ensuing disaster most of the SPARTAN-IIs were killed. Only two escaped, aboard the, one was left in cryostasis aboard the ship after sustaining life threatening injuries from the battle, while the rest remained fighting for their lives on Reach.

Following the events at Alpha Halo, the Spartans were reunited at Reach. They then carried out a strike that resulted in the destruction of a Covenant fleet anchorage which contributed to the UNSC victory at the First Battle of Earth. SPARTAN-IIs would go on to play pivotal roles at the Battle of Onyx and the Second Battle of Earth.

Biological Augmentation
Admiral Ysionris Jeromi of the research station Hopeful documented the following experimental procedures on Bonobo Chimpanzees. These operations were later performed on the Spartan soldiers:


 * Carbide ceramic ossification: The grafting of advanced materials onto the skeletal structure to make bones almost unbreakable. If coverage exceeded 3 percent of the total bone, mass white blood cell necrosis was common. In adolescents, growth spurts could result in bone pulverization.
 * Muscular enhancement injections: An intra-muscular injection of a protein complex to increase tissue density and decrease lactose recovery time. Increased the risk of a fatal cardiac volume increase.
 * Catalytic thyroid implant: The implantation of a platinum pellet in the thyroid containing human growth hormone catalyst. This boosted growth of skeletal and muscle tissues. It was known to suppress the sexual drive and cause elephantiasis.
 * Occipital capillary reversal: Increased blood vessel flow beneath the rods and cones of the retina. Increases visual perception. Known to cause retina rejection and detachment, as well as permanent blindness.
 * Superconducting fabrication of neural dendrites: Altered the bio-electrical nerve trans-duction to shielded electronic trans-duction. Resulted in a 300 percent increase in reflexes. Showed evidence of an increase in intelligence, memory, and creativity. Often caused Parkinson's disease and Fletcher's syndrome.

The results of these experiments were used by the SPARTAN-III program designers to refine their bio-augmentation procedures.

MJOLNIR Armor
The SPARTAN-II program was conceived in parallel with the development of the MJOLNIR armor (Pronounced: My-ol'-nir). The Spartans received the first practical forms of the armor, the Mark IV, in 2525, followed by the Mark V and Mark VI in 2552.

The demands of the armor were such that only the Spartans could wear them. A number of unaugmented Humans were killed attempting to use the suit during test trials because of the power the suit translated from normal movements.

Surviving SPARTAN-IIs
"Die? Don't you know? Spartans never die..."

- Kurt-051 upon his death.

The identities of the Spartans' full names have been deleted from all military records. Only Dr. Halsey has secret files that contains the full names of all the Spartans on Reach, unfortunately the records were destroyed after the the planet was Glassed. Publicly only their first name and service tags are known with their current status.

Spartans are only recorded as MIA, even if there are eyewitnesses to their deaths. This was used as propaganda and maintains the morale of UNSC soldiers and the rumor that Spartans never die.

Class I
The following is the list of all currently known SPARTAN-II subjects conscripted in 2517.


 * SPARTAN-006: Jai - MIA with the rest of Gray Team, last seen with Adriana-111 and Mike making the evac of The Rubble.
 * SPARTAN-008: Li - MIA during Slipspace anomaly battle, though assumed KIA due to close plasma torpedo detonation.
 * SPARTAN-029: Joshua - Listed as MIA, though assumed KIA during The Battle of Reach due to a direct hit from a Covenant cruiser's plasma weaponry.
 * SPARTAN-030: Vinh - Listed as MIA, though assumed KIA during Battle of Reach.
 * SPARTAN-034: Samuel - Listed as MIA, though confirmed KIA due to a breach in his MJOLNIR armor, first to destroy a Covenant ship in a non-ship to ship (MIA/KIA) battle.
 * SPARTAN-039: Isaac - Listed as MIA, though assumed KIA during Battle of Reach.
 * SPARTAN-042: Douglas - Last seen aboard Spirit of Fire in 2531.
 * SPARTAN-043: William - Listed as MIA, though confirmed KIA by Hunter pair during Battle of Onyx, first to fight a Hunter Pair using hand-to-hand combat.
 * SPARTAN-044: Anton - MIA during Slipspace anomaly battle, though assumed KIA due to close plasma torpedo detonation.
 * SPARTAN-047: Keiichi - Last seen during the First Battle of Arcadia.
 * SPARTAN-051: Kurt - Listed as MIA, though confirmed KIA after the detonation of 2 FENRIS nukes on Onyx.
 * SPARTAN-058: Linda - Active in Shield World, although she was briefly KIA from the Battle of Reach until after the destruction of Installation-04, due to SPARTAN-117's quick action to put -058 into a cryo tube.
 * SPARTAN-059: Malcolm - Listed as MIA, though confirmed KIA during Battle of Reach.
 * SPARTAN-062: Maria - Retired.
 * SPARTAN-084: Fhajad - Discharged, sent to work for ONI due to uncontrollable muscle spams, current status unknown.
 * SPARTAN-087: Kelly - Active in Shield World.
 * SPARTAN-092: Jerome - Last seen aboard Spirit of Fire in 2531.
 * SPARTAN-093: Grace - Listed as MIA, though confirmed KIA During Operation: First Strike on Unyielding Hierophant.
 * SPARTAN-104: Frederic - Active in Shield World.
 * SPARTAN-111: Adriana - MIA with the rest of Gray Team.
 * SPARTAN-117: John - MIA (Active), on the rear section of the Forward Unto Dawn, last seen drifting toward an unknown planet.
 * SPARTAN-130: Alice - Last seen aboard Spirit of Fire in 2531.
 * James - MIA, most likely KIA during the Battle of Reach.
 * Cassandra - WIA.
 * Randall - MIA.
 * Sheila - Listed as MIA, though confirmed KIA during Battle of Miridem.
 * Mike - MIA with the rest of Gray Team, last seen with Adriana-111 and Jai-006 during the evac of The Rubble.
 * Kirk - Discharged.
 * Rene - Discharged.

Class II
Some children were conscripted into the Spartan program after the original IIs graduated. They were planned originally to begin conscription and training in 2525 -right after the graduation of Class I- but were postponed. This was due to Dr. Halsey's wish to further research into the augmentation process in hopes of Class II graduating with a larger survival rate. Yasmine Zaman was conscripted and Jannisary James was almost conscripted in 2537. The SPARTANs likely finished their training around 2545.


 * Yasmine Zaman - Died from complications in Augmentation.
 * SPARTAN-259 - KIA/MIA Battle of Reach: 2552
 * SPARTAN-320 - KIA/MIA Battle of Reach: 2552
 * Nicole-458 - Trapped in the year 2004.

SPARTAN-IIs Conscripted
There is some confusion concerning the number of SPARTAN-IIs throughout the series. For example In Halo: The Fall of Reach, it is cited on page 46 that there are 75 children on board a pelican for a training mission, however on page 47 it states that there were 67 children on the training mission out of 75 that were originally on board. No mention is made of the whereabouts of the missing 8. After the augmentation process all 75 reappear, with 33 surviving, 12 surviving but crippled, and 30 being killed as a result of the procedures.

The status of SPARTAN-IIs is muddied further in the later novels. For example, Kurt-051 is listed as missing in action presumed dead in 2531 when in reality he was drafted into the SPARTAN-III Program until his real death in 2552 on Onyx. Three Spartans, designated Gray Team, were said to have been on "fields of battle too distant to be easily recalled" prior to the Battle of Reach. In Halo: Ghosts of Onyx these three were said not to have been heard from for a year. The book, "Halo: The Cole Protocol" features Gray Team as major characters, but did not explain why they had not been heard from. It is also stated in Fall of Reach that there are 25 Spartans present during the Battle of Reach, however later it states that there are 30 Spartans present. This number is maintained in Halo: First Strike.

The most current count of Spartans comes from Halo Wars timeline that states that 25 of the 28 remaining Spartans were present at Reach. The remaining three Spartans are generally assumed to be Grey Team, whose status at that time is still unknown. This information also confirms that since the Augmentation of the Spartans five had since gone missing or had died. Samuel, Kurt, Randall, and Sheila are part of this count, with the final Spartan likely the one "too wounded to continue active duty".

Bungie, along with Eric S. Trautmann, have said that these discrepancies only seem to be errors and that everything will be made clear in time.

Trivia

 * The Marines refer to all Navy personnel as Swabbie, including Spartans though it has only been observed with John-117.
 * The Spartans are based on the ancient Greeks from Sparta, known for their military might and extreme training regiments and were, at the time, the greatest infantry fighting force in the world. Similarly, it is also reminiscent of the Turkish Jannisary Corps, where sons of Christian families were taken and trained under strict discipline and in practically monastic conditions, to become the elite fighting force of the Ottoman Empire.
 * In Sparta, to become a warrior the child had to have no mental disability and could not be crippled. Training also began at an early age, usually at the age of 7. This is much like the SPARTAN-II's augmentations and training.
 * The SPARTAN-II Program was incorrectly referred to as the first group of super soldiers ever made by humanity on the back cover of Halo: The Fall of Reach. The SPARTAN-I Program was an element of Project: Orion, which occurred years earlier. However, this maybe officially the first successful group of Spartan's to see combat, whereas Avery J. Johnson was the only confirmed member of the ORION Project to participate in the war.
 * Despite ranking higher than some of the other UNSC Marine forces, most Spartan IIs have no official command authority over friendly troops assisting them in action.
 * In campaign gameplay, John-117 is the only Spartan that you can control and you can see. The games refer to him as the last surviving or, in Halo 3, active Spartan, contradicting other sources.
 * The Halo 3 Achievements "UNSC Spartan" and "Spartan Officer" both show the official Spartan-II seal.
 * In Halo Wars, if a Spartan on the opposing team is killed in front of other units, one may say "They can die!?" showing that those units were told the Spartans were invincible.
 * In Halo Wars, some Spartans will say "Yippe-ki-yay" after killing an enemy, a reference to Bruce Willis in his popular Die Hard series after killing the main boss in each film.
 * Sometimes, Spartans will shout, "For Samuel!", during battles in Halo Wars, as a refrence to Samuel-034's death on the Covenant Ship in Fall of Reach.
 * There are still 7 unnamed non-washed out Spartan IIs.
 * The Spartan-II seal resembles the Presidential Seal of Modern Day United States. It also has the Marathon (Video Game Series) symbol above the Eagle.