The canonicity of this subject in the Metal Gear series is ambiguous. |
Destroy the Anti-Air Emplacements was a mission conducted by the private military group Militaires Sans Frontières early in 1975, at the backing of the United States military's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Prelude[]
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), consisting of chiefs representing the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps branches of the United States Armed Forces, acted as the highest authority in the U.S. Military, and as such took orders from the Secretary of Defense and the Pentagon. A MAGTF (Marine Air-Ground Task Force) heliborne assault, consisting of helicopters being utilized to drop troops at a location, as it was viewed to be a sufficient way to suppress insurgencies and conducting raids, was ordered on a prison facility in Cuba by the JCS. After obtaining evidence that the base had become a black-site, the JCS ordered for a MAGTF to descend on the base after several Pentagon undercover agents disappeared after being sent to the base. The government unofficially agreed to the JCS's plan, as the alternative was to face a diplomacy disaster should the interrogation and abductions be exposed.[2][3] Kazuhira Miller, the deputy commander for MSF, also secretly dispatched an Intel Team agent to the base, as he suspected Cipher's involvement in the creation of the black site and thought doing so would get them one step ahead of Cipher. However, it instead resulted in the agent's capture and imprisonment. Miller later admitted this to Big Boss and apologized for it, requesting that he save the agent if he's still alive.[4]
Unknown to either MSF or the JCS, the MAGTF operation had in fact already been leaked to the brass at the base, resulting in them evacuating long beforehand with the only people remaining on the base being the Marines kept in the dark and the enemy combatants, most likely to wipe them out with an impending bombing raid.[5]
Mission[]
On January 9, 1975 at 7:10,[1] the MSF was hired by the JCS to take out several anti-aircraft emplacements across one of their bases to ensure that their MAGTF succeeded. The government unofficially agreed to their involvement, due to the alternative of a diplomacy disaster.[3] Only three turrets being sabotaged would be considered enough to ensure the MAGTF had little problems. Once the base's defenses were down, the MAGTF would begin their assault. Big Boss arrived at the base, and proceeded to sabotage them. As the MAGTF were not made aware of MSF's presence at the base, Big Boss also needed to exfiltrate before the task force arrived.
Shortly into the mission, the MAGTF's amphibious assault carrier was discovered prematurely. This forced Big Boss to act fast in destroying the AA turrets due to the base being placed on high alert. Big Boss also rescued an MSF member who was captured who proceeded to relay everything he had uncovered as a result of his imprisonment.
After successfully destroying the targets, Miller detected an Armored personnel carrier with a cannon powerful enough to threaten the MAGTF's landing force, but Big Boss was able to neutralize it.
Big Boss then prepared to go to the landing zone. However, Miller then called in with an unexpected development: Two unidentified airborne vehicles (most likely attack aircraft due to their speed exceeding the 500 mark) had been detected via radar heading for Big Boss's position, with an ETA of three minutes. Miller, although not knowledgeable of the fighter crafts' arrival, was disturbed by the timing.[6] Big Boss then had to rush to the LZ, avoiding the landmines littering the shore that were placed to prevent escape. Miller also reported in that the MAGTF had been shot down by the aircraft, meaning they were hostile, and that they were carrying a payload of bombs, meaning they were going to blow the base away.[7] Big Boss eventually made it to the LZ and extracted himself and the prisoners from the area. They then left, although not before they witnessed the two aircraft that Miller warned about earlier doing a bombing run on the base, obliterating it. Miller then demanded to know who was behind the air strike in shock at the base being obliterated.[8]
Aftermath[]
Despite the unexpected end to the mission, MSF still fulfilled their end of the bargain. In the debriefing, Miller revealed that, although it was still unknown who sent the aircraft to bomb the base, the aircraft's make were definitely of Western origin. Any evidence of what was going on there was reduced to ashes, alongside the "enemy combatants." He noted that, upon close examination, someone in America didn't want the black site discovered, everything went exactly as had been planned, and that Washington gave tacit approval of the setting up of the black site with things moving ahead due to halting terrorism being its top priority. This caused Miller and MSF to suspect that Cipher was the unknown group involved in the setting up of the black site and the destruction of the facility as well.
Behind the scenes[]
Destroy the Anti-Air Emplacements is one of the four Side Ops featured in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes.
This Side Op mission was first hinted at in the Ground Zeroes announcement trailer for Déjà Vu, where it briefly showed a scene of an aircraft blowing up the Cuban base while Big Boss watches from inside of a helicopter nearing the end of the trailer.
Whether the three prisoners held in animal cages are the missing Pentagon agents is never made clear. If the player contacts Miller while looking at one of the three prisoners with the binoculars, he will only refer to them as an "enemy combatant."
Even if the player rescues all four of the enemy combatants from the base when evacuating (including Prisoner 12282), Miller's debriefing will still imply they were killed in the bombardment.
Appearances[]
Notes and references[]
- ^ a b Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
- ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014)
Kazuhira Miller: The information we previously obtained confirmed that the base is now a black site. Prisoners are being renditioned there only to face “interrogation” with no end… The Pentagon sent several undercover agents to the base, but they’ve lost contact with every one of them. - ^ a b Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014)
Kazuhira Miller: Boss. The problem doesn’t stop at the torture facilities. The abductions on foreign soil are a violation of national sovereignty, and if that gets out, they’re looking at major diplomatic headaches. That’s why the government has given its unofficial consent to the JCS’s plan and this suppression op is going ahead. - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Kojima Productions (2014)
Kazuhira Miller: There's something else, Boss... It isn't just the U.S. agents who've gone missing. I sent someone from the Intel Team to the base as well, but there's been no contact from him either. Sorry for not telling you. But Cipher is probably behind the development of that black site, and I figured it might get us a lead on them. If our man's still alive... be sure to get him outta there, Boss. - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
Prisoner 12282: Boss… I never expected you would come… This place is full of “enemy combatants” renditioned from all over the world. But I couldn’t believe how many groups were asking the questions. They gotta have some kind of secret agreement. At a guess, I’d say there were MI6, BND, ISI… I even heard one guy speaking Russian. Yeah, they’re making deals with the East too. Local agencies will snatch dissidents who’ve defected to the West and then send ‘em back across the Iron Curtain… after a stopover here. They’re dealing in “leverage” on foreign administrations. Backdoor money. Scandals. Financial fraud. By sharing information that governments want to sweep under the rug, they, they gain leniency for their agencies. They’re trying to create some kind of HUMINT network without borders. Sorry, that’s all I know. Can't believe I got captured... I should have known I wasn't up to your standard... The torture was... was beyond anything I ever imagined. They were breaking guys left and right... I came pretty close too. But don't worry, Boss. I, I didn't tell them a thing. But... just one time... I was questioned by this other guy. He was different from the rest. I'll never forget him... or what he said. It cut right into me. "Nothing to be ashamed of. Pain gets the better of us all." "Let the words comfort you." "Now what did your boss tell you?" I nearly talked. This guy was so... so weird. I know I saw his face. I just... I can't remember it... The administration here knew about the operation. There was a leak. The brass are long gone. All that's left are the grunts kept out of the loop and us "enemy combatants"... Dunno why they left witnesses like us here alive. Mind if we stop a minute, Boss? I gotta rest. Let's get outta here. I wanna go home. Our home... - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
Kazuhira Miller: All right, you've destroyed the targets! The heliborne assault will commence now. You need to exfil before... (beeping sound) Hm? What is...? (lower pitched beeping sound repeating with smaller blips intermittent) You gotta be kidding me! Boss, radar's picked up unidentified aircraft - two of 'em. They're headed your way. Speed, 500. Most likely attack aircraft. Three minutes until arrival. Dunno what this is about... but I don't like the timing. Get outta there, ASAP! I have a bad feeling about this. - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
Kazuhira Miller: Boss, the unidentified aircraft shot down the military's choppers! They're hostile! Also, their payload's been confirmed - bombs. That place is gonna get blown to hell!! - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014)
Kazuhira Miller: The base...! // (Side hatch for chopper closes) // Kazuhira Miller: Who the hell was behind that air strike?