The Second Great War, or GW2, was a conflict spanning the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy involving most of Arm's nations, the majority organised into the United Powers alliance, consisting of the United Nations Space Command, the Sangheili Armed Forces, the Brotherhood of Ruskt, the True Covenant and after 2568, the Unggoy Star Empire, fighting against the Governors of Contrition-controlled New Covenant. The Yanme'e Hives were involved in the conflict against the Governors from the 2560s, but did not formally ally with the United Powers until 2570. For much of the conflict, the Sangheili Armed Forces regarded it as a civil war within the wider Sangheili species