Special Operations Commander

The Special Operations Commander Elite is a Covenant Sangheili position.

Rank
Special Operations Commander is a position/office among the Elites, not an actual rank per se. Thus far, only an Ultra has been seen with this unique position, Rtas 'Vadum. A Special Operations Commander commands numerous units Special Operations Elites, much as the name of his position implies. They have no definite armor color, as 'Vadum is white like an Ultra Elite.

It is possible, that during the Second Battle of Earth, the Covenant Loyalists appointed a Jiralhanae to the position.

Armor
Thus far, only an Ultra has been featured holding this unique position. However, larger spec ops units are probably commanded by a Zealot, thus the armor type may have many variations. This is assuming Rtas 'Vadum's slightly different armor is indeed due to him being a spec ops commander. It is also to be noted that Spec Ops Commanders have Active Camouflage in their armor.

Units that are smaller than the one commanded by 'Vadum may have lower ranking elites in charge of them, but it is unlikely they are commanded by anything lower than a black armored Special Operations Officer (Zuka 'Zamamee for example).

Combat
Most of the time, the Special Operations Commanders are seen wielding Energy Swords, but can use any Covenant or UNSC weapon. They can also drive any Human or Covenant vehicle.

Rtas 'Vadum
This is a list of where 'Vadum appears in Halo 2. Note: He leads the SpecOp Elites that the Arbiter works with on Threshold.


 * The Arbiter - 'Vadum is the commander of the Special Operations force (Arbiter, Special Operations Elites, and Special Operations Grunts) that storms the Gas Mine, and coordinates the attack from the safety of a Phantom.
 * The Oracle - He joins in on the attack, fighting the Heretics and Flood. At one point, however, he and his men withdraw, leaving the Arbiter to fight off the enemies to kill the Heretic Leader. Then, 'Vadum appears to exfiltrate the Arbiter from the Gas Mine in his Phantom.
 * The Sacred Icon - Near the end of the level, when the Arbiter reaches the SpecOp Elites' Base Camp, he meets up with Rtas 'Vadum who's in charge of the troops of the camp. With Rtas 'Vadum, the Arbiter & the other SpecOps Elites defend the area until a Phantom arrives and clears the area & drops a Spectre.
 * Quarantine Zone - Special Operations Elites assisted the Arbiter in forging a path to the Library. About at the two-thirds mark, Rtas 'Vadum sent a Phantom with another Spectre and more Spec Ops Elites to assist. When the Covenant force reached the gondolas, further Elites defended the Gondola from Flood attacks. When the Gondola halted, Elites awaited on the Gondola to protect their sole exfiltration craft as the Arbiter retrieved the Sacred Icon. It is likely that the Brutes slaughtered the remaining commandos that were defending the Gondola - one of the first acts of the Covenant Civil War.
 * The Great Journey - Rtas 'Vadum drives a Wraith, escorting the Arbiter to the mouth of the Brute fortress before leaving the Arbiter to kill the Chieftain Tartarus, moving instead to retake a Brute-held CCS-class Battlecruiser in extreme low orbit.

Trivia

 * It's interesting to note how 'Vadum is not seen answering to a Zealot. In fact, he is featured answering directly to the High Prophets. There is a possible explanation for this on his page's "trivia" section.

Known Spec Ops Commanders

 * Rtas 'Vadum
 * Zuka 'Zamamee (Possible)

Related Links

 * Sangheili
 * Special Operations Elite