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{{Era|RE|GOO|HE}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Ratings}}
{{Disambig header|the third supersoldier program|other uses|Spartan (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Military Unit
{{Military infobox
 
|image=[[File:Newspartan3s.jpg|320px]]
|image = [[File:SpartanIII.jpg|300px]]
|formed=[[2531]]-[[2552]]
|unit_name = Spartan-III Program
|affiliation=[[Unified Earth Government]]
|dates = [[2531]] - [[2552]]
|branch=[[UNSC Navy]]
|allegiance = [[United Nations Space Command]]
*[[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Weapons]]
|branch = *[[UNSC Navy]]
|type=Special operations
**[[ONI]]
|role=
**[[Beta-5 Division]]
|size=*[[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]] - 300 (destroyed)
|type = Special Operations
*[[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]] - 300 (destroyed)
|size = *[[Alpha Company]] - Killed In Action
*[[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]] - 330
*[[Beta Company]] - Killed In Action
*[[SPARTAN-III Delta Company|Delta Company]] - Unknown
*[[Gamma Company]] - Active
*"Cat 2" teams - Unknown
*[[Delta Company]] - Inactive
*[[Headhunters]] - Unknown
*[[Noble Team]] - Active as of [[2552]]
|nicknames=
|garrison = [[Camp Currahee]]
|battles=*[[Insurrection]]
|equipment = *[[SPI Armor]]
*[[Human-Covenant War]]
*[[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V (B)]]
|commanders=*[[James Ackerson|Colonel James Ackerson]]
*[[MA5K Carbine|MA5K Carbines]]
*[[Kurt Ambrose|Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose]]
*[[Designated Marksman Rifle]]
*[[Franklin Mendez|Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez]]
|battles = *[[Operation: PROMETHEUS]]
*[[Operation: TORPEDO]]
*[[Fall of Reach]]
*[[Battle of Onyx]]
*[[Battle of New Constantinople]]
*[[Insurrection of Mamore]]
*[[Bonanza Asteroid Belt]]
|commanders = *[[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]]
*[[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Kurt-051]]
*[[Senior Chief Petty Officer]] [[Franklin Mendez]]
|notable_commanders = *[[Carter-A259]]
*[[Tom-B292]]
*[[Lucy-B091]]
*[[Ash-G099]]
}}
}}
{{Quote|Make the units better with new technology. Make more of them. And make them cheaper.|[[James Ackerson|Colonel James Ackerson]]<ref name="Page 44">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''pages 44-48''</ref>}}


{{Quote|Make the units better with new technology. Make more of them. And make them cheaper.|[[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]]}}
The '''SPARTAN-III program''' was a top-secret project initiated by the [[Beta-5 Division]] of the [[Office of Naval Intelligence|Office of Naval Intelligence's]] [[ONI Section Three|Section Three]] in order to produce cheap and expendable supersoldiers to stem the tide of the [[Covenant]]'s onslaught against the [[Outer Colonies]].{{Ref/Reuse|Page 44}} In active combat service between [[2536]] and [[2552]], the SPARTAN-IIIs turned the tide of several critical battles of the [[Human-Covenant War]]. After the war, the remaining SPARTAN-III personnel were given the opportunity to join the newly formed [[Spartan Operations]], supplementing the numbers of the [[SPARTAN-IV program|SPARTAN-IVs]].<ref name="SIV">'''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''', ''page 435''</ref>


The '''SPARTAN-III Program''' was an [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], [[Office of Naval Intelligence|Section-III]], [[Beta-5 Division]] program to produce cheap and expendable super soldiers to fight for the survival of [[Humanity]] and the [[UNSC]] colonies.
The SPARTAN-III project was both a successor and supplement to the [[SPARTAN-II program]]. Created and engineered by [[James Ackerson|Colonel James Ackerson]] of the Office of Naval Intelligence, the SPARTAN-IIIs were to be the next generation of supersoldiers. Composed primarily of vengeful orphans from fallen [[Human colonies|colonies]],<ref name="Page 70">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 70''</ref> they would be cheaper to arm, train, and produce; being chosen from a wider pool of candidates, they would also be more numerous than their SPARTAN-II predecessors. They would rely more heavily on teamwork and sheer numbers than advanced technology and equipment to achieve effectiveness.{{Ref/Reuse|Page 44}}
 
==Introduction==
The SPARTAN-III Program was the successor and replacement to the [[Spartan-II]] Program. Created and engineered by Colonel Ackerson of the Office of Naval Intelligence, the SPARTAN-III soldiers were to be the next generation of supersoldiers. Composed primarily of vengeful orphans from fallen colonies,<ref name="Page 70">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', page 70 </ref> they would be cheaper to arm, train, and produce; chosen from a wider pool of candidates, and more numerous than their SPARTAN-II predecessors. They would rely on superior battle tactics, teamwork, and sheer numbers rather than technology and equipment, to achieve their effectiveness.<ref name="Page 44">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', pages 44 - 48 </ref>


==Purpose==
==Purpose==
The SPARTAN-II program had been a dazzling success for the [[UNSC]]. Tales of Spartan super soldiers fighting off thousands of [[Covenant]] attacks had become the stuff of legend. Unfortunately, there were too few SPARTAN-IIs to turn the tide of the war. Even worse, the director for the program, Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]], had postponed the training of new Spartan-IIs for years due to the extremely specific genetic requirements for the children to be selected (this was one of [[Ackerson]]'s issues with the program).
The [[SPARTAN-II program]] had been a dazzling success for the UNSC. Tales of Spartan supersoldiers fighting off thousands of [[Covenant]] attacks had become the stuff of legend. Unfortunately, there were too few SPARTAN-IIs to turn the tide of the war. Worse, the program's director, [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]], had postponed the training of new SPARTAN-IIs for years due to the specific age selection criteria, despite having candidates who met the genetic requirements.{{Ref/Reuse|Page 44}}


The SPARTAN-II program also had several problems and deficiencies which overshadowed its success to [[ONI]]. Firstly, the high mortality rate of the children during augmentation was counter-productive to the purpose, drive, and ambition of the program. Next, funding the Spartan program, plus their [[MJOLNIR Armor]] and training for the Spartans cost as much as a [[Battle Group]], at least according to [[Captain]] [[Rich]]. Third, there were far too few of them for them to turn the tide of the war. Finally, the Spartan-II program had gone public for morale. Even though it was a huge morale boost to the UNSC, it was a problem for most of the Office of Naval Intelligence. ONI operated in secrecy, and anything that shone light on their operations was seen as detrimental to their efforts.
The SPARTAN-II program also had several problems and deficiencies which overshadowed its success to the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]. Firstly, the high mortality rate of the children during [[SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures|augmentation]] was counterproductive to the goal of the program. Next, funding the Spartans, including [[SPARTAN-II training|their training]] and [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|Mjolnir armor]], cost as much as a [[battle group]], at least according to [[Ned Rich|Rear Admiral Ned Rich]].{{Ref/Reuse|Page 44}} Third, there were far too few of them for them to turn the tide of the war. Finally, even though the SPARTAN-II program was not formally revealed to the public until [[2547]],<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=intel&cid=24024 '''Bungie.net''': ''The Spartan Project'']</ref> the Spartans and their exploits had already attained a near-legendary status within the UNSC. Even though the Spartans provided huge morale boost to the UNSC, it was a problem for most of the Office of Naval Intelligence. ONI operated in secrecy, and anything that shone light on their operations was seen as detrimental to their efforts.


The SPARTAN-III's were designed to be better trained, cheaper, and expendable. They would be trained in companies of 300 to 330 at a time, and then sent on suicide missions that the UNSC could not accomplish even with the elite [[ODST]]s. Though the casualty rates of the S-IIIs stood at 100 percent on some missions, to ONI, all the operations were strategic successes. They were trading lives for time against the larger and technologically superior [[Covenant Empire]]. ONI hoped that in time, enough Spartans would survive to train more and more future Spartans, swelling the ranks of available super soldiers from only thirty SPARTAN-IIs in [[2531]] to a hundred thousand SPARTAN-IIIs within ten to twenty years.<ref name="Page 44"/>
The SPARTAN-IIIs were designed to be cheap and expendable. Trained in companies of around 300 at a time with a training regimen tougher than that of the SPARTAN-II program,<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 67''</ref> they were ultimately sent on high-risk missions that the UNSC could not accomplish even with the elite [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 15''</ref> Though the casualty rates of the SPARTAN-IIIs stood at 100 percent on some missions, to ONI, all the operations were strategic successes. They were trading lives for time against the larger and technologically superior [[Covenant]]. ONI hoped that in time, enough Spartans would survive to train progressively more future Spartans, swelling the ranks of available supersoldiers from only 30 SPARTAN-IIs in [[2531]] to roughly 100,000 SPARTAN-IIIs within two decades.{{Ref/Reuse|Page 44}} However, this ultimately never came to pass due to budgetary restrictions and the [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|SPARTAN-III augmentations]] being compatible with only a small percentage of the population.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 82-83''</ref>


==Personnel==
==SPARTAN-III companies==
[[File:Spartan III Alpha Company.png|thumb|250px|Members of Alpha Company being inspected by one of their trainers.]]
===Alpha Company===
===Alpha Company===
*[[Noble Team]]
{{Main|SPARTAN-III Alpha Company}}
**[[Emile-A239]] - Active as of 2552
On [[2532#December|December 27, 2532]], the first group of SPARTAN-IIIs, known as Alpha Company, was sent to [[Onyx]] to be trained at [[Camp Currahee]]. They were led by [[Kurt Ambrose]], a SPARTAN-II who had been abducted by ONI to administer the program. Of the 497 candidates who were conscripted, only 300 became Spartans.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 69''</ref> This class of Spartans all survived the augmentations and was activated in November of [[2536]]. Their record was at first exemplary, as they saw action at the [[Mamore insurrections#2536-2537|Mamore]], the [[Battle of New Constantinople|New Constantinople]], and the [[Bonanza Asteroid Belt]].<ref name="goo88">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 88''</ref> Nine months after activation, Alpha Company was deployed on [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]], a mission to destroy a Covenant shipyard on asteroid [[K7-49]]. All Spartans deployed on the mission were killed.{{Ref/Reuse|Page 83}}
**[[Carter-A259]] - Active as of 2552
 
**[[Jun-A266]] - Active as of 2552
However, Ambrose and Mendez had extracted a number of Spartans from the general population of Alpha Company before Operation: PROMETHEUS. These Spartans were assigned to other units, sometimes within other branches of the military. Many were issued [[Mjolnir armor]]. At least seven of these Spartans remained active as of early [[2552]]: [[Carter-A259]], [[Jun-A266]], [[Emile-A239]], and [[Thom-A293]] (all of whom served on [[NOBLE Team]]) as well as [[Rosenda-A344]],<ref name="comm">[http://halo.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=personnel&cid=24040 '''Bungie.net''': ''Communique from Kurt to Mendez'']</ref> [[Hazel-A302]], and [[Kevin-A282]].<ref name="HFBS">'''Halo: Fractures''', ''Breaking Strain''</ref>
*[[Team Wolf Pack]]
**[[Spartan-Jane|Jane-A???]] - KIA
**[[Spartan-Shane|Shane-A???]] - KIA
**[[Spartan-Robert|Robert-A???]]- KIA
*'''Others'''
**[[Kai-A019]] - Unknown status


===Beta Company===
===Beta Company===
*[[Team Echo]] - KIA
{{Main|SPARTAN-III Beta Company}}
*[[Team Foxtrot]]
Beta Company was approved and its candidates identified immediately after Operation: PROMETHEUS in [[2537#July|July 2537]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoO8|GoO|Chapter=8}} 418 candidates were conscripted and began training circa [[2539]],{{Ref/Novel|Id=GoO9|GoO|Chapter=9}}{{Ref/Anthology|Id=LL|Fra|Story=Lessons Learned}}{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P106|Enc22|Page=106}}{{Ref/Note|Id=Beta|''[[Lessons Learned]]'' establishes that Tom-B292 and Lucy-B091 were six years old when they started their training. Page 106 of the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)]]'' establishes that Tom and Lucy were born on April 14, 2533 and January 28, 2533, respectively. This makes Beta Company's start date somewhere between April 2539 and January 2540.}} and it was from these candidates that the final company of 300 was formed.{{Ref/Reuse|GoO9}} Disheartened at the loss of Alpha Company, Ambrose used a tougher training program and more thoroughly trained them in unit cohesiveness. Despite their superior training, they were similarly massacred in [[Operation: TORPEDO]] in [[2545]]. From the entire company, only two participants survived the battle: [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''Prologue''</ref>
**[[Adam-B004]] - KIA
 
**[[Lucy-B091]] - Active in [[Shield World]]
As with Alpha Company, several members of Beta Company deemed too valuable to be wasted on suicide missions were pulled out of the unit before Operation: TORPEDO. Some of them were initially assigned to non-combat roles as cover, much to Colonel Ackerson's dismay, as he wanted to have all available Spartans in the field. Like the personnel extracted from Alpha Company, they were issued with special equipment such as Mjolnir. These included [[Catherine-B320]] and [[SPARTAN-B312]], both of whom later served on [[NOBLE Team]], as well as [[SPARTAN-B170]].{{Ref/Reuse|comm}}
**[[Min-B174]] - KIA
**[[Tom-B292]] - Active in Shield World
*[[Team India]] - KIA
*[[Team Lima]] - KIA
*[[Team X-ray]] - MIA
*[[Team Romeo]] – KIA
*Team Zulu - KIA
*[[Noble Team]]
**[[Kat-B320]] - Active as of 2552.
**[[SPARTAN-B312|B312]] - Active as of 2552.


===Gamma Company===
===Gamma Company===
*[[Team Gladius]] – KIA - Found deceased after several days of fleeing from [[Sentinels]].
{{Main|SPARTAN-III Gamma Company}}
*[[Team Katana]] - Inside of [[Slipspace Field Pods]] at the shield world [[Onyx]]. Currently traveling with the surviving SPARTAN-IIIs/IIs.
[[File:Halo Last Light cover.jpg|250px|thumb|[[Olivia-G291]] with [[Frederic-104]] and [[Special Inspector]] [[Veta Lopis]] in [[Gao]]'s [[Montero Cave System]], with [[Ash-G099]] and [[Mark-G313]] in the background left.]]
*[[Team Saber]]
Gamma Company was trained with the help of the only two SPARTAN-IIIs from Beta Company who survived Operation: TORPEDO: [[Tom-B292]] and [[Lucy-B091]]. Lieutenant Commander Ambrose regarded Gamma Company as the finest of the SPARTAN-III companies. 330 candidates were selected, on average only six years old, and at Ambrose's request all 330 were approved for graduation. Every one of them survived the [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|augmentation procedures]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 96-120''</ref> Gamma Company received deployment orders only a few weeks after the [[Fall of Reach]] and most left Onyx before the [[Onyx Conflict]] occurred.<ref name="g139">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 139''</ref> Only fifteen SPARTAN-IIIs of Gamma Company remained on Onyx as they competed for top honors. Following the battle, seven had been killed in action. [[Team Saber]] was the only Gamma Company team to fight alongside the SPARTAN-II unit [[Blue Team]]. With the help of their older, more experienced counterparts, they successfully fought off a Covenant attack along with destroying a [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinel]] [[Sentinel manufacturing facility|manufacturing facility]]. Ultimately, the surviving SPARTAN-IIIs escaped to the [[Trevelyan|shield world]] at the core of Onyx.<ref name="Page 369">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 369-383''</ref>
**[[Holly-G003]] - KIA <ref>[[Halopedia:Letter - Re:Spartan-Holly|Letter from Eric Nylund]]</ref>
 
**[[Ash-G099]] - Active in Shield World.
After the [[Human-Covenant War]], the main body of Gamma Company was integrated into the newly formed [[Spartan Operations]] branch, though some members were returned to non-combatant status.<ref name="Catalog">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2969315_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2969315 '''Halo Waypoint:''' ''Catalog Interaction, Page 14'']</ref> The SPARTAN-IIIs on Onyx (having joined Blue Team) were later recovered by the Office of Naval Intelligence. They continued to serve with Blue Team until July 2553, when [[Margaret Parangosky|Admiral Margaret Parangosky]] decided to reassign the three Gamma Company Spartans into a top-secret "[[Ferret]]" unit while officially listing them as KIA to prevent knowledge of their illegal enhancements.<ref name="hll330">'''[[Halo: Last Light]]''', ''pages 330-331'' (Google Play edition)</ref> The Ferret team later worked with Blue Team again to [[Operation: RETRIBUTION|stop]] a [[bioweapon]] plot.{{Ref/Reuse|Retribution}} [[SPARTAN-G059]] remained in active service and was deployed on a mission to assassinate [[Avu Med 'Telcam]] on [[2558#January|January 2558]].<ref name="TSKB">'''Halo: Tales from Slipspace''', ''Knight Takes Bishop''</ref> In around 2557, the Ferrets were declared [[Missing in action]] and presumed dead by the UNSC after all contact was lost with them. The Ferrets eventually resurfaced in October 2559 during [[Operation: WOLFE]] where it was revealed that they had been working deep undercover in the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]].{{Ref/Reuse|SoR}}
**[[Dante-G188]] - KIA
 
**[[Spartan-Mark|Mark-G???]] - Active in Shield World.
===Delta Company===
**[[Spartan-Olivia|Olivia-G???]] - Active in Shield World.<ref name="Page 369"/>
{{Main|SPARTAN-III Delta Company}}
Delta Company was proposed and [[Camp Currahee]] was being prepared for the candidates' arrival when the Onyx Conflict began on [[2552#October|October 31, 2552]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 121''</ref> The fate of the company following the loss of Onyx and their would-be trainer Kurt is unknown.<ref name="Encyclopedia">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]''' (2011 edition) - "Chapter Three: Spartans", ''page 87''</ref> Given the subsequent end of the war, Delta Company was likely disbanded.
 
==Non-company teams==
In addition to the standard company formations, many SPARTAN-IIIs were withdrawn after training to serve in specialist units. Most of these Spartans served under the operational command of the Navy and the [[UNSC Army|Army]],<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''pages 29, 62, 101-105, 130, 139, and 165''</ref> though some served in the [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]],<ref>'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 101''</ref> and a select few in the [[UNSC Air Force|Air Force]];<ref>'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 139''</ref> ONI's [[Beta-5 Division]] considered specialist SPARTAN-III teams useful bargaining chips in the internal politics of the [[United Nations Space Command]] armed forces, using them to achieve ends relevant to their interests such as securing given branches' leadership support for the program.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/carter-a259 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Carter-A259'']</ref>
 
Alpha and Beta Companies initially had 497 and 418 candidates, respectively, although only 300 would become Spartans within each company. Of the "washouts" from these companies, most would later become drill instructors for their successors. However, there may still have been a large recruitment pool from which to draw members for specialist teams. At least six Spartans — [[Emile-A239]], [[Carter-A259]], [[Jun-A266]], [[Thom-A293]],<ref name="Waypoint 51">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm3015253_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post3015253 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction (Page 51)'']</ref> [[Kevin-A282]],{{Ref/Reuse|HFBS}} and [[Rosenda-A344]],{{Ref/Reuse|Waypoint 51}} were culled from Alpha Company, though the extent of these personnel withdrawals is unknown. Lieutenant Commander Ambrose believed that as much as 1.08% of Beta Company could be folded into base personnel prior to the [[Operation: TORPEDO|attack]] on [[Pegasi Delta]], which was expected to be a bloodbath: [[SPARTAN-B312]] was pulled immediately after training and deployed as a "lone wolf" by an unknown superior; [[Catherine-B320]] was extracted (with difficulty) after [[Operation: CARTWHEEL]] and assigned to NOBLE Team. Ambrose also attempted to send [[Lucy-B091]] and [[SPARTAN-B170]] on deep, long-term reconnaissance to keep them away from Operation: TORPEDO;{{Ref/Reuse|comm}} Lucy ultimately participated in the battle, though B170's fate is unknown. Rosenda-A344 served in the non-company personnel rotation and was considered as a possible replacement for Emile-A239's position as Noble Four due to the latter's excessive hostility toward [[Insurrectionist]]s.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=personnel&cid=24523 '''Bungie.net''': ''Emile-A239 personnel profile'']</ref> With Gamma Company, all 330 trainees officially graduated as part of the company, although the three best-ranked teams were set apart from the main body of the unit and remained on Onyx for additional training exercises even as the rest of the company was deployed into combat.{{Ref/Reuse|g139}}
 
===Headhunters===
[[File:Spivariant.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Jonah-B283]] and [[Roland-B210]], a Headhunter team.]]
{{Main|Headhunters}}
Only SPARTAN-IIIs who had survived two or more specially assigned training missions could join the "Headhunters". These two-man teams of SPARTAN-IIIs went on missions far behind enemy lines and were typically expected to die in combat. The Headhunters' existence was secret even to their peers. Once selected, candidates for the program were separated from their fellow Spartans and sent to specialist training camps on the far side of [[Onyx]].<ref name="hh161">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "Headhunters", ''page 161''</ref> The Headhunters were comprehensively evaluated in order to ensure an effective bond between the members of each team. A contingent of six two-man teams, as well as five additional Headhunters, was maintained at all times to ensure the program's numbers remained constant should one or both members of a team be lost.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "Headhunters", ''page 160''</ref> At least two Headhunters, [[Jonah-B283]] and [[Roland-B210]], wore [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor|SPI armor]] that was more advanced than the suits issued to most SPARTAN-IIIs: it included [[energy shielding]], [[motion tracker]]s, and [[Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance|VISR]] technology, and could also support a prototype [[active camouflage]] module.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "Headhunters", ''pages 163-165''</ref> The Headhunter program remains active following the establishment of the Spartan branch, albeit with some organizational changes.<ref name="havesmoa">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-have-s-moa '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder: Have S'moa'']</ref>
 
===Mjolnir-equipped teams===
Out of those SPARTAN-IIIs withdrawn from their companies, many were equipped with [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]] and deployed similarly to the SPARTAN-IIs rather than on suicide missions like their peers.<ref>See references under "[[SPARTAN-III program#Non-company teams|Non-company teams]]".</ref><ref>'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', pages ''33, 66, 119''</ref><!--To save space, I've limited the references to pages that explicitly refer to SPARTAN-IIIs wearing Mjolnir. The pages listed in the "Non-company teams" references also apply here. Obviously, all sources relating to NOBLE (i.e. Reach and Birth of a Spartan) also apply, since they're the most important of these non-company units.--><ref>'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 146''</ref> These Mjolnir-clad SPARTAN-IIIs played a crucial role in many battles throughout the war in every branch of the military. Since the public was not aware of the distinction between the SPARTAN-IIs and the SPARTAN-IIIs, the latter let their predecessors take credit for their actions.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "Headhunters", ''page 158''</ref>
 
Many Mjolnir-clad SPARTAN-IIIs defended the planet [[Reach]] during the Covenant's invasion of the planet. [[Gauntlet Team|Gauntlet]], [[Red Team (SPARTAN-III)|Red]], and [[Echo Team]]s were rumored to be deployed in civilian evacuation operations on August 23.<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[New Alexandria]]''</ref> Concurrently, an unknown number of both SPARTAN-IIIs and SPARTAN-IIs were deployed to the capital city of [[Casbah]] on [[Tribute]]. A SPARTAN-III fireteam held off a bevy of Covenant vessels while a small number of civilians escaped aboard a transport craft. Though the entire team was killed, the SPARTAN-IVs on {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} would later pay homage to their courage with a [[Landfall|simulation]] of [[Battle of Tribute#Battle of Casbah|the engagement]].{{Ref/Reuse|Casbah}} By 20:00 hours on August 30, [[Thirteen dead Spartans|thirteen SPARTAN-IIIs]] had perished near the [[Asźod ship breaking yards]], the last evacuation point on the continent of [[Eposz]]; soon, [[SPARTAN-B312]] of NOBLE Team would die in the same location in a valiant last stand.{{Ref/Reuse|lonewolf}}
 
====NOBLE Team====
[[File:Noble Team.jpg|thumb|250px|[[NOBLE Team]].]]
{{Main|NOBLE Team}}
NOBLE Team was a [[UNSC Special Forces|special operations]] fireteam of the UNSC's [[Special Warfare Command]]. Unlike the Headhunter program, NOBLE Team was entirely separate from the SPARTAN-III program, being made up of Spartans extracted from both Alpha and Beta Companies and serving under the [[UNSC Army|Army's]] operational jurisdiction.<ref name="reports">[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?cid=24530 '''Bungie.net''': ''NOBLE TEAM PERFORMANCE REPORTS'']</ref>
 
Composed of five SPARTAN-IIIs and one SPARTAN-II, NOBLE Team was issued [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|Mjolnir armor]] rather than the [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]] issued to most SPARTAN-IIIs. Their most notable combat deployment was during the [[Fall of Reach]]. The team was commanded by [[Carter-A259]], with [[Catherine-B320]] as his second-in-command. All but [[Jun-A266]]<ref>'''[[Halo: Initiation]]''', ''[[Halo: Initiation Issue 1|Issue #1]]''</ref> were killed in combat during the Fall of Reach.<ref name="lonewolf">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Lone Wolf]]''</ref> NOBLE Team's sacrifice was later commemorated with a statue at [[Hősök tere]] in the city of [[New Alexandria (location)|New Alexandria]] on Reach.<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach Legendary Edition]]''' [[:File:Journal Package Letter.jpg|Letter "Dear Cousin"]]</ref>
{{Clear}}
==Operational history==
The operational history of the SPARTAN-III program has been marked by success and tragedy. Many of the operations undertaken by the soldiers were suicide missions, but were regarded as successes by the UNSC.{{Ref/Reuse|Page 44}}
 
===2531===
*October 24 — Colonel Ackerson' proposal for the SPARTAN-III program is approved.
*December 27 — Alpha Company begins training.


===Others===
[[File:HM-SIIIs.png|thumb|250px|SPARTAN-IIIs in combat.]]
*[[Headhunters]]
===2536–2537===
'''Team 1'''
*October/November 2536 — Alpha Company finishes training and is deployed into combat.
**[[Jonah]] - KIA.
*Alpha Company quells [[Mamore insurrections#2536-2537|an insurrection]] on [[Mamore]] — Success.
**[[Roland (Spartan)|Roland]] - KIA.
*[[Battle of New Constantinople]] — Success.
'''Team 2'''
*Operations in the [[Bonanza asteroid belt]] — Success.
**Unnamed SPARTAN-III - KIA - Participated in a failed mission on an unnamed Covenant moon.
*Operations on the [[Far-gone]] — Success.{{Ref/Reuse|goo88}}
**Unnamed SPARTAN-III - KIA - Participated in a failed mission on an unnamed Covenant moon.
*Six other successful battles in which Alpha Company participated.<ref name="Page 83">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 81-83''</ref>
*July 2537 — Candidates for Beta Company are selected.{{Ref/Reuse|Page 83}}<ref name="mythos76">'''Halo Mythos''', ''page 76''</ref>
*July 27–August 2, 2537 — [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]] — Pyrrhic success; all participants confirmed KIA.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 83-88''</ref>


*[[Noble Team]]
===2539–2540===
**[[Thom-293]] - KIA.
*Between April 2539 and January 2540 — Beta Company's candidates begin training.{{Ref/Reuse|LL}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P106}}{{Ref/NoteReuse|Beta}}
*[[SPARTAN-344]]- Unknown Status.


==Spartan-III Companies==
===2544===
===Alpha Company===
*July — Gamma Company is activated.{{Ref/Reuse|mythos76}}
{{Main|Alpha Company}}
[[File:Spartan III Alpha Company.png|thumb|A section of Alpha Company being inspected by Franklin Mendez.]]
On December 27, [[2531]], the first group of Spartan-III's, known as Alpha Company, were sent to [[Onyx]] to be trained. Of the&nbsp;497 candidates conscripted, only&nbsp;300 became Spartans. This class of [[Spartan]]s all survived the augmentations and was activated in November of [[2536]]. Their record was at first exemplary, as they saw action at the insurrection of [[Mamore]], the [[Battle of New Constantinople]], and the [[Bonanza Asteroid Belt]]. Nine months after they were activated, they were massacred in [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]]. All of the three-hundred Spartans on the mission were supposedly killed. The only fire team mentioned for Alpha Company is [[Team Wolf Pack]].<ref name="Page 83"/>


===Beta Company===
===2545===
{{Main|Beta Company}}
*Beta Company is deployed at some point prior to May 2545.{{Ref/Reuse|comm}}
Beta Company was approved right after Operation: PROMETHEUS in [[2537]].&nbsp;418 candidates were&nbsp;conscripted in [[2539]], but only&nbsp;300 became Spartans. [[Kurt-051]] was disheartened at the loss of his first Spartans, and trained this group in unit cohesiveness along with a tougher training program. Though they were even better trained than the previous Spartans, they were similarly massacred in [[Operation: TORPEDO]] in [[2545]]. Only two members from the entire company survived the battle.<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''Prologue''</ref><ref>''Game Informer'' February Issue</ref>
*[[Operation: CARTWHEEL]] — Unknown.{{Ref/Reuse|comm}}
*July 3, 2545 — [[Operation: TORPEDO]] — Pyrrhic success; all but two participants confirmed KIA.


===Gamma Company===
===2548===
{{Main|Gamma Company}}
*[[Battle of Meridian]] - [[Owen-B096]] helps defend the colony world of [[Meridian]] from Covenant attack.
Gamma Company was trained with the help of the only two surviving Spartan-IIIs from Beta Company: [[Spartan-B292]] and [[Spartan-B091]]. Gamma Company was said by Kurt to be the finest of the Spartan-III companies ever. 330 candidates were selected, on average only six years old; and at the request of Kurt, all 330 were approved. Every one of them survived the augmentation procedures.<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', pages 96-120</ref> Gamma Company received deployment orders only a few weeks after the [[Battle of Reach]], and most left Onyx before the [[Battle of Onyx]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', page 139</ref> Left on Onyx were only fifteen Spartan-IIIs who were competing for top honors. By the time the Battle of Onyx was over, seven had been killed in action. Teams Gladius and Katana were not present in the early stages of the battle, leaving only [[Team Saber]]. Team Saber was the only Spartan-III unit to fight alongside the Spartan-II unit [[Blue Team]]. With the help of their older, more experienced counterparts, they successfully fought off a Covenant attack along with destroying a [[Sentinel]] manufacturing facility. In the end, the surviving Spartan-IIIs had to escape to the [[Shield World]].<ref name="Page 369">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', pages 369-383</ref>


===Delta Company===
===2551–2552===
{{Main|Delta Company}}
*February 2551 — The 330 Spartans of Gamma Company are augmented aboard {{UNSCShip|Hopeful}}.
Delta Company was proposed, and [[Camp Currahee]] was being prepared for their arrival when the Battle of Onyx occurred in [[2552]]. With the death of Spartan-051 and the disappearance of [[SCPO]] [[Mendez]] and Dr. Catherine Halsey, as well as the immediate concerns of the [[Battle of Earth]] and the partial disintergration of Onyx, it is highly unlikely that Delta Company will ever be trained.
*Sometime before November 2552 - Four SPARTAN-III Headhunters deployed on [[Unidentified moon (Headhunters)|Unidentified moon]]. All are confirmed KIA.
*July 24 to August 30, 2552 — NOBLE Team participates in the [[Fall of Reach]]. All but [[Jun-A266]] are confirmed KIA.  
**Concurrently, SPARTAN-IIIs are deployed to [[Casbah City]] on [[Tribute]] to assist civilian evacuation operations.<ref name="Casbah">'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 222''</ref>
*September–October, 2552 — The majority of Gamma Company is deployed into combat, with only three fireteams remaining on Onyx to compete for top honors.
*October 2552 — [[Camp Currahee]] receives supplies for the upcoming [[SPARTAN-III Delta Company]] from the {{UNSCShip|Agincourt}}.
*October 31, 2552 — November 3, 2552 — [[Onyx Conflict]].


==Special-Purposed==
===2553-2559===
A number of soldiers were specially selected and separated from their respected companies to fight in smaller fireteams.
*Gamma Company is disbanded, with the bulk of the unit folded into [[Spartan Operations]] or shifted to non-combatant roles.{{Ref/Reuse|Catalog}} By July 2553, Admiral Parangosky plans to assign the Spartans of Gamma Company to more classified roles to cover up their illegal brain mutations. The three survivors of [[Team Saber]] are officially designated KIA and reassigned to a top-secret "[[Ferret]]" black operations unit under agent [[Veta Lopis]].{{Ref/Reuse|hll330}} The Ferrets would later work alongside [[Blue Team]] in December 2553 during [[Operation: RETRIBUTION]] to foil a [[bioweapon]] plot.<ref name="Retribution">'''[[Halo: Retribution]]'''</ref>
*By 2554 Spartans [[Lucy-B091]] and [[Tom-B292]] are assigned as security staff members on [[Trevelyan]].
*January 21, 2558 - [[SPARTAN-G059]] deployed in [[New Llanelli]] by ONI in order to [[Assassination of Avu Med 'Telcam|assassinate]] [[Avu Med 'Telcam]], the leader of the [[Servants of Abiding Truth]].<ref name="tfs">'''[[Halo: Tales from Slipspace]]''', ''[[Knight Takes Bishop]]''</ref>
*October 29, 2558— ongoing — [[Second Onyx conflict]] featuring [[Lucy-B091]] and [[Tom-B292]].
*October 2559 - The [[Ferret]]s, having been declared [[Missing in action]] and presumed dead for over two years, resurface during [[Operation: WOLFE]], having secretly infiltrated the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]].


===Headhunters===
==Personnel==
{{main
===Training and psychology===
|1=Headhunters (Team)
{{Quote|multi=yes|q1=You've read Lord of the Flies, sir?|Chief Mendez|q2=I have, But your analogy will not hold. These children will have guidance. They will have discipline. And they have one thing no ordinary children have, not even the SPARTAN-II candidates. Motivation.|Kurt Ambrose|A conversation between [[Kurt-051]] and [[Franklin Mendez]]<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', page 70</ref>}}
|l1=Headhunters
[[File:Emile standing.png|thumb|265px|[[Emile-A239]] taunts a dead [[T'vaoan|Skirmisher]].]]
}}
The SPARTAN-IIIs are generally highly dedicated and goal-oriented.<ref name="hh158">'''Halo: Evolutions''', "Headhunters", ''pages 158-159''</ref> Much like the SPARTAN-IIs, their training emphasized duty as well as the importance of winning.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 96, 117, 322-323''</ref> Unlike with their predecessors, however, they had existing motivation upon which their indoctrination and training built as a result of their backgrounds as vengeful war orphans. The Spartans' motivation was a driving factor throughout the program: at least [[SPARTAN-III Alpha Company|Alpha Company]]'s training began with a test forcing the candidates (some of them only four years old) to perform a nighttime parachute jump to determine the extent of their willingness to participate in the program,<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 71''</ref> and gruelling vetting processes were used to pick the 300 trainees to become Spartans out of Alpha and [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta]] companies' original rosters of 497 and 418 candidates, respectively. This was largely driven by practical concerns: the program was operating on a limited budget and did not have the funding to augment and equip every trainee. It also introduced an additional element of competitiveness to the program, with fireteams fiercely contending for the opportunity to become Spartans.<ref name="goo c9">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapter 9</ref> [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]]'s post-augmentation training also concluded in a competition for top honors, pitting the three best-ranked fireteams against one another.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 117''</ref>


Only SPARTAN-IIIs that had survived two or more specially-assigned training missions would become a "Headhunter". These SPARTAN-IIIs would go onto missions far behind enemy lines and would more than likely be expected to die in combat. They are described as secrets even to their peers, and once selected, candidates for the program would be separated from their fellow Spartans.
Many of the SPARTAN-III candidates were very lively and aggressive, to the extent that some initially doubted whether they could be trained into effective soldiers at all.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 70, 79''</ref> However, the program was ultimately able to drill military discipline and teamwork into the trainees, and several improvements were introduced to the SPARTAN-IIIs' training over the program's successive generations to further ensure this. As in the SPARTAN-II program, teamwork and camaraderie among the trainees was both encouraged and developed naturally as a consequence of the Spartans' way of upbringing. As a result, the bonds among SPARTAN-III teams run extraordinarily deep;{{Ref/Reuse|hh158}} [[Kurt Ambrose]] described SPARTAN-III units as being "more family than fireteam",{{Ref/Reuse|goo c9}} a sentiment echoed by the SPARTAN-IIIs themselves.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 134''</ref>


===Noble Team===
The SPARTAN-IIIs' training regimen was designed to be tougher than that of the SPARTAN-IIs but was in many ways fashioned after that of the preceding program — complete with similar objective-oriented drills, including [[Ring the Bell]]. Many of their training exercises forced the trainees to improvise and think unconventionally, often pitting the Spartans-in-training against superior opponents with no weapons or armor. Like their predecessors, the SPARTAN-III trainees were given classroom lessons alongside their laborious combat training; the SPARTAN-IIIs' theoretical studies were overseen by ONI's resident AI at [[Zone 67]].{{Ref/Reuse|goo c9}} The SPARTAN-IIIs also studied the SPARTAN-IIs and their tactics,{{Ref/Reuse|g139}} and many of the traditions developed by the SPARTAN-IIs were passed on to the SPARTAN-IIIs, including the plethora of [[Spartan signals|gestures and signals]] they use to communicate silently.<ref name="Halo page 16">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 16''</ref> As one of the adjustments to the SPARTAN-IIIs' training over time, Kurt Ambrose placed supreme emphasis on teamwork with Beta Company as he attributed Alpha Company's destruction to the loss of unit cohesion. He also increased the severity of the training to the point of making AI [[Deep Winter]] concerned that the constant drills would break the children. However, Kurt was adamant that the hardships were necessary for the Spartans' survival in actual combat. Likewise, [[Franklin Mendez|SCPO Mendez]] was assured that the trainees would not break due to their sheer tenacity and drive for success.{{Ref/Reuse|goo c9}}
{{Main|Noble Team}}


[[File:Noble Team.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Noble Team.]]
The SPARTAN-III program was based in [[Camp Currahee]] on Onyx, with another facility for the further training of the [[Headhunters]] on the other side of the planet.{{Ref/Reuse|hh161}} The SPARTAN-IIIs' [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|augmentation procedures]] were carried out aboard the hospital ship {{UNSCShip|Hopeful}},<ref>'''[[Birth of a Spartan]]'''</ref> with entire decks emptied of regular personnel to ensure the program's utmost secrecy.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 97''</ref>


Noble Team is a Special Operations squad of Spartan-IIIs from both Alpha and Beta Companies. Composed of five Spartan-IIIs and an additional Spartan-II, Noble Team employs special tactics and expensive equipment such as MJOLNIR Armor. So far, they have only been seen in combat in the Fall of Reach. The team is commanded by Carter-A259, with Kat-B320 as the second in command.
===Organization===
The SPARTAN-III program was operated under the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]'s top-secret [[Beta-5 Division]], with both the project staff and the Spartans themselves falling under the [[UNSC Navy]].<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 38''</ref>{{Ref/Note|[[Ash-G099]] is referred to as a private on page 254 of ''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''. Since the rank of private does not exist in the Navy, this would ostensibly indicate Ash is a member of the Marine Corps or Army. Ash's rank is most likely an oversight, however, as all other personnel with known ranks involved in the SPARTAN-III program are part of the Navy, and the members of NOBLE Team maintained their Navy ranks despite being under the Army's operational control. Finally, in ''Halo: Glasslands'', Chief Mendez explicitly mentions that the SPARTAN-IIIs are Naval personnel.}} At least Kurt Ambrose was officially assigned under the UNSC's [[Naval Logistical Operations Command]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 122''</ref> Some of the SPARTAN-IIIs removed from their mainline companies served with other branches, although at least the members of [[NOBLE Team]] remained members of the Navy despite serving under the [[UNSC Army|Army]]'s operational authority. Most of the active SPARTAN-IIIs were folded into [[Spartan Operations]] following its establishment.{{Ref/Reuse|SIV}}{{Ref/Reuse|Catalog}}


==Operational History==
The size and composition of the fireteams in the mainline SPARTAN-III companies was seemingly more established than in the SPARTAN-II program, with the SPARTAN-III teams training together since the companies' initiation and training.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 86, 89, 372, et al.''</ref> It appears that the number of members per team increased by one every generation, with Alpha's [[Team Wolf Pack]] having three members, Beta's [[Team Foxtrot]] having four, and Gamma's three top-ranked fireteams having five, for example. The two-member [[Headhunters]] and the irregularly sized non-company "cat 2" teams deviated from this norm, however.
The Operational History of the Spartan-III Program has been marked by success and tragedy. Many of the operations undertaken by the soldiers were suicide missions, but were listed as successes by the UNSC.


===2536 - 2537===
===Alpha Company===
*Alpha Company is activated.
*[[Kai-A019]] - Unknown status.
*Alpha Company quells Insurrection at [[Mamore]] - Success.
*[[Robert-A057]] - Confirmed KIA during [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]]. Was part of [[Team Wolf Pack]].
*[[The Battle of New Constantinople]] - Success.
*[[Shane-A112]] - Confirmed KIA during Operation: PROMETHEUS. Was part of Team Wolf Pack.
*Operations in the [[Bonanza Asteroid Belt]] – Success.
*[[Jane-A203]] - Confirmed KIA during Operation: PROMETHEUS. Was part of Team Wolf Pack.
*Six other successful unnamed battles in which Alpha Company participated.<ref name="Page 83">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', pages 81-83</ref>
*[[Emile-A239]] - Reassigned to Noble Team. KIA during the [[Battle of Asźod]].
*July 27, [[2537]] - August 2, 2537 - [[Operation: PROMETHEUS]] – Success, all participants confirmed KIA.<ref>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', pages 83-88</ref>
*[[Carter-A259]] - Reassigned to Noble Team. KIA during the Battle of Asźod.
*[[Jun-A266]] - Reassigned to Noble Team. Retired. Holding position of [[Chief of Staff (Spartan)|Chief of Staff]] of [[Spartan Operations]] as of [[2558#October|October 2558]].<ref>[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2994218_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2994218 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction (Page 43)'']</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'''</ref>
*[[Kevin-A282]] - Active as of 2553
*[[Thom-A293]] - Reassigned to Noble Team. KIA during the [[Battle of Fumirole]].
*[[Hazel-A302]] - Active as of 2559
*[[Rosenda-A344]] - Reassigned, unknown status.


===2539===
===Beta Company===
*Candidates for Beta Company are selected.
*[[Team Echo]] - KIA during Operation: TORPEDO.
*[[Team Foxtrot]]
**[[Adam-B004]] - KIA during Operation: TORPEDO.
**[[Lucy-B091]] - Active as of 2558. Assigned as security staff member on [[Trevelyan]].<ref name="lessons">'''Halo: Fractures''', "Lessons Learned"</ref>
**[[Min-B174]] - KIA during Operation: TORPEDO.
**[[Tom-B292]] - Active as of 2558. Assigned as security staff member on Trevelyan.{{Ref/Reuse|lessons}}
*[[Team India]] - KIA during Operation: TORPEDO.
*[[Team Lima]] - KIA during Operation: TORPEDO.
*[[Team X-ray]] - KIA after encountering [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]].
*[[Team Romeo]] - KIA during Operation: TORPEDO.
*[[Headhunters]]
**'''Team 1'''
***[[Roland-B210]] - KIA during a mission to an unidentified moon
***[[Jonah-B283]] - KIA during a [[mission to an unidentified moon]]
*Others
**[[Owen-B096]] - Active as of 2559
**[[SPARTAN-B170]] - Unknown
**[[SPARTAN-B312]] - Reassigned to Noble Team. KIA following the [[Battle of Asźod]].
**[[Catherine-B320]] - Reassigned to Noble Team. KIA during the [[Siege of New Alexandria]].


===2545===
===Gamma Company===
*July 3rd, 2545 - [[Operation: TORPEDO]] – Success, all but two participants confirmed KIA.
*[[Team Gladius]] - KIA during the [[Onyx Conflict]].
*[[Team Katana]] - Severely injured, inside [[slipspace field pod]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 310''</ref> Status unknown following rescue and attempted medical attention.
*[[Team Saber]]
**[[Holly-G003]] - KIA during the Onyx Conflict.
**[[Ash-G099]] - Reassigned to [[Ferret]]s team. Active as of October 2559.
**[[Dante-G188]] - KIA during the Onyx Conflict.
**[[Olivia-G291]] - Reassigned to Ferrets team. Active as of October 2559.
**[[Mark-G313]] - Reassigned to Ferrets team. KIA during the [[Battle of Epsilon Clarion]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=HDW17|HDW|Chapter=17}}
*Others
**[[SPARTAN-G059]] - Active as of January 2558.


===2545 – 2552===
===Others===
*Candidates for Gamma Company are selected.
*Headhunters
*August 30th, [[2552]] - Noble Team participates in the [[Battle of Reach]].
**'''Team 2'''
*September/October, 2552 - The majority of Gamma Company are sent out on an unknown mission.
***Unidentified SPARTAN-III - KIA during a mission to an unidentified moon
*October 31st, 2552 - November 3, 2552 – [[Battle of Onyx]].
***Unidentified SPARTAN-III - KIA during a mission to an unidentified moon
*MJOLNIR-equipped teams
**[[Anchor Team]]
**[[Echo Team]]
**[[Gauntlet Team]]
**[[Noble Team]]
**[[Red Team (SPARTAN-III)|Red Team]]
**[[Strident Team]]


==Equipment==
==Equipment==
===SPI Armor===
===SPI armor===
{{Main|Semi-Powered Infiltration Armor}}
[[File:HGOO Kurt Crop.jpg|thumb|170px|A Spartan donning SPI armor.]]
{{Main|Semi-Powered Infiltration armor}}
Semi-Powered Infiltration armor (SPI) was the primary armor system used by the SPARTAN-IIIs. Though more advanced than the [[ODST armor|ODST combat suit]], it is considerably less powerful than the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|Mjolnir armor]].<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 207''</ref> Its main benefit was that it is drastically cheaper to produce than the MJOLNIR armor.<ref name="goo46">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 46''</ref>
 
Although the SPI bodysuit features a ballistic layer of liquid nanocrystals which provides significantly more protection than conventional body armor,<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 171''</ref> the armor is designed with an emphasis on stealth rather than raw power. It features [[photoreactive panel]]s that mimic the surrounding textures, giving its wearer a rough approximation of [[active camouflage]].{{Ref/Reuse|Halo page 16}} It lacks the [[energy shielding]] of the later models of MJOLNIR armor, and a single hit from an enemy [[Plasma weaponry|plasma weapon]] melts the suit's photoreactive panels, rendering its camouflage capabilities useless.<ref name="goo113">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 113''</ref> By [[2558]], the SPI armor had been mostly phased out of use by SPARTAN-IIIs and was presumably replaced with MJOLNIR GEN2 armor.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-fifty-caliber '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Canon Fodder: Fifty Caliber'']</ref> However, [[Team Saber]], working as an ONI [[Ferret]] team under [[Veta Lopis]], continued to use SPI armor for their covert missions rather than Mjolnir armor.{{Ref/Reuse|Retribution}}


[[Semi-Powered Infiltration Armor]], colloquially called "SPI Armor", was a powered [[armor]] system used by the Spartan-IIIs. Though far more advanced and far more powerful than the ODST [[Body Suits]], it was less advanced and less powerful than the MJOLNIR Armor used by the Spartan-IIs. Its main benefit was that it was drastically cheaper to produce than the MJOLNIR armor.
===MJOLNIR armor===
{{Main|MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor}}
SPARTAN-IIIs extracted from their companies were outfitted with the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor to improve their combat prowess. These included the SPARTAN-IIIs of NOBLE Team, who wore the first version of the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|Mark V]] in 2552. A variant of Mjolnir was designed specifically for Spartans serving in the Army's [[Special Warfare Command|SPECWAR/Group Three]]: [[Mark V(B) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|Mark V[B]]].<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Halo Universe''', ''page 94'' (2011 edition)</ref>


This armor was designed with an emphasis on stealth rather than raw power. It featured [[Camouflage Cloak|photo-reactive panels]] that mimic the surrounding textures, which was developed by [[UNSC]] scientists. It has been described as "part legionnaire mail, part tactical body armor, and part chameleon." It lacks the energy shielding of the Mark V and VI MJOLNIR armor designs, and a single "splash" from an enemy plasma weapon melts the suit's photo-reactive panels, rendering its camouflage capabilities useless.
Post-war, [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|MJOLNIR GEN2]] and [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN3)|MJOLNIR GEN3]] are standard-issue for all Spartans serving in the Spartan branch, including former SPARTAN-IIIs.


===Augmentation Procedures===
===Augmentation procedures===
[[File:BirthOfASpartan - Augmentation.png|thumb|A screen monitoring [[Carter-A259|A SPARTAN-III]]'s augmentations during Project: CHRYSANTHEMUM.]]
{{Main|Project CHRYSANTHEMUM}}
{{Main|Project CHRYSANTHEMUM}}
The Spartan-IIIs underwent enhancement procedures similar to those of the Spartan-IIs, but with higher success rates due to the advances in technology. The rate of survival went up from 44% for the Spartan-IIs to 100% for the Spartan-IIIs.
The SPARTAN-IIIs underwent enhancement procedures similar to [[SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures|those of the SPARTAN-IIs]], but with higher success rates due to advancements in technology. The rate of survival went up from 44% for the SPARTAN-IIs to 100% for the SPARTAN-IIIs.<ref name="goo63">'''Halo: Ghost of Onyx''', ''page 63''</ref>


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*The naming convention of the SPARTAN-III Companies follows the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc). Each individual SPARTAN-III's identifier becomes A,B or G (Letter of Company), followed by a three-digit number between 001 and 300, such as [[Ash-G099]]. This numbering system is very much like that of the SPARTAN-IIs.
*The number of 300 SPARTAN-IIIs in both Alpha and Beta companies, who were both massacred but completed their missions and killed many Covenant warriors in the process is a reference to the fabled last stand of the 300 [[Wikipedia:Sparta|Sparta]]ns in the [[Wikipedia:Battle of Thermopylae|Battle of Thermopylae]].
*For some reason, Ash-G099 was referred to as a Private. This may suggest that the SPARTAN-IIIs were actually Marine-esque personnel. Evidence of this includes the use of SOEIVs like the ODSTs, and their only known combat experience being ground-ops.
*The protagonist of ''[[Halo: Reach]]'' is [[SPARTAN-B312]], a SPARTAN-III who was pulled from Beta Company right after training.{{Ref/Reuse|comm}}
*The number of 300 SPARTAN-IIIs in both Alpha and Beta companies, who were both massacred but completed their missions and took many [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] with them (with the exception of Tom and Lucy in Beta, who survived) is a reference to the last stand of the 300 Spartans in the [[Battle of Thermopylae]].
*Kurt Ambrose wore SPI armor to connect further with Gamma Company during the Onyx Conflict.
*In ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', the main protagonist is [[SPARTAN-B312]], a SPARTAN-III that was pulled from Beta Company right before [[Operation: TORPEDO]] commences.<ref>[http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=personnel&cid=24040 '''Bungie.net:''' Letter from Kurt to Mendez]</ref>
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:HR_SpartanDevelopment_Concept.jpg|''[[Halo Reach]]'' concept art of SPARTAN-IIIs.
File:Headhunters.png|Headhunters [[Roland-B210]] and [[Jonah-B283]] during a mission on an unidentified moon in ''[[Headhunters (short story)|Headhunters]]''.
File:BirthOfASpartan - Augmentation.png|A screen monitoring [[Carter-A259]]'s status during [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM]] in ''[[Birth of a Spartan]]''.
File:BirthOfASpartan - AugmentationCarter.png|Carter undergoing his augmentation procedures.
File:BirthOfASpartan - Destiny.png|Carter receives his MJOLNIR armor.
File:Deliverhopekatandarmy.jpg|[[Catherine-B320]] and UNSC soldiers charge against Covenant forces in ''[[Deliver Hope]]''.
File:HRDH-Thom&Kat.jpg|[[Thom-A293]] comes across a wounded Kat during the [[Battle of Fumirole]].
File:HR Artwork NobleTeamHeroes.png|Artwork of Noble Team during the Fall of Reach for ''[[Halo: Reach]]''.
File:Jun_sniping.png|[[Jun-A266]] sniping from a [[UH-144 Falcon]].
File:Night 05.jpg|[[SPARTAN-B312]] during a nighttime recon mission on Reach.
File:Night 07.jpg|SPARTAN-B312 assassinates a Sangheili.
File:Emile_kukri.png|[[Emile-A239]] drawing his [[kukri]] in combat.
File:Jun SarahPalmer.png|Jun-A266 recruiting [[Sarah Palmer]] for the [[SPARTAN-IV program]] in ''[[Halo: Initiation]]''.
File:HM-MLGSIII.png|A SPARTAN-III engaging a Sangheili Minor in ''[[Halo Mythos]]''.
File:HM-FredOnyx.png|A SPARTAN-III and [[Frederic-104]] on [[Shield World 006]].
File:HM-BlueSIII.png|A SPARTAN-III of [[Blue Team]] during [[Operation: JOVIAN WHISTLE]].
File:HM-Gao.png|Mark-G313, Fred-104 and [[Veta Lopis]] fighting off the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]] in [[Wendosa]].
File:BattleBorn.jpg|[[Owen-B096]] on the cover of ''[[Halo: Battle Born]]''.
File:HTVS2 - S3Poster.jpg|SPARTAN-III program as depicted in ''[[Halo: The Television Series]]''.
</gallery>
 
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]'' {{Fm}}
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Headhunters (short story)|Headhunters]]''
**''[[Human Weakness]]'' {{Im}}
*''[[Remember Reach]]''
**''[[Birth of a Spartan]]''
**''[[Deliver Hope]]''
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'' {{C|Poster only}}
*''[[Halo 4]]''
**''[[Infinity Briefing Packet]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Initiation]]''
*''[[Halo: New Blood]]''
*''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]''
*''[[Halo: Last Light]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' {{C|Poster only}}
*''[[Halo: Ground Command]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
**''[[Lessons Learned]]''
**''[[Breaking Strain]]''
**''[[A Necessary Truth]]''
*''[[Halo: Tales from Slipspace]]''
**''[[Knight Takes Bishop]]''
*''[[Halo: Retribution]]''
*''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''
*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]''
*''[[Halo: Battle Born]]''
*''[[Halo: Outpost Discovery]]''
*''[[Halo: Meridian Divide]]''
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]''
*''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Winter Contention]]''
 
==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}
 
==References==
{{Reflist}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources|2}}


==Related Pages==
*[[SPARTAN-II Program|The SPARTAN-II Program]]
*[[Semi Powered Infiltration Armor]]
{{Spartan III}}
{{SpartanPrograms}}
{{SpartanPrograms}}
[[Category:Spartans]]
[[Category:Spartan-IIIs| ]]
[[Category:UNSC Special Forces]]
[[Category:UNSC Special Forces]]
[[Category:Spartans]]
[[Category:Human characters]]
Retrieved from "https://www.halopedia.org/Special:MobileDiff/211339...1623195"