FOXHOUND

High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND was an elite black ops unit of the United States Army that was established by the "Legendary Soldier" Big Boss.

Although its function changed over the years, FOXHOUND specialized in covert, solo infiltrations, to cope with local revolutions, regional complications, and global terrorist activities in "unauthorized" combat zones too politically-sensitive to intervene through conventional means. Its agents are also trained to complete various missions that are assigned in secret, to the extent that they are considered the modern versions of the ninja. All its members were battlefield hardened veterans, with many coming from a mercenary background. Because of its status as a hi-tech special forces infiltration unit, any and all members of FOXHOUND are skilled at various skydiving techniques and underwater infiltrations in order to cover all possible routes of infiltration into an enemy nation, and likewise are also knowledgeable about survival over extended periods in bushes, jungles, and deserts, acute stalking, detonation operations, wireless communication, procuring and reusing enemy weapons, gathering information, varying martial arts, emergency medical operations, languages, and hi-tech devices. It was officially disbanded by the U.S. Government after 2005.

History
The unit was formed unofficially in November 1970 by Naked Snake (Big Boss) and Roy Campbell, who had both been taken prisoner during an armed takeover of the San Hieronymo Peninsula. The two established the group in order to take down the rebelling members of the FOX unit (led by Gene) as well as clear the names of Naked Snake, Major Zero, Para-Medic and Sigint.

In 1971, the group was organized into an official unit within the U.S. Army (though the concept of such a unit was considered as early as 1964). Big Boss originally commanded the group with Campbell acting as a tactician, and the two led them in a series of intense and difficult covert operations. However, Big Boss soon left FOXHOUND and America to form the Militaires Sans Frontieres in 1972, and it would be over 15 years before he would return to the country to re-take command of the unit, although Kazuhira Miller, MSF's subcommander, did briefly cite FOXHOUND and Big Boss's founding of the group as an example of special forces when listing special forces that were derived from The Boss. During its tenure as an official United States Army Special Forces Unit, FOXHOUND had entered formal combat alongside the United States Army only three times prior to the late 1990s. Likewise, when Big Boss regained control of the unit, he also planned their various strategies to be wild and vindictive as if to appear it was planned with little detail.

In 1995, rookie Solid Snake joined the unit and aided in the rescue of veteran agent Gray Fox from the mercenary nation of Outer Heaven, after the latter was captured. Snake later defeated Outer Heaven's mysterious leader, who turned out to be none other than FOXHOUND's commander Big Boss, having established the facility in secret.

After 1995, FOXHOUND's existence became public knowledge and gained worldwide fame, thanks to Solid Snake's actions. With Big Boss presumed dead, Roy Campbell was placed in command and helped Snake during the Zanzibar Land Disturbance. Under Campbell's command, the codename regime for FOXHOUND members was discarded, and a greater emphasis was placed on utilizing advanced technology.

Circa 2000, Campbell retired and Liquid Snake was placed in charge. Under Liquid's command, the codename protocol was reinstated, with its members choosing particular skills to specialize in, and it was reorganized into a smaller elite counterterrorism unit. Elite members of FOXHOUND also adopted the use of trench coats similar to former unit commander Big Boss. In the mid-2000s, FOXHOUND was made the subject of an undercover investigation, just prior to the 2005 revolt on Shadow Moses Island. FOXHOUND and the Next-Generation Special Forces decided to rebel against the U.S. government, calling themselves the Sons of Big Boss, and hijacked a newly developed nuclear weapon. Campbell was forced out of retirement and hired former-member Solid Snake to infiltrate the island and disarm the renegade members of FOXHOUND.

After the revolt, in which most of its combat squad were killed, FOXHOUND was officially disbanded. Nonetheless, a facsimile of FOXHOUND was created as a virtual unit for the Patriots to select their candidate for the S3 Plan. The former Liberian child soldier/Force XXI soldier and FOXHOUND "member" Jack was ultimately chosen to act as the field agent to be dispatched to the Big Shell during the terrorist takeover (secretly manipulated by the Patriots for the S3 Plan) in 2009.

Big Boss's/Roy Campbell's command

 * Big Boss (Naked Snake) (founder/original commander)
 * Roy Campbell (co-founder/subcommander, later commander)
 * Jonathan (first recruit)
 * Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov (scientist)
 * Gray Fox (agent)
 * McDonell Benedict Miller (survival master)
 * Solid Snake (agent)
 * George Kasler (mercenary adviser)
 * Charlie (helicopter pilot)
 * Dr. Clark (medical chief, pre-2003)
 * Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov (recruit/mutual alliance)
 * Various soldiers, officers, scientists, and engineers, who had defected from the Red Army and FOX unit, joined FOXHOUND in 1970 prior to its official formation. All were given animal codenames (e.g. "Raven" and "Bison").

Liquid Snake's command



 * Liquid Snake (squad commander)
 * Revolver Ocelot (interrogation specialist)
 * Decoy Octopus (disguise/mimicry)
 * Vulcan Raven (demolitions expert/heavy machinery)
 * Sniper Wolf (sniper)
 * Psycho Mantis (psychic expert/psychological warfare specialist)
 * Next-Generation Special Forces (reserve members)
 * Meryl Silverburgh (emergency replacement, 2005)
 * Dr. Naomi Hunter (civilian contractor, medical chief, 2003-2005)

Post-disbandment
Examples of FOXHOUND affiliations have been seen post-2005, when the unit was no longer thought to exist:


 * During the Big Shell Incident, Raiden infiltrated the offshore decontamination facility, believing himself to be a FOXHOUND member due to the Patriots' AI's manipulation. Strangely, however, both Snake and Rosemary claimed during Liquid Ocelot's Insurrection that Raiden really was a FOXHOUND member under Col. Campbell.
 * In 2014, an Army CID team, led by Meryl Silverburgh, wore FOXHOUND insignia to disguise their true identity.
 * Also in 2014, the Beauty and the Beast Unit had codenames that were partially inspired by the FOXHOUND members from 2005, with Drebin once referring to them as the "SNAKEHOUND Unit," in reference to both this as well as their murderous obsession with Solid Snake.

Selection and drills
When FOXHOUND was first established in 1970, the process of recruitment was not fully developed, due to the circumstances at the time. Potential recruits were usually abducted or rescued, and then convinced into joining the unit. However, those with skills, such as quick recovery, the ability to adapt to changing situations in combat (quick-thinking), and a certain amount of combat experience were highly desired, as evidenced by Big Boss's compliments to Jonathan during his recruitment as well as the reasons behind the rescue and recruiting of Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov.

After FOXHOUND was organized into an official unit, very strict selection procedures were adopted. Firstly, potential recruits were only chosen from those already within the military and various special forces. Recruits must also pass exams in three different aspects:

Physical
 * Physical fitness test
 * Short-distance running
 * Uninterrupted performance of 80 push-ups
 * Uninterrupted performance of 100 sit-upsFOXHOUND excercise.gif
 * 50 meter freestyle-stroke swim
 * Combat diving skill
 * Cross-country march (travelling 64 km [40 miles] in under 15 hours, carrying a 30 kg [67 pounds] backpack)

Psychological
 * Mental recovery, concentration, endurance, self-control and the fortitude to overcome difficult situations
 * ESP expectancy score
 * Marksmanship
 * Recognizing and making decisions in emergency situations

Intelligence
 * Foreign languages
 * Foreign geography
 * Knowledge of world events
 * Advanced technology
 * Medical procedures
 * Detonation operations
 * Stealth communication
 * Foreign weaponry

After passing the selection courses, the recruits then partake in professional training exercises (also known as drills), which include: The exact training methods for the virtual incarnation of FOXHOUND in the late 2000s are unknown, although it was known that at least one training exercise was having operatives attend Fort Polk to undergo a mockup of a war locale (such as an Afghan village).
 * Battlefield survival (14 weeks)
 * Shooting practice (must score at least 95% for a target at 914 m [3,000 ft], and 100% for a target at 548 m [1,800 ft])
 * Guard patrol
 * Mountaineering
 * Hand-to-hand combat
 * Border infiltration
 * Guerrilla warfare
 * Land navigation
 * Map-reading
 * Escape and evasion
 * Combat medical skills
 * Rebelling and Ranger practice
 * Weapons familiarization
 * Nautical vehicle control and navigation
 * Diving and underwater infiltration
 * Canoeing
 * Basic military parachute skills (4 weeks)
 * Special operations freefall practice (High-Altitude, Low-Opening [HALO] and High-Altitude, High-Opening [HAHO])
 * 11 jumps carrying little to no combat equipment ("Hollywood")
 * 15 jumps with full combat equipment
 * 2 nighttime jumps
 * 2 mass-tactical strategic jumps
 * Intelligence gathering
 * Language and customs of the destination country (4 weeks)
 * Stealth techniques
 * Improvised explosive devices
 * Utilization of high-tech equipment
 * Communications (16 weeks)
 * Medical exam (10 weeks)
 * Torture endurance (FOXHOUND operatives were instructed to conceal any and all information while under torture. This is confirmed during one dialogue between Solid Snake and a disguised Liquid Snake, during Snake´s captivity while on the island. Liquid, while portraying Miller, personally instructs Solid Snake not to reveal anything on the operation, "not even The Big Four" - a soldier´s name, rank, age and serial number - trivial information, which would normally be allowed for a POW to share).

Equipment and uniforms
Operating as a U.S. Army special forces unit, FOXHOUND utilized a wide range of equipment and advanced technology in order to carry out top-secret missions within enemy territory.

While undertaking sneaking missions, operatives did not wear a formal uniform, nor did they possess anything that could give away their identity or nationality (such as insignias, military clothing labels, or instruction labels). The only equipment that was permitted were a radio and motion-sensing radar. All other items were to be procured on-site. However, there were other uniforms and equipment that were permitted when not on sneaking missions (such as direct warfare or during military drills).

Units within FOXHOUND
During the initial formation of FOXHOUND, there were four primary units within the group. They were:


 * The Sneaking Unit, which specialized in infiltration missions as well as abducting or rescuing potential recruits. There are four units total within this unit, with four members in each unit:
 * Alpha Unit
 * Bravo Unit
 * Charlie Unit
 * Delta Unit


 * The Spy Unit, which carried out espionage into enemy territory, transmitting intel to FOXHOUND on opportunities or events that could be exploited. There were eighteen units total within this unit (counting the Silo Entrance, Silo Complex, and Launch Control Room as one location), with four members per unit.


 * The Tech Unit, responsible for the development of new technologies and weapons. There were eight members in this unit during the San Hieronymo Takeover.


 * The Medical Unit, responsible for treating injured and wounded soldiers. There were eight members in this unit during the San Hieronymo Takeover.

Codename system
A FOXHOUND codename originally comprised an animal codename and a personal prefix to distinguish between those with the same animal codename. Often this prefix represents either the individual's weapon of choice or particular skill that they specialize in, but sometimes these codenames are a bit more ambiguous in nature. The "Fox" codename was awarded to operatives of great skill.

When David joined FOXHOUND, he was assigned the codename Solid Snake by then-commander Big Boss. Big Boss, who was aware of David's true lineage, gave him the name "Snake" in reference to his old FOX codename, Naked Snake. The designation of "Solid" was used as his personal prefix.

After Campbell became FOXHOUND commander, he abandoned the codename system, though some agents (at least Solid Snake) still chose to use their codenames. Sometime before 2005, a new codename system was implemented wherein the animal codename was also a personal identifier (Ocelot, for example, used his long time codename and added "Revolver" as his additional prefix).

The name "FOXHOUND" itself can be used to identify any member of the unit.

Logo
There are two FOXHOUND logos used during its existence: The first one, used during the 1990s, depicted a smiling, cartoonish fox holding his gun, a MAC 11, in his right hand and pointing the gun to the left, which causes a cartoonish, grinning bullet to spin around him, and a Mk II pineapple grenade in his left hand. This logo was also used as a tattoo by Meryl Silverburgh while she was a fangirl of the group. The second logo, first utilized by Big Boss when he formed the unit as well as when it was reorganized by Liquid Snake, depicted a shield containing a realistic fox skulking forward while holding a knife in its muzzle.

Unconfirmed history
When FOXHOUND was still commanded by Big Boss during the early 1990s, its initiation ceremonies involved Big Boss personally shaking the hands of the new recruits and giving them a speech about how the battles they would face were in a war unlike any before, and that none would tell of their successes, failures, or even deaths. However, the battles the soldiers faced would be ones that they were chosen for, regardless of who gave the order, and that they would know no life but combat. Big Boss also acknowledged that they were in a way to be pitied, but informed the soldiers that they were not tools of the government, or anyone else, and that they would fight for themselves and to protect the things they held dear. In addition, FOXHOUND personnel are required to attend and listen to a lecture about the lands that they are to go for in an assignment, regardless of whether the lands in question were the person's home location, before setting out on a mission, that is usually attributed to Master Miller.

During the 1990s, Liquid Snake, while he was still a brainwashed POW in Iraq, developed an unofficial, rudimentary Middle Eastern equivalent unit to FOXHOUND, referring to it and its activities as "Jackal Hunting" due to a growing interest in the FOXHOUND unit.

Decoy Octopus did not have any military experience outside of VIP decoy missions for the CIA, thus making him an exception to the qualifiers for joining FOXHOUND during the 2000s.

Background
FOXHOUND  was originally intended to be an international special forces unit formed under NATO in 1990, according to the MSX2 user's manual for Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. However, this was retconned in later games in the series, starting with Metal Gear Solid, where Kojima stated in an interview that the FOXHOUND members had at least citizenship to America, hinting at FOXHOUND being part of the United States Armed Forces instead of NATO, although it was not specified which part of the Armed Forces it was attached to, with Pliskin implying that FOXHOUND was not specifically attached to other special forces groups. It would not be until Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater where its specific designation was explicitly mentioned, in which FOXHOUND is a U.S. Army unit, officially established in 1971. Big Boss's article in the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, however, mistakenly refers to the former account. The Database also mistakenly refers to FOXHOUND as a CIA unit in the "Outer Heaven Uprising" entry, which is actually the parent organization of its progenitor, the FOX unit. In addition, a leaked voice acting sheet for Metal Gear Solid 3, which stated that Big Boss founded FOXHOUND near the end of the 20th century, indicated that the decision to form FOXHOUND in 1971 was a decision made late in development.

Name
FOXHOUND's name has been rendered in different forms throughout the Metal Gear series: in the MSX2 games, it was the two words "Fox Hound" (similar to the logos), and was later hyphenated as "FOX-HOUND" or "Fox-Hound," in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, respectively. From Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty onwards, it has been rendered in capital letters as the single word "FOXHOUND," and has remained so ever since. This was included in the re-released versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2.

In the original MSX2 games, a FOXHOUND agent is referred to as a "Fox Hounder". The name remains in the title of the BGM track played during the end credits of Metal Gear, called "Return of Fox Hounder."

Alternative depictions
In the NES manual, largely because of localizations, FOXHOUND was instead depicted as being led by Commander South. Likewise, Solid Snake himself was requested to join FOXHOUND because of his heroic efforts during the invasion of Grenada.

In the Worlds of Power novelization for the original Metal Gear, Snake is a captain in the U.S. Marine antiterrorism unit known as the "Snake Men", operating under FOXHOUND Command (according to the NES manual, he had also served as a Marine in the Grenada Invasion).

The non-canonical sequel to Metal Gear, Snake's Revenge, has Solid Snake remain a member of FOXHOUND instead of retiring, where he now holds the rank of Lieutenant. Three additional FOXHOUND members (Nick Myer, John Turner, and an unnamed helicopter pilot), along with a Nitroglycerin division to which Myer belongs, also feature in the game, and it is implied that resistance member Jennifer also joined the unit as a double agent. The manual also briefly alludes to a FOXHOUND Sneak Attack School and that the helicopter that Snake and his comrades were in upon arrival was a stealth attack chopper, when covering the story. The story has FOXHOUND deployed to enemy territory three years after Operation Intrude N313, when the government receives intelligence that a hostile region (named "Fortress Fanatic" in the game manual) is possibly developing a new Metal Gear.

In the non-canonical game Ghost Babel, FOXHOUND's fame around the world became too great after the destruction of Outer Heaven. With its every move being watched by intelligence organizations, truly covert operations became impossible, and so the Black Chamber unit was created in response to this. Their fame is revealed to have been staged by the U.S. Government in an attempt to deny any involvement in the formation of Outer Heaven. In addition, FOXHOUND was tricked by Steve Gardner (operating under the identity of "Anonymous") into wiping out Black Chamber in 2000, by convincing them that they were a terrorist group, resulting in their commander, Roy Campbell, retiring after he learned of this. When Snake considers returning to the United States to exact revenge on Steve Gardner and John Parker for "playing chess with peoples lives and hearts," Chris Jenner warns him that FOXHOUND may be waiting for him in order to eliminate him.

Gameplay
Although FOXHOUND itself was not in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, outside of a brief mention in the ending timeline, as well as an indirect mention by the DOD official in the ending, it does appear as one of the higher codename ranks when completing the game in Extreme and European Extreme modes. The depiction used for the FOXHOUND rank resembles the unit's 1990s logo, used for the original MSX2 games.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, in which FOXHOUND's origins are further detailed, gives the player the option to recruit FOX operative Python and Soviet officer Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov into the fledgling unit. The player must defeat Python non-lethally during a boss battle, and Raikov must be rescued from imprisonment during an optional mission, in order for their respective recruitments to take place. Whether these two events are considered canon is unknown, although the strategy guide suggests recruiting Python over killing him, and also covers the Raikov recruitment mission.

Similarly, the player is also given the option of recruiting at least one government official in Portable Ops, during the chain of missions involving the recruitment of Ocelot and EVA. However, they are unlikely to be canon due to events mentioned later on in the series.

The maximum number of recruits that can be obtained during the original Portable Ops is set to 100. This limit was increased to 200 in the expansion, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus. In addition, four new subunits of the Sneaking Unit were introduced: The Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, and Hotel units. The Spy Unit has been reduced to eight personnel as well.

Memorabilia
On April 18, 2011, Hottopic began selling FOXHOUND memorabilia, such as a messenger satchel with the 2000s FOXHOUND logo adorned on the cover, as well as a FOXHOUND logo keychain.

Other appearances

 * Snatcher claimed that Junker commander Benson Cunningham was a former member of FOXHOUND.
 * Policenauts claimed that Meryl Silverburgh was a former member of FOXHOUND.
 * FOXHOUND's transformation into a terrorist organization under Liquid Snake's command was briefly alluded to in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where Snake mentions that he's getting sick of foxes in a Codec call with Roy Campbell while fighting Fox McCloud.