- "United We Survive."
- ―ESD motto
The Earth Space Defense (ESD) is a international program that serves as Earth's early warning system and united global defense force against future extraterrestrial threats. It was founded by the United Nations on May 25, 1998 following the War of 1996. David Levinson was appointed as its Director in 2007.
History
The United Nations founded the ESD two years after the War of 1996 and coinciding with political unity between Earth's nations. Upon its inception, the ESD began a worldwide publicity and recruitment campaign. Furthermore, the ESD was also tasked with reverse-engineering alien technology left over from the 1996 invasion. The result of the research led to enhance humanity's capability in consumer, space, and military technology. Through these efforts humankind achieved in colonizing Earth's moon, Mars, and Saturn's moon Rhea.
The ESD was first headed by Director Strain, who pushed for an expedited test-flight of a hybrid fighter at the 2007 ESD Spring Expo. The fighter exploded mid-flight, killing the pilot, Steven Hiller. To prevent further government negligence, Levinson was appointed director by U.S. President Lucas Jacobs after the accident.[2]
The ESD would eventually test its mandate when Earth was again invaded during the 20th anniversary of the War of 1996 in 2016. The arrival of the aliens—in the form of a massive mothership—took the ESD by surprise in which the Moon Base and Earth's Orbital Defense System were utterly destroyed. The ESD later attempted to mount a counterattack on the mothership in an effort to eliminate the aliens' queen but only to fail. Despite of its losses, the ESD plotted a second elimination attempt on the queen. Having come into contact with a benevolent alien entity called the Sphere, an enemy of the aliens who possessed vital information, the ESD used the Sphere's presence to emulate a decoy to lure the alien queen into a trap. The ESD ultimately succeeded in drawing the queen away from her ship and killing her, thus rendering the invaders inactive and forcing the mothership to retreat from Earth.
Mandate
The ESD is a Corps sized unit, tasked with becoming experts in anti-extra-terrestrial (AET) warfare. Their primary task is to be trainers for the world's military forces. They develop, plan and execute a vigorous training program to keep general combat forces familiar with AET tactics, doctrine and weapons. They deploy in small training teams around the world for training purposes. Their secondary mission is to man space stations and moon bases, develop new tactics and techniques and conduct field practical training on newly developed weapon systems.
Technology
The ESD has studied the alien technology retrieved from the remains of the spaceships destroyed in the War of 1996 to integrate with human technology. The Chinese military helped develop the transport and heavy lifting technology in addition to research and development to understand the alien's structural, integrative, and life-support capabilities. In return, the United States focused on research and application of low-acceleration anti-gravity and stable fusion reactors.[2] Thanks to this combination of technologies, the ESD possessed hybrid weapons and vehicles of various kinds.
Orbital Defense System
A geostationary ring of orbital defense cannons that serves as Earth's first line of defense. The cannons used the same technology of the City Destroyers energy cannons.
ESD Moon Base
As part of the Space Defense Program, the Moon Base was the first of Earth's defense installations. The lunar base serves both as a monitoring center of the solar system and as a point of attack and defense of Earth.
Hybrid Vehicles
The ESD possessed various kinds of hybrid vehicles equipped with anti-gravity systems and fusion drive propellers, allowing the colonization of the solar system. Marine One was outfitted with such a drive as well as H-8 Global Defender fighters, bombers and Space Tugs.
Weapons
Salvaged alien weapons from the War of 1996 were reverse-engineered to create standard hybrid weapons such as hand-held energy weapons, anti-aircraft guns, and energy cannons.
The ESD also develop advanced cold fusion weapons which were instrumental in the July 4, 2016 conflict.
Directors of the ESD
| No. | Image | Name | Term of Office | Served under: | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Began | Ended | President | ||||
| 1 | Strain | 1999 | 2007 | |||
| 2 | 
|
David Levinson | 2007 | Present | ||
Gallery
Appearances
- Independence Day: Crucible (first appearance)
- Independence Day: Resurgence/novel