Third Echelon Headquarters

Third Echelon Headquarters
Formed	(pre-)2003
Dissolved	2011
Jurisdiction	Base of Operations Government Building
Headquarters	Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, D.C. NSA HQ (Undisclosed Area), Fort Meade, Maryland National Security Agency Subterranean Facility (Fort Meade, Maryland) Non-Description Office Building(Washington, D.C.)
Appears in	All Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (until dissolved)

Third Echelon Headquarters was the main base of operations for Third Echelon, a sub-branch within the National Security Agency (NSA), seen or mentioned during pre-mission cutscenes (or cinematics) in every game in the Splinter Cell series, and featured as one of the missions Sam Fisher explores in Splinter Cell: Conviction. The location of Third Echelon's headquarters remained classified for security reasons, but was believed to be located in a remote area somewhere between Washington, D.C. and Fort Meade, Maryland.

Description

Third Echelon has several bases of operations across the U.S. East Coast, mainly within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. One is a hidden underground bunker under Fort Meade, and another headquarters is a non-descript office building located at Jefferson Drive SW, within the National Mall, Washington, D.C. that separates from the main NSA headquarters on Savage Road, Fort Meade, Maryland., though many of Third Echelon's employees have offices within or work out of NSA headquarters (National Security Agency Third Echelon Headquarters). After several years, Third Echelon changes the location of their headquarters from Washington D.C. to a new location for security reasons (one of the buildings was not far from the White House). One of these headquarters was destroyed in 2011, when Director Tom Reed activated 'Protocol 2319', which was a self-destruct protocol and evacuation alert system, after Sam breached Third Echelon's security. In the iOS version of Conviction, Sam Fisher visits another Third Echelon Headquarters hidden inside White Box Laboratories and MCN Complex in Virginia. This was destroyed when a helicopter crashed into the building and exploded, causing the building to caught on fire, and ultimately explode.

Parking Lots/Garage

National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland:

A series of barbed wire and electrical fences cordoned off the grounds, and gatehouses were placed at designated intervals to allow entrance into parking lots that could accommodate more than 18,000 cars.

Third Echelon Headquarters, Washington, D.C.:

Third Echelon had an underground garage at the Washington, D.C. headquarters. It was located somewhere near a subway/train station. An elevator lead up to the ground floor.

Lobby
Information Pending....

• 3EHQ, White Box, MCN Headquarters:

Interrogation Room
Information Pending....

Training Area

Entrance to NSA computer/medical lab/3E training area, c. 2007

There are several facilities and methods used by Third Echelon to train or test potential and current Splinter Cells. Most do not appear to be within Third Echelon's Headquarters proper.

"The Farm", Camp Peary, Virginia:

• During its formation, Third Echelon has used the "The Farm", the CIA's training center at Camp Peary, Virginia, to train Splinter Cell agents, and used offices and meeting rooms there. Sam Fisher, Vernon Wilkes, Jr., Irving Lambert, and Anna Grímsdóttir all have spent time at Camp Peary.

Third Echelon Training Facility, Fort Meade, Maryland

• Third Echelon's training facility is located somewhere on the grounds of Fort Meade. It is used to train new Splinter Cells (c. 2007). It is also used to train pairs of Splinter Cells to work togther to complete missions that could not be completed by an individual Splinter Cell. The facility consists of outdoors sections and a central training structure.
• Training videos used c. 2007.
• Third Echelon Spy Training Manual (2004 edition)

National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland:

• Third Echelon has utilized computer-based virtual simulators housed in an NSA computer lab/medical lab on the outer wall of the NSA headquarters at Fort Meade. It has been used for testing Splinter Cells' abilities. The individual is wired into the computer and virtual missions are generated by the technician (seemingly utilizing partial hypnosis/hallucinogens).

Third Echelon's SHADOWNET Training Facilities (Classified, possibly Washington, D.C.)

• Third Echelon's SHADOWNET Training Facility (Pandora Tomorrow MP), brick warehouse, offices, and hanger. It appears to be located within an industrial area and appears to be a site used for constructing or repairing Ospreys (perhaps near Washington, D.C.)
• Third Echelon's SHADOWNET Training Facility (Chaos Theory). Highly secure building with metallic walls, and secure metal hatches, almost futuristic appearance. The walls each room are moveable and are able to shift around in order to create new obstacles (may be in Washington, D.C.).

Armory

• Information Pending....

Operations/Situation Room
National Security Agency, Fort Meade:

Third Echelon Operations Room in Washington, D.C.

• An NSA operations room at Fort Meade, a rectangular room entered through a regular set of double doors (NSA symbols are on the doors). A short staircase leads into the room. It has a fairly generic "NASA command" appearance. A row of displays rests along one wall, and six rows of computer banks sits towards the front of the room pointed towards the wall display. The back of the room leading to the steps to the entrance is empty except for the dark carpet. Near the steps (right hand side bottom) is a small table with a coffee machine and cups, and to the right of the entrance doors is a watercooler. Much of the room including the walls are decorated in various shade of grey to black (Splinter Cell version 1).
• An operations room (location not specifically mentioned, though NSA symbols are on the doors imply NSA HQ), is a somewhat pentagon shaped room (also somewhat in a "NASA command" style). The entrance is a normal set of double doors (level with the room). A large set of displays (with a large monitor in the center) wraps around three of the five walls, a group of servers are located along one wall. The center of the room is filled six or seven computer desks pointed towards the main displays. The room is decorated in blues and whites (Splinter Cell version 2).
• A circular room within Third Echelon's command center (located in an underground sector of the National Security Agency building) a bank of LCD TV-like displays is one one side, the double doored entrance hatch requires retinal scans to enter is across from the displays. More computers rest on top of two curved tables facing the bank of displays. The surfaces of the room are a dark grey to black color.
• In 2003/2008/2009/2010, a diamond-shaped conference table of polished teak took up much of the space of the Situation Room. A computer workstation lies nearby. A cluster of blue pendant lights hang from the ceiling. Half a dozen plasma screens lined the walls, as well as big 42-inch LCD status boards hung from the walls, with three dimensional maps, streaming security-camera videos, and electronic dossiers of known terrorists displayed. They can be turned on by remote controls. Three of the monitors were often turned to broadcasts of MSNBC, CNN, and BBC World (these are usually muted). Wall speakers allow sound to be heard. With a push of a button, individual screens can be unmuted. With a push of the keyboard from the console, the speakers can be set to read documents in computer-generated voice of the recitation software. Entrance to the room is behind a security door opened with an ID badge reader

Third Echelon Headquarters, Washington, D.C.:

• The desk of Carl Bruford in the Operations Room contains a phone for contacting NSA, CIA, FBI or the President.
• The operations room is past a hallway with security lasers and machine guns, the room is entered through a set of regular double doors. The main operations room looks like a cross between both versions of the operations room in the original Splinter Cell with large LCD displays and a series of desks pointed towards them. The outer edge of the operations room is surrounded by offices and board rooms. Staircases lead up to an upper level where more computers are located.

Classified (unclear or unknown):

• A large room (dimensions unclear) within an ultra-secure command bunker at an undisclosed location (in-game references may imply either Washington, D.C. or Fort Meade). The walls are covered with LCD TV-like displays on almost all sides, a holographic touch display hangs from the center of the room.

Director's Office

Third Echelon Director's office area.

National Security Agency, Fort Meade:

• Director Lawrence William's office was at the National Security Agency Headquarters at Fort Meade.
• Director Grímsdóttir's office was at Fort Meade as well.

Third Echelon Headquarters, Washington, D.C.:

Reed's office in Washington, D.C.

• Director Tom Reed's office was at Washington, D.C.

Medical Labs/Medical bay
National Security Agency, Fort Meade:

• A prisoner is held in Third Echelon's medical bay at Fort Meade in 2003 handcuffe to a bed.
• Sam Fisher underwent hallucinogenic experiments at Third Echelon Headquarters in 2007 with Hisham Hamza's help.
• Sam Fisher underwent Splinter Cell training in a computer/medical lab in the National Security Agency's outer wall (seemingly utilizing partial hypnosis/hallucinogens).

Airstrips

• Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
• Third Echelon maintains a private airstrip just outside of Hanover, Maryland, 8 miles northest of NSA headquarters.
• Shadownet's original base (Washington, D.C.?) appears to have a place for repairing damaged Ospreys (it maybe located outside or near an airstrip).

History

Third Echelon's main headquarters was initially located at National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland but it was relocated its headquarters to an undisclosed location within the Washington, D.C. city limits.[8]. Third Echelon continued to use the old headquarters and its situation rooms in Fort Meade between 2003-2010 (it was used as the main headquarters at various times throughout that period).

According to the novels, it relocated at least a couple of times in the Washington, D.C. area since its founding to its current facility which was destroyed in 2011.

2011: Third Echelon Conspiracy

Main article: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction

Sam was inserted in the parking garage by a black SUV driven by a Secret Service agent. There, Sam had to avoid detection by sneaking past security patrols and cameras to infiltrate the headquarters. But first, Anna Grímsdóttir told him to take out two power transformers in order to do that. Sam grabbed a key card from the security room on the way to the first transformer. Upon reaching his target, Grim contacted Sam and told him that her contact, Charlie Fryman, was in place to meet with him. After using C-4s on both transformers, Sam went for the elevator and uses the key card to reach the entrance. There, Sam detonated both charges and quickly slipped through the security gates and entered into the headquarters.

Once inside, Grim told Sam to find Fryman in the server room. Sam sneaked past security patrols looking for him towards the server room where he finds Fryman. Before leaving, Fryman gives Sam some modified Sonar Goggles calibrated to detect security lasers. Next, Sam made his way back to the restricted area where he had to slip past a security laser grid on the way to Reed's office. Upon reaching Reed's office, instead of finding Reed or intel on his plan, he found Kobin again in his office. Sam interrogated Kobin and learned all about Tom Reed's plan: Reed planned to use the EMPs that he smuggled into Washington, D.C. to detonate them as a cover to assassination President Patricia Caldwell. President Caldwell was unwilling to cooperate with Megiddo, meaning that she had to be eliminated so that the Vice President (who was controlled by Megiddo) would take her place - securing a powerful foothold for Megiddo in the United States. During all of this, Tom Reed would have been declared a hero. Fisher determined that Anna Grímsdóttir would know more about this, meaning he had to contact her when he reached her office.

Once Fisher reached the office, he called Grímsdóttir where she explained the truth to him. It was revealed that Irving Lambert staged Sarah's fake death to reveal a mole hidden in Third Echelon, but in the end he never figured out who the mole was. Grímsdóttir told Sam that there was only enough time to disable one EMP device, specifically - one located near Sarah's apartmen at the old reservoir site. She further explained that she would go to the White House to attempt to save the President, but first she learned that Reed had activated 'Protocol 2319', a self-destruct protocol that destroys the entire headquarters. Reed attempted to kill Fisher and hide the truth, but Fisher fought his way through the building and was able to escape on foot.

Locations

Third Echelon Headquarters (external) in Washington, D.C. in 2011, as seen in Conviction version 1.

At Third Echelon's founding its headquarters was located within the NSA headquarters.

• (pre-)1999: In Essentials, 3E's founding was back during the 1990s. During NATO bombings of Yugoslavia, the headquarters was located at the National Security Agency, Fort Meade. The HQ is located in NSA in the game (in 2009), and other sources state that the NSA was the original location of the HQ).
• (1999-)2003-2004: Third Echelon Headquarters, Washington, D.C. Third Echelon Relocated in several locations in the Washington, D.C. area. Third Echelon is also using the Fort Meade headquarters in 2003 as well.
• 2004: NSA Headquarters, Fort Meade, Maryland. Lambert utilizes an NSA operations room in Fort Meade during the Georgian Information Crisis.
• 2005/6-20??: Third Echelon Headquarters, Washington, D.C. It was located somewhere near the White House
• 2006: Fort Meade, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Third Echelon apparently worked out of both Fort Meade and Washington, D.C. during the Indonesian Crisis/LAX Incident (but specific location of the operations room is unclear).
• 2007-2008: NSA Headquarters, Fort Meade, Maryland. Third Echelon utilized its ultra-secure command bunker hidden within an subterranean sector of the NSA building (used during Cyber Attacks of 2007/East Asian Crisis, Third Echelon also utilized an NSA computer/medical lab near the outer wall of the building for computer-based training simulation and various offices in the main complex. They also use the nearby Third Echelon Training Facility at Fort Meade to train new Splinter Cells (a process that can take between six to 18 months). Sam Fisher volunteers for experimental halucigenic testing at Third Echelon Headquarters at the NSA (he is walked through the hallucinations with Hisham Hamza's help). Itis also utilized during the events of Fallout.
• 2009/10 National Security Agency Third Echelon Headquarters, Fort Meade, Maryland. For a Time around late 2009/early 2010, Third Echelon used the National Security Agency Third Echelon Headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland, located deep in an underground sector of the NSA building. It was the location of the Third Echelon Headquarters Situation Room. The directors of Third Echelon during the period used the NSA as their base of operations, including Lawrence Williams and later Anna Grímsdóttir.
• 200?-2011: Third Echelon Headquarters, Washington, D.C. Located somewhere northeast of the National Mall, the Washington Monument and Capitol Building can be seen in the distance (destroyed by 'Protocol 2319', a Self-destruct sequence initiated by Tom Reed). Its basement lies near a subway/train station. This was Tom Reed's base of operations. May be the same headquarters from the Splinter Cell and Operation Barracuda novels ("near the White House") (Conviction Version 1). Another Third Echelon Headquarters was located in Virginia deep inside the MSN/White Box Headquarters. This base was destroyed by a helicopter crash (Conviction version 2).
• 2015: Splinter Cell, Leon Coltrane worked out of 3E's NSA Headquarters, Fort Meade.

Washington, D.C.

Third Echelon Headquarters parking garage

Novel information: While Third Echelon was originally located in an underground bunker below NSA headquarters from its founding (several years before 2003), during an undisclosed period, Third Echelon's was also using a headquarters that was located nowhere near NSA headquarters but rather located within Washington, D.C.

Every few years Third Echelon moved this HQ to a new location for security reasons, it had been relocated at least a couple of times within the Washington, D.C. area from 2003 to 2011 (though Third Echelon continued to utilize Fort Meade as well. Most of these locations are small, nondescript buildings. One was not far from the White House. Third Echelon continued to use the original headquarters located in an underground sector of the NSA building at Fort Meade, before returning to Washington, D.C. (northeast of the National Mall).

Conviction Starter Kit:

Third Echelon's headquarters was initially located at Fort Meade, Maryland (as seen in Chaos Theory) but the headquarters was relocated to an undisclosed location within the Washington, D.C. city limits.

Note: that Pandora Tomorrow implies that 3E was operating out of Washington, D.C [9] and/or Fort Meade (the exact location of the underground bunker shown in the game is not given^{[citation needed]}), and in Chaos Theory they were using the underground facility within the NSA Headquarters.

Pandora Tomorrow:

The exact location of the headquarters seen in the game is unclear. References may imply either Fort Meade, or Washington, D.C. Some of the Washington, D.C. references may actually be a reference to Third Echelon's Shadownet Headquarters. If this is the case, the Fort Meade references could be referring to the 3E's original base under the NSA building.

Fort Meade

NSA Headquarters at Fort Meade in 2007 as seen in Chaos Theory.

Located halfway between Baltimore and the Washington, D.C. area, NSA Headquarters on Savage Road, Fort Meade, Maryland was Third Echelon's original headquarters, known as the National Security Agency Third Echelon Headquarters. Third Echelon Headquarters is located deep within the subterranean confines of the NSA, in a sector that did not exist. The secure bunker (made of thick concrete and metal) and other NSA operation rooms were used as a base of operations from late 1990's/2003 to 2009/2010/2015 by Third Echelon. Third Echelon employed NSA staff members (who later became employees of Third Echelon). During the Checkmate incident of 2003, Indonesian Crisis/LAX Incident of 2005^{[citation needed]}, Cyber Attacks of 2007/East Asia Crisis, Fallout incident/JBA crisis of 2008, and the Korvoska Mission/Search for Sam Fisher/Arms Conspiracy of 2009/10, Third Echelon utilized the ultra-secure command bunker deep within the NSA building. Also located on the grounds of Fort Meade is the Third Echelon Training Facility.

Safe Houses

Third Echelon has safe houses located all over the world.

• Aachen, Germany
• Madrid, Spain, 21 Calle de la Concepcion Jeronima, Apartment 3B
• San Francisco, California.

Trivia

• The founding of Third Echelon in the 1990s (Essentials) seems to follow the chronology of the Splinter Cell novel, Operation Barracuda, and Checkmate which implied that Third Echelon had been around quite a bit longer than 2003 (though Sam Fisher was still the original Splinter Cell). Checkmate states that Third Echelon was founded by Presidential executive order several years before 2003. The Third Echelon had new plans to expand upon the Field Runner program within the 2005/2006 era (previously most missions were completed by lone operatives). Third Echelon's headquarters had been moved around D.C. previously (every couple of years) to 2005-2006's location near the White House (though they maintained use of the Fort Meade bunker). Sam Fisher and Irving Lambert had known Anna Grímsdóttir for years (from the time she was brought into Third Echelon).
• Some dialogue from Sam Fisher, Victor Coste, and Charlie Fryman and other information from Conviction seems to imply that the then current headquarters had been in that position since before 2011, and that Sam Fisher had worked there previously (the last known dates that he was at a Third Echelon HQ was 2007/8 at Fort Meade (see Double Agent PS2 and Endgame). It is possible that the Washington Headquarters remained in the same location since Operation Barracuda ("near" the White House).
• Interior shots of an NSA operations room at Fort Meade can be seen in the original Splinter Cell, this is confirmed in the October 16th Turkish Airspace cutscene (Xbox/PC) (though the scene doesn't appear in version 2 (PS2/GC). Shots of the NSA symbol can be seen on the entrance doors implying that it is within the NSA HQ building. In Chaos Theory, it shows interior shots of a secure command bunker located at the "National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland, USA".
• Interior shots of a Third Echelon command center can be seen in cutscenes Pandora Tomorrow, but its location is unclear. References within DP Brunton's records file imply that Third Echelon Headquarters (and Shadownet) may be in Washington, D.C.[10] or in Fort Meade according to an off-hand reference by Frances Coen It may be possible that the reference to Washington, D.C. is a reference to the Shadownet Headquarters (seen in the multiplayer training), while the Third Echelon bunker itself was located at Fort Meade.
• Third Echelon's Headquarters is mentioned to be at the National Security Agency, Fort Meade, in Double Agent (implied in Version 1, confirmed in Version 2 PS2).
• Third Echelon's Headquarters is at the National Security Agency in Essentials.
• In Conviction, Third Echelon's main headquarters was in Washington, D.C. before it was destroyed by then-Director Tom Reed, who initiated 'Protocol 2319', a counter-measure (actually self-destruct) that will render the whole building to be utterly destroyed in case of a security breach.
• In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Operation Barracuda novels Third Echelon's headquarters is located in Washington D.C, somewhere "near the White House".
• In Checkmate, Third Echelon Headquarters is located at Fort Meade back in 2003.
• In Fallout, Third Echelon's Headquarters is located at Fort Meade in 2008.
• In the Conviction and Endgame novels Third Echelon Headquarters is located at the National Security Agency, Fort Meade. At the time 2009/10, Anna Grímsdóttir was director of Third Echelon. She used the National Security Agency Third Echelon Headquarters and Situations Room, located in an underground sector of Fort Meade (she has also utilized one of 3E's safe houses).
• In the novel series the Washington, D.C. headquarters has relocated at least twice within the D.C. area (to its position in 2005/6-20??), and also moved back to its original headquarters in the NSA. In the Conviction Starter Kit "it was relocated to an undisclosed location with the Washington, D.C. city limits" (meaning that in the official government records it relocated only once). References in Pandora Tomorrow implies Third Echelon may have been using both headquarters at Fort Meade and Washington, D.C. during the same period. The novel series also confirms that NSA headquarters has been utilized since several years before 2003.
• Coen mentions getting unclear intelligence from Fort Meade in the first Israel level in Pandora Tomorrow, but isn't specific that the intel is coming from Third Echelon or just the NSA. Though this is likely a reference to the Fort Meade 3E base.
• DP Brunton's intelligence file states that he and Shadownet work out of Washington, D.C. This may be a reference to a Third Echelon headquarters, or more specifically the Shadownet headquarters (seen in the Multiplayer training).
• The command center seen in Pandora Tomorrow all surfaces of the center appear to be metallic (with ovoid pipe-like corridors).
• The command bunker seen in Chaos Theory is made out of thick concrete with sections reinforced with metal plates (with square corridors).
• In Pandora Tomorrow, Sam discussed having failed a simulation with Irving Lambert inside of a Third Echelon command center, in 2006. The simulation may have been within the command center, or Sam may have returned to the center from the Third Echelon Training Facility on the grounds of Fort Meade or from the NSA computer/medical lab at the National Security Agency HQ (the details are unclear).
• In Splinter Cell:Conviction for iPhone, Third Echelon Headquarters in Washington, D.C. are a series of buildings connected to White Box and MCN Headquarters in Virginia.
• The location is a map available in the 2023 video game, XDefiant.