Black Tusk

"The secret Black Tusk private military contractor with ties to political and industrial leaders. They are comprised of elite soldiers that have a long history of working with the U.S. government. Their primary objective is to neutralize The Division and take control of Washington, D.C."

The Black Tusk also known as the Black  Tusk Special Unit or B.T.S.U., is a major enemy faction that appears at the endgame in Tom Clancy's The Division 2. Operating as a large Private Military Company with ties to the U.S. government, the BTSU invaded Washington, D.C. shortly after the True Sons were pushed out of the Capitol Building.

The Black Tusks took back the former faction Strongholds and mission locations. Although when Tidal Basin, the Black Tusks' main Stronghold was secured by The Division, they still operate in D.C., securing other landmarks and locations.

As an endgame faction, the Black Tusk only appears once the player has completed all the Story missions and Strongholds during their level 1 - 30 experience. They also share similarities with the Last Man Battalion and Hunters from Tom Clancy's The Division.

Background
The mysterious Black Tusk faction is The Division's most recently established nemesis, one that is still imperfectly understood. Known as a highly trained, well-equipped, and brutally efficient special operations unit, the Black Tusk appear to be seeking control of the United States federal government. But unlike other factions in both New York City and Washington, D.C. who share the same goal, the Tusk seem to have high-level backing. They have unlimited funding support, eerily precise Intel, and access to remarkably advanced and even experimental technology.

Are the Black Tusk merely the military muscle for a secret cabal of benefactors?

Reports coming into Division headquarters suggest that under cover of the Green Poison pandemic's spreading disruption, Black Tusk operations have already secured key strategic locations around the country: military bases, power-grid and utilities infrastructure, media-communications hubs, Internet server farms, certain financial institutions and high-tech corporate campuses, and so on. Now it appears they've been called to Washington, D.C. to neutralize federal resistance and counter The Division activations mandated by Presidential Directive 51.

Although its exact origins remain shrouded in mystery and what looks like deliberate misinformation, the Black Tusk group is comprised of both military and paramilitary units with a long history of working for shadowy elements of the United States government in conflict zones around the world. Black Tusk operatives have been active in everything from covert regime-change operations to on-the-ground counterinsurgency efforts in a wide array of hot spots in Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and North Africa.

The group's current configuration is clearly recruited in direct response to the bioterror attack last December. Black Tusk units and equipment began shipping back to the United States in the very early hours of the outbreak - indeed, before the full extent of the crisis was even known, which suggests the disturbing possibility of fore-knowledge. Intel intercepts since indicate a desire to "cleanse, pacify, and police the emerging New America".

Intelligence Brief
The Black Tusk are extremely well equipped, supported by cutting-edge field technologies and military-grade spec-ops vehicles that can deploy troops rapidly anywhere: land, sea, or air. The group features a large force of veteran operatives with extensive experience in conflict zones, including some of the hottest hotspots in the world. And they have a very targeted set of goals:
 * Eliminate all hostile factions and groups in Washington, D.C.
 * Ruthlessly suppress civil unrest.
 * Disarm and control the settlements.
 * Neutralize the Strategic Homeland Division and any armed forces allied to it.

Although the Black Tusk group is a private military company, it is not strictly work-for-hire like other companies of mercenary soldiers. Black Tusk are ideologically driven as well. They operate based on their chilling vision of a new world order, and they fervently believe in their role as the harbingers and military guardians of that order.

Belief in their vision's purity lets the Black Tusk terminate anything that threatens it - U.S. soldiers, national security operatives (like The Division), civil servants, civilians - without hesitation or remorse. Men, women, children, the elderly... nobody is an innocent bystander according to Black Tusk rules of engagement.

Relationship with other factions
Prior to their invasion, the Black Tusk monitored and kept tabs on all of the warring factions in Washington, D.C., especially The Division. It is only after all of the factions were defeated in their stronghold did they make their move to invade, facing little resistance.

One of the Black Tusk's objectives was to sabotage and eliminate The Division and their operations. Several ECHO's scattered across D.C. reveal that the BTSU led by Bardon Schaeffer has monitored Division agents' activities, sabotaged their SHD Network, and captured/killed several agents all while remaining undetected by every faction.

Despite this, Black Tusk holds some level of interest in The Division as they likely scaled backed on their sabotage when The Division began to gain momentum against the other factions eventually defeat them. This was most likely done so that all the factions would be weakened in the fighting, allowing for a much smoother and easier Black Tusk invasion.

One ECHO's reveals that two BTSU operatives, Elijah Sumner and Jack Bonney, hold some level of respect for Division agents. They describe fighting them as invigorating and compared it to fighting a team of superheroes.

Black Tusk does not kill civilians, but if they encountered a civilian that works with The Division and the JTF, they will kill them.

Before their invasion in Washington, D.C., they considered the Hyenas as a low threat and supplied the Hyenas with supplies, just to keep to other factions busy and keep their numbers in check.

There are some incidents where some skirmish took place between True Sons and Black Tusk.

They also appear to hold some interest in the True Sons as they have also adopted their strategy of weaponizing DC-62.

Despite all the factions fighting each other for control of positions within D.C., none have bothered to take back their stronghold from the Black Tusk nor attack their beachhead, being too weak and powerless to do so.

In New York, The Black Tusk is revealed to be supplying the Last Man Battalion with Carl Gustav's and other heavy armaments as shown in the comic Tom Clancy's The Division: Extremis Malis.

When Wraith came from hiding, it was revealed that a global corporation hired Black Tusk. As Kestrel got out of hiding, it was also discovered that Black Tusk was founded by Natalya Sokolova in which she allegedly used her family's fortune as a vehicle to dismantle the old government and replace it with that of Black Tusk. Only time will tell how Black Tusk unravels...

Gameplay
Black Tusk is the last major enemy faction that the player encounters, only appearing once the player has reached Level 30 and defeated the True Sons at their Stronghold in the Capitol Building. Once they are introduced to the game, they gain control of every Stronghold and most of the Story Missions.

Each area of the map that contains a Black Tusk stronghold will be marked in red as an "invaded" segment. The player must replay each of the Strongholds and Missions against Black Tusk; once all these have been completed, the invaded sections of the map will be restored to normal.

Sections of D.C. that are under the Black Tusk invasion will house Black Tusk activities, such as Public Executions and Territory Control. However, Black Tusk cannot capture Control Points. After the Black Tusk appears in the game, randomized patrols of Black Tusk troops in the streets of D.C. become common, even in non-invaded sections of the map.

In combat, Black Tusk troops are heavily reliant on their abilities; they will deploy various types of drones, including aerial Seeker Drones that explode when near the player. Black Tusk troops also favor firing from cover and behave more cautiously than Hyenas or Outcasts, generally keeping a safe distance from the player. Black Tusk is also distinct from the other factions in that they employ autonomous robots against the player. The Warhound is a quadrupedal, heavily-armored robot with a large-caliber gun that can inflict high damage on the player, but it is slow-moving and its gun has to charge before it fires.

The UGV is a tracked weapons platform with a machine gun and grenade launcher that can be disabled by shooting its treads or destroyed by killing its Controller operator. Most Black Tusk troops have a distinct weak point, highlighted in red, usually located on either on their back or thigh, which can be targeted by the player to cause explosive or effect damage to the victim. During some missions, they fast-rope to the ground when leaving one of their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

Events of Tom Clancy's The Division 2
Shortly after the outbreak hit New York City, Black Tusk was hired by an unknown organization to pave the way for a "new dynasty". This included orders to dismantle and eliminate any functioning order of the U.S. government, including the Strategic Homeland Division.

A small but elite unit known as the Black Tusk Specialist Unit (BTSU), led by Bardon Schaeffer, was assembled to infiltrate the city and specifically target The Division and succeeded in killing and capturing a few D.C. agents before sabotaging the SHD Network, leading Manny Ortega to recall agents across the United States to Washington, D.C. The BTSU planned to hunt down the surviving agent but were abruptly called off by their client, who came to believe The Division could become allies to their plan. The Black Tusk is also responsible for the death of (then) President of the United States Thomas Mendez as Bardon convinced two secret service agents to kill him and frame his death as a suicide. This was done to further destabilize the U.S. government.

After The Division destroyed the strongholds of the three major factions in D.C., Black Tusk was sent in to take full advantage of the situation and forcibly seize control of the city while the factions were weakened. Launching a full-scale invasion of the capital, they gained control of the faction strongholds at the District Union Arena, Roosevelt Island, and the Capitol Building. They also dispatched units across D.C. to certain locations and attempted to hack and sabotage the SHD Network for a second time to cripple The Division.

An ECHO later incriminated President Ellis in handing over the Broad-Spectrum Antiviral to the BTSU in an attempt to extract it through their base at Tidal Basin, betraying both the JTF and The Division. However, The Division launched an all-out assault on their Tidal Basin Stronghold and recovered the Antiviral, while eliminating BTSU operative Milla "Wyvern" Radek as she attempted to launch a missile at The White House.

Soon after their defeat in D.C., Black Tusk then took over the Washington National Airport to coordinate their operations. The Division dispatched their agents to stop them and take it back, after defeating several high ranking operators; Black Tusk was ultimately defeated when The Division destroyed the DDP-52 Razorback, a dangerous drone platform, and recaptured the airport.

While The Division and JTF were conducting operations in the outskirts of Washington, D.C., Black Tusk was found securing Camp White Oak. Quickly launching an attack at the camp in a Division-JTF joint operation, Black Tusk personnel desperately try to hold them off. It is confirmed that Ellis Galveston, a member of Bardon Schaeffer's BTSU Team is guarding President Ellis at the compound, dubbed "Chickenhawk"; during the attack, a helicopter is scrambled to evacuate him.

Despite the best efforts from Division agents, President Ellis escapes in the helicopter, but they managed to eliminate Galveston and secure Camp White Oak.

In an attempt to stop the JTF from acquiring data and information in Camp White Oak, they staged an offensive and took down the JTF troops stationed there. However, the Division agents turned the tables on them and stopped the offensive. Including killing the officers who were part of Bardon's "rebuilt" unit: Riley "Knife" Carter, Zach "Loot" Miller, and the twin Sniper sisters, Teagan "Tails" Price and Harper "Heads" Price. In frustration, Bardon called his boss, telling him to stop sending clowns to rebuild the unit.

When surveillance footage of Black Tusk making their move on The Pentagon was sent to The Division, their agents took action and breached their defenses. Throughout their assault, Division agents managed to stop Black Tusk in digging further into the Pentagon and stop them from extracting the perfusion reactor, killing dozens of Black Tusk officers, including Petrus Brenner in the process.

With the perfusion reactor in The Division's hands, Black Tusk suffers a major setback. Their invasion on Manning National Zoo reveals the scars left by their war with The Division, as they are using the zoo as proving grounds to recruit new staff from their less experienced reserve after losing much of their elite forces in failed operations.

Catching wind of the recruitment event, Division agents wiped out all recruitment participants on-site (including all Black Tusk assets the PMC might've brought in for the quasi-invasion). With the recruitment event done for, Black Tusk was set back considerably.

The faction, however, gained surprising allies from New York during the Warlords of New York campaign, recruiting the remnants of LMB into their force. With their new troops, the Black Tusk has most regained their attack power. Their new troops introduce new archetypes into Black Tusk. The new archetypes are ex-LMB Rushers and ex-LMB Supports.

Prior to Warlords of New York, Faye Lau made contact with Bardon Schaeffer regarding the exchange of a fellow Rogue Agent Alicia Coswald. She willingly let Black Tusk have her in exchange for information about their own supply routes in New York City.

Later on, The Division made their move on Liberty Island to eliminate Aaron Keener. Black Tusk made every effort to stop the agents from eliminating Keener as they had their own agenda against the Rogue agent. Despite their efforts in stopping the boat the agents took in and deploying the Razorback on the island, they failed. They suffered a major setback when Keener hacked their last Marauder Quadcopter and a number of Warhounds and had to retreat.

Intercepted through Keener's watch after his death, Schaeffer was conversing with Faye Lau (who is now rogue) regarding the activation of the Rogue Network. While Bardon was concerned over the number of rogue agents scattered throughout the country, Faye reassured him that it will bring The Division to its knees and they will be able to end them once and for all.

Months after the Warlord of New York, several squads of Black Tusk soldiers came into Titan. They joined up with him for a bit before being killed by Division agents, along with Titan himself. In addition, Schaeffer tried to recruit Carter "Hornet" Leroux into the fold but got rebuked by the Rogue Agent, informing Schaeffer that he (Hornet) made himself clear that "Keener lives on in more ways than he could think of," implying that Hornet's only boss is Keener, and only Keener.

A few weeks later, Bardon decided to lead a manhunt cell and send his lieutenants to recruit Hyenas, Outcasts, True Sons, and Rikers to wreck havoc on The Division. Shade has recruited Rikers to cause havoc while she recruits more rogue agents for Black Tusk. Wraith recruited Hyenas to wreck havoc while other Black Tusk troops recruit more rogue agents.

Branches
Much like the Last Man Battalion from Tom Clancy's The Division, the Black Tusk is the only faction in Tom Clancy's The Division 2 that has multiple branches in its ranks.

Black Tusk
The main entity out of the three branches, but the only time they are encountered is the invaded stronghold of Manning National Zoo during a recruiting event. They share the same uniform as their BTSU counterparts. According to Agent Kelso in an audio file, Black Tusk specializes in low spec ops: get in, do the job, and get out.

BTSU (Black Tusk Special Unit)
The Black Tusk Special Unit (B.T.S.U) is the most common enemy encountered in the streets and in the invaded missions. They share the same uniform as their regular Black Tusk counterparts; however, they have access to more powerful and technologically advanced equipment, giving them the edge they need to specifically target Division agents.

White Tusk
The White Tusk is the strongest branch out of the three and only seen on Legendary strongholds. White Tusk is controlled by the Black Tusk directly, rather than the BTSU. They are the opposite of their Black Tusk and BTSU counterparts: on top of their uniforms being pure white, their job is to hold a high-value position with heavy firepower.

Quotes

 * Drones in the air! - Warning other fellow Black Tusk members of such UAV usage
 * Shoot 'em, dammit! - a male Black Tusk member getting frustrated that other Black Tusk soldiers are not pouring it on the Division agent
 * Pour it on!
 * Agent's back on their feet! - A male Black Tusk member catching a Division agent red-handed using an armor kit or healing skill
 * You'll pay for killing one of ours! - A male Black Tusk member being fatally shot by a Division agent
 * K.I.A! - A Black Tusk member is fatally shot by a Division agent
 * Operator is down! Repeat! Operator down! - A Black Tusk member gunned down by a Division agent
 * You're not heroes, you're traitors to your country! - Black Tusk member taunting Division agents
 * Vaya con dios, Assholes!

Trivia

 * To an extent, the B.T.S.U. can be considered a foil faction to the SHD:
 * The B.T.S.U. has clear-cut Archetypes within their ranks, while The Division (aside from Specializations and rankings in clans) have no clearly defined Archetypes.
 * The B.T.S.U. have heavy and bulky technology (such as their UGV and the Medic's revive drone) while The Division has more light and smaller technology (such as seeker mines and turrets)
 * An example of this is each faction's variant of the Minigun: the B.T.S.U's Heavy has a minigun that is constantly deployed, has an exposed belt connecting to a feeding pack, and usually requires short breaks between firings; on the other hand, The Division's Gunner has a compact minigun that can be deployed and retracted in an instant, has the magazine belt built directly on the weapon, and a special motor that keeps the weapon from overheating, allowing the agent to fire continuously.
 * The B.T.S.U. has a more interconnected uniform, while outfits can be vary between each agent of The Division.
 * The B.T.S.U. has a clear chain of command within its ranks, while The Division is an autonomous networked structure.
 * Both of these structures are double-edged swords for each faction: while the chain of command means that the B.T.S.U. is well disciplined, eliminating high-ranking officers slows down and possibly halt their mission of taking over D.C. (which led to the Black Tusk taking over Manning National Zoo for a recruiting program); meanwhile the autonomy a Division agent has given them the freedom to go rogue, but it means that killing off specific field agents won't be detrimental to their overall focus.
 * Throughout the events of Tom Clancy's The Division 2, it is shown that while the Black Tusk field commanders are strategically smart, they often butt-heads and compete with each other. This has been an Achilles' heel for them in some of their more high-value operations.
 * Some civilians know of the Black Tusk's existence with one even saying "Black Tusk are paranoid. Who wouldn't be?" Given the Black Tusk's secrecy, It is unknown how they even have knowledge of the Black Tusk.

Appearances
Частная военная компания «Чёрный Бивень»
 * Tom Clancy's The Division
 * ''Tom Clancy's The Division: Extremis Malis
 * Tom Clancy's The Division 2