9th Special Forces Operational Detachment-Cobalt "Blue Falcons"
The insignia of the Blue Falcons, Alliance era. The Coalition did not redesign the logo outside of the obvious updates to affiliation.
Active:	11 October 2159 CE - present
Organization:	Systems Alliance Army Special Operations Command (2159 CE - 2191 CE) Systems Coalition Army Special Operations Command (2191 CE - present)
Affiliation:	Systems Alliance (2159 CE - 2191 CE) Systems Coalition (2191 CE - present)
Type:	Special operations group Special mission unit
Role:	Special operations Direct action Counter-terrorism Special reconnaissance Hostage rescue Homeland internal defense Counter-proliferation Counter-narcotic operations Covert operations Counterintelligence Counter-insurgency
Size:	Classified (estimated at 12,000)
Part of:	Systems Alliance Army (2159 CE - 2191 CE) Systems Coalition Army (2191 CE - present)
Headquarters:	Armstrong, Luna (2149 CE - 2186 CE) SSV Isaac Newton (during Reaper War) London, England (2186 CE - 2196 CE) Fort McLeod, Elysium (2196 CE - present)
Nickname(s):	Blue Falcons, Task Force Cobalt, the Falcons
Motto:	On Wings of Blue, Audacious.
Colors:	Dark blue
Engagements:	First Contact War Skyllian Blitz Eden Prime War Bahak Incident Reaper War Border War Post-Apocalyptic War Terra-Rannochian War Dominion Civil War Second Heleus War Osloiti War Castañeda Rebellion New Jerusalem Uprising And numerous other conflicts.
Battle honors):	Naval Medal of Heroism
Commanders:	Gen. Cian MacBrady (current)

"De alae coloris caerulei, audacem."

— Blue Falcons motto.

The 9th Special Forces Operational Detachment-Cobalt (9th SFOD-C), commonly referred to as the Combat Applications Force (CAF), Task Force Cobalt, and colloquially known as the Blue Falcons, is an elite special operations unit of the Systems Alliance Army, and after 2191 CE, the Systems Coalition Army. Formed after the First Contact War, the Blue Falcons was the second of the Alliance's special mission units to be formed, with the Blue Falcons being the Army's equivalent of the N-X special forces units, with similar goals, operating philosophy and training requirements. As such, those chosen to join the Blue Falcons are selected from members of the Army, namely members of the more elite 308th Mechanized Infantry Regiment and 96th Mountain Regiment, with selection criteria based on technical scores, potential, service time and record, rank, mental prospects and more, requirements meant to weed out the unsteady and ensure only the best were selected for such an outfit. Nicknamed the "Blue Falcons" for the distinctive blue falcon's head patch on their pauldrons and their near-totally blue armor, the Blue Falcons largely performed a similar role to that of their N7 counterparts, but with a narrower focus on internal security, counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, anti-piracy, special extraction and reconnaissance. In times of war, the Blue Falcons would often be deployed before or ahead of N7 units, and were a far more common sight despite the more famous stature of the N7s among the rank and file Alliance infantryman. During peacetime, Blue Falcons excelled at anti-piracy and counter-terrorism, and were used extensively during the Alliance's many anti-piracy campaigns conducted during its brief history. The Blue Falcons had extensive training in mountain warfare and mechanized reconnaissance, making them unique in that, unlike the N7s who could be deployed to handle situations that required long, careful deescalation and handling, the Blue Falcons specialized in quick neutralization of threats and day-long operations. Instances of Blue Falcon operations lasting more than a day were common, but most of the time their skillset lay with rapid completion of mission objectives, feeding into their motto. The Blue Falcons could also be used for covert operations and counter-intelligence, roles that they are specifically trained for and usually performed in tandem with SIA (and later Promethean) assets and mission oversight.

Like most of the special operations units of the Alliance, the Blue Falcons survived the transition into the Systems Coalition, with very few changes to their core structure or purpose. Many Blue Falcons operatives would be hired by Prometheus to train their own special forces, the Blitz Corps, and some of these advisors would even end up joining Prometheus, becoming high-ranking members of the Blitz Corps themselves. As the Galactic Dominion rose to power, the Blue Falcons would often be used to protect political dignataries and escort important diplomatic envoys, and their increased presence on Coalition merchant vessels discouraged piracy, leading to a dramatic decrease in the acts in Coalition territory. During the Coalition's colonization of the Andromeda galaxy, Blue Falcons units were deployed extensively to protect human colonies alongside the army, and in one such instance, three units of Blue Falcons single-handedly quelled an attempt by a local and primitive alien race to destroy a Coalition colony, starting and ending a war in 24 hours. As the Coalition ceased expansion in Andromeda to focus on consolidating their power in the region, the widespread presence of Blue Falcons amongst standard army deployments was downsized, outside of the brief Castañeda and New Jerusalem rebellions where they were needed to quell civil strife and unrest within the Coalition's new colonial possessions, and they returned to their former counter-piracy/counter-terrorism roles. To this very day, the Blue Falcons remains one of the Coalition's most elite special forces units, centuries after their activation.