Third Echelon

Lore & Background

Third Echelon operates as a clandestine unit within the NSA, handling missions too sensitive for official acknowledgment. Sam Fisher, the series' protagonist, is a highly trained agent of this division. The organization's existence is fictional, created for the Splinter Cell series. In later installments, Fisher is appointed commander of a new unit called 'Fourth Echelon,' a clandestine unit that answers solely to the President of the United States, and he denies any existence of Third Echelon. Fourth Echelon's secondary objective is to stop all operations still running under Third Echelon.

In Their Own Story

Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent of Third Echelon, is deployed on missions that require deniable covert action. The division's operations span multiple games, from the first title in 2002 through Blacklist in 2013. In Blacklist, Fisher has been appointed commander of Fourth Echelon, a new unit that answers solely to the President, and he denies any existence of Third Echelon. Fourth Echelon works to stop a terror plot called the 'Blacklist' while also shutting down remaining Third Echelon operations.

Reader's Guide

Third Echelon serves as the primary organizational framework for the player's missions in the Splinter Cell series. The division's black-ops status justifies the stealth-focused gameplay, where light and darkness are key mechanics. Players control Fisher as he infiltrates locations, uses gadgets like his signature goggles and a Karambit knife, and performs takedowns including 'abduction' stealth melee moves. The trust system in Double Agent presents moral dilemmas, and Conviction introduced 'Mark and Execute' and a cover system while omitting earlier stealth elements like whistling and lock picking.

Did You Know?

• Third Echelon is a fictional black-ops sub-division within the NSA, not a real government agency.
• In Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Sam Fisher is appointed commander of Fourth Echelon, a new unit that answers solely to the President, and he denies any existence of Third Echelon.
• Fourth Echelon's secondary objective in Blacklist is to stop all operations still running under Third Echelon.
• The series emphasizes light and darkness as gameplay elements, reflecting Third Echelon's covert methods.
• Sam Fisher is the only named agent of Third Echelon in the source material.