Belltower Associates

Belltower Associates, also known as Belltower Group, is an umbrella group of private military contractors who provide a maximum spectrum private military/security solution in the year 2026.

Background
The company was founded by Roger St. John-Ffolkes, a British Army officer. The company was incorporated in 1996 beginning life as a security consultant and close protection agency. By 2027, it is a registered United Nations contractor, offering specialist security and risk management solutions to counter extreme threats, along with exfiltration, K&R, threat neutrality operations and quick react symphonic defenses.

In the aftermath of the 2013 scandal involving the previous leader in private security; Bluewater International, caught dealing with Afghan insurgents and subsequently disbanded, Belltower filled the vacuum of the need for private security and set a new and highly regarded standard for the business. Belltower, with several sub-divisions, grew considerably and became the world's largest private security company.

In 2018, Belltower started their augmentation program named Plan Infinity. Under the terms of this plan Belltower offers their soldiers immediate augmentation while deferring payment for as long as they remain active employees of Belltower. Despite critics' claims that this amounts to little more than indentured servitude, the program is a great success and is adopted as standard procedure.

In addition to the augmentation program, Belltower uses several sprinkling ways to recruit personnel; from taking advantage of national military cutbacks; to standard recruitment drives; to recruiting the foot-soldiers of defeated adversaries. Belltower ranks include personnel from both national militaries, police forces and criminal groups.

Sir Roger St. John-Ffolkes officially stepped down as CEO in 2023, giving joint control of the company to his sons Luther and Andrew; in reality, he had served only as a figurehead in this post for the last decade.

In 2025, Ben Saxon is the squad leader of Belltower's Strike Team Six deployed in the Australian Civil War. Belltower is a registered and active contractor for the UN. They also provide personal security for high ranking U.S. officials, such as a personal guard for Senator Jane Skyler.

Their headquarters in the United Kingdom is a skyscraper with all the capabilities of a military base and situated in the London Sink. Other key facilities include a maritime base on the US Gulf Coast, a training facility in Bangalore, India, and the black site Rifleman Bank Station in the South China Sea. As of 2027 the company has offices in: Afghanistan, Bahrain, China, Iraq, Kenya, India, Panama, Australia, and United States with a group of soldiers deployed in Hengsha and Panama City.

Beside their legal activities, Belltower also managed a comprehensive smuggling network in cooperation with XNG Shipping. The company undertook illegal jobs with corporate clients, and cooperated with players in organized crime, to conduct human trafficking, goods and weapons smuggling. These operations were supervised by particularly tainted officers, like Narhari Kahn, Pieter Burke and John Trent.

Belltower conducts black operations and projects through their special operations forces, including specially enhanced teams like that of Michael Zelazny - and by supporting rogue cells, like the Tyrants.

2027
In Detroit, Belltower's elite Spec Ops unit took part in the Tyrants' attack on Sarif Industries, killing and capturing scientists. They staged their attack from a secret FEMA facility hidden in Detroit. After being discovered by Adam Jensen, during his investigation into the attack, they quickly left the facility to prevent from being further compromised.

In Hengsha, China, Belltower's rank and file forces had been contracted by local police to help patrol the massive city. They also provided security for Tai Yong Medical's (TYM) headquarters, which they used as a base of operations. Their commander was Narhari Kahn. Kahn oversaw the kidnapping of staff from TYM's competitors, killing any who resisted. They also took part in a mission to assassinate Arie van Bruggen from the Alice Garden Pods hotel, killing any and all witnesses. Due to interference from Adam Jensen, the mission was a failure. They also deployed their Spec Ops unit "Super Team Six" to kidnap and detain Tracer Tong in order to strong arm the Harvesters into compliance. Tong escaped thanks to the help of Jensen.

In Panama City, Panama, Belltower Spec Ops troops took part in an operation involving the distribution of a drug to treat Darrow Deficiency Syndrome: Riezene. Stationed in a secret hanger in the basement of XNG Shipping, they would steal shipments from XNG Shipping (the very company they were hired to protect), sell them to the local gangs, then dispose of the bodies of any who died from its use. Alex Vega was part of the unit there and in charge of flying W.H.O. Inspector Stuart St. John. She was forced to defect from Belltower when the inspector was assassinated by the Tyrants, knowing Belltower would attempt to use her as a scapegoat. Ex-Belltower soldier, Ben Saxon, came looking for treatment for his DDS and stumbled onto the operation, before helping Vega escape.

In the South China Sea, at their black site Rifleman Bank Station, SpecOps commander Pieter Burke over saw progress on the kidnapping and conversion of women into drones for the OCM Project being field-tested in the Australian Civil War. The OCM project was kept secret from the majority, non-Spec Ops Belltower units on the station. Despite being told that all the test subjects were really "unlawful belligerents" being detained for terrorist actions, the station's Commander Netanya Keitner became suspicious and launched an investigation into the project. She was believed she was helping Interpol investigate, but in reality she was assisting the Juggernaut Collective. She was assisted by Adam Jensen (who had been captured by Belltower after stowing away in one of their cryopods) and Garvin Quinn. Despite Burke having his men kill Keitner, the secrets of Rifleman Bank station were successfully leaked by the Juggernaut Collective, and the operation was shut down.

In Singapore, the SpecOps unit provided security for the Darrow Industries facility: Omega Ranch. It is here they brought the captured Sarif Industries scientists, keeping them isolated from one another and working on the Illuminati's plans. Dr. Vasilli Sechenko attempted to voice his protests and rally the scientists for an escape, but he was killed by Belltower who then delivered his body to the Harvesters in Hengsha for disposal.

Rebranding into Tarvos Security Services
By 2028, Belltower Associates had declared bankruptcy, partly due to the Aug Incident, which resulted in significant losses of Belltower's Spec Ops units, and partly due to the Juggernaut Collective, who leaked information on the Rifleman Bank Station's activities to the public in 2027.

Belltower had to sell off a majority of its military assets, some of them sold secretly. Notably, what was left of Belltower's Spec Ops division was sold to an undisclosed buyer, and its GARM facility was not listed on its balance sheets. Belltower also did not report a number of its Spec Ops units who went AWOL. Belltower fired all of its augmented forces, with the rare exception for those who only had life saving/non-military augmentations. Some ex-Belltower operatives became arms dealers; others became mercenaries of other organizations. What's left of the company then re-brands into Tarvos Security Services.

Regular Troops
Belltower's typical operatives come in three varieties: light, medium, and heavy. They can be easily identified by their gear and weaponry.

Light Troopers wear uniforms emblazoned with the Belltower logo, sometimes wear armor, and either wear caps (with the Belltower logo), balaclavas, or wear no head gear. They are equipped with pistols, machine pistols, combat rifles, or sniper rifles. These men are commonly employed as low-risk security guards and street police. Light troopers with sniper rifles can be equipped with a cloaking augmentation.

Medium Troopers wear combat vests and utility gear, and light helmets. They typically carry shotguns, combat rifles, or machine pistols. They are deployed in combat operations.

Heavy Troopers wear full combat armor, including reinforced helmets. They carry heavy rifles and are slow moving as a result. Deployed only in situations that require the heaviest of firepower.

Special Operations
Belltower also employs elite Spec Ops units. These men are equipped in advanced infiltration suits with red shoulder guards, and use pistols, revolvers, shotguns, machine pistols, combat rifles, sniper rifles, heavy rifles, and grenades. All Spec Ops variants are deployed in secret operations; such as supporting Tyrants, or manning black sites.

Spec Ops soldiers wear a distinctive black Kevlar balaclava, but it offers little to no protection from headshots. Soldiers are equipped with shotguns, machine pistols, combat rifles, and grenades.

Shifters provide sniper support to some Spec Ops teams. These troops remove the balaclava and instead wear a cap. They exclusively utilize sniper rifles for long range combat, and use pistols when confronted up close.

Sneakers are advanced covert agents can be easily identified by their augmented legs and high-tech infiltration helmets. Sneakers not only move faster then generic Spec Ops, but can cloak for brief periods in a manner similar to Jensen's own cloaking augmentation. They are equipped with revolvers, machine pistols, and combat rifles.

Ogres are the toughest and most heavily armed members of Spec Ops teams.. These brutish augmented soldiers wear the same outfit as the normal Spec Ops troopers, but are easily identified by their larger size and greater armor. While they move more slowly, they have external ballistic armor, and subdermal armor much like Jensen's own augmentation, and can take more damage than any other human enemy in the game (barring boss fights). They exclusively carry heavy rifles and are equipped with Typhoon augmentations, which they will use if an enemy gets close to them.

Trivia

 * Belltower had a viral marketing website (no longer active).
 * Belltower's normal troop's combat gear, especially the medium trooper's, strongly resembles medieval armor.
 * The viral marketing website 13311tower.com (no longer active) suggested that part of the name was 1337speak and referred to the numbers 11, 13, and 33 which frequently appear in Illuminati and Masonic apocrypha.
 * The website featured an image of a desk with various pieces of speculation about Belltower and its link with the Illuminati. A book seen on the right hand side of the desk featured an of the word "Illuminati". This ambigram was commissioned by Dan Brown for his book Angels and Demons which also features the secret society. Just underneath this book was an image of a man who appeared to be Jaron Namir. This document belonged to Interpol based on the logo on the lower left hand corner.
 * Belltower name, logo, business type, and founding year suggests they are based on the real life private military company Blackwater. In fact, according to an eBook in the Jefferson Drive Police Department, private contractor companies such as Belltower formed in the wake of Blackwater's disintegration.
 * Mankind Divided furthers this by having Belltower rebrand itself as Tarvos Security, mirroring Blackwater's rebranding in the wake of controversy.
 * Montreal, home of the development team, is known as la ville aux cent clochers (the city of a hundred bell towers). This nickname was given by during his 1888 visit to the city.