by James Rosone
Jing knew the Premier was angry and wanted to assure him that despite these slights by the Americans, all of this was still good for China. “At least they are paying back their debt; there was a time when we thought they were not going to. The value of the NAD is also rising quickly as their economy continues to improve.”
“Yes, but all the money we are making from them paying back their debt, we are just paying right back to them to buy food. Not only that--we are reducing their debt by 5% with each purchase. At this rate, they will have the majority of their debt to China paid off in less than half a decade.”
“True, but the global economy should have improved significantly by then. Our factories are already returning back to life,” replied Jing.
“I believe that has more to do with the massive weapon and industrial goods sales to the Islamic Republic than anything else. I can’t help but wonder if we are supplying a future enemy with weapons that may one day be used against us.”
“One can never know these things. Right now it is a good business opportunity for us to pursue for the time being, and the Muslims have not been stirring or causing problems in our country so we should be thankful,” said Jing with a neutral face.
“Mark my words; if the Muslims even try to rise up in and revolt in China, I will not hesitate to crush them with the full weight of our military. I will absolutely not tolerate an Islamic uprising in China,” said the Premier with a determined look in his eyes.
“The bigger question is— ‘What is Russia doing?’ They have been building up their military to pre-Cold War levels,” said General Fan Changlong, the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
The Premier looked everyone at the table in the eye as he spoke. “Russia has always had an ax to grind against the Europeans. They have been invaded by Europe multiple times throughout history. Perhaps they feel Europe is in enough of a decline they can enact their revenge or vision of a unified Europe under Russian rule. In either case, it is not our vision or our problem.”
Jinping continued, “Our vision is for a unified Asia. Southeast Asia has always been the Rice Bowl of Asia; it has flatter lands and can handle our growing population. It is for this reason that we continue to build and train our forces to become the dominant force in the Pacific and push the Americans out.”
He paused, then asked, “What is the state of our military? Are we fully prepared for Operation Red Dragon yet?”
“As you know, the military has suffered like everyone else in China; however, our forces are still strong. The PLA stands at 3.5 Million troops, all ready to defend China. We still retain a very limited offensive capability, but we can more than defend our borders. As we continue to expand our light drone tanks and Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs), we will be ready to secure Southeast Asia. We have three additional supercarriers under construction; once they are completed, it will bring our carrier force to six supercarriers and three smaller escort carriers,” General Fan Changlong said as he highlighted some images of the new supercarriers on the holographic display.
The General went on, “At that point, we will be ready to initiate Operation Red Dragon and destroy the American Pacific fleet should they try to intervene. We also have another 6 million troops in the reserves that can be called up if needed. Our current plan calls for us to activate 2 million of the reserves by the end of the year and begin to train and integrate them into our active army. By the end of 2040, our active duty force will consist of 5.5 million soldiers. A full 300,000 of our infantry will be equipped with the new exoskeleton suits. They will be our shock troops for the operation.”
The Director of State Intelligence, XI Lee, spoke up. “As long as we do not attack Taiwan, I believe we will be left alone if a conflict arises between Russia and the EU or with the Islamic Republic. With India still picking up the pieces from their last war, we do not need to worry about them as a possible threat to us either.”
“Our country is safe Premier, so long as we do not provoke a fight until our carriers are finished,” said Jing with confidence.
*******
July 2039
Moscow, Russia
Kremlin – Presidential Office
“Mr. President, I would like to speak with you about the deteriorating situation in the Stans and the Caucus region,” said General Gerasimov, the head of the Russian Military.
“I trust our grip on the region is not slipping?”
“No sir. General Putin continues to purge the region; however, we are seeing a rise in the number of insurgents and separatist activity (including weapon smuggling), particularly along the border with the Islamic Republic,” replied General Gerasimov.
“We have an envoy from the IR this week. I will speak with them and see what they can do to help shut down these smuggling routes. They want to discuss the issue of a joint military defense agreement,” said President Fradkov.
“That could be dangerous,” asserted Nikolai Bortnikov, the Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB). Nikolai was another holdover from President Viktor Zubkov’s administration. President Fradkov had thought about replacing him, but was more scared of what would happen if he tried. Nikolai lived for the FSB, and though he had been part of the Zubkov administration, he was extremely loyal to Russia (if not President Fradkov). For that reason, the President had left him in power.
“In this we agree, Nikolai; the IR will at some point attempt to destroy Israel and continue the spread of Islam into Europe and America. They could entangle us into a fight sooner than we want, but they could also be a useful ally. If they do attack the Americans and we provide them with the best weapons possible, then they may be able to bloody the Americans enough that they would not be able to intervene in Europe when the time comes.”
“Likewise we can encourage and aid them in their activities in Europe. If the EU has to put down popular uprising in their major cities, they will not be able to react fast enough to an invasion,” said the President.
General Igor Gerasimov, the Head of Russian Military, interjected, “Whatever is agreed upon with the Islamic Republic needs to remain in line with our European objective. In all my years in the military, I have never seen the Americans at such a weak moment. President Stein knows this as well, and is taking remarkable steps to correct the situation, but he has time working against him. If the IR attacks Israel, the Americans will come to their aid. We need to ensure the IR has the training and equipment needed to deliver several major hits against the Americans. If they can weaken the Americans enough, they will not be able to intervene in Europe and stop us.”
Sergei Puchkov, the Minister of Defense, saw the President was weighing General Gerasimov’s comment and wanted to reinforce it. “Mr. President, the General is right. I propose that when the IR does attack the Israelis and Americans that we be ready to act. If the Chinese also act when we do, then the chances of success in Europe are incredibly high. They have been building their naval forces for decades in preparation for taking on the American Pacific Fleet. If we could coordinate with the Chinese to initiate their attack shortly after the IR moves, the Americans will be split between Asia and the Middle East. Then we will launch our attack in Europe. We could capture Europe in less than 60 days.”
“My intelligence sources suggest the Chinese would be open to organizing an attack with us,” said Nikolai.
The President took a puff on his cigar before responding. “Nikolai, continue to work that angle. I would like to see if the Chinese would be open to coordinating their operation with us. I also want you to look into how we can help the IR in further destabilizing Europe and North America. The more fires we can start before the big one, the better.”
“I serve Russia,” was Nikolai’s response.
LTG Nikita Sergun, the Director of the GRU, was not sure why Nikolai had not brought up the information about the East African coffee company that his sources had discovered, so he decided to speak up. “There is one other major item I would like to bring u
p, Mr. President. As you know, in the past several years the GRU has been expanding the number of agents we have abroad. Recently, one of my agents discovered something of great value in East Africa,” Sergun said as he looked at Nikolai to see if he would interject. When he did not, Sergun continued.
“Our operatives in East Africa made an alarming discovery. His sources tell him that a freighter arrived from the IR last week. His source works at the shipyard as a dockworker. He said one of the containers being offloaded was heavily guarded; it had a biometric lock on the door, and it required a special truck because it was too heavy for a regular truck.”
“The dock worker said he believed the shipping container was lead shielded. When it scraped against another container, it left a mark on the container that appeared to be lead,” said General Sergun while displaying several photos on the holograph.
“I had our agent look into this a little further, and he discovered that the container had been delivered to The Tanzania Coffee Company and was placed into a new warehouse on the property. This coffee company also went from having minimal security to suddenly having several dozen armed guards and biometric locks on the doors to its new warehouse.”
“So, what are you saying General Sergun…that the IR shipped a few nuclear bombs or something to this apparent front company?” asked Nikolai with a surprised look on his face.
“Mr. President--Nikolai--that is exactly what I am saying. I have directed our agent there to do whatever he can to infiltrate this company and we are looking at every angle of this,” General Sergun said.
Nikolai thought for a moment about what General Sergun had just brought up. His agents knew the IR had moved two nuclear devices out of the country; they just did not know the location. “Mr. President, if the IR uses these devices against the Americans and the Chinese and we coordinate this right, we could knock the Americans completely out of the war before it really has a chance to get started,” said Nikolai with a bit of excitement in his voice.
“How do you mean, Nikolai?” asked the President.
“If we can convince the IR to use the nuclear devices against key US logistical nodes instead of symbolic targets, they could cripple the Americans’ ability to move men and material to Europe or the Middle East.”
“That is a big if--these Muslims do not always use logic when they fight a war,” Minister Puchkov said.
“Nuclear weapons are dangerous to play with, as we saw with India and Pakistan. They nuked the living daylights out of each other and it’s lowered global temperatures by five degrees. Plus, if the Americans get nuked, you can be assured that President Stein will obliterate whoever attacked them,” the President said with a bit of concern. “The goal is to conquer Europe, not destroy ourselves in the process.”
“That’s the trick, Mr. President; the IR would do it for us. If anyone would be attacked with nuclear weapons, it would be the IR,” explained Nikolai.
“Continue to monitor the situation, and let’s play this one by ear Nikolai.”
*******
In the following months, a series of secret meetings between Russia, the Islamic Republic and China took place as they discussed a strategy for defeating America once and for all. They all had their own reasons for plotting an attack against the US, but for all of these parties the end would justify the means.
Saving the Mounties
November 2039
Washington DC
The White House
The last nine months had been terrifying for the people of Canada. The country’s Muslim population had risen to over 20% following the Global Depression. With the creation of the Islamic Republic and the return to a Caliph, the Muslim minority in Canada wanted to be a part of this historic event. When that did not happen, they grumbled (loudly), and the more radical groups started to cause some civil unrest and even started to bomb government buildings and target the police and government workers. Once Canada joined the American Grain Consortium and cut off all sales of food products to the IR, the extremist groups erupted.
Muslims all across the country denounced the Canadian government as anti-Muslim and began to hold massive rallies and protests. Through careful manipulation of the situation by the IR, these rallies and protests quickly turned more and more violent, with both sides taking casualties. The IR Public Relations (PR) machine began to mass produce extremely effective propaganda showing Muslim children starving because of the actions of the Canadian government. They also showed graphic images, telling stories of “peaceful” protestors who were shot or killed by Canadian police.
What resulted was a near constant conflict (both violent and non-violent) between the various Muslim communities in Canada and the authorities. In April, a series of bombings targeted police stations and killed 154 police officers. Those in law enforcement were starting to be openly attacked and assassinated, causing further casualties. It was during these trying times that the Canadian government reached out to the US and asked for assistance.
“General Branson, the President will be ready to speak with you in a few minutes. He’s still speaking with Prime Minister Peck,” said Monty.
“Not a problem. I suppose they are talking about the most recent rioting in Montreal…their police forces were overrun by those Muslim radicals,” said Branson.
“I heard about that this morning; they burned down a police station and killed several police officers, didn’t they?” asked Monty.
“Yes, law and order was just restored to the city about four hours ago, after 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment arrived and suppressed the uprising.”
“The problem in Canada only seems to grow; their government seems to be paralyzed by this revolt of their Islamic population. They’ve been hit the hardest in the economic recession with--what--close to 30% unemployment?” queried Monty.
“Something like that. I’m a military man, so what I am most concerned with are threats to our country and what I can do to stop them,” replied Branson, the ever-present soldier that he was.
The President’s Secretary walked back in the room, and with a welcoming smile said, “Gentleman, the President is ready to see you now.”
“Mr. President, always good to see you,” said Branson as he shook the President’s hand.
“Likewise General. I assume you are here to talk to me about the recent uprising in Canada.”
“Yes, among a few other things, Mr. President,” said Branson, all “business as usual.”
“General, before we talk about this uprising, I think Monty and I should bring you up to speed on some very secretive talks that PM Peck and I have been having. Monty, if you would explain the situation.”
“Yes, Mr. President. General, we all know that Canada has been in some great turmoil for the last five years. Shoot, they’ve had three different PMs and their government has all but collapsed several times. This recent uprising by their Muslim populations is the straw that looks to be breaking the Canadians’ back,” said Monty while taking a sip of coffee.
“We’ve been in secret talks with PM Peck and Speaker of the House Fultz since our April meeting in Paris. The Canadians are going to hold a national referendum in three months; the United States is also going to hold a national referendum alongside the Canadian referendum. This referendum will allow both countries’ people to put to a vote the unification of Canada with the United States. Their individual provinces would become States in the Union with Senators and Congressman just like any other state,” Monty said with a smile on his face.
“…Wow, I must say, I never saw this coming Mr. President,” a flummoxed Branson managed to spit out.
“There has been some talk about this in the press, but nothing serious yet; we’ve been working to keep it a secret for as long as possible, particularly since we have 26,000 US troops in Canada right now to help provide security,” said the President.
“Our intent is to bring this public on Wednesday night during a prime time speech that both PM Peck and I will be maki
ng at the same time. Our hope is that people will welcome this unification; it would certainly help both of our economies and bring additional stability to our borders.”
“Well, with Mexico slowly slipping into a failed state, it would be good to know that our Northern border is at least secure,” said Branson, still in a bit of shock that Canada might become part of the Union.
“Yes, thank you for bringing up Mexico, General. We need to talk about possible scenarios should the Mexican government completely collapse. We cannot have a failed state on our southern border, nor can we allow a drug cartel to take over the country. We may need to intervene militarily.”
“Our planners have also been thinking about this as well Mr. President. We have been working on several military contingencies, but things would go a little faster if we had a clear vision of what you would like to see done in Mexico should things fall apart,” Branson said, clearly looking for the President to give more guidance rather than just a broad picture.
“A clear vision, such as us installing a new government?”
“Or taking over Mexico and just annexing it into the Union,” said Branson, going out on a limb.
“Annexing Mexico might pay off in the long-run, but I fear it would be costly in the short run, General. I think we would need to use the military to eradicate these cartels that currently have an almost free reign in the country,” said Monty, looking to the President to make sure he had not overstepped his bounds.
“No, I like this idea Monty. If Mexico becomes a failed state and we intervene, we are going to have a military presence there for a long time to put the new state governments and law enforcement in place and ensure it survives. This is going to require a massive commitment on the part of the US,” said the President.
“General, inform your planners that if Mexico’s government does collapse, we should plan a military operation to eradicate the cartels and to bring Mexico into the fold of the Union. We’ll annex them as a US Territory until the cartels are wiped out and we can hold formal elections to begin building an internal state government and then integrate them into the Union like the proposal with Canada. I also think that if we are going to invest resources into Mexico, then America should be the one to reap the benefits from it.”
