Military Assault Command Operations

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Military Assault Command Operations (commonly abbreviated as MACO) was a United Earth military organization in service on Earth during the 2150s, prior to the founding of the Federation. The MACOs (pronounced "MAY-ko") were not associated with the Starfleet.

The military official that oversaw the MACOs was General Casey. (ENT: "The Expanse") MACO posts included Atlanta, Georgia and the Janus loop. Training posts included West Point in New York. (ENT: "The Xindi", "Hatchery", "The Council")

A detachment of troops commanded by Major J. Hayes was assigned to the Enterprise NX-01 for its mission into the Delphic Expanse in 2153. Admiral Maxwell Forrest was surprised that Captain Jonathan Archer had requested military officers aboard his ship. They saw their first action six weeks into the mission; in September, Hayes and a six-man team rescued Archer, Commander Tucker, and Kessick from the clutches of a trellium mining planet. (ENT: "The Expanse", "The Xindi")

MACOs had similar weapons, training, and tactics to the special forces of a number of member nations of United Earth. ^{(citation needed • edit)}

Combat timeline

2153 September

• Rescuing Captain Archer and Commander Tucker from a Trellium mining planet (ENT: "The Xindi")
• Trying to fend off an Osaarian boarding party (ENT: "Anomaly")
• Battling on the Loque'eque homeworld (ENT: "Extinction")
• Trying to fend off a Xindi-Reptilian boarding party (ENT: "Rajiin")
• Providing escort for Enterprise officers on the Seleya (ENT: "Impulse")

2153 October

• Providing escort for Enterprise officers on the Xindi-Arboreal colony (ENT: "The Shipment")
• Providing backup on a Human colony in the Expanse (ENT: "North Star")

2153 November

• Taking back Enterprise from Triannon hijackers (ENT: "Chosen Realm")

2153 December

• Guarding the prisoner Degra (ENT: "Stratagem")
• Providing combat training for Enterprise officers (ENT: "Harbinger")
• Containing a Sphere Builder test subject (ENT: "Harbinger")

2154 January

• Assisting Captain Archer in a possible mutiny situation (ENT: "Hatchery")

2154 February

• Raiding an Illyrian vessel (ENT: "Damage")
• Providing escort for Enterprise officers inside a Delphic Expanse sphere (ENT: "The Council")
• Recovering Ensign Hoshi Sato from a Reptilian vessel (ENT: "Countdown")
• Assisting in destroying the Xindi superweapon (ENT: "Zero Hour")
• Repelling a Sphere Builder boarding party (ENT: "Zero Hour")
• Accompanying Archer to a meeting with Vosk on 1944 Earth (ENT: "Storm Front, Part II")

2154 May

• Escort and guard for the prisoner Arik Soong (ENT: "Borderland")
• Attempt to fend off an Augment boarding party (ENT: "Borderland")
• Attempting to take back Cold Station 12 from the Augments (ENT: "Cold Station 12")

2154 November

• Escort and guard of Tellarite delegation (ENT: "Babel One")
• Boarding the Romulan drone-ship (ENT: "Babel One")
• Attempting to fend off a Klingon Augment boarding party (ENT: "Affliction")

2154 December

• Escort of Lt. Malcolm Reed (ENT: "Divergence")

2161 (October)

• Ambush of kidnappers on Rigel X (ENT: "These Are the Voyages..."), just prior to the formal treaty signing that created the United Federation of Planets

MACO casualties

Date	Image	Name	Species	Rank	Position	Cause	Reference
February 12, 2154		Hawkins, F.	Human	Corporal	Security, Enterprise NX-01	Vaporized inside a sphere	ENT: "The Council"
February 13, 2154		Hayes, J.	Human	Major	CO, MACO detachment, Enterprise NX-01	Shot while being transported	ENT: "Countdown"
February 14, 2154		Forbes, M.	Human		Security, Enterprise NX-01	Stabbed by a Xindi-Reptilian, fell to bottom of Xindi superweapon.	ENT: "Zero Hour"
Mirror universe
2155	Romero (KIA M.U.2155)	Romero, M.	Terran	Private	Captain's personal guard, ISS Enterprise NX-01	Shot by a phase rifle	ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly"
2155	Scott (KIA MU 2155)	Scott, B.	Terran	Corporal	Security, ISS Enterprise NX-01	Killed by the Gorn Slar	ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"
2155	Unknown (KIA MU 2155)	Unknown	Terran		Security, ISS Enterprise NX-01	Killed by an explosive device set by the Gorn Slar	ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"

Malcolm Reed and several MACOs may have died as well due to their injuries in 2155.

Above are the only known MACO casualties. There are numerous instances where a MACO is see shot in one episode and apparently dies only to be seen in the next episode alive. Also, the name tags seen on MACO uniforms seem to switch at random, making an accurate count of KIAs impossible.

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Related topics

• MACO personnel
• MACO ranks
• MACO uniform and equipment
• MACO weapons

Background

Appearances

• ENT:
  • "The Xindi" (Season 3)
  • "Anomaly"
  • "Extinction"
  • "Rajiin"
  • "Impulse"
  • "The Shipment"
  • "Twilight"
  • "North Star"
  • "Chosen Realm"
  • "Stratagem"
  • "Harbinger"
  • "Doctor's Orders"
  • "Hatchery"
  • "Damage"
  • "The Forgotten"
  • "E²"
  • "The Council"
  • "Countdown"
  • "Zero Hour"
  • "Storm Front, Part II" (Season 4)
  • "Borderland"
  • "Cold Station 12"
  • "The Augments"
  • "Awakening"
  • "Daedalus"
  • "Babel One"
  • "United"
  • "Affliction"
  • "Divergence"
  • "Bound"
  • "Demons"
  • "These Are the Voyages..."

Equipment and uniform

Their weapon seems very similar to an MP5 submachine gun in function and size, including the three round burst mode. The stun grenades are also very similar to "flashbang" grenades. The rifle in sniper mode also bears a strong resemblance to the Federation sniper rifle from the Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force video games, which preceded Enterprise.

Their Enterprise mission patch had a shark on it (almost certainly a reference to the mako species of shark).

In the mirror universe, a skull appeared on the patch. Both Malcolm Reed and Travis Mayweather were MACOs in the mirror universe. Their motto was "Ever Invincible."

MACOs after 2161

There have been no references to any separate Earth military after the final MACO appearance in 2161. There has only been one explicit mention of a Human holding an army rank after this point in history, and the officer in question – Colonel West – was shown to be a member of Starfleet in 2293 wearing a vice admiral's rank (which would make him a lieutenant general in the army).

It seems possible that Earth's entire military structure was absorbed into the UFP Starfleet. However, it is equally as possible that MACOs continued as a separate organization from the Starfleet navy, and that Col. West held a dual commission in both organizations. The process of dissolving, absorbing, or continuing separate service organizations as a sovereign world joins the Federation is unclear; however it is known that at least one other Earth organization, UESPA, had continued as a separate agency, albeit one that was seemingly part of, or at least working closely with, the UFP Starfleet. The last known UESPA reference, on the NCC-1701-B dedication plaque (also in 2293), means it is at least possible a pre-Federation agency could survive well over a century later.

It is also possible that West had the rank of vice admiral and the "billet" (military job) of colonel. (In the British army, a general in charge of a regiment can be called the Colonel of the Regiment.) As for the continued existence of the MACOs as part of the UFP Starfleet, the British Cavalry is part of the British Army, but it still uses its older traditional names for the ranks.

"Ground forces" were mentioned several times in latter season episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, another possible passing reference to MACOs.

Apocrypha

In the Pocket ENT novel Beneath the Raptor's Wing, the "O" in MACO stands for organization instead of operations, making the MACOs proper title Military Assault Command Organization.

According to The Needs of the Many, MACOs continued to exist into the 25th century.

External link

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