Name: Veteran Combat Initiative Origin: United States Founded: 1998 Organization: Private Military Company / Security Firm

Intel:

Founded by a handful of ex-military professionals, the Veteran Combat Initiative (VCI) is a private military company and security firm. It operates multiple tactical training facilities, and has participated in dozens of conflicts and peacekeeping actions around the world. Boasting that it trains more than 60,000 people a year, the VCI takes special care to recruit specialists and various experienced military personnel as advisors and instructors.

The VCI mercenaries are, with little exception, former enlisted soldiers. The US Army, Mazi, and the Deutsches Heer are the main contributors of VCI manpower. The VCI recruiters prefer soldiers with dishonorable discharges -- borderline types that won't find employment in non-violent occupations.

VCI mercs rely on a variety of state-of-the-art weapons and their armor features generous use of anti-fragmentation plating -- as such, grenades and explosive rounds are substantially less effective against VCI opponents. This plating, however, conducts electricity well, making shock traps especially useful in taking them down.

The VCI have a contract with Halbech, and they're allied with SIE and Halbech's "ex" security chief, Conrad Marburg. SIE handles the field operations outside of Rome, and Marburg used VCI resources and personnel extensively for the Rome Operation.


Intel Locations (3+1):

• Taipei (Stop Omen Deng at Memorial Rally) -- Gained from Steven Heck at end of mission.
• Moscow (Safehouse) -- Purchased from the clearinghouse.
• Moscow (Investigate Weapon Shipments) -- Found inside file.
• Endgame (Infiltrate Alpha Protocol) -- [Secret Fact] Found inside file.