United Earth Directorate

The United Earth Directorate (UED) is a human government based on Earth. The UED succeeded the United Powers League (UPL) after the undeniable confirmation of the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life.

History

 * Main article: United Powers League

Following the decline of Western civilization the United Powers League took power on Earth. Although officially atheist, the UPL was devoted to the ideology of the "divinity of mankind" and opposed to "impurities" within the human species. To this end, it pursued an aggressive policy of cultural rationalization through the destruction of religions and languages. "Project Purification", a campaign to ensure mankind's purity as a species was instituted: it was a campaign of mass genocide in which over 400 million people, mainly mutants, cyborgs, and "criminals", were eradicated. Doran Routhe, a brilliant scientist, used many of these prisoners in a colonization experiment. The prison ships were lost, eventually disgorging their passengers in a habitable star system in the Koprulu Sector.

The End of the United Powers League
Although the Terran settlers of the Koprulu Sector were unaware of it, they were monitored by those who had exiled them. At first the UPL were disinterested observers. They had little interest or incentive in involving themselves with the backwater colonials.

This state of affairs changed when the Koprulu Sector was invaded by the Protoss and the Zerg. The UPL had never encountered intelligent extraterrestrial life before. When the existence of the aliens was revealed it caused widespread panic.

Formation of the United Earth Directorate
While what was going on between Terrans of the Koprulu Sector was an issue United Powers League showed little interest in, the UPL could not afford the possibility of an alien invasion of Earth. This occasion brought the nations that had stayed out of UPL's domain into it, expanding its power. As a result of these changes the United Powers League was reformed and named as the United Earth Directorate.

The Galactic War for Domination
Adopting a more proactive, militaristic policy in regards of alien affairs, the UED used considerable resources in studying the Protoss and Zerg. The UED, after having conducted research on the alien races for months, believed that they were capable of countering the aliens and decided to end the conflict in Koprulu Sector by any means necessary.

An expeditionary force led by brilliant and talented military leader, Admiral Gerard DuGalle, was assembled. Admiral DuGalle was given three main objectives when he would arrive in Koprulu Sector:
 * 1) Conquer all of the "rogue" Terran colonies, and capture Arcturus Mengsk, the Emperor of the newly formed Terran Dominion.
 * 2) Take control of the entire Zerg Swarm by capturing the newborn Zerg Overmind with psychics and powerful drugs.
 * 3) Use the captured Zerg Swarm to pacify all Protoss activity within the sector.

The UED justified this act as an mean of assuring the survival and prosperity of humanity throughout the galaxy.

The fleet journeyed to the Koprulu Sector with its cargo of troops in cold sleep, and arrived without incident. Early on a colony was sacrificed to the Zerg so that the UED could observe live Zerg in action. The invaders met with early successes with the routing of the Terran Dominion. The Zerg Swarm too was enslaved, but only after the Psi Disruptor was secured through the sacrifice of Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov. This left the majority of the Zerg under the control of the UED.

The UED occupation provoked resentment and mistrust from the sector's traditional occupants, and it was only a matter of time before the initial shock wore off and the displaced banded together to resist the newcomers. Under Infested Kerrigan's direction, the UED hold on the sector was critically weakened by the destruction of the Psi Disrupter, which enabled Kerrigan to control her Swarms, followed by the destruction of the UED forces on Korhal. A final attempt by DuGalle to retrieve the situation at Char failed and the remnants of the UED fleet were forced to flee the sector. None of the fleeing fleet managed to elude their Zerg pursuers and return to the UED.

The failure of the offensive and the loss of the expeditionary force was a temporary set back for the United Earth Directorate, the expeditionary force being but only a small fragment of the UED's total strength. The United Earth Directorate remains active in its base of operation on Earth, but its further plans regarding the Koprulu Sector, if any exist, are unknown.

Koprulu Sector Remnants
Isolated pockets of the remnants of the UED Expeditionary Force remain in the Koprulu Sector, hiding in places such as on Abaddon.

Territories
In addition to Earth, the UED controls the Terran solar system, the Centauri colonies and Tau Ceti.

Battle Order
The UED Expedionary Fleet itself was organized into two distinct wings:
 * Atlas Wing - ground forces, main color brown
 * Cronus Wing - space forces, main color white

The Cronus Wing was by far the largest force; usually the UED forces opposed by the player focused on aerial combat rather than ground combat (which was favored by the Terran Dominion).

There were also several specialized organizations within the whole Fleet:
 * UED Blockade
 * UED Strike Team
 * UED Commando Force
 * UED Science Corps
 * UED Defense Garrison
 * Stukov's Elite Guard

The UED Blockade was formed to blockade newly conquered worlds or help prevent outside interference and escapes with ongoing planetary battles. The UED Strike Team and UED Commando Force were elite ground forces that played a role in some of the Directorate missions during the campaign. The Science Corps controlled the second Overmind. The Defense Garrison defended Braxis.

Vice Admiral Stukov himself had an Elite Guard, which used blue as its color. Stukov would actually defy the Directorate orders, although he did so in the Directorate's best interests. But disinformation by Samir Duran, a former member of Alpha Squadron, would lead to the death of Stukov.

The UED Armored Corps is a specialized branch of infantry that houses the 1st Powered Infantry.

Technology
Technology and weapons of war the UED expeditionary force employed were nearly identical to those used by Terrans. However UED infantry carry different sidearms than their Koprulu Sector counterparts and their Firebats carry the C-140 Epyon Plasma Incinerator Cannon, a different weapon from the "Perdition" flamethrowers carried by Koprulu Sector Firebats.

A possible explanation for the similarities is that since the Terrans used the databanks of the ATLAS to develop their technology (which data was based on that existing on Earth), the UED would naturally have technology that was very similar, although it is likely that they have more advanced technology too. Chris Metzen speculates that another reason the UED and the Colonials used similar equipment is because the UED relied heavily on local production and technology, such as the Dylarian Shipyards. That would also allow the initial UED invasion force to be smaller.

Known Members

 * Admiral Gerard DuGalle
 * Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov
 * Commandant Uraj Al'Kural
 * Commandant Miloshek
 * Major Kilbourne
 * Unnamed Captain: The player character in Episode V.
 * Lieutenant Thomas Dufay
 * Lieutenant Samir Duran (albeit temporarily)
 * Marine 384DTA47631
 * Harry
 * Johnny
 * Malmsteen

Trivia

 * The United Earth Directorate appears to be loosely based on the United Citizen Federation of the movie Starship Troopers. Similarities can be seen at the end of Episode V, during the UED Victory movie.