Operation Future Soldier

Lore & Background

Set in 2024, the Ghosts are an elite U.S. Army unit equipped with cutting-edge technology: adaptive camouflage that makes them partially invisible when moving slowly, advanced drones that can hover or roll on wheels, and a networked battle management system called Sync Shot that allows marking up to four targets for simultaneous takedowns. Their missions are covert and deniable, spanning multiple continents from Bolivia and Zambia to Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, and Norway. The campaign centers on a conspiracy involving Raven's Rock, a rogue Russian special operations group with ties to Russian ultra-nationalists, who stage a coup and take over most of Russia. The Ghosts must unravel their network, prevent a catastrophic war, and confront the moral ambiguities of using advanced technology in lethal operations.

In Their Own Story

In 2024, Joe Ramirez leads a four-man Ghost Recon squad to Nicaragua to disrupt weapons trafficking. As they inspect a convoy they ambushed, a dirty bomb is remotely detonated, killing the team. In response, Major Scott Mitchell assembles the Ghost Recon team 'Hunter' at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, consisting of 'Ghost Lead' Captain Cedric Ferguson, Staff Sergeant John Kozak, Master Sergeant Robert 'Pepper' Bonifacio, and Sergeant First Class Jimmy '30K' Ellison. Mitchell orders Hunter to rescue an arms dealer named Paez in Sucre, Bolivia who has information about the bomb's origin. Hunter rescues Paez and follows the trail of weapons: first to a refugee camp in Western Province, Zambia, where they eliminate local warlord Dede Macaba; to Nigeria, where they rescue CIA SAD officer Daniel Sykes from private military company Watchgate; to Peshawar, Pakistan, where they capture Russian arms dealer Katya Prugova; to the Kola Peninsula in Russia, where the team destroys an arms cache at a remote Arctic base; and finally to an airfield in Kaliningrad, where they intercept and destroy a missile guidance system, causing an international incident. Some time later, a nuclear missile fired from Dagestan impacts London, but the American missile shield destroys the nuclear warhead. The Ghosts believe the launch to be the work of Raven's Rock, of which Prugova was an associate. Hunter moves into Dagestan to rescue a Georgian Special Forces squad who went to investigate the launch site. During the rescue operation, the team is ambushed by Russian Spetsnaz that have access to high-tech equipment on the same level as the Ghosts—these soldiers are part of the elite 'Bodark' (Werewolf) unit, which have sided with Raven's Rock. Soon after, Raven's Rock stages a coup and takes over the majority of Russia, though a few loyalist Russian forces opposing the new government are scattered around the country. Hunter heads to northern Russia to secure drilling ships to supply the loyalists with oil, then rescues a loyalist general who is the de facto leader of the resistance movement. After destroying artillery attacking the general's forces, overwhelming Raven's Rock forces pin down the Ghosts, and Hunter calls in an airstrike on their position. Kozak is then tasked with a solo operation to rescue the deposed Russian President Volodin from a prison in Siberia. Hunter protects President Volodin in his return to Moscow, and eliminates the Raven's Rock commander coordinating the city's defense, facilitating the loyalists' victory over Raven's Rock. Major Mitchell sends Hunter on a clandestine operation to eliminate the remaining seven leaders of Raven's Rock. After eliminating six of the seven, the last member, code-named 'Ace,' uses his influence inside the U.S. government to call off the Ghosts. Under explicit orders 'not to touch him,' Hunter does nothing when a train runs over Ace to make his death look like an accident.

Reader's Guide

The campaign begins with Hunter rescuing arms dealer Paez in Sucre, Bolivia, then moves to a refugee camp in Western Province, Zambia to eliminate warlord Dede Macaba. In Nigeria, the team rescues CIA SAD officer Daniel Sykes from Watchgate. In Peshawar, Pakistan, they capture Russian arms dealer Katya Prugova. The team then destroys an arms cache at a remote Arctic base on the Kola Peninsula in Russia, and intercepts a missile guidance system at an airfield in Kaliningrad. After a nuclear missile from Dagestan impacts London (destroyed by the American missile shield), Hunter rescues a Georgian Special Forces squad in Dagestan, where they are ambushed by the elite Bodark unit. The team secures drilling ships in northern Russia, rescues a loyalist general, and calls in an airstrike when pinned down. Kozak performs a solo operation to rescue deposed Russian President Volodin from a prison in Siberia. Hunter protects Volodin in Moscow and eliminates the Raven's Rock commander coordinating the city's defense. Finally, Hunter eliminates six of seven Raven's Rock leaders; the seventh, 'Ace,' is killed by a train under orders not to touch him.

Did You Know?

• The Ghosts' adaptive camouflage is only active when the player moves slowly, because the game explains that processing power doesn't exist yet for the camouflage to keep up with quick movements.
• The Sync Shot mechanic allows marking up to four targets for simultaneous takedowns, and it is the only squad command in the game.
• The War Hound, a heavy walking robot similar to BigDog, is used only in one single-player mission and can fire mortar rounds and TV-guided missiles.
• The multiplayer servers were shut down on October 1, 2022, rendering several achievements and trophies unachievable.
• The PC version was officially declared cancelled in December 2011 due to piracy, but was re-announced on January 10, 2012.