Battle of Washington D.C.

The Battle of Washington, D.C. occurs on Days 3 and 4 of the Modern Warfare 2 campaign. The Russian armed forces invade the eastern United States after it was discovered to have sponsored a terrorist attack on Russian soil. During the invasion, the Russians are able to capture and briefly occupy the American capital before their attack is disrupted by an EMP and they are driven out by the U.S Army. The Russians had just recently recovered information from a downed U.S defense satellite, which allowed them to infiltrate the east coast virtually undetected.

The Invasion of the United States, Attack of the East and West - Day 3, 2016

In the early hours of the battle, Hunter Two-One of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, led by Sergeant Foley, is tasked with rescuing a VIP known as Raptor from his crashed helicopter in an unnamed suburb of Virginia. After repelling a Russian paratrooper assault, Hunter Two-One joins a convoy of Humvees and Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles. The convoy proceeds to Arcadia, Virginia to assist in the evacuation of approximately 2,000 civilians. Assisted by a Stryker APC providing fire support, the team destroys two Russian anti-aircraft positions, then goes to 4677 Brookmere Road, where a HVI has locked himself in a panic room on the second floor. After finding the HVI dead in the panic room, the team travels to Washington, D.C. where arguably the bloodiest battle is yet to come.

The Battle of Washington D.C. - Day 4, 2016

The United States military tries desperately to protect an evacuation center at the National Mall, but Russian gunships, fighter jets, SAM batteries, armor and infantry wreak havoc on the evac site and hinder the evacuation of civilians and essential personnel. Hunter Two-One is ordered to protect the evacuation center by first retaking the Department of Commerce and then linking up with a SEAL team and assaulting enemy positions around the evac site.

Hunter Two-One moves to take the Department of Commerce building. After destroying two SAMs, they provide fire support for the evacuation site at the Washington Monument with FGM-148 Javelins. Their position is then overrun and the team heads to the roof, where they are extracted by a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Pvt. James Ramirez fires on several fortified Russian positions with the Black Hawk's Minigun before the helicopter is ordered to pull out of the city by U.S. command. The Black Hawk is shot down by SAM sites from the roof of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building and crashes into the street below where they are then surrounded by Russian infantry. The team is saved from the advancing Russian forces by the EMP detonation of an ICBM warhead launched by Captain Price. The EMP also destroys nearly every electronic device on the eastern seaboard and causes the failure of all aircraft in the area, which seems to quell much of the fighting.

Hunter 2-1 is ordered to the White House, where one Colonel Marshall is assembling a task force to retake it from the Russians. Marshall orders the team to move inside and eliminate all Russian forces. While doing so, the team hears a radio broadcast from the U.S. Air Force that as a contingency effort, a "Hammerdown Protocol" will be activated to eliminate all Russian forces operating in the city, likely eliminating all U.S. forces as well, as the type of ordinance used is never specified. The broadcast mentions that to abort the strike, friendly forces must pop green flares on the roof of all EMP-hardened buildings, such as the White House and, apparently, the Smithsonian. The Hunter Two-One then fights to the roof of the White House and pops the green flares, aborting the strike. Other green flares can be seen across the city, showing that a vast majority of the city is back in American control.

American Victory, the Beginning of the End

Although the Americans are successful in retaking their capital, the Battle of Washington DC marks the beginning of World War III as Russia begins its war of aggression with several European nations, including the United Kingdom. Though the Americans had taken back their Capital, they must now aid their European Allies as the world's most powerful nations prepare for the next global conflict.

Aftermath and Reconstruction

By October 2016, some semblance of normalcy has returned to the U.S. capital. News reports refer to the reconstruction of the city, and the White House in particular. Additionally, while the U.S. President is being briefed on the ongoing Battle of Paris, he receives these reports from a command bunker buried deep beneath the White House, implying that the American government has [at least partly] returned to the city.