Breen attack on Earth

Breen attack on Earth
Date:	2375
Location:	Earth
Result:	Severe damage to the San Francisco Bay area and Federation morale Complete destruction of Breen attack force
Belligerents
United Federation of Planets
Breen Confederacy

The Breen attack on Earth was a surprise attack against Earth launched by the forces of the Breen Confederacy in late 2375. Although most of the attacking Breen warships were destroyed by Starfleet defenses, the raid caused massive damage to its intended target of Starfleet Headquarters, and the greater city of San Francisco including the Golden Gate Bridge.

The attack was a major blow to Federation morale and an equally major boost to the power of the Dominion. This bold military strike marked the Breen's entry into the Dominion War. Klingon General Martok remarked on the daring of the act, saying "even my people never attempted that." (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil")

Several days later, Chief Miles O'Brien cited the attack as being responsible for Commander Hilliard's odd behavior towards Doctor Julian Bashir. (DS9: "When It Rains...") If the red dots on Weyoun's display indicated Breen ships, at least twenty-nine Breen ships took part in the assault. The damage caused by this attack was repaired by 2376. (VOY: "Pathfinder")

Background

This attack may be the first successful one to occur in nearly two centuries at that point. Dialogue in "Homefront" and "Paradise Lost" suggests that the last such occasion was during either the Xindi incident or the Earth-Romulan War.

It should be noted that, considering the massive planetary damage done by the Romulan-Cardassian fleet at the Battle of the Omarion Nebula and the damage it was said that a Constitution-class starship was capable of even in the 23rd century, it seems likely that the largest Breen warships were stopped by Starfleet before they reached Earth, or much more massive damage would probably have occurred.

The relatively limited damage shown suggests that smaller Breen fighters or atmosphere-capable spacecraft were the actual attackers of the planet. It is also likely that, given Earth's vital importance to the Federation, the planet would have significant orbital defenses.

The non-canon short story "Eleven Hours Out" from the anthology Tales of the Dominion War tells of major involvement of Jean-Luc Picard and the USS Enterprise-E in stopping the raiding Breen ships. It also states that an orbital defense platform was taken over by an agent of the Dominion and used to destroy any incoming vessels. The non-canon Dominion War supplement for the Last Unicorn game goes further in-depth on the attack, stating that Beijing, Paris, and New York City were also attacked by Breen fighters, and a total of 22 million people were killed. Star Trek Online, however, claims that the attack only claimed 2,147 people.