Mojave Campaign

The Mojave Campaign, also known as the Pacification of the Mojave, is a New California Republic military offensive, beginning in 2253 with the objective of annexing the entire Mojave Wasteland.

Background
The campaign erupted after the massacre of 38 NCR citizens at the hands of Mojave raiders in 2253. President Tibbet subsequently lost a motion of no confidence. Her replacement, Wendell Peterson, ordered three battalions of NCR infantry into the Mojave, beginning the campaign.Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p. 458 Important Dates: "2253 President Tibbett is removed from office by a vote of no confidence following her "timid" response to the massacre of 38 NCR citizens at the hands of Mojave raiders. Her replacement, President Wendell Peterson, orders three battalions of NCR infantry into the Mojave." "2270	 The extirpation of tribals in the area of present-day Bullhead City is complete. "The Pacification of the Mojave," as it comes to be known, makes General Aaron Kimball a national hero." "2272 The NCR's Mojave outpost is established." "2274 NCR forces move east and occupy Hoover Dam. The NCR reluctantly signs the Treaty of New Vegas recognizing Mr. House and his stewards, the Three Families, as the rightful owners of the Strip. The Strip opens for business." "2274 Hoover Dam restarts and the Strip blazes with light. The first trickle of privileged, curious NCR citizens visits the Strip." "2275 Camp McCarran is established as NCR Headquarters in the Mojave. Sporadic fighting begins with the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel. The NCR government withdraws official support from the Followers of the Apocalypse and founds The Office of Science and Industry." "2276 Conflict with the Brotherhood of Steel escalates, culminating in decisive victory at HELIOS One. The Mojave Brotherhood is considered 'neutralized.'" "2277	Legion forces under the command of the Malpais Legate fail to wrest control of Hoover Dam from the NCR. Despite heavy casualties, the NCR's victory is celebrated back home." "2278 Following the abduction and killing of four soldiers, NCR troops assault the Great Khans' settlement at Red Rock Canyon [sic] and massacre several dozen men, women, and children. This event goes unreported in NCR press." Note: The Guide erroneously states that the NCR attacked Red Rock Canyon. The campaign's initial intent was to pacify all raider forces to make safe headway for NCR citizens, but has since shifted the aim to remain in control of the Hoover Dam and prevent Caesar's Legion from advancing across the Colorado River and in turn, keeping them from endangering the Republic to the west.

The campaign
To secure transportation routes from the Mojave to the NCR in the west, the Mojave Outpost was established in 2272. As early as 2273, the New California Republic sent Rangers out east to scout for anything of interest. Most importantly, the Rangers discovered that the pre-War city of Las Vegas (now renamed "New Vegas") had been relatively untouched by the Great War and that Hoover Dam was in repairable condition. Realizing the militaristic and economic values of these locations, the Republic quickly sent a detachment of their army in 2274 to take control of the New Vegas region in hopes of using the rich resources there to their advantageThe Courier: "I'd like to know more about the NCR." Dennis Crocker: ''"I can provide a quick history lesson, if that's what you're looking for. In 2274, President Kimball sent the NCR army into the Mojave in force, with the objective of occupying and repairing Hoover Dam. Rangers and army scouts had confirmed that the dam was basically unoccupied and could be restored to an operable condition. Upon arriving at the dam, however, they discovered that a large force of tribals and robots had occupied it. This was our introduction to the Three Families, the Securitrons, and, of course, Mr. House. Using his Securitrons as intermediaries, Mr. House called for parlay. He claimed his forces had occupied Hoover Dam in order to safeguard it for our arrival. And that he was ready to turn it over to us, so long as we could agree to terms. Those terms became the Treaty of New Vegas. The Treaty recognized Mr. House's sovereignty over the Strip and granted us rights to establish military bases at the Dam and McCarran Airport. The NCR is legally permitted to send 95% of the electricity produced by the dam to our home states. The remaining 5% goes to the Strip. The treaty actually makes it illegal for the NCR to prevent its citizens, or troops on furlough, from visiting the Strip. Once on the Strip, our citizens are subject to arrest - or punishment - by House's Securitrons, though that's a rare occurrence. Our troops enjoy a different status. It's illegal for the Securitrons to take action against them. Of course, it's also illegal for our troops to carry firearms on the Strip, so there isn't much trouble they can get into. Our military police does an adequate job of keeping the troops on furlough in line. I don't envy them that task. The embassy was established a few weeks after the Treaty was signed. Basically Mr. House handed us a dumpy little building he had no interest in renovating. I'm the third ambassador to hold this post. And the first, I think, to accept its limitations. My predecessors had ambitions of engineering the annexation of the Mojave. They thought they'd convince Mr. House to join up. I've never even spoken to the man - or whatever he is. Maybe the situation will change once we've beaten the Legion once and for all." The Courier: "Go on." Dennis Crocker: "Now we mostly just keep track of the NCR citizens and troopers around and make sure they don't get in trouble, but that's Captain Pappas' job. I keep myself busy with paperwork and reports that get sent back to the NCR. It's mostly busy work, but every once in awhile, we make progress."'' (Dennis Crocker's dialogue) The NCR, after having moved in the Mojave area, seized other nearby areas such as Bullhead City in what came to be known as the "Pacification of the Mojave".

Once they were able to mobilize a sizable force, the NCR occupied the Hoover Dam before any other party could claim it. If not for the Treaty of New Vegas the NCR reluctantly signed in 2274, the Republic would have marched on the city and taken it soon after occupying the dam. With the treaty, the NCR was given control of Hoover Dam and was allowed to divert 95% of the electricity generated to the Republic's core regions, while diverting the remaining 5% to the Strip. Also, the NCR was allowed to deploy their military forces in the region and allow NCR citizens to visit the Strip without interference but would have to recognize New Vegas' independence. To ensure Mr. House stayed true to the treaty, the NCR Embassy was established on the Strip mere weeks after the treaty was signed.

The city took off when Hoover Dam was started up again and began providing power to the Strip. The upper class citizens of the Republic trickled in to see the city, curious of such a place. Even so, the New California Republic is having difficulties administering such a large region. The campaign is a logistical nightmare, with supplies and troops being slow to get anywhere and Republic funds for both are tied up in the Los Angeles Boneyard, where Senate elections are underway. The Mojave Campaign is so unpopular with NCR citizens, that senators do not want to ruin their chances at an election by diverting funds into a desert that many will never see and have their brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters die there. In addition, defending Hoover Dam, keeping it operational, and bolstering defenses against Caesar's Legion is a tall order to fill; to date, only the former two can be accomplished.

First conflict with the Legion

 * See also: NCR-Legion War and First Battle of Hoover Dam

The NCR's newfound wealth and territory would soon come under threat however, from the looming power of Caesar's Legion. Under the command of the Malpais Legate, Legion forces marched against the NCR garrison at Hoover Dam, in an attempt to take the strategic asset and river crossing, in what became known as the First Battle of Hoover Dam. The Malpais initially had the upper hand, and was able to push the NCR defenders back and lead his forces over the dam. Lead elements of the NCR under Chief Hanlon's command, including members of the 1st Recon battalion and NCR Rangers, executed a tactical retreat west across the dam and into Boulder City, all the while using their prowess in marksmanship to kill the Legion officers (primarily Centurions and Decanii). Malpais, unable to adapt strategies in combat, ordered his legionaries to push forward, not knowing the NCR had booby-trapped Boulder City, laying explosives along their line of retreat, and were drawing the Legion into a trap. When the Legion forces entered the city, the NCR detonated the explosives and inflicted severe casualties amongst the Legion forces, crippling their offensive. The NCR forces then counter-attacked, pushing back and eventually routing the Legion forces who fled east back over the dam.

The NCR also met resistance from a new incarnation of an old enemy, the Great Khans, culminating in the Bitter Springs Massacre. The Khans quickly began to arm themselves and the Fiends against the NCR.

Continued conflict with the Legion

 * See also: Battle of Nelson, Searchlight Sabotage, Massacre of Nipton

The Legion would not stay quiet for long. One of the NCR's forward bases, Camp Nelson, was completely obliterated by a Legion task force in an eerie repeat of Fort Aradesh's loss. Another camp, Searchlight, was heavily irradiated in a Legion feint, which transformed all the survivors of that base into feral trooper ghouls. Led by President Kimball and General Lee Oliver, morale among the soldiers is at an all-time low, and desertion rates are high. The main camp on the front lines is Camp Forlorn Hope, though nicknamed by the soldiers and citizens of the Mojave, which as its nickname suggests, is full of depressed and constantly embattled soldiers. They are holding a defensive line across the Colorado River and preparing for the upcoming battle on the Hoover Dam that could decide the fate of the entire area. The soldiers have spread far too thin across the front thanks in no small part to both Oliver's insistence on massing troops and resources at Hoover Dam at the expense of the rest of the front lines and bureaucratic red tape to prevent the Legion from crossing the river, as is illustrated by the attacks on Nipton and Ranger station Charlie.

The NCR's gold-backed currency lost much of its value after the Brotherhood of Steel ambushed and destroyed their gold deposits, which resulted in the NCR's dollar now being backed by water. They hold an iron fist over Hoover Dam's production capabilities and lease electricity and drinking water to the Strip and other nearby communities in exchange for military supplies and a firm foothold in the region.

The NCR aims to wrestle control of the Strip from Robert House eventually, but cannot do so while Caesar's Legion remains a threat. While the NCR does openly engage Legion patrols upon sight of them, such efforts have proved futile in any sort of long-term damage to the Legion. The securitron armies possessed by House pose a massive threat to both the NCR and the Legion, but this uneasy stalemate between the three factions is threatened by the arrival of the platinum chip. In addition, the Mojave Campaign has become increasingly unpopular amongst NCR citizens, mostly in regions far away from Vegas, to whom the campaign is nothing but taxes and lost children. Senators opposed to the war leverage this unrest to their advantage in the upcoming Senate elections of 2281.

Conflict with the Brotherhood of Steel

 * See also: NCR-Brotherhood War and Operation: Sunburst

Before even entering the Mojave, the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel staged a long and bloody war spurred by disagreements on how technology should be regulated in the wasteland. Despite having far superior technology and training, the Brotherhood has gone into retreat after having lost many battles on the front lines. When the New California Republic established Camp McCarran as its base of operations in the Mojave region in 2275, it spurred sporadic guerrilla attacks from the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel. The outcome of the war is best illustrated by the Mojave Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel. After taking heavy losses in 2276 in a battle for control of HELIOS One, dubbed Operation: Sunburst, the Brotherhood retreated to Hidden Valley and have remained in essential exile sending scouting parties for only essential requirements. The NCR success can most notably be traced to their far superior numbers. For example, in the battle for HELIOS One, they outnumbered the Brotherhood twenty to one. However, the conflict was a minimal victory for the NCR at best. Heavy losses to Brotherhood knights and paladins meant redirecting troopers from the front lines against Caesar's Legion, and fewer soldiers to protect vital caravan trading routes.

Conflict with the Great Khans

 * See also: NCR-Great Khan War and Bitter Springs Massacre

In the early parts of the war, the Great Khans took to raiding NCR military outposts and civilian settlements. The NCR then stated launch counter-attacks against the Khans. They eventually traced a group of Khan raiders to their settlement at Bitter Springs, leading to the Bitter Springs Massacre. The Khan leader Papa Khan now holds resentment against the NCR and is contemplating joining an alliance with Caesar's Legion. He has also forged an economic alliance with the Fiends, selling them chems so they will harass the NCR in return.

Behind the scenes
The impetuous of the Mojave Campaign and its further reasoning is in direct comparison to manifest destiny that spurred the expansion of the United States westward in the early 1800s and to later pacify "savage" Indians.