Organizations in Deus Ex

The UNATCO (United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition) is a fictional United Nations organization devoted to counter-terrorism within the world of the futuristic cyberpunk computer game Deus Ex.

From what can be gleaned from the backstory of Deus Ex, UNATCO was formed in the early 21st century as an ad hoc response by UN member nations to the growing problem of international terrorism. The exact date of the genesis of UNATCO is unclear: several of the game's characters have worked for the organization for many years, including Sam Carter, Paul Denton, and Gunther Hermann. The game's protagonist, 23 years old in the game, also mentions adolescent dreams of working for the organization. A few years prior to the events in Deus Ex, UNATCO, through collaboration with groups like INTERPOL and with funding by the United States, has become a standing international counterterrorist police force; the term "world police" is used to describe the organization. By the game year, 2052, UNATCO has formed its headquarters on Liberty Island in New York City after a terrorist strike on the Statue of Liberty. .

Events in Deus Ex
At the start of the game, it appears that UNATCO's intent is to defeat global terrorism perpetrated by groups like the National Secessionist Forces or Silhouette. But as the story progresses the player discovers that the director, Joseph Manderley, is the pawn of a secret conspiracy that calls itself Majestic-12. As a consequence, UNATCO is just a single tool for global hegemony. By the end of the game the player works actively against the covert operations of UNATCO and Majestic-12.

UNATCO's American base is in the location of an underground bunker beneath Liberty Island. Deeper beneath the base are the Majestic-12 laboratories and prison. Several UNATCO agents have access to the MJ-12 facilities beneath the Liberty Island UNATCO base, including Manderley, Anna Navarre, Paul Denton and Gunther Hermann.

The player uncovers financial links that bind UNATCO to Walton Simons, head of the FEMA and a key leader of Majestic-12. UNATCO does much of MJ-12's dirty work, including the dispersal of biological warfare agents against the general population, and military suppression of any peaceful or military resistance to UNATCO member governments. UNATCO's establishment as a permanent military police in the United States in the year 2051 is the first open display of MJ-12's ambition for a world government. As Deus Ex begins, MJ-12 operates openly as a military occupier in certain urban sectors of France. The game does not make it clear whether Majestic-12's open operations there are due to government complicity or military takeover. It is also made clear that the persistence in France of the strongest remnants of the Bavarian Illuminati necessitates Majestic-12's open military displays - much of MJ-12's effort in Paris centers on the eradication the French Illuminati and their allies, Silhouette.

With the onslaught of the global collapse perpetrated by JC Denton at the end of Deus Ex, UNATCO, along with most other global entities, is portrayed in the game's sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, as having effectively ceased to exist. The old Liberty Island UNATCO base makes a cameo appearance at the end of Invisible War as it is used by JC Denton to store the dormant Aquinas protocol, though by the year 2072 when the game is said to take place, the complex is effectively a ruin.

UNATCO Troopers
UNATCO Troopers are the backbone of the organization. They are the NPCs who carry out most of the antiterrorist operations in the game, either in their own small groups, or led by a special agent. Troopers usually carry Assault Rifles, but they are known to use pistols, mini-crossbows and combat knives as a backup melee weapon.

Mechanical
In the game, the player meets two mechanically augmented agents (often referred to as mechs): Gunther Hermann and Anna Navarre. It is shown that they work together and remain close friends. Being stronger and more able than UNATCO Troopers, their role is usually to go into terrorist situations alone and complete objectives, while Troopers usually follow behind and neutralise all enemies. Upon the player's arrival at UNATCO, both agents are very bitter as they feel that they have been made obsolete by the presence of nano-augmented agents, JC Denton and Paul Denton.

Nano Augmented
The game centres around JC Denton, a nano-augmented agent. The notion is that JC Denton's tissues are augmented with microscopic nanites that increase certain attributes of his performance related to intelligence, stealth, speed, strength or combat abilities. JC Denton's brother, Paul Denton, is also a nano-augmented agent. The advantage of nano-augmentation over mechanical augmentation is that a nano-augmented agent is visually indistinguishable from any member of the public, unlike a mechanically augmented agent. 'Nano-Augs', as they are typically referred to, tend to be more physically able than their mechanical counterparts, who often encounter trouble with their augmentations, and are also able to upgrade their systems with augmentation canisters, encountered through the game. Nano-Augmented agents are the new generation of antiterrorist agents.

Trivia

 * When the game was released in 2000 Ion Storm created a website(www.unatco.org) for the fictional organization to promote the game. Ion Storm pulled the website shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
 * The motto of UNATCO is from the Sententiae of Publilius Syrus: "Nihil aliud scit necessitas quam vincere," loosely, "Necessity knows nothing other than to conquer."