Counter Terrorist Unit
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Image:CTU-Logo.png Template:Otheruses4 The Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) is a fictional United States counter-terrorist agency in the television action series 24.
Contents |
Overview
Structure
Various local branches or Domestic Units of CTU, including the featured CTU Los Angeles, are under the command of CTU Division Command, simply called Division throughout the show. CTU District Command is above CTU Division Command and is responsible for districts in a large area, presumably per state or large sections of the state. A clause known as Article 112 allows a senior agent to remove a director if they believe him/her to be unfit for duty due to mental instability.
According to the booklets included in the Seasons One and Two DVD, the CIA maintains operational control over CTU. However, in Season 5, in response to CTU losing over 40% of its personnel in a terrorist attack, the Department of Homeland Security absorbs the Los Angeles Domestic Unit. This is most likely due to the fact that DHS has a broader version of CTU's mission (DHS is supposed to keep America secure against any kind of threat; CTU is specifically geared toward terrorists) and Division and District did not have the manpower to replace CTU without compromising their own missions.
It can be assumed that there are domestic units in every major U.S. city. Some that have been mentioned on the show and in the written word are Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, San Diego and New Orleans.
Role
It is assumed that counter-terrorism efforts from other federal agencies have been greatly reduced and given to CTU. Once more, it is assumed that there is a CTU Domestic Unit in every major U.S. city, as well as Divisional and District Field Operations teams to cover less densely populated areas. CTU has basic powers of arrest, but as a federal counter-terrorism agency, many of its operatives show more leeway in how they arrest and question their subjects.
Published fiction
In the book, 24: The House Special Subcommittee's Findings at CTU, and in 24 DVD media, the agency is repeatedly said to be a branch of the CIA. In fact, the book gives a small description of CTU that reads in full:
- Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) - Elite branch of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Counter Terrorist Unit operates domestic counterterrorism divisional headquarters in major U.S. metropolitan areas. The purview of the CTU is to investigate the activities of domestic or foreign terrorists inside America's borders and to prevent terrorist attacks. CTU divisions are made up of investigative agents, intelligence agents, undercover operatives, crack tactical squads for major raids, and special agents to oversee unit activities. CTU is specifically set up to coordinate activities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Justice Department, and the Secret Service as well as local authorities. As a branch of the CIA, CTU operations are overseen by both Congress and the Executive Branch of the federal government.
And in various "24: Declassified" novels, there is a note preceding the story that reads in full:
- After the 1993 World Trade Center attack, a division of the Central Intelligence Agency established a domestic unit tasked with protecting America from the threat of terrorism. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Counter-Terrorist Unit established field offices in several American cities. From its inception, CTU faced hostility and skepticism from other federal law enforcement agencies. Despite bureaucratic resistance, within a few years CTU had become a major force. After the war against terror began, a number of early CTU missions were declassified. The following is one of them...
History of CTU Los Angeles
In Season One, the Los Angeles Domestic Unit was headed by Jack Bauer, but he later left due to bereavement after his wife's death, which happened largely because of his job. It is also known that Jack dismissed some agents for evidence of corruption before Day 1, and later, on Day 5, it is revealed that one of them was Christopher Henderson, who was the director before Jack and the one who recruited him for CTU.
George Mason took over and was the CTU Director until he was forced to leave due to the fact he was dying of radiation poisoning. CTU was attacked by terrorists that planted C4 explosives throughout the building, and many personnel died.
Tony Almeida took charge of CTU for the rest of the season as the Director and for almost all of Day 3, until he was forced to aid the escape of a terrorist, former MI6 agent Stephen Saunders, who was holding his wife Michelle Dessler hostage and later breaking Saunders' daughter out.
Jack Bauer then assumed command as acting Director until Brad Hammond took control.
Three months later, a District official named Erin Driscoll became Director of CTU Los Angeles and fired Jack Bauer for a heroin addiction acquired in the line of duty. When Erin's mentally unstable daughter Maya committed suicide, Erin decided to step down.
Division sent Michelle Dessler to temporarily take over and then a few hours later sent Bill Buchanan, who later took over permanently.
One and a half years later, Lynn McGill was sent by the White House to supervise Bill Buchanan's command. Lynn erupted with stress and detained Buchanan for going against his command. Senior Special Agent Curtis Manning relieved McGill of his command under the Mental Stability Clause of Section 112. In the same day, CTU Los Angeles suffered another attack to the building. A canister of the fictional Sentox VX nerve agent stolen earlier in the day was released inside CTU by an operative of terrorist Vladimir Bierko. Fifty-six people, approximately 40% of the personnel, died, including Senior Internet Protocol Manager Edgar Stiles and Lynn McGill.
As of 12:00 AM on Day 5, the Vice President of the United States has ordered that the Department of Homeland Security absorb all functions of CTU; the future of CTU as a functional agency is currently in doubt.
Directors of CTU Los Angeles
The following is a list of the Special Agents in Charge of the CTU Los Angeles Domestic Unit.
| # | Directors | Day Left | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0. | Christopher Henderson | Before Day 1 | Recruited Jack Bauer to work in CTU. Dismissed on corruption charges. Later became the head of a Department of Defense contractor, and eventually developed connections with terrorists. Killed Tony Almeida. |
| 1. | Jack Bauer | Day 1 | Resigned after the assassination of his wife, Teri at CTU. Later became Director of Field Operations, but was fired by Erin Driscoll before Day 4. Subsequently earned a position as an assistant to Secretary of Defense James Heller. |
| 2. | George Mason | Day 2 | Killed in a nuclear explosion during a heroic suicide mission. |
| 3. | Tony Almeida | Day 3 | Arrested for aiding terrorists who had kidnapped his wife, Michelle Dessler. |
| 4. | Brad Hammond | Day 3 | Sent from Division as an interim director following Almeida's arrest. |
| 5. | Erin Driscoll | Day 4 | Left after the suicide of her daughter in a clinic at CTU. |
| 6. | Tony Almeida | Day 4 | Even though not employed with CTU after committing treason, Tony briefly takes command after Driscoll's departure, but less than an hour later is replaced by his then ex-wife Michelle Dessler. |
| 7. | Michelle Dessler | Day 4 | Arrives as a temporary replacement for Erin Driscoll; towards the end of Day 4, she is replaced with Bill Buchanan . |
| 8. | Bill Buchanan | Day 4/5 | CTU Special Agent in Charge at the end of Day 4 and the beginning of Day 5. Relieved of directorship by Lynn McGill, an outranking expert from Division. |
| 9. | Lynn McGill | Day 5 | Sent by the White House to supervise CTU, superceding Buchanan. Removed via senior Special Agent Curtis Manning's invocation of Article 112. Died of nerve gas exposure, sacrificing his life to save the surviving CTU personnel. |
| 10. | Bill Buchanan | Day 5 | Re-assumed CTU Director's responsibilities after Lynn McGill was removed from the position. Shortly after, nerve gas exposure inside CTU left 56 personnel dead, including McGill, leaving the Los Angeles branch largely unable to function. Relieved along with most of the remaining CTU staff with the help of a signed statement by Audrey Raines, implicating decisions made earlier in Day 5 by Buchanan as being against CTU protocol and costing lives. |
| 11. | Karen Hayes | Incumbent | A member of the Department of Homeland Security. Assumed full operational control of CTU a few hours after the nerve gas attack. After a facade of allowing Buchanan to continue his duties as director, she assumed full control of CTU (now simply being referred to as 'a part of Homeland') with Audrey Raines' signed statement. |
Other References
The Punisher
In addition to 24, CTU was the name of a government agency referenced in the 2004 film adaptation of The Punisher. Frank Castle, The Punisher, was said to be a former CTU operative. In the fourth season, there was a CTU operative whose last name was Castle (Lee).
West Wing
A CTU was also mentioned in The West Wing's Season 4 episode, "Debate Camp". President Josiah Bartlet was told that CTU would be put on high alert after a possible confrontation between Israel and the fictional country of Qumar.
Trauma Center: Under the Knife
In the Nintendo DS game developed by Atlus, Trauma Center: Under the Knife, the "Counter Terrorism Unit" is briefly mentioned as being involved in the game's events.
CTU Lovely
This is a real life version of the CTU for the micronation called Lovely.(see also Wikipedia entry: Lovely).Their base is here.
All of these references include the name "CTU".es:CTU ja:CTU (24) pt:CTU sv:Counter Terrorist Unit zh:美国反恐局