Brotherhood War

The NCR-Brotherhood War is a major conflict between the Brotherhood of Steel and the New California Republic that has thoroughly affected New California as well as areas around it, shifting its fragile balance of power.

Conflict arises
By 2231, Jeremy Maxson had assumed the position of Brotherhood High Elder. In addition to wanting to expand Brotherhood operations eastward, he was much more aggressive in his "hoarding" of pre-War technology. He wanted to restore the power of the Brotherhood by wresting all advanced tech from the hands of "lesser people" by any means necessary. Naturally, this led to disputes with the NCR, which had always been in favor of using advanced technology for the benefit of society (at least, according to Thomas Moore, an NCR citizen, which is what he saw as the NCR's justification for trying to annex Vault City). Sometime after the destruction of the Enclave in 2242, a war broke out between the Brotherhood and the NCR. The exact year is unknown.

The Brotherhood enjoyed a considerable advantage during the early years of the war and nearly won, avoiding a protracted war entirely, as their advanced technology and high standards of training allowed them to inflict tremendous losses on the NCR's military. However, the NCR had a far larger pool of manpower from which to draw troops, while the Lost Hills Brotherhood remained a selective organization, allowing the NCR to easily replace its losses while the Brotherhood became desperate. The Brotherhood fought fiercely, but in the end the NCR's numbers prevailed, and the Brotherhood forces were overwhelmed, forcing them into their bunkers. It should be noted that the Brotherhood, despite being forced into their bunkers, have not given up the fight against the NCR. Colonel Moore states that she recently survived four tours against the Brotherhood in California, suggesting that they are indeed still fighting. Having lost the surface, the Brotherhood prepared themselves to fight to the death as the NCR began to invade their bunkers. The Brotherhood was however able to inflict an equally crippling blow against the NCR. Just as the tide was beginning to turn, the Brotherhood mounted an all out assault on the NCR's gold reserves at Redding. They destroyed all of the gold used to back up the NCR dollar, completely crippling the NCR economy, sending the Republic into an economic meltdown.

Meanwhile the Mojave Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel operated freely among the wastes around New Vegas for several years, they were extremely frustrated when the NCR dispatched troops to the Mojave to annex it, although they initially restrained themselves from getting involved in the war. In 2274, the NCR set its sights on the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel, led by Elder Elijah, and sought control of their main base, HELIOS One. In 2276, the NCR attacked HELIOS One and Elijah - against the will of his Paladins - ordered his troops to protect the facility. After a lengthy battle and inflicting tremendous losses on the advancing NCR forces, the Brotherhood retreated to Hidden Valley after losing around half their chapter, and have since remained in exile. The NCR success at HELIOS One is credited to their superior numbers (a 20:1 ratio), the difficulty of defending the location, and Elijah's poor decision making in forcing the Brotherhood to defend the location. It should be noted that Colonel Moore states herself that despite the enormous advantage in numbers, the NCR would have been unable to take the facility had the Brotherhood remained true to their tactics. The Courier can aid the Brotherhood and thus lift the lockdown imposed at Hidden Valley, allowing the Brotherhood to start patrols once more.

Current status
As of 2281, the war in California is still ongoing.

In 2287, it is stated in the terminal in Proctor Quinlan's office that the East Coast Chapter are in full contact with the Brotherhood of Steel leadership in New California and have begun eradicating cults dedicated to Elder Arthur Maxson, suggesting they are operating on the surface once more. The Mojave chapter is still as far as we know hiding in the Hidden Valley bunker, where former Paladin Nolan McNamara (in light of Elijah's disappearance following the battle) took the role of Elder upon himself, and placed the bunker under lockdown, stranding Brotherhood stragglers and ceasing contact with the outside world. Since then the Brotherhood's presence in the Mojave Wasteland has been confined to only a few scouting missions.

The NCR held the power plant, but were unable to get it up and running. Its lack of a proper power output later made it a low-priority target for Caesar's Legion. The NCR salvaged many suits of enemy power armor from the war, stripping their servomotors and turning them into suits of armor for NCR heavy troopers. While many believe the Brotherhood to be dead in the Mojave, some in the NCR, like Colonel Moore, suspect otherwise. A major decider of the war in the Mojave is the Courier, who is preparing for the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. If working for Robert House, Caesar's Legion, or the NCR, they will order the eradication of the chapter. If the messenger takes the independent route, on the other hand, the brotherhood can be kept alive and in conditions good enough for it to start operating again in the Mojave.

Battles
While Colonel Moore states she has survived four tours against the Brotherhood of Steel in California, the results of these battles are unknown, and there is currently only one recorded battle in the war, Operation: Sunburst.