by James Rosone
The various American shipbuilders had eight supercarriers under construction, along with forty-two new destroyers, thirty-eight cruisers, twelve of the newly redesigned battleships and forty-five attack submarines. The battleship of old had been massive armored floating artillery weapons; the redesigned battleships of the 21st century were incorporating the latest railgun technology and pulse beam lasers. These laser batteries could be upgraded later to plasma lasers once the newer energy systems could be miniaturized to fit on a ship. In addition to the lasers and railguns, the battery of 1,600 cruise missiles added significant long-range punch. The newly designed ships could effectively keep enemy aircraft from attacking the battlegroup from 400 miles away and could deliver a massive cruise missile strike as deep as 2,200 miles.
The new basic combat training facilities were starting to come on line, and would eventually churn out some of the most fearsome warriors the world had ever seen. Each basic training course could train and graduate 72,000 new recruits a week. All of the new soldiers had to undergo a sixteen week long grueling training process that pushed them physically and mentally to their breaking points. Recruits were being physically conditioned harder than any other military grunts in history. In addition to the standard boot camp, they also spent three weeks in simulated villages practicing house-to-house combat. Then they would progress to fighting and survival scenarios in the desert, forests, mountains, and flat plains. These new recruits were conditioned to be effective in combat in all global environments, and were going to be the most fearsome warriors America had ever trained.
Nearly every Army Reserve and National Guard base in the country was being activated to federal service, and either had or was establishing a basic training facility. Over 250,000 NCOs and officers who had retired within the last 10 years were being asked if they would return back to active duty to fill drill instructor roles (which was a critically short position with most of the active duty force deployed). Of the 310,000 soldiers completing training each month, roughly 40,000 of them were being sent for additional military training in areas such as armored vehicle operation, artillery, communications, medical, cyber, and other essential functions, while the remaining 270,000 would attend an additional thirty-day advanced infantry course before forming new military divisions or being filtered in as replacements for other units currently engaged in Asia or the Middle East. Close to 5,000 soldiers were selected to attend the elite Army Ranger School. Another 2,000 Airmen were being selected for the Air Force Special Operations programs, and 3,000 Seamen were being held back to attend BUDs/SEAL training. Not to be left out, 3,000 Marine recruits were also being chosen to attend Marine Force Recon and Scout Sniper schools. The growth of Special Operations Command was exponential to its regular rate of increase; however, it was going to take time to train these special operators. The typical turnaround from recruitment to being battle ready in these jobs would be around 2-3 years.
Judges were once again offering certain convicted felons the choice between serving honorably in the military for four years instead of spending time in prison. This was having a double benefit of reducing the resources spent on jailing people for offenses such as robbery or assault, and providing legitimate rehabilitation and job training to people who weren’t beyond saving. The recidivism rate at the country’s prisons went way down, and the program was so successful that many communities saw a rise in voluntary recruitment.
The Army had reactivated several Armies that had been retired since the end of the Cold War and World War II. First Army had been activated to defend the Homeland; their numbers would soon swell to over 750,000 troops. Second Army was also forming and would stay in the US for the time being as well. The goal was to get these Armies established quickly and then have them train hard together for a number of months while the battles in Europe and the Middle East played out. Afterwards, the determination would be made as to where they should go.
In Europe, the US Army had activated the American Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Armies, the same Armies that had helped to defeat Nazi Germany that had been later deactivated with the end of the Cold War. Initially, the Fifth and Sixth Army were operating at 35% strength just prior to the Russian invasion, while the Seventh was still being formed in England. General Gardner’s Third Army in the Middle East had been augmented with two additional Army groups, which pushed his operational strength to over 500,000 troops. He had five armored divisions and six mechanized infantry divisions to counter the Russian 2nd Shock Army, the Chinese 1st Expeditionary Force and nearly 2 Million Islamic Republic forces. General Gardner had asked to activate the American Fourth Army and position them in the Middle East as well. Once he was able to secure a breakout, he was going to need an additional Army to punch through it and fully exploit it. His goal was to finish the war with the IR as soon as possible so his forces could be fully turned on the Russians.
The challenge with all of these armies being formed was keeping up with the demands for equipment and soldiers. Both the Army and the Air Force lacked the necessary gear to support these forces, and it would be some time until that equipment could be produced. Both services quickly turned to their boneyards to find serviceable equipment that could be brought to bear quickly. It would take nearly five months for the Fifth and Sixth Armies to reach 100% manning strength and that would largely depend on the number of casualties the Third Army continued to sustain in Israel.
The Air Force had reactivated most of the aircraft at the Davis-Monthan boneyard in Tucson, AZ. Nearly 500 A-10 ground attack aircraft were being retrofitted and upgraded with modern avionics and the new railguns, replacing the venerable 30mm chain gun it was known for. The aircraft would once again resume its role of “tank buster” and close air support, with the vast majority of these aircraft being sent to Europe. There were also 600 F15s, and 700 F16s being reactivated, along with 34 KC135 refueling aircraft and five additional JSTARs. These aircraft were not the most modern aircraft of the day, but compared with the fighter drones they would be going up against, they could still hold their own. Plus, their ability to attack ground targets also gave them the multi-fighter role the F22 did not have. However, finding qualified pilots and training new ones was going to be an enduring problem.
The Army’s Sierra Army Depot was hard at work refurbishing nearly 6,000 main battle tanks and over 16,000 assorted armored vehicles for deployment to Europe. With the creation of several new tank divisions, there was a huge need for tanks. The Anniston tank depot and the General Dynamics Ohio facilities could only produce so many Pershing tanks a month. The 300 new tanks being built each month could not keep up with the demand needed to keep both the Third Army and Fifth Army supplied, let alone sustain the creation of three other Armies. It would take time to build the military industrial complex to meet the war time needs; once fully operational, the entire manufacturing and technological capability of America would once again be pitted against the Superpowers of the world.
In Other Parts of the World
Day Twenty-One
19 December 2040
Tel Aviv, Israel
General Gardner’s Headquarters
The bunker in General Gardner’s headquarters was nearly one hundred feet underground; it was part of a larger bunker complex used by the Israel Defense Force and the government during times of war. After twenty-one days, it had begun to smell musty, permeated with the scent of stale sweat and burnt cordite. It would have been hard to completely control the odor; nearly two hundred US Officers and NCOs were living in this complex responsible for running the war in the Middle East.
An Air Force Major, who had been manning the air battle management section, approached the head honcho. “General Gardner, the battle damage assessments are starting to come in from the final bombing raid.”
“How’s it looking?” asked Brigadier General Peter Williams.
“I’m bringing up the video feeds from the drones right now. The Air Force is about to send in a fourth wave of ground attack drones
to hit any targets missed with the first three,” said the Major.
As the footage began to come to life on the widescreen monitors in the Command Center, the sheer destruction of the bombing was surreal. Thousands of Islamic Republic (IR) armored vehicles were burning wrecks and smoldering ruins; tens of thousands of burnt bodies could be seen strewn all across the battlefield. There were just a few targets left that had not been destroyed by the three waves of bombers and ground attack drones.
“Order the Third Corps in. I want the entire valley secured and the IR pushed back into Jordan. General Williams, send the order to Major General Peeler to have his 2nd Marines pivot south and push the IR out of Southern Israel. With the loss of nearly 400,000 troops in the West Bank, the IR is going to be reeling--now is the time to press home the attack.” General Gardner directed. He had a commanding voice, and a look in his eye that only a victorious commander could project.
“I’ll let General Peeler know it’s time to release the Devil Dogs in the south. I know they are itching to get some payback for that Marine company that was crucified the other day,” said Williams.
“We all want some payback for that atrocity,” responded Gardner.
It was getting close to midnight, and the energy in the bunker was kind of quiet as various people throughout the room were taking a moment to refill their coffee in order to stay awake for the rest of the night shift. Suddenly, an NCO manning one of the communication terminals stood up and said in a loud voice, “Someone just nuked New York City!” That announcement quickly got the attention of everyone in the room. An officer walked over and grabbed the FLASH message from the Joint Staff and began to read it aloud to everyone in the room:
NUCFLASH! NUCFLASH! NUCFLASH!
Confirmed Nuclear Detonation in Hudson River near the I-75 Bridge.
Manhattan completed destroyed, surrounding boroughs being consumed by firestorm.
Unknown who is responsible for nuclear device, will have confirmation within the hour.
CONUS and OCONUS Forces are to disperse and prepare for additional nuclear attacks.
All air traffic is being grounded until further notice.
Full Combat Air Patrols of all CONUS and OCONUS facilities are to begin immediately.
DEFCON Status has moved from 2, to DEFCON 1. All Strategic Nuclear Capabilities are to be readied for immediate use.
All Commanders standby for further orders from POTUS.
Message Ends.
NUCFLASH! NUCFLASH! NUCFLASH!
General Gardner stood there for a minute, digesting what had just been read. He signaled for the message to brought to him. He needed to read it himself. “General Williams, send a FLASH message to all units in the field to immediately prepare for a nuclear attack and disperse their forces as best they can. Have their soldiers dig foxholes quickly and don their full protective suits.” Gardner did not want to waste any time preparing his forces for what may come next. There would be anger, horror and sadness, but not today; this was the day to respond.
*******
Same Time
Israel
Route 60 near Meitar
Sgt. Jordy Nelson’s Platoon from the 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, otherwise known as the “Big Red One,” had been slugging it out with the IR since the start of the war twenty-one days ago. Their company had set up a defensive line in the Jordan Valley near Jericho to act as a blocking force in case the IR tried to make a thrust towards Route 1. Everyone knew the IR would ultimately try to take Jerusalem; the question was how best to defend the Holy City and prevent the IR from taking it.
The original plan fell apart within the first forty-eight hours; thousands of IR tanks and over two hundred thousand soldiers crossed the Jordan-Israeli border and rushed their positions. At the outset, the 1st ID had to fall back to Mitspe Yerihom; before long, the group was pushed back to Ma’ale Adumim, which was less than three miles from the Western Wall in Jerusalem. After sustaining 40% casualties in the first two days, the division was being mauled and pressed to its breaking point.
Four days of bloody house-to-house fighting in Jerusalem had left everyone in the platoon exhausted and on edge. Sgt. Nelson’s platoon was once again forced to fall back to their final position in the Neve Ilan Forest, where they received enough reinforcements from the 4th ID to stop the IR from dividing the country in half. In one last move to push the Israeli and American Forces out of Jerusalem, the IR started using massive human wave assaults until they overwhelmed the defenders. Had it not been for the Air Force finally establishing air superiority over Israel, the 1st and 4th ID would have been slaughtered like so many of their IDF counterparts who refused to fall back or surrender Jerusalem.
At the start of the war, the IR army invaded through the West Bank with a ground force of nearly 350,000 troops and 2,200 Main Battle Tanks (MBT)s. A pretty substantial force proceeded from the Golan Heights and Lebanon--around 250,000 ground troops and 1,300 MBTs. From the south, near Eilat, around 150,000 troops hit the IDF; out of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai, an additional 110,000 troops joined the fray. The sheer amount of manpower drawn to this fight was unparalleled. During the following two weeks of the war, 800,000 IR reinforcements began to arrive and filtered into the different sectors.
With nearly 1.7 Million troops invading Israel, the situation appeared hopeless for the IDF and American Forces. The IDF had 176,500 active duty soldiers and 445,000 reservists to defend Israel; the American Third Corps had a scant 48,000 troops, and the 2nd MEF consisted of 20,000 Marines just off shore in the Mediterranean. The American Fifth Corp was a few days away with their 42,500 troops.
When the IR destroyed the American 5th Fleet with three nuclear missiles as they were exiting the Red Sea, they nearly succeeded in crippling the US Navy. However, the quick retaliatory strike of ten nuclear cruise missiles against the IR power grid reminded them (and the world) that any further use of nuclear weapons against America would not go unpunished or unchallenged. Those ten cruise missiles nearly knocked the IR out of the war altogether; had the Russians and Chinese not intervened and begun to provide the IR with power, they would have effectively been moved back in time several hundred years. The Chinese had several nuclear-powered ships in various ports, and the Russians connected the IR power grid into their own. This breathed life back into the IR’s fighting campaign.
It was quick thinking and luck that saved Vice Admiral Lisa Todd’s 6th Fleet from the same fate. Call it women’s intuition; Admiral Todd believed the IR was up to something as her fleet approached Israel and the Suez Canal Zone (SCZ), and ordered her air wings to provide additional cover for the fleet. Her air and missile defense ships moved into a picket position between the coast and the fleet. When the IR did launch their attack, the Fleet saw it coming before it was able to get organized and immediately engaged and destroyed the oncoming forces.
With the war now on, the 6th Fleet began to pummel the IR air and naval bases in Egypt and Libya before turning the entire fleet’s attention to the capture of the SCZ and assisting the IDF in the Sinai. The 2nd Marines made their landings and quickly secured the SCZ, blocking any retreat or reinforcements to the IR forces in the Sinai and the Gaza strip. They quickly engaged the IR forces (despite being outnumbered six to one), destroying the entire IR army in the Sinai. It was the immense air support and the use of a new ground attack and troop helicopter, the Razorback, that turned the tide of battle.
The Razorback ground attack troop helicopter was a cross between a V-22 Osprey and the old Cobra gunship. The helicopter had two small rotors encased in armor on each tilt wing, providing the helicopter with incredible speed, lift and maneuverability. Near the joint where the tilt wings connected with the frame of the helicopter was a rack of forty-two 2.6 inch anti-personnel rockets, eight hellfire III anti-tank missiles, and two short-range air-to-air missiles on each side of the helicopter. Under the nose of the helicopter was a twin 30mm magnetic railgun to give the helicopter added punc
h. The Razorback carried a crew of four, with two pilots and two crew chiefs, who each manned a .25mm magnetic railgun that could spit out 450 rounds a minute to cover the soldiers as they boarded or dismounted the aircraft. A completely new type of armor was showcased in this work of art, made from a top secret polymer that was lighter than traditional steal armor yet five times as strong. The Razorback’s shield could sustain direct hits from a 30mm machine gun without taking any critical damage. It was also impervious to current Russian and Chinese MANPADs, making this helicopter the most in-demand frontline asset in the war. It had also been in service for less than eight months before the outbreak of World War III, so it was in short supply and heavy demand.
*******
As 1st Lieutenant Chantilly approached Sgt. Nelson’s position, it became clear he was the target of the LT’s attention.
“Evening Lieutenant—uh, Captain Chantilly,” Nelson said.
The Captain waved off the stumble over his new promotion. “I’m only Captain because all the other officers are dead. Here are your new stripes…you are now Sergeant First Class Nelson, so congratulations on skipping a rank,” announced the Captain, handing Nelson his new stripes.
“I take it I’m the platoon sergeant now?” asked Nelson nonchalantly.
“Until another officer shows up, you are in charge. You need to get the other NCOs squared away with you running the platoon and me as the new CO. The Air Force is finishing their last bombing run in the valley, and Headquarters wants us to move in and mop up just before dawn. All I’ve been told is we are to move through Route 60 and head towards Hebron.” He showed Nelson the directions on their tablets before syncing the route with the rest of the platoon’s heads-up display (HUD) in their helmets.
