There are several ways to unlock Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 operators, though only a handful will be available initially. You won't be completely without choice if you played Modern Warfare 2, however, as you'll have access to any operators you acquired while playing it.
Modern Warfare 3 is adding 25 operators into the mix so you'll have plenty to choose from once you gain access to them—perhaps collecting them will help take your mind off the eye-watering 200GB needed to install the game. With that in mind, here I'll list every Modern Warfare 3 operator, as well as how to unlock them.
SpecGru operators
The 25 Modern Warfare 3 operators are broken up into two factions. The first faction, SpecGru, boasts 13 operators, including Price and Ghost.
You can check out how to unlock them, as well as the other operators in this faction below.
KorTac operators
On the other side, the KorTac faction brings 11 operators to the table, one of which is Makarov, the antagonist known to veterans of the Modern Warfare series.
Here's how you unlock this faction's characters.