Strategic Self Defense Force

A highly advanced military force under the command of Japan's Ministry of Defense. Abbreviated the SSDF, the force was created in 2003 following a dispute between China and Vietnam over the Nansha Islands. Since most of Japan's military was incorporated into the U.N. following the Second Impact, the SSDF is the last remaining military force under the direct control of the nation of Japan.

Composed of infantry, tank, and aircraft divisions, the SSDF commands impressive military strength, including mass-destruction armaments such as N² and Bio-Chemical weapons. Despite this, the SSDF proves embarrassingly ineffective at combating the Angels or the Evangelion Units, primarily due to their inability to neutralize or penetrate AT Fields.

The SSDF does however, prove highly efficient at anti-personnel operations, such as the attack on NERV Headquarters in The End of Evangelion. At times the SSDF is also referred to as JSSDF (Japan's Strategic Self Defense Force) and JASDF (Japan's Self Defense Force).

Based on Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum: 06 DVD Booklet

Analysis

• AT Fields
  The greatest limitation of the Strategic Self Defense Force and the U.N. Forces is their inability to penetrate AT Fields (Angelic or Evangelion). Because of this, during the Third Impact as seen in The End of Evangelion, Evangelion Unit-02 engages and destroys many of these forces with ease.

• Nansha Islands
  The Nansha Islands (also known as the Spratly Islands) are a group of over 100 reefs, islets and islands occupying less than five square kilometres, but spread across 400,000 square kilometres of the South China Sea. For centuries, these islands have been a source of claim disputes between various nations, including: China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines.