Third Echelon




 * "Let Vigilance Be Our Sword"
 * — Third Echelon's motto.

Third Echelon (sometimes spelled 3rd Echelon, abbreviated as3ECH and 3E) was a top-secret sub-branch within the various intelligence branches of the National Security Agency (NSA) established in 2003[1]  (or the 1990s according to the novels andTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Essentials). Its position within the U.S. intelligence community was at the forefront in the War on Information. {| class="toc tochidden" id="toc" style="border-color:rgb(60,93,35);"

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OverviewEdit
Third Echelon's original seal.Added by ItsxF:"Third Echelon was founded on the principles of covert information gathering through physical infiltration."
 * — Irving Lambertdiscusses Third Echelon's inception and mandate.

Third Echelon was a top-secret directorate tasked with spearheading the American information warfare initiative. Its primary goal was to serve as the equivalent of Special Forces in the modern age of information warfare. Its most significant initiative was the "Splinter Cell" program in which lone operatives, called "Splinter Cells", did field work in sensitive areas around the world. Their work was the darkest of black ops, retrieving the most vital intelligence and acting on it in ways that other operatives cannot. Unlike the CIA's field operatives, their identities were kept secret, even from other government agencies. Initiated with a single operative,Sam Fisher, the "Splinter Cell" program was expanded under the direction of the organization's final director, Tom Reed, and after Third Echelon was shut down, the "Splinter Cell" program also comes to an end.

BackgroundEdit
The National Security Agency is the signals intelligence (SIGINT) and cryptologic establishment of the United States. Primarily tasked with the conduct of SIGINT in all its forms, the NSA can and does intercept and analyze every form of communication known to man, from cellphone signals and e-mail messages, to microwave emissions, to ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) burst transmissions from submarines thousands of feet beneath the surface of the ocean. It coordinates, directs and performs highly specialized activities to protect U.S. information systems and produce foreign intelligence reports. Since it's on the edge of communications and data processing, the National Security Agency is naturally a very high-tech operation. For decades, the NSA has engaged in the 'passive' collection of moving data by intercepting communications en route.

The First Echelon was a worldwide network of international intelligence agencies and interceptors that seized communications signals and routed them back to the NSA for analysis. It was a network vital to the United States' efforts during the Cold War. As the Soviet Union disintegrated and communications evolved, high technology became the name of the game.[4]

The National Security Agency created Second Echelon, which focused entirely on this new breed of communications technology. Unfortunately, the immense volume of information combined with the accelerated pace of developing technology and encryption overwhelmed Second Echelon. NSA experienced its first system-wide crash.[5]

As communications became more digital and sophisticated encryption became more expansive, passive collection simply was rendered inefficient. To address this, the NSA launched a top-secret initiative in 2003. Hoping to bridge the chasm between simply gathering actionable intelligence and acting on that intelligence, the NSA was directed by special Presidential charter to form Third Echelon, its own in-house covert operations unit created specifically to physically obtain intelligence in locations where all other means were exhausted.[6]

Splinter Cell programEdit
Third Echelon's Splinter Cell field agents: Sam Fisher, Agent One and Agent Two.Added by ChaosTheory07The Splinter Cell program was a black-ops training program created by the National Security Agency's top-secret sub-branch Third Echelon. It was also the codename for an operational unit composed of lone field operatives called "Splinter Cells". The program produced and deployed units of highly-trained forward operators as the ultimate intelligence gathering force, with the support of a cutting edge technological team to retrieve information through traditional espionage techniques, but with 21st century military technology. Sam Fisherwas the first person selected into the program to operate in this role.

When critical intelligence could not be obtained by passive means, Third Echelon resolved the situation by conducting so-called "physical operations" — a euphemism for direct action. To do so, they introduced the "Splinter Cell" program, which was created to produce an elite recon-type unit comprised of highly-trained covert soldiers, who were then deployed to areas deemed either too sensitive or too risky for traditional entities such as the CIA or standard Special Forces. These agents then assessed and accessed information vital to the security of the United States.

These units, individually known as "Splinter Cells", were small, elite intelligence-gathering forces consisting of a lone field operative supported by a high-tech remote team. They were used in situations where more than one operative — even though highly secret — would arouse too much attention. They infiltrated secure installations, seized critical intelligence, destroyed dangerous data or equipment and neutralized the enemy as needed, without leaving a trace. The doctrine of Third Echelon was that although killing may compromise secrecy, "the choice between leaving a witness or a corpse is no choice at all".

The field operatives of the Splinter Cell program were very unusual people, even when compared with "ordinary" special operators or "ordinary" spies without official cover. They had extraordinary training and skill, were mind-numbingly precise, they dealt with grave stress and risk and were aware that a single mistake could be fatal to them. Due to the complexities of their operations, they underwent rigorous and very extensive additional training, beyond their special forces background. Stealth skills and hand-to-hand combat skills were stressed, due to the fact that they must remain invisible while conducting extremely close quarters covert operations. Splinter Cell operatives were capable of moving through areas completely undetected, by both human and electronic means.

Due to political concerns, sometimes triggering a single alarm could mean mission failure, depending on the importance of the particular mission at hand. When an enemy was encountered, these agents needed to be able to silence them quickly and quietly. They received excellent hand-to-hand combat training, which was vital when snatching specific targets or seeking to extract intel from guards. In close combat situations, Splinter Cells expressed great control and skill when applying such techniques. Their combat training was centered around remaining silent while engaging.

The original Splinter Cell program was conceived with a single field agent, although as of 2007, an NSA official indicated that at least two-man squads were being used. These agents have the ability to operate in a manner that is referred to as "Fifth Freedom" — the freedom to do whatever is deemed necessary to protect the Four Freedoms, seen as cornerstones of American moral thought, as defined in one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's famous speeches. Roosevelt articulated these as "Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear." Under the (unofficial) Fifth Freedom, an operative could disregard any law, agreement or framework of ethical behavior in order to protect the previous four. For example, the operative could kill in combat or by assassination, torture or kidnap people, deploy on U.S. soil, spy on other U.S. government agencies, et cetera. The downside was that if an operative were captured or killed, the U.S. government would disavow them — either by claiming that the person has gone rogue or by denying that they even existed.

Mission objectives and locations varied, but a Splinter Cell's basic goal was to infiltrate the area of operations (AO), complete any objectives assigned and then extract without being detected. Special Reconnaissance (SR) was their core competency.

Third Echelon's Splinter Cell agents were sent to physically infiltrate dangerous and sensitive hostile locations to collect the required intelligence by whatever means necessary. Their prime directive was to conduct their operations while remaining invisible to the public eye. They were authorized to work outside the boundaries of international treaties, but the United States would neither acknowledge nor support their operations. Officially, Third Echelon and its agents did not exist.

Third Echelon's methods made use of "classical" methods of espionage powered by the latest technology for the aggressive collection of information. Splinter Cell operatives were recruited from the U.S. Special Forces communities of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. They were then shaped into the "ultimate covert soldiers": specially-trained individuals capable of not only working alone in hostile environments, but of doing so without leaving a trace. Like a sliver of glass, a Splinter Cell was small, sharp, and nearly invisible. Thus, Third Echelon, a sub-agency of the NSA, consisted of an elite team of strategists, hackers, and field operatives that worked together as a team to respond to crises of information warfare with the highest degree of secrecy humanly possible.

OverviewEdit
When intelligence deemed critical to national security could not be obtained by traditional means, Third Echelon was granted clearance to conduct physical operations. Its existence denied by the U.S. government, Third Echelon deployed units of Splinter Cells. Like a sliver of glass, a Splinter Cell was small, sharp, and nearly invisible. These units operated while remaining completely undetected, from human and electronic means. Splinter Cells were the NSA's "boots on the ground" tasked with collecting intelligence for the sake of national security. In some cases, Splinter Cells were given the "Fifth Freedom" - essentially allowing them to complete operations by any means necessary (lethal or otherwise). These elite soldiers were America's best equipped and most highly-trained covert operatives, sent alone into politically-sensitive areas as well as crisis flashpoints all over the world to gather intelligence where electronic intrusion by the NSA is not possible. Relying on the most advanced espionage tools, amazing physical abilities and support from Third Echelon's elite team of technical specialists, these agents executed sensitive operations that the U.S. government could not officially acknowledge.

BackgroundEdit
The Splinter Cell program was an initiative developed as part of Third Echelon's formation in response to ever improving digital protection of information. As cyber security became increasingly advanced, there came a recurring need for traditional espionage methods to physically recover intelligence otherwise unobtainable. The purpose of the program was to acquire information critical to the national security of the United States by combining highly-trained individuals, ranging from field operators to support and intelligence personnel, as singular units. It recruits special operators from the U.S. Special Operations Forces communities of the Navy, Army, Marine Corps and Air Force, and turns them into the "ultimate covert soldiers" by teaching them how to move through areas completely undetected, both from human eyes and ears and from technological detection methods. Colonel Irving Lambert, Third Echelon's Operations Coordinator, selected Sam Fisher as a candidate for the prototype position (Splinter Cell) of this experimental program. Fisher's successful completion of the training, coupled with his ability to utilize his extensive skills in the field, gave Lambert the reasoning to expand upon the program for further operations in the future. From his first mission during the Georgian Information Crisis in 2004, Fisher and his support team's accomplishments were invaluable in maintaining the national security of the U.S. and it was inferred that his recommendation to Lambert about the "Splinter Cell" program was a positive one.

In 2011, the Splinter Cell program was extended under the management of Third Echelon's final director Tom Reedinto areas that exceeded the mandate for which it was originally conceived.

Recruitment and trainingEdit
Third Echelon training facility at Fort Meade, Maryland, shown inChaos Theory.Added by ChaosTheory07Due to the highly classified and extremely secretive nature of Third Echelon, potential candidates could not apply to join the Splinter Cell program, as they were unaware of its existence. Instead, they were selected by Third Echelon and had to go through an evaluation before they were given the green light to be fielded as the program's forward operatives. It was unknown what exactly this evaluation consists of, but it is suggested that candidates had to have an impressive background in their field, with the operators requiring extensive experience in special clandestine operations. Just as special forces units recruit from regular infantry, the field operators of the program were generally recruited from U.S. Special Operations Forces units. The case of Archer may suggest that NSA analysts with no military training or field experience could also become Splinter Cells, though his high level of intelligence obviously played to his advantage along with the Splinter Cell training he received before being deployed into the field. Other support and technical staff were also selected specifically for their role within the program and had to have been deemed "elite" within their field to be considered for the role. Fisher resisting interrogation from the JapaneseAdded by UnconventionalSoldier21Third Echelon selected specific individuals for the program based on their service merits and capabilities. Afterwards, a recruit went through extremely rigorous and very extensive training necessary in their conditioning to serve in covertInformation Warfare. From hand-to-hand combat, interrogation resistance, explosives handling and defusal, moderate computer hacking (cryptography), covert intelligence gathering (special recon), advanced stealth tactics (i.e. concealment, infiltration techniques, exfiltration, silent movement, and silent combat on a solo operating scale), to advanced escape and evasion (SERE) methods, among many other useful skills vital to their survival in the field. Having completed the initial training program, a recruit could be joined with a partner where they learned further co-operative infiltration techniques. One such instance was when rookie John Hodge paired up with veteran operator Sam Fisher during the operation in Iceland in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Version 1), which ended tragically for Hodge, who was not trained for such a mission. These teams were deployed to high-risk areas. They were also known to assist other Splinter Cell field operations in the same AO (Area of Operations). Agent One andAgent Two operated as one such team during the Korean conflict, when they assisted Sam Fisher during his mission in the South Korean capital of Seoul.

Splinter Cell training also incorporated uncoventional warfare techniques borrowed from the U.S. Special Forces as well as hand-to-hand combat techniques like Krav Maga, borrowed from the Israelis.[7]  Parkour is also studied as a way to get over obstacles, and newer, more controversial training from Chinese acrobats.

Under Reed's administration, Third Echelon recruiters could flag the personnel files of analysts at Fort Meade for potential field duty, with Anna Grímsdóttir approving admissions to the group's gruelling eighteen-month training program. Upon completion, graduates were assigned call signs.

WeaponsEdit
Standard-issue Third Echelon equipment.Added by ICAHQAgent47While working for Third Echelon, Sam Fisher used both a SC-20K M.A.W.S.and SC Pistol tactical model as his primary and secondary weapons respectively.

The SC-20K (modeled after the FN F2000) held 30 rounds per magazine and was equipped with an integral 1.6× magnified telescopic sight, flash/sound suppressor, and grenade launcher which was modified to launch non-lethal devices such as ring airfoil projectiles, sticky cameras, sticky shockers, gas grenades, and EMP ammunition. A Splinter Cell in 2011 with the new standard assault rifle, the SC3000, described as, "The staple assault rifle of Splinter Cells".Added by Ghosthawk1The SC Pistol tactical model (modeled after the FN Five-seveN) was a handgun with a single-action trigger and 20-round magazine equipped with a silencer/flash suppressor. Its 20 5.7×28mm SS190 rounds offered good penetration against modern body armor, while keeping the weapon's weight, dimensions, and recoil at reasonable levels.

Beginning with Chaos Theory Sam carried a combat knife called the SC Protector on his missions. In Chaos Theory it was modeled after the Gerber Guardian Back Up and in Double Agent it was modeled after the Master of Defense Keating Hornet, giving a slightly longer length of the knife and a single-edge blade instead of the double-edge bladed knife.

UniformsEdit
Sam in his signature black stealth suit.Added by QJohnnypSam's stealth suit was a specially designed outfit that helped him out on a number of missions. In the first three games, Version 2 of Double Agent and''Essentials, there were a series of photocells in his suit wired into a heads-up display (HUD) that included a light meter to provide real-time visibility data. InChaos Theory a sound sensitivity/ambient noise meter was added.''
 * Mk V Tac Suit
 * Third Echelon's Mk 7 Special Ops Suit
 * Third Echelon's C1C9 Casual Concealment Suit
 * Third Echelon's T1C9 Tactical Concealment Suit
 * Third Echelon's Elite Special Ops Suit
 * Third Echelon's Enhanced Special Ops Suit

The novels go further in-depth into discussing the suit's technical information. They explain that the suit is equipped with a thermo-regulation system which Sam can control his body temperature. It was also outfitted with water packs within the skin of the suit which help keep Sam sustained for up to twelve hours. The body armor of the suit is made of Kevlar, RhinoPlate, a DARPA-invented version of Dragon Skin, and seventh-generation Gore-Tex, which helped prevent bullets from penetrating within Sam from long range. However, the suit's body armor is ineffective at very close range. In addition to his standard stealth suit, Sam's suit comes in different colors and camouflages to fit the mission profile for certain conditions, such as white for winter conditions, green for jungle conditions, etc. He sometimes wears a Nomex balaclava, other times he wears some other headwear.

Equipment and gadgetsEdit

 * OPSAT
 * Subdermal Implants
 * Multi-Vision Goggles
 * Sonar Goggles

PersonnelEdit
Third Echelon's specialists were recruited from every branch of intelligence and the armed forces, some even culled from civilian life. They were the elite of America's strategists, hackers, and operatives.

DirectorEdit
The Third Echelon Director was in charge of all field operations and answered only to "one man". Irving Lambert became Third Echelon Director in 2007 after the East Asian Crisis and New York City Cyber Attacks, and held it until his death in 2008. In the wake of Lambert's death there was a "revolving door of Directors" that includedLawrence Williams.[8]  That ended when Tom Reed obtained evidence of Williams' personal and petty corruption — largely driven by envy of the Fisher/Lambert duo — and used it to sideline him.[8]  Rather than risk exposure, Williams took a "promotion" to head a signals interception project based out of Bozeman, MT.[8]

Known DirectorsEdit

 * Irving Lambert
 * Lawrence Williams
 * Anna Grímsdóttir
 * Tom Reed

Director of OperationsEdit
The Third Echelon Director of Operations was in charge of all Third Echelon field operations and answered only to the Third Echelon Director. Irving Lambert held the title in 2007 during the East Asian Crisis and New York City Cyber Attacks until he became Third Echelon Director later that year. After Lambert's death in 2008, Lawrence Williams was named acting Director of Operations.

Known Directors of OperationsEdit

 * Irving Lambert
 * Lawrence Williams

Support TeamEdit
Each field operative worked with a remote support team of roughly a dozen members, headed by three primary members.

Operations CoordinatorEdit
The Operations Coordinator was the link between the field agent(s) and Third Echelon's team of researchers, hackers, strategists, and commanders. While field operatives are in the field they are in constant contact with the Operations Coordinator via subdermal microchips and a cochlear implant.

Irving Lambert was Sam Fisher's Operations Coordinator from 2004 to 2008.

Known Operations Coordinators

 * Irving Lambert
 * Dermot P. Brunton

Communications LeadEdit
The Communications Lead headed a small team of programmers responsible for providing technological, cryptographic, and data support for the field operative. They assisted in interfacing field operatives with the high-tech components of their missions.

Anna Grímsdóttir was Sam Fisher's Communications Lead from 2004 to 2007. She was promoted to Chief Technical Advisor sometime between then and 2011.

Known Communications Leads

 * Anna Grímsdóttir

Field RunnerEdit
Field Runners were mainly responsible for coordinating the transportation and equipment for Splinter Cells. Transportation was usually procured (stolen) from an area of operations (AO) and abandoned afterwards. They were also responsible for maintaining an operative's equipment and munitions. Field Runners debriefed field operatives on any new equipment or weaponry as it became available.

Sam Fisher had three Field Runners from 2004 to 2007, [http://splintercell.wikia.com/wiki/Vernon_Wilkes,_Jr. Vernon Wilkes, Jr.], Frances Coen and William Redding. Wilkes was killed in action during the Georgian Information Crisis of 2004 while Redding was forced out by Tom Reed, who replaced most of Lambert's appointees in Third Echelon with his own people.

Known Field Runners

 * Vernon Wilkes, Jr.
 * Frances Coen
 * William Redding
 * Sergei Luchenko

Splinter CellEdit
Field operatives – Third Echelon’s scalpels – use the latest high-technology and espionage techniques to infiltrate sensitive locations, retrieve information, and execute operations the U.S. government cannot acknowledge.

Known Splinter Cells

 * Sam Fisher was recruited to spearhead the operational arm of the National Security Agency's Third Echelon initiative. He left Third Echelon after Irving Lambert's death in 2008. Three years later he went to Malta to investigate a rumor that his daughter's death hadn't been an accident, which later led him to uncover a conspiracy within Third Echelon and thwart an assassination attempt against the President of the United States.
 * Dan Lee was a Splinter Cell stationed in China. He was killed while tracking illegal arms sales conducted by The Shop. Lee was mentioned by Sam Fisher during his mission in Macau in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell(novel).
 * Rick Benton was a Splinter Cell stationed in Iraq. He asked Lieutenant Colonel Dirk Verbaken to give him a file on Gerald Bull but was murdered along with Verbaken by Vlad and Yuri in his hotel room in Brussels. He appeared in the beginning of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (novel).
 * Marcus Blaine was a Splinter Cell stationed in Israel (presumably). Blaine was killed by members of The Shop (most likely Vlad and Yuri). He was briefly mentioned by Andrei Zdrok in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (novel).
 * Agent One and Agent Two were two "Splinter Cells-in-training" who formed the program's first Splinter Cell team. They assisted Sam Fisher during the East Asian Crisis in 2007 and the JBA Crisis in 2008.
 * John Hodge was a Splinter Cell who accompanied Sam Fisher in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent(Version 1) during a mission to investigate a geothermal plant in Iceland. Hodge was shot to death by Islamic terrorists after he alerted them to his presence.
 * Ben Hansen first appeared in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (novel) as one of the agents assigned to hunt down Sam Fisher. He was Archer and Kestrel's handler in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction during the takedown of Valentin Lesovsky.
 * Kimberly Gillespie appeared in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (novel) as one of the agents assigned to hunt down Sam Fisher.
 * Nathan Noboru was a Splinter Cell who appeared in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (novel).
 * Maya Valentina was a Splinter Cell who first appeared in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (novel). She also appeared in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction as Archer and Kestrel's handler in Moscow after Hansen was reassigned.
 * Allen Ames was one of the agents trained by Sam Fisher who later turned rogue and became a fugitive. He appeared in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (novel).
 * Daniel Sloane-Suarez (callsign Archer) was initially an NSA intelligence analyst when he his personnel file was flagged for potential field duty by recruiters for Third Echelon. His admission to the Splinter Cell program's training program was approved by Anna Grímsdóttir. Sloane-Suarez was later assigned with tracking down four stolen Russian EMP warheads with Voron field operative Mikhail Loskov (callsign Kestrel) two months prior to the events in the singleplayer campaign of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction. Either he or Kestrel was executed by Andriy Kobin after one terminated the other.
 * Leon Coltrane was a Splinter Cell who appeared in the short story crossover "The End Begins: Splinter Cell".
 * George and Thomas Voeckler were two twin sibling Splinter Cells featured in the novel EndWar: The Hunted. They are depicted as working with a Ghost Recon team. George was killed during an operation in the United Kingdom.

Other Third Echelon personnelEdit

 * Carly St. John (Technical Director) (KIA)[9] [10]
 * Mike Chan (Research Analyst)[9] [10]
 * Carl Bruford (Director of Research)[9] [10]
 * Chip Driggers[9]
 * Louis Moreau (Technical Operations Manager and Handler)[11] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Endgame_11-0">[12]
 * Perez (Document Engineer)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Endgame_11-1">[12]
 * Bird (Osprey Pilot)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Checkmate_12-0">[13]
 * Sandy (Osprey Co-Pilot/Special Operations)
 * "Franco" Franklin (Osprey Engineer/Navigator/Loadmaster)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Fallout_13-0">[14]
 * Charlie Fryman (Lab Technician)

Base of operationsEdit
Third Echelon Headquarters in Washington, D.C.Added byChaosTheory07:Main article: Third Echelon Headquarters

Third Echelon had at least two headquarters; the original was an ultra-secure command bunker-type facility located in a subterranean area deep within the confines of the National Security Agency Headquarters at Fort Meade, in Maryland.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14">[15] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[16]

The second was a nondescript building located somewhere near the National Mall and White House in Washington, D.C. (the location was routinely moved around every few years for security reasons).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[17]  However, Third Echelon often utilized the NSA's headquarters to station its employees (usually signals intelligence analysts). The reason for this separation was because technically Third Echelon did not exist and most NSA employees would have never heard of Third Echelon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Third_Echelon_Doesn.27t_Exist_17-0">[18]  As one of the most classified, top-secret organizations in the U.S. government, only those on a "need to know" basis were aware of the agency. In 2011, Third Echelon's main headquarters in D.C. was destroyed by a self-destruct mechanism known as "Protocol 2319" after Sam Fisher breached its security.

TrainingEdit

 * Main article: Third Echelon Training Facility

In 2007, Third Echelon utilized computer-based simulation programs for testing the skills of (as well as training) Splinter Cell agents at the National Security Agency Headquarters.

TransportationEdit

 * Main article: V-22 Osprey

V-22 Osprey inserts Splinter Cells Sam Fisher and John Hodgein Iceland.Added by ChaosTheory07Billed as both a VTOL (vertical-takeoff and landing) and STOL (short-takeoff and landing) craft, the V-22 Osprey was not only Third Echelon's workhorse, used for quick insertion and extraction missions in "denied areas".

1999: NATO bombings of YugoslaviaEdit

 * Note: The date of founding of Third Echelon is 2003 in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and the 1990s in Splinter Cell: Essentials<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Essentials_18-0">[19]  and novels. No explanation from Ubisoft has been given (see Notes).

In February 1999, during NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, Sam Fisher was sent on a mission for Third Echelon<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[20]  to Belgrave City, Yugoslavia, to destroy SAM missiles being supplied to the Serbs. His first objective from Irving Lambert<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[21]  was infiltrate a cargo ship, and destroy several missiles on board. After destroying the missiles he infiltrated the hideout where the launcher was being kept. His next objective, from Anna Grímsdóttir, was to find evidence showing how the Russians were supplying the weapons.

2004: Georgian Information CrisisEdit
The CIA contacted NSA officials regarding the loss of contact with Agent Alison Madison, a CIA operative monitoring widespread communication shortages plaguing the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. A second operative, Agent Blaustein, was inserted into the Georgian capital T’bilisi to locate Agent Madison, only to drop from contact seven days later. Fearing for the lives of American agents compromised at the hands of a suspected terrorist effort, Third Echelon activated Splinter Cell operative Sam Fisher to locate the missing agents and evaluate the situation.

Through this investigation, they found out that Kombayn Nikoladze, the President of Georgia, was behind the attacks. Third Echelon continued operations as they tried to stop more attacks on U.S. soil. However, much political red tape prevented the U.S. government from gaining the proper intelligence about these attacks. This caused Third Echelon to send Fisher within the CIA to find out about Nikoladze's plan for America. It soon led Third Echelon to the Masse Kernels and eventually to Nikoladze's palace where he was assassinated to end the information attacks. The success of the operation prompted the NSA to continue the Third Echelon initiative. ===2006: Indonesia Crisis/Biological WarfareEdit=== Third Echelon sends in Sam Fisher to East Timor to prevent Darah Dan Doa leader Suhadi Sadono from gaining access to private information. It leads them to Israel to track down the ND133 and eventually surprising everyone that a biological attack was underway on U.S. soil with the use of smallpox.

NYC Cyber Attacks/East Asian CrisisEdit
Third Echelon is once again needed to prevent further attacks from the Masse Kernels that are now being used byDisplace International. World War III was nearly on the brink as the USS Clarence E. Walsh was destroyed by an anti-ship missile. Blackouts were in New York and Japan as Third Echelon further finds out about the I-SDF situation. Third Echelon was successful from preventing further attacks as they eliminated "Chaos Theory".

Hallucinogenic ExperimentsEdit
In the fall of 2007, Sam Fisher had been somehow "kidnapped and detained in a old German bunker in Normandy, France". Since CIA agent Hisham Hamza and Third Echelon had managed to "track Fisher's position" and contact him via his subdermal implant, they monitored Agent Fisher while he was on an unknown hallucingenic drug for one week. During that time, he barely escaped his captors and saw Agent Hamza. In reality, Agent Fisher was still at Third Echelon Headquarters in Fort Meade undergoing an hallucingenic/drug resistance testing after he had signed himself up a few days before, even thoug Lambert had tried to persuade him not to take part in the experimental exercise. Agent Fisher claimed that he had no memories about that but hoped that his memory would come back.

2008: JBA Crisis/Red Mercury IncidentEdit
As Sam Fisher heads into a downward spiral of destruction after the death of his daughter, Third Echelon demotes its most veteran Splinter Cell and sends him undercover as a double agent within a homegrown terrorist organization known as John Brown's Army (JBA). They prevented a nuclear attack on U.S. soil but at the same time, losing both Agent Fisher and Director Lambert to the cause. Fisher abruptly leaves the NSA and goes into hiding.

2009: The Fisher InvestigationEdit
On January 3, former Third Echelon agent Sam Fisher visited his daughter's gravesite at Elysian Fields in Washington, D.C. before being apprehended by NSA officials. He was then taken back to Third Echelon Headquarters at Fort Meade and interrogated. Sam was forced to explain himself over several key points of career before and during his time in the Splinter Cell program which didn't seem to match up with Third Echelon's records. With Anna Grímsdóttir's help, Sam learns that his records had been tampered with by Lawrence Williams, Third Echelon's acting Director of Operations, in order to frame as a rogue agent, with each of the aforementioned events being rewritten to make Sam appear as if he had completely disobeyed orders or was involved in committing treason against the United States. Williams discovered that his hacks to the record had been discovered, and stole the evidence from Grímsdóttir. Sam escaped his captors by hiding in Redding's office and then snuck into Williams' office and recovered the evidence. He confronted Williams, explaining he would expose him, and then escaped, taking the evidence with him.

2011: Third Echelon ConspiracyEdit
Somehow after Lambert's death, Tom Reed was soon appointed as the new director of Third Echelon. However he had expanded the duties of his agency, even more than the one conceived from his predecessor.

When President Patricia Caldwell was about to shut down the agency, because she felt the agency wasn't justifying its funding anymore, Reed eventually retaliated by working with the PMC Black Arrow to unleashed a series of EMP's in Washington DC in a plan to assassinate her using the splinter cells.

Unfortunately, the plan was foiled thanks to the interference of the former Third Echelon agent Sam Fisher and Anna Grímsdóttir who was actually working for President Caldwell by acting as a mole inside Third Echelon. Just as Reed was about to kill and frame him for the President's assassination, Sam & Grim eventually sprung into action by disarming Reed and killing all the other splinter cells in the office. After the president is saved, Sam then interrogates him about a mysterious group called Megiddo, and although he revealed a little, Director Reed eventually admitted tof being the mole Lambert was looking for, and was then killed by Sam or Grim depending on players choice.

2012: Termination of Third EchelonEdit

 * "Gentlemen, the Blacklist is real. Rogue intel agencies like Third Echelon are the problem here, not the solution. I want every single operation related to them grounded and gutted, now! I'm shutting Third Echelon down, effective immediately."
 * — President Caldwell gives the order to terminate Third Echelon.

After the conspiracy was exposed, investigation shows that the agency has completely gone rogue. And because of that, Third Echelon was officially shut down by President Patricia Caldwell for good, leading to the formation ofFourth Echelon under command of Sam Fisher, but some of the Third Echelon agents have also join The Engineers for their ultimate retaliation attempt

Operations (novels)Edit
Third Echelon operations that took place in the novel series.

2003: CheckmateEdit
While preparing to test a new DARPA product, code-named the Goshawk, Splinter Cell agent Sam Fisher is called to intercept a cargo freighter speeding towards the eastern seaboard. The freighter, named the Trego is loaded down with radioactive material. Fisher boards the ship and quickly reaches the bridge to find one Middle-Eastern crew member. Fisher attempts to disable the man and does so, but not before the man enters the command to speed the boat up further. Fisher proceeds to slow the ship by disabling her engines. Meanwhile the residents of Slipstone, New Mexico begin showing the symptoms of and then dying from radiation poisoning.

2005: Babylon Phoenix CrisisEdit
An Iranian terrorist group known as "The Shadows". Led by Nasir Tarighian, planned to use a weapon of mass destruction codenamed "The Babylon Phoenix" against the city of Baghdad as revenge for the actions taken by Iraqagainst Iran during the 1980s. While there really isn't much benefit to the group today, Tarighian attempts to sell the scheme to his organization by claiming that it would also create further disorder in Iraq and in the Middle East, which would inevitably cause the people to turn against the "West", namely the United States since Iraq is currently under their watch. Tarighian, a former "great warrior" during the Iran-Iraq War and often proclaimed hero in Iran, hoped that by doing this the Iranian people would rejoice and urge the Iranian government to invade and conquer Iraq after the U.S. is forced out of the region. Most of the members of the Shadows disagree with the course of action, feeling that the result is extremely unlikely and that the scheme is nothing more than a 20-year-old vendetta by Tarighian to get back at Iraq for the death of his wife and children during the war. These members feel the same effect of destabilization in the region can be achieved by attacking either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem in Israel.

Meanwhile an arms dealing organization known as "The Shop" has taken the liberty of assassinating Splinter Cells whenever possible thus to increase their profit margin by keeping the shipment of arms from falling into unwanted hands. The Shop is one of the few organizations in the world that is aware of Third Echelon, who deploys Sam Fisher to the Middle East to uncover the truth about the murder of a Splinter Cell and track down the source of a shipment of arms seized by the Iraqi police. There he surveys and infiltrates numerous locations relating to both the Shop and the Shadows, all the while unaware that the Shop has targeted him and his daughter, Sarah.

2006: MRUUV IncidentEdit
Taking place almost a year after the Babylon Phoenix Crisis, the plot picks up with Third Echelon attempting to search and bring to justice the members of The Shop, an international arms dealing ring that played a large part during the crisis. While Sam Fisher is working to collect information on The Shop in Ukraine and Russia, Third Echelon is continuing its investigation into how The Shop had previously managed to gain the identity of a number of Splinter Cells and assassinate them as well. However, when a German scientist named Jeinsen, who defected to the United States from East Germany long ago, goes missing and then reappears dead in Hong Kong, heads begin to turn. Jeinsen had developed a new submarine vehicle for the United States Navy, that could theoretically carry a nuclear weapon. Sam Fisher is sent to learn why the scientist was in Hong Kong and who killed him; it is suspected that a local group of Triads named "the Lucky Dragons" had involvement. What Third Echelon does not yet realize is that Jeinsen, the Lucky Dragons, The Shop, and a traitor inside their own government are all part of a much larger picture involving a rogue Chinese general named Lan Tun, with ambitions to invade and conquer Taiwan. With Fisher not even aware that he is the world's only hope of stopping an international crisis, he has to balance his job and a new romantic relationship that he is hoping will finally bring happiness to his life. Ultimately, General Tun threatens to use the submarine vehicle to detonate a nuclear weapon off the coast of California, destroying Los Angeles. with a massive tsunami, unless America abandons Taiwan when it is invaded by China. Fisher manages to foil the plot, and all the conspirators involved including the traitor, the general, and The Shop are killed. However, no one realizes that the true mastermind behind the entire plot to weaken America was none other than the head of the Senate Oversight Committee, Senator Janice Coldwater.

2008: FalloutEdit
Soon after undergoing unfamiliar espionage techniques training in the streets of San Francisco in a joint exercisebetween the CIA and Third Echelon, Sam Fisher is summoned to Maryland by Lambert. Turns out, Sam's estranged brother, Peter (real name Pyotr Limonovich), has been found barely alive off the coast of Greenland. Sam is told that Peter has developed a strange disease and has few days to live. It is soon revealed that Sam's brother died of poisoning caused by plutonium hydride-19, or PuH-19. This deadly powder is 1,000x finer than flour and is capable of wiping out New York's entire population with just a cup's worth of the chemical.

Although driven at first solely by vengeance, Sam soon realizes that Peter's death should be the least of his worries as a network of Kyrgyz Islamic fundamentalists have toppled the moderate government of Kyrgyztan and, with the help of the North Korean government, have devised the ultimate antidote against the pervasive influence of the West and its technology: they will try to mutate a species of petroleum-eating Chytridiomycota fungus into a strain capable of making the whole world's oil supply disappear, a threat Fisher and Lambert continually refer to as Manas, in reference to the Kyrgyz epic poem. In order to do this, the terrorists snatch some of the world's leading scientists and force them to cooperate. Sam gets his final lead by tracking one of the abducted scientists in a search that will lead him to a place such as the streets of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, an isolated Kyrgyz community in Cape Breton Island, the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Pyongyang, North Korea and a Kyrgyz complex hidden in the Tian Shan mountain range.