The Spartan-III program was created because humanity needed far more supersoldiers than the Spartan-II system could ever produce. Colonel James Ackerson proposed a force that could be trained more quickly, equipped less expensively, and deployed in larger numbers against targets considered too dangerous for conventional troops. This episode examines the recruitment of war orphans whose families had been killed by the Covenant and the training program led by Spartan-II Kurt-051 and Chief Mendez. Unlike the abducted Spartan-II candidates, many Spartan-IIIs understood that the Covenant had destroyed their homes and willingly embraced the chance to fight back, although children still could not fully understand the lives being chosen for them. Most received SPI armor rather than Mjolnir, reducing cost and improving stealth at the expense of protection. The program produced extraordinary soldiers, but its strategic purpose was grim: create units capable of accomplishing missions so dangerous that planners expected most of the force not to return.
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