Militaires Sans Frontières

Militaires Sans Frontières (French for Soldiers Without Borders), abbreviated as MSF, also known as Outer Heaven, was a private military group in the early 1970s founded and led by Big Boss.

Origins
After defecting from the Patriots in 1972, Big Boss formed the "Militaires Sans Frontières." Employed by the Colombian government sometime after 1972, Snake and the MSF fought an opposing mercenary unit led by Kazuhira Miller. After Snake and MSF defeated Kaz's forces, Kaz was offered and accepted a spot in MSF and became the second-in-command not long afterwards.

In November 1974, the Militaires Sans Frontières were stationed in Colombia when they were first approached by Ramón Gálvez Mena and Paz Ortega Andrade, representing Costa Rica. The two requested that the group assist "the nation without a military" because of a mysterious security company that had recently invaded their country. In return, Gálvez offered the group an offshore plant to use as a base off the coast of the Caribbean. Despite some rumors that it was a mercenary group, Snake did not seem to consider it as such, and protested at Galvez's assumption that they were just a pack of "Dogs of War" when the latter attempted to hire them. Eventually, Snake (after Kaz's constant suggestions as well as the shock that The Boss may have not only survived, but had some involvement in the CIA/Peace Sentinel's activities) accepted the mission that Galvez and Paz hired MSF for.

The MSF's existence was threatened by the Peace Sentinels nearing the end of the mission, as Coldman, upon Peace Walker becoming fully operational, intended to launch a nuclear strike at Mother Base. The MSF considered evacuating, but Miller had some confidence that Big Boss would succeed in stopping Peace Walker's launch. Eventually, the MSF left Mother Base, although not to evacuate: they left to aid Snake in stopping the Peace Sentinels in Nicaragua.

During their mission, the MSF also dispatched several of its forces into other warzones for income, in order to increase its numbers and resources (namely small arms, missiles and uniforms) as well as to feed its personnel (referred to as Outer Ops) against the Peace Sentinels. In addition, after neutralizing the Peace Sentinels stationed at various places, the MSF temporarily used them as training stations for their troops in various weapons and fighting styles. According to Kaz during his call to Cipher shortly before Paz hijacked Metal Gear ZEKE, the MSF were going to be dispatched to Angola for their services. Cipher also planned to have the MSF act as their deterrent for their new world order. After Big Boss refused their offer, Paz, revealing herself to be a triple agent named Pacifica Ocean, intended to frame the MSF as being an extremist cult, by using ZEKE to launch a nuclear strike on the East Coast of America. However, that plan also failed when Big Boss defeated ZEKE and Pacifica.

Logo
The MSF's emblem design was based on Pangaea, the supercontinent that is theorized to have existed 250 million years ago, before the component continents were separated into their current configuration. This could possibly represent Big Boss's take on The Boss's idea of a united world. The emblem also bears a resemblance to the one later used by Outer Heaven.

Personnel
''Some of the personnel who joined up were former U.S. Army members who fought in Vietnam, while others claimed to be former SAS. In addition, shortly after the MSF captured Zadornov, the MSF also managed to recruit several Soviet soldiers, and Miller considered having Zadornov join MSF to bolster the Soviet soldiers' morale. ''
 * Snake/Big Boss (commander)
 * Kazuhira Miller (subcommander)
 * Troops
 * At least sixteen servicemen (while in Colombia)
 * Drill instructor
 * Various volunteers
 * Various enemy defectors
 * Various rescued POWs
 * Huey Emmerich (bipedal weapon developer)
 * Strangelove (AI researcher)
 * Paz Ortega Andrade
 * Cécile Cosima Caminades
 * Amanda Valenciano Libre
 * Chico

Base of operations


The MSF's camp on the Barranquilla Coast of Colombia was not their first encampment, as they had previously relocated several times, to avoid the CIA's presence.

The Colombian camp included a one room cabin that functioned as its main office, given the fact that Big Boss and Galvez discussed their business in there, and contained some large water containers due to the roof constantly leaking water during rain storms.

Shortly after being assigned to repel the armed forces out of Costa Rica, the MSF were provided with an offshore plant on the Caribbean to use as their base of operations. The plant, dubbed Mother Base, had three struts positioned in a way that resembled a triangle, as well as a tower in the center, although throughout the course of their operations in Costa Rica, and later Nicaragua, it was further expanded as its personnel and equipment grew. The Colombian camp was still used for entrance exams, however, which composed of the recruits wishing to join MSF wanting to fight Big Boss to see if he is the real deal. In addition, the Militaires Sans Frontieres, after neutralizing the Peace Sentinel presence at Puerto del Alba, Rio del Jade's boathouse, Aldea Los Despiertos, the U.S. Missile Base in Nicaragua, and the Miner's residence near the Mine Base, temporarily used these locations as training locations for medium-range target shooting, long-range shooting, urban combat, medium-range target shooting, and long-range target shooting, respectively.

Unit divisions
There were five divisions within the Militaires Sans Frontières, at least during their time at the Mother Base:


 * Combat Unit: The main fighting/sneaking force of the Militaires Sans Frontières and source of income.


 * R&D Team: Responsible for enhancing or otherwise creating weapons and equipment.


 * Mess Hall Team: Responsible for providing the food for the Mother Base which affects morale.


 * Medical Team: Responsible for the healing of any personnel requiring medical attention due to sickness, injury or PTSD.


 * Intel Team: Responsible for providing intel for the Militaires Sans Frontieres in regards to enemy activity or a weakness of the enemy that could be exploited as well as offering support from Mother Base for MSF soldiers on field missions.

Training regimen
As a military organization, the Militaires Sans Frontières adopted a training regimen for instructing new personnel. The training included, but was not limited to, mastering the use of the line of sight, changing stances, movement, rolling, unarmed combat, Stun Rod usage, and various forms of CQC. Running laps was also implied to be a required part of the MSF training. Also, the soldiers also can have the opportunity to have multiple CQC fights with Big Boss nearing the end of the training session as a special treat if he is present.

Uniform


The standard Militaires Sans Frontières uniform (during their missions in Colombia) included:


 * Two-eyed balaclava (Note: only the standard infantry wear this as part of the uniform)


 * Utility harness


 * Drop-leg flap holster (visually resembles the Bianchi M12 / UM84, a holster adopted by the U.S. military nearly a decade after the formation of MSF)


 * Jungle fatigues (olive drab fatigues customized with a black knee brace on the right side and brassards, the latter set adorned with the MSF logo)

During their missions into Costa Rica, the Militaires Sans Frontieres later procured other variants of the uniforms used for enhancing camouflage in the area. There are several that are aesthetically similar to the Jungle fatigues, although they emphasize certain elements of camouflage more than others, such as the Leaf camouflage increasing the camo index near jungle environments. "Naked" variants with a black muscleman shirt in the place of the regular top of a uniform exist (Big Boss usually forgoes a shirt of any variant when he uses it). They also procured a Battle Dress as well as a Sneaking Suit. In addition, some of the higher ups will sometimes loan soldiers their own uniforms.
 * Boots

Fatigue/camouflage uniforms

 * Leaf


 * Tiger Stripe


 * Choco-chip


 * Auscam


 * Squares


 * Splitter


 * Snake

Naked uniforms

 * Leaf


 * Tiger Stripe


 * Choco-chip


 * Auscam


 * Squares


 * Splitter


 * Snake

Other

 * Sneaking Suit


 * Battle Dress
 * Battle Dress w/helmet


 * Tuxedo


 * T-shirt


 * Neo-Moss


 * Stench

Weaponry
Note: some of the weapons have different names from the real life counterparts. The parentheses near the names contain the real-life names of the respective weapon system. Also, some of the classifications of the weapons are estimates.

Close-range weapons

 * Stun rod
 * Mock stun rods (training sessions only)

Handguns

 * Mk.22 Mod 0 Hush Puppy (standardized handgun)
 * Mauser C96
 * Semi-automatic Mauser C96
 * Full-auto Mauser C96
 * Smith and Wesson Model 19
 * Smith and Wesson Model 19 w/ laser sight
 * M1911 pistol
 * M1911A1
 * M1911A1 w/ supressor
 * Customized M1911 pistol
 * Customized M1911 w/ supressor
 * Walther Kampfpistole
 * Walther Kampfpistole with rifle stock
 * Support supply marker (gun)
 * Support strike marker (gun)
 * Banana
 * Makarov PM
 * Makarov PB/6P9
 * EZ gun
 * EZ gun (life recovery)
 * EZ gun (psyche recovery)

Shotguns

 * Twin barrel shotgun
 * Twin barrel shotgun (rubber slug variant)
 * Ithaca M37 pump-action shotgun
 * Long Barrel Ithaca M37
 * Ithaca M37 accurized model
 * Heckler &amp; Koch CAWS
 * SPAS-12

Assault rifles

 * M16A1 (standardized assault rifle)
 * RK-47 (AK-47)
 * RK-47 w/grenade launcher
 * RK-47 w/smoke grenade launcher
 * Heckler &amp; Koch G11
 * M653 Carbine
 * M653 Carbine w/grenade launcher
 * M653 Carbine w/shotgun
 * M653 Carbine w/smoke grenade launcher
 * ADM63 (Pistol Mitralieră model 1963/PM md. 1963/AMD63)
 * ADM65 (Pistol Mitralieră model 1965/PM md. 1965/AMD65)
 * RPK
 * FN FAL
 * SUG (Steyr AUG)

Submachine guns

 * Ingram MAC-10
 * Ingram MAC-10 w/suppressor
 * Ingram MAC-10 w/bullet jacket
 * Uz61 (Vz.61 Scorpion)
 * Uz61 w/suppressor (Vz.61 Scorpion with suppressor)
 * Heckler & Koch MP5
 * MP5A2
 * MP5SD2
 * Thompson M1928A1

Sniper rifles

 * SVD
 * High-capacity SVD
 * Night-vision SVD
 * Walther WA2000
 * M1C Garand
 * Psyche recovery M1C
 * M21
 * Remington M700
 * Life recovery M700
 * M700 bull barrel
 * Mosin Nagant
 * PTRD-41
 * PTRS-41
 * Stealth Gun
 * Rail gun/dynamo

Machine guns

 * M60
 * Stoner M63
 * PK/PKM machine gun
 * Rheinmetall MG 3
 * M134 gatling gun
 * Electromagnetic wave gun

Missiles

 * RPG-2
 * RPG-7
 * FIM-43 Redeye
 * XFIM-92A (FIM-92 Stinger prototype)
 * Carl Gustav M2 recoilless rifle
 * Multipurpose Carl Gustav M2 recoilless rifle
 * Fulton-ammo Carl Gustav M2 recoilless rifle
 * M47 Dragon
 * M72 LAW
 * M202A1 FLASH

Throwing weapons

 * M18 smoke grenade
 * M67 fragmentation grenade
 * Chaff grenade
 * Sleep gas grenade
 * M18 colored smoke grenade (red, blue, green, yellow, black)
 * M116/A1 stun grenade
 * Empty magazine
 * Support strike marker (thrown)
 * Support supply marker (thrown)
 * Electromagnetic net

Placeable weapons

 * C4
 * Support supply marker (set)
 * Support strike marker (set)
 * M18A1 Claymore mine
 * M15 anti-tank mine
 * Aerial mine
 * Decoy
 * Fulton mine
 * Cookbook
 * Magazine
 * Solid Magazine
 * Liquid Magazine
 * Solidus Magazine
 * Super Magazine

Mother Base weapons

 * Surface-to-surface anti-ground missiles


 * Anti-ship missiles


 * Rockets

Food and recovery items

 * Rations
 * Curry
 * Spicy Curry
 * Great Curry
 * Future Curry
 * Tortilla Chips
 * Mate
 * Lime Soda
 * Zero-calorie Soda
 * Men's Cologne
 * Various Carribbean fish and other aquatic animals
 * Gallo Pinto

Other equipment

 * Fulton surface-to-air recovery system
 * NVG
 * Stealth mat
 * Cardboard box
 * Love Box
 * Box-Tank
 * Stun Box-Tank
 * Smoke Box-Tank
 * Box Bomb
 * Stun Box
 * Smoke Box
 * Assassin's Straw Box
 * Rescue Box
 * Analyzer
 * Shield
 * Colored shields
 * Sonic Eye
 * Binoculars
 * Rangefinder Camera
 * Sony Walkman
 * TPS-L2
 * WM-2
 * WM-EX88
 * NWD-W202
 * Stealth Camo
 * Radio w/ a circuit to reverse the audio phase.

Radars

 * Soliton Radar
 * Surround Indicator

Vehicles

 * Jeeps (at least one) (Colombia)
 * Motorcycles (at least one) (Colombia)
 * Destroyers (Colombia)
 * PT boats
 * Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship
 * UH-1H Iroquois (at least 13)
 * Mi-24D Hind D (at least 6 )*
 * T-72 Ural tanks*
 * T-72A tanks*
 * KPz 70 tanks*
 * MBTk 70 tanks*
 * LAV-TypeG (Armored Vehicle General Purpose (AVGP): Grizzly prototypes)*
 * LAV-TypeC (Armored Vehicle General Purpose (AVGP): Cougar prototypes)*
 * BTR-60PAs*
 * BTR-60PBs*
 * Mi-24A Hind As*
 * AH56A Bombers*
 * AH56A Raiders*
 * Metal Gear ZEKE

* Several of these were stolen from the Peace Sentinels. Also, some of the vehicles in question were also customized, giving a black and red hue.

After recruiting enough personnel, Mother Base's hangar section was expanded to include a strut containing a runway strip, implying that the MSF intended to use fighter jets or similar aircraft.

Known weapons and equipment invented
Although the Militaires Sans Frontières procured much of their weapons, or their design specifications to create their own variants, there were a few weapons that they invented themselves.


 * Metal Gear ZEKE


 * Stealth Gun


 * Support Strike Marker (pistol)


 * Support Supply Marker (pistol)


 * Analyzer

Codename system
Similar to FOXHOUND and its predecessor FOX, the Militaires Sans Frontieres utilized an animal based codename system for its various members outside of the highest level personnel.

Trivia

 * The name of the group is reminiscent of the Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization created in 1971, best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic disease.
 * During their operations in Colombia, the Militaires Sans Frontieres' slogan was "Libertad o Muerte", which is Spanish for "Freedom or Death." The slogan was made famous during the independence struggle of several countries, notably including Brazil, the United States of America, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Republic of Macedonia, and Uruguay. Despite the logo, however, Big Boss initially believed that their revolution should result in neither their victory nor their death.
 * The unit also used various United States technology, such as guns and equipment, although they later procured various Russian equipment as well as equipment used by allies of both America and Russia, as well as antequated weapons dating back to World War II.
 * At some point during Paz's stay at Mother Base in 1974, the Militaires Sans Frontieres adopted a cat that they found on one of the missions. Paz named the cat "nuke."
 * The Militaires Sans Frontieres, during their missions in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, mostly fished to get their own food.
 * Every month, the Militaires Sans Frontieres held birthday parties for the soldiers. It primarily consisted of drinking large amounts of alcohol and acting crudely, although any real fights were surprisingly rare.
 * At some point, Big Boss and Kaz considered making MSF mostly female, although it is unknown whether they ever got around to it.

Behind the scenes
It is possible that Snake utilized the resources for Army's Heaven in order to form the Militaires Sans Frontieres, which he received from Gene during Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.