SecOps: Who are they?

One common misnomer I hear about the RDA’s soldiery is that they are Marines. This isn't even close to true. The RDA’s SecOps force, an abbreviation of Security Operations does not represent a specific branch of any countries’ armed service, but rather is a private entity comprised of former military personnel who have been contracted to provide security for the RDA’s mining operations on Pandora.

Essentially SecOps serves a function similar to 21st century private military companies (PMCs) or security contractors that provide security services around the world and most notably in the Middle East. These military contractors owe their allegiance to ther boss, and are held to different laws and standards than soldiers who fight for their country.

From what we know from the movie there are two confirmed former Marines: Colonel Miles Quartrich and Corporal Jake Sully. However, very little is known about which branches of the armed service other SecOps personnel such as Lieutenant Trudy Chacon might have formerly served. The use of military ranks within the organization further fosters the misconception that SecOps is an actual military organization, but Col. Quartrich’s second title, Chief of Security, is a clear reference that he is working for a private entity and is using ranks from each contractor’s previous service as a means to establish a clear chain of command for the security contingent on Pandora.

There are a number of other subtle clues from the movie and script that indicated that SecOps personnel are contactors on Pandora as opposed to serving a tour of duty. In Jake’s opening monologue, he says he is offered a significant sum of money to take his brother’s place as an avatar driver. While one might argue that Jake was being contracted to be a avatar driver in the avatar program and not related to SecOps, both Quartrich and Selfridge seem to consider Jake as an asset to SecOps rather than the avatar program. In one of the early dialogues between Augustine and Selfridge, Jake is commented on being added to Augustine’s team specifically as security escort. Quartrich on the other hand requests Jake gather intel for him and promises to arrange for Jake to get his legs fixed, stating that he looks out for his own. This perhaps implies that Quartrich is looking out for Jake as if he was one of his SecOps people.

Hopefully this puts to rest the myth that SecOps are Marines, an assessment that many of my Marine friends are insulted by and vehemently reject by insisting that SecOps are mercenaries and not Marines.  

—KM