Black op
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term black op has two related meanings:
- "Black operation" which is a type of covert operation. In this context, "black" is a term used in political, military, intelligence, and business circles to refer to activities that are either secret, or of questionable ethics and/or legality.
- "Black operator" or "black operative", the person(s) who specialise in or carry out this type of operation.
Black Ops missions often fall into the deniability category, where no government will claim responsibility for the action. See also, "false flag" operation. This type of operation is normally used by various secret services to achieve some goals while trying to operate secretly (so the connection between "black operations" and secret agents or even the country of their origin cannot be found). The methods used in black operations are also used in unconventional warfare and include some terrorist-style actions like assassinations, espionage, sabotages, supporting of resistance movements, etc.
[edit] In fiction
In cyberpunk, black ops operatives are civil war, usually working for mega-corporations or governments.
The idea of a secret government black ops force is also a popular one in science fiction, where an elite group of soldiers is formed to carry out defence against paranormal or extraterrestrial threats, for example the black ops in Half-Life and also in F.E.A.R.. Men in Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones is also a similar idea, but less serious. The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense in Hellboy again falls into this category.
Modern-day black ops fiction also figures prominently in literature, television, and cinema. Examples include various characters in Tom Clancy's novels (in particular the "Rainbow" group in the book Rainbow Six), the Jason Bourne character in the film The Bourne Identity (loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name), and the television drama Alias.
Sam Fisher, the protagonist in the Splinter Cell video game series, is a black operative.
Solid Snake, the protagonist in the Metal Gear video game series, is a black operative.
IMF (Impossible Mission Force) Agent Ethan Hunt from the Mission: Impossible movie series belongs to this fictitious agency, said to be a black ops division of the United States CIA, and is loosely tied to the British intelligence and security agency MI-5.
Black is a game about a group of soldiers who bend the rules to catch a double agent.
Anime and manga has also taken the subject of black ops squad as a popular theme. In the manga series Spriggan, COSMOS is a black ops unit consisting of heavily brainwashed child soldiers under the command of American army officers. In Full Metal Panic, MITHRIL is an anti-terrorist black ops mercenary unit that operates around the world. The counter-terrorist, anti-crime organization Public Security Section 9 plays a predominant role in the Ghost in the Shell series, often carrying out secret wet work operations.
The television series The Unit focuses on an Army Black Ops unit similar to Delta Force and the home lives of its soldiers and their wives and families.
