Diamond Dogs



The Diamond Dogs was a mercenary unit led by Big Boss around the 1980s. It was created as a result of the devastation of the Militaires Sans Frontières as well as the attack on Mother Base. The name stems from the group's profession as "dogs of war," who were willing to carry out unsavory jobs for clients, while at the same time maintaining pride in their work.

Personnel

 * Punished Snake/Big Boss (founder/commander)
 * Kazuhira Miller (sub-commander)
 * Ocelot (interrogation specialist)
 * Huey Emmerich (R&D scientist/bipedal weapon developer)
 * Quiet (professonial sniper)
 * Troops (mostly survivors of the MSF Mother Base ambush)

Uniform
The standard Diamond Dogs uniform.
 * Two-eyed balaclava  (note: only a few of the standard infantry wear this as part of the uniform)
 * Head set  (note: only the standard infantry wear this as part of the uniform)
 * Utility SPIE (Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction) Harness
 * Tactical Plate Carrier Vest
 * US LC-2 Individual Equipment Belt w/ QR (Quick-Release) Buckle
 * US M1956 Universal Ammo Pouch
 * US 1-Quart Plastic Canteen w/ LC-1 Canteen Cover
 * US M1967 Nylon Field Pack (Butt Pack)
 * Bianchi M12 Universal Holster w/ Drop Leg Extender
 * Jungle fatigues  (olive drab fatigues customized with knee braces on the right side and brassards with the Diamond Dogs insignia on them. Snake however wears Tiger Stripes patterned fatigues with 1 black knee brace on his right knee and black paracord tied on his left leg.)
 * Jungle boots

Weaponry
Diamond Dogs utilized a wide variety of weaponry, including various United States and Russian technologies, and those from the Western and Eastern Blocs, as well as antiquated weapons dating back to World War II. Most of them surviving resources from the destruction of MSF.

Close-range Weapons

 * Combat Knife

Handguns

 * Wu Silent Pistol
 * Single Action Army (Ocelot)

Shotguns

 * Unnamed Shotgun

Assault rifles

 * MRS-4 Rifle
 * AM Rifle Type 69
 * Unnamed AK style rifle

Submachine Guns

 * Unnamed Submachine Gun

Sniper Rifles

 * M2000 Sniper D
 * Unnamed Sniper Rifle (Quiet)

Throwing Weapons

 * Hand grenade
 * Flare grenade

Placeable Weapons

 * C4

Equipment

 * Night vision goggles
 * Binoculars
 * Radio

Vehicles and Aircrafts

 * Mil Mi-24
 * Motorcycle (at least one)

Behind the scenes
The Diamond Dogs first appeared in the form of an emblem on Big Boss's uniform, in "classified" artwork unveiled online by Kojima Productions. The artwork was used to promote the recruitment of engineers to help develop the next canonical game in the Metal Gear series, which was later revealed to be Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The artwork in question depicts Big Boss accompanied by a dog, presumably either a foxhound or a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Due to the angle of the artwork, only the word "Dogs" is legible, on the right side of Big Boss's uniform. However, director Hideo Kojima tweeted a full image of the logo, revealing the entire name.

During the Metal Gear 25th Anniversary segment of Konami's pre-E3 show, the Diamond Dogs image popped up, implying that it would have some ties to the 25th Anniversary.

On January 30, 2013, Kojima tweeted that he had an iPhone case that bore the logo of Diamond Dogs. He also stated in the same tweet that it wasn't for sale. Later, he stated that he started using it as his actual case.

Towards the end of the GDC 2013 trailer for The Phantom Pain, as well as a voice (implied to be Miller's) mentioning that they had found their "new home," Diamond Dogs are hinted at being a replacement for MSF. Kojima later confirmed some of the details in an interview.

Aside from the aforementioned meanings behind the name "Diamond Dogs," it is also a reference to the David Bowie album of the same name, whose work has previously been referenced in other games in the series. It might also be a reference to blood diamonds, which are diamonds that are mined and sold in countries during major conflicts, usually within Africa. Both potential origins of the name were acknowledged by Kojima, who commented that some of these suggestions indeed touched on the meanings behind it.

In the E3 Green Band trailer ending, Miller and Big Boss arrived at a base (implied to be owned by Diamond Dogs) that strongly resembled Mother Base. Whether this was meant to imply that Mother Base survived the attack by XOF or simply that they utilized a similar design choice for the base has yet to be revealed.