GDI and the Future of War

Writen by Xavier Des Jardins, GDI and the Future of War is a historian's work on modern warfare, detailing, among many, the conception of the Steel Talons.

Excerpt
"With the end of the Second Tiberium War and the Brotherhood of Nod's subsequent implosion, GDI came to believe that the quasi-state and fanatical cult no longer represented a significant threat to Earth's population. Consequently, GDI shifted its strategic goals from defeating Nod to the reclamation of those parts of the planet previously consumed by Tiberium. The vast majority of GDI's research and development budget was repurposed to further that goal, bringing to a close the period of rapid technological development that had characterised GDI's military over the previous several decades.

Needless to say, there were several within the military who questioned this new directive - notably General Joshua "Mitch" Mitchell, a decorated veteran of the Second Tiberium War renowned for his youth, aggressiveness and tactical innovation. Mitchell contended that while Nod may have been defeated, it would be foolish for GDI to assume that no successor would rise from the dispirited populace of an increasingly Tiberium-stricken Earth. Therefore, he argued, funds allocated toward Tiberium control should be instead earmarked for the research and development of new combat technology, in anticipation of this next potential conflict.

After a lengthy, volatile hearing, Mitchell emerged with a partial victory. While GDI refused to divert a significant part of its R&D budget to the General's cause, they did agree to fund a new experimental combat technology division under Mitchell. Dubbed the "Steel Talons" by Mitchell's admirers - notably famed war hero Nick "Havoc" Parker - this elite, unconventional combat battalion quickly rose to prominence in the splinter faction skirmishes that followed Nod's implosion, becoming known both for their ruthless efficiency on the battlefield and for the shroud of secrecy they maintained at all other times."