View source for Unification War

{{GameIcon|2077}}
{{Infobox conflict
|Name = Unification War
|Image = NC Archives Episode 3 CP2077PL 01.png
|Date = January [[2069]] - June [[2070]]
|Location = North America
|Result = · The [[NUSA]] and the [[Free State]]s (except [[Texas]]) signed the [[#Treaty of Unification|Treaty of Unification]], ending the war.<br/>· [[Night City]] seceded from [[Northern California]] and became a fully autonomous city.<br/>· [[Arasaka]] returned to North America, building its [[Arasaka Tower|new headquarters]] in Night City.
|Combatants 1 = [[Federalist Party|Federalists]]:<br/>[[NUSA]]<br/>[[Southern California|SoCal]]<br/>[[Utah]]<br/><br/>Corporation:<br/>[[Militech]]
|Combatants 2 = [[Devolutionist Party|Devolutionists]]:<br/>[[Free States of North America]]<br/>([[Northern California|NorCal]],<br/>[[Nevada]],<br/>[[Arizona]],<br/>[[New Mexico]],<br/>[[Colorado]],<br/>[[Wyoming]],<br/>[[Montana]])<br/><br/>Corporation:<br/>[[Arasaka]]<br/><br/>Allies:<br/>[[Soviet Union|USSR]] 
|Combatants 3 = [[Texas|Republic of Texas]]
|Combatant leaders 1 = [[Rosalind Myers]]<br/>[[Lucas Harford]]
|Combatant leaders 2 = Unknown Free States' leaders<br/>[[Lucius Rhyne]]<br/>[[Saburo Arasaka]]
|Combatant leaders 3 = Unnamed Texas leader
|Strength 1 = [[NUSAF]]<br/>[[FIA]]<br/>Militech forces
|Strength 2 = Free States forces<br/>Arasaka forces (including a supercarrier)
|Strength 3 = Texas forces
}}
The '''Unification War''' (also known as the '''Metal Wars''')<ref name="Gonks" /> was a conflict between the [[New United States]] and the [[Free States of North America]] that occurred between [[2069]] and [[2070]].

Officially recognized as a war between the New United States of America and the autonomous Free States, the Unification War is also considered a [[corporate war]] by scholars due to the essential participation of the competing [[Militech]] and [[Arasaka]] [[corporation]]s. The conflict is also referred to as the Metal Wars due to the wide use of cutting-edge military technology, including vast amounts of armored vehicles such as [[Panzerboy|panzers]].<ref name="Gonks">[[The Unification War... for Gonks!]]</ref><ref name="World">{{RefCP|2077WB|22-23}}</ref>

==History==
{{Section|Operation Midnight Storm}}
===Early war===
In 2069, the recently elected president of the New United States, [[Rosalind Myers]], presented a unification program to extend federal rule over the autonomous separatist [[Free State]]s under the pretense of strengthening the nation. Most of those states opposed unification, leading to an inevitable conflict.

The NUSA, backed by nationalized Militech forces and the support of the former Free States of [[Southern California]] and [[Utah]],<ref name="Journal">[[Journal (Rocky Ridge)]]</ref> declared war on the [[Free States of North America|loose alliance]] of Free States: [[Colorado]], [[New Mexico]], [[Wyoming]], [[Montana]], [[Arizona]], [[Nevada]], and [[Northern California]].<ref name="2077WC">{{RefCP|2077wc|4}}</ref> [[Washington]], [[Oregon]], and [[Idaho]] remained neutral in the conflict, at the price of making some concessions to the federal government.<ref name="World" /> The Republic of [[Texas]] did not side with the NUSA or join the alliance, and instead had its own agenda, opposing both sides.<ref name="Journal" /> Other non-mentioned Free States, taken by surprise by the NUSA's aggression, surrendered immediately.<ref>[[Night City - A New Era]]</ref>

The New United States was the first to act, striking at the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana and Arizona.<ref name="Journal" />

Seeking to re-establish its influence on North America, the Arasaka Corporation took the opportunity to secretly finance the Free States.<ref name="Guide">{{RefCP|2077cogstd|18}}</ref> Despite the new weapons and the corporate "security advisers," the alliance was pressed hard by the NUSA military, which was made up mostly of Militech's advanced technology and backed up by the rest of the federal states.

The conflict continued to escalate, leading to the Battle of [[Ridgecrest]], in South California, which became the bloodiest battle in the war, with at least 3,078 people reported dead in one day.<ref name="Gonks" />

===Late war===
By early to mid 2070, federal forces had occupied every warring Free State, except for Texas and Northern California,<ref name="2077WC" /> though the latter's capital city of [[Sacramento]] was carpet-bombed during the night of June 6th, causing many more casualties in the war.<ref name="WNS">[[Old World News Service broadcasting station/Computers]]</ref>

To the southwest, bordering the NUSA-allied SoCal, the NorCal metropolis of [[Night City]] had so far avoided the fighting by maintaining a position of neutrality, but only barely.<ref name="Gonks" /> Its citizens had been holding their breath as they waited for an invasion from their neighbor, and fears of such an attack caused corporations to pull all of their funding from the ongoing development of the [[Pacifica (2077)|Pacifica District.]]<ref name="World" /> Some parts of the district were occupied by an NUSA detachment led by [[Kurt Hansen|Colonel Hansen]].<ref name="PL1">[https://www.cyberpunk.net/phantom-liberty Dossier: Hansen - cyberpunk.net]</ref>

The situation in NC was bad enough that the [[Soviet Union|USSR]] sent humanitarian help; independent observers claimed it was instead trucks of weapons that the Neo-Soviets had sent. To make matters worse, Night Citizens who had fled east to find refuge in Texas found its borders officially closed to them.<ref name="WNS" />

At a later point, another [[United States Armed Forces|NUSA Army]] division was sighted approaching the city outskirts. However, they were prevented from invading Night City thanks to the actions of then councilman [[Lucius Rhyne]], who used his decade worth of contacts in the [[Night City Council]] to ask the exiled Arasaka Corp for protection. On June 12, an Arasaka supercarrier showed up in [[Del Coronado Bay]]. Just a few hours later, the NUSA retreated from the area.<ref name="World" /><ref>[[FLIGHT LOG, June 13 2070, Militech Flight 341990-AF, Militech Air Force, Combat Valgus YJAK-20]]</ref>

[[FIA]] agents had infiltrated Night City as well, but after the previous events, they were called off by President Myers.<ref name="Swords">[[Cyberpunk 2077: Ten of Swords]]</ref>

===Treaty of Unification===
Following Arasaka's intervention, all parties were unwilling to commit to a full-scale war, and soon afterwards a peace treaty was proposed. President Myers agreed to the terms, as the NUSA was not able to afford the costs of such a conflict escalation.<ref name="Guide" /> Signed in [[Arvin]], South California, the Treaty of Unification (or the Arvin Accord)<ref name="CP2077"/> signaled the end of the war.<ref name="Gonks />

The treaty ensured the Free States would remain autonomous, though they had to extensively cooperate with the New United States, agreeing to participate in the federal government and cease hostilities among themselves. Night City managed to maintain its full autonomy, seceding from both the North Californian and NUSA laws and governance, becoming an international free city.<ref name="World" /> Texas didn't participate in the signing, remaining a fully autonomous and hostile state to the NUSA. Arasaka had the most gains after the war, as the ban imposed after the [[Fourth Corporate War]] was lifted and the corporation was able to return to North America.

The peace treaty was unsatisfactory to most parties but was considered preferable over continuing the war and risking another global crisis.<ref name="World" /> Despite this, both sides claimed victory. The Free States emphasized they had preserved their independence, and the NUSA boasted that they were closer than ever to reunifying the divided American people.<ref name="Gonks" />

===Aftermath===
Night City's newfound freedom came at a price, as corporate interests were once again permitted in the city borders. This lead to an increase of corporate influence, and to their pumping money into revitalizing the metropolis in order to establish a foothold on the West Coast. The symbolic capstone of these events occurred later that same year, when the newly elected mayor, Lucius Rhyne,<ref name="2077WC" /> and the city council allowed Arasaka to build their new [[Arasaka Tower|American headquarters]] downtown, on the site where the [[Arasaka Towers|previous one]] had been destroyed in [[2023]].<ref name="World" /><ref name="Guide" />

A concrete [[NorCal-SoCal Border Wall|border wall]] between South and North California was built after the War by the United States. Despite not being a part of NorCal anymore, the NUSA still extended the border through the [[Badlands]] south of the city.<ref>[[The Wall]]</ref>

==Database Entry==
{{DBEntry
|title = Unification War / Metal Wars
|image = Unifications Wars ⁄ Metal Wars Database CP2077.png
|transcript = The Unification War (sometimes called the Metal Wars) was a series of armed conflicts spanning from January 2069 to June 2070.

It was fought between the NUSA (New United States of America) and the Free States, supported by Militech and Arasaka respectively. The conflict's name differs depending on who you ask; NUSA/Militech supporters call it the Unification War, whereas Arasaka Corp. and certain Free States have preferred the name Metal Wars. North California (NorCal) stood on the side of the Free States while South California (SoCal) stood by the NUSA. (Note: Night City remained independent throughout the conflict.)

The war was finally concluded by a ceasefire signed in Arvin, SoCal. However, both sides declared victory for themselves and found the terms of peace largely unsatisfactory, causing many to believe the outbreak of another armed conflict is only a matter of time. The Free States were obliged to forfeit their independent status (albeit only on paper, as they would remain autonomous in practice). Ultimately, the NUSA chose to accept the conditions of this peaceful resolution rather than risk escalation of the war across the globe, resulting in potentially millions of casualities and, more importantly, a deep recession.

Arasaka and Militech suffered heavier losses than any other corporation or government body involved in the conflicts. Both megacorps lost billions of eurodollars in military equipment, and because Militech had their own boots on the ground they additionally lost the lives of thousands of soldiers whom they staunchly refer to as "independent consultants".<ref name="CP2077">{{RefCP|2077}}</ref>
}}

==Notes==
*The Unification War allowed [[Kurt Hansen]] to take control of a what would become Night City's [[Dogtown]].<ref name="PL1" />
*In [[2014]] there was a gang war in Night City known as the [[Night City#Corporate Rule (2011 - 2021)|Metal Wars]].<ref>{{RefCP|2020HB|7}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
NC Archives Episode 2 CP2077PL 01.png
NC Archives Episode 2 CP2077PL 02.png
</gallery>

===Videos===
<gallery>
Cyberpunk 2077 — Night City Archives - Episode 2 - A Nation Divided
Cyberpunk 2077 — Night City Archives - Episode 3 - Birth of Dogtown
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
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[[Category:21st-century conflicts]]
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[[fr:Guerre d'unification]]
[[pl:Wojna Unifikacyjna]]
[[ru:Объединяющая война]]