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Known by many names over the years, A.R.G.U.S. began as the Advanced Research Group of the United States Department of Energy, tasked with intelligence and counterintelligence regarding research into advanced technologies, and advanced operatives - such as metahumans. It was founded with guidance from Diana of Themyscira, and takes it's name from the hundred-eyed giant Argus from Greek mythology.
ARGUS is somewhat similar to the National Security Agency, in that both organisations specialise in signals intelligence and technological espionage. The key difference is that the NSA falls under the purview of the Department of Defense, while ARGUS is part of the Department of Energy. In addition to intelligence gathering, ARGUS is responsible for overseeing a number of national security sites; of particular note is the Nevada National Security Site that contains Area 51.
The current Director of ARGUS is General Steven Trevor of the United States Air Force, who has been a member of ARGUS since its inception.
History
Though the Department of Energy did not exist until 1977, ARGUS has its roots in preceding organisations, which made use of metahuman assets and allies to combat foreign threats to the United States. When the Vigilante Restriction Act was signed into law, moves were made to formalise the relationship between the US government and those assets, to allow them to continue operating on behalf of the United States without falling foul of the newly established Department of Extranormal Operations. ARGUS' willingness to employ metahumans and skilled vigilantes as agents and operatives created a long-standing rivalry between ARGUS and the DEO, the latter far more inclined to see such individuals incarcerated for their breach of the VRA.
Once created, ARGUS took responsibility for overseeing much of the United States' research into advanced and unorthodox science and technology. Rumours persist that ARGUS is involved with the reverse engineering of various alien spacecraft that crashed on Earth over the course of the 20th Century, and its name is connected with a number of alleged top secret projects, such as Project Atom, Project Everyman, and Project Cadmus. While much of ARGUS' work is classified, a number of non-classified projects have been handed over to STAR Labs, with which ARGUS works closely.
Established at the height of the Cold War, it was believed that ARGUS would largely become redundant following the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, ARGUS was quick to adapt to the times, and with a rise in domestic terrorism and an unexplained surge in the global metahuman population, it has cemented itself as an essential part of America's intelligence infrastructure. Though many of its functions overlap with the National Security Agency, ARGUS is often the preferred agency for use on American soil, due to its less overt connections to the military.
Most significant among the recent shifts in ARGUS has been the relationship between the agency and the Justice League. Though the government is not prepared to reverse the Vigilante Restriction Act, it does acknowledge the value of individuals like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, particularly when it comes to saving the world from global threats. An agent of ARGUS, John Jones, has been assigned as Overwatch: a watchdog to monitor and guide the Justice League's activity, to carefully walk the line between legality and illegality.
Hierarchy
By tradition and coincidence more than design, the leadership of ARGUS reflects that of the National Security Agency: a Director who is a ranking member of the United States military, and a Deputy Director who is a civilian specialist in an appropriate field. Though not strictly enforced, Deputy Directors have been known to resign or suspend their commissions to comply with that tradition.
Unlike the DEO, operatives of ARGUS are not granted the power of arrest, and as such are Agents rather than Special Agents. Anyone with field or operations clearance requires Agent certification; those who serve as support staff are usually Analysts. Prefixes such as Junior, Supervising, and Senior are used to denote a hierarchy between Agents and Analysts. Rather than a Senior Agent-in-Charge, lead agents within ARGUS carry the title Chief. A "Section Chief" oversees an administrative division or department within ARGUS, while an "Operations Chief" oversees field operations or leads an ARGUS facility.
ARGUS Employees
- United States Secretary of Energy -
- Director, ARGUS - Gen. Steven Trevor
- Deputy Director, ARGUS -
- Operations Chief, Headquarters -
- Operations Chief, Metropolis - John Jones (Overwatch)
- Operations Chief, Area 51 -
