Monroe Doctrine

by James Rosone

  Lee placed his electronics in the locker, including his watch. No electronic devices of any sort were allowed into the secured side of the building. Glancing out of his peripheral vision, Lee spied the other names on the row of lockers adjacent to his. They were the names of fellow submariners and more than a few surface combatant captains. To his surprise, he also noted what had to be a couple of merchant vessel captains.

  As he left the room, he handed the locker key to the security guard and proceeded to the elevator, holding his badge up to the RFID sensor. The red light above it turned green and displayed his picture. One of the six elevator doors then opened.

  When he stepped inside, the doors closed and a feminine voice that sounded too human greeted him. “Welcome, Captain Lee. I will now take you to the level for room 3001.”

  That’s a bit creepy, thought Lee. The damn elevator is talking to me now.

  Standing at attention with his briefing packet tucked beneath his left arm, Lee did his best to ignore the camera in the corner of the elevator and the voice that spoke to him. He glanced at the level indicator, which kept going down, deeper beneath the building. Lee raised an eyebrow at how quickly he’d traveled past so many sublevels.

  Ding.

  The door opened to reveal a brightly lit hallway. Stepping off the elevator, Lee looked down one side, then the other as he contemplated which way to go. Then he saw a sign indicating that room 3001 was to the right. Oddly, the floor appeared to angle down at what he estimated to be ten degrees.

  As Lee walked down the hallway, he saw some familiar military symbols. A large set of steel double doors with a light illuminated above them read Zuìgāo jīmì, or Top Secret. When he approached the door, he saw another RFID reader on the wall next to it.

  I guess they figure if you made it this far, you belong, Lee thought as he held his ID up against the reader. The doors slid open, revealing a cavernous room that overwhelmed him.

  Now I know where I am, Lee realized. He had been brought to the Joint Battle Command Center.

  The massive room of the JBCC could easily seat five hundred people in the main auditorium. On either side of the bowl-shaped auditorium was a series of smaller briefing rooms and workstations. In the rear of the room, various workstations were spaced out, each representing either a different branch of the service or a specific support service they provided.

  Uniformed personnel worked at many of the stations, intermixed with a smattering of civilians. As Lee advanced further into the room, he saw that fifteen people had arrived ahead of him. It wasn’t the number of people he saw that caused him to lift an eyebrow. It was who he saw: the Commanding Admiral of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, Admiral Wei Huang. Admiral Wei was not a tall man even by Chinese standards, but everything about the man radiated power.

  The admirals in charge of the North, South, and East fleets were also present—Admirals Zhang, Yu, and Du respectively. The last man at the front of the room was someone Lee knew only by reputation: Dr. Xi Zemin, the father and mastermind of the social credit program. He was the lead scientist for the Ministry of State Security.

  Captain Lee nodded to his fellow submariners, all of whom had been classmates of his at Dalian Naval Academy many lifetimes ago. Captain Feng Danyu had been a year ahead of him, but they had run track together. Captain Chen Han had been in his cohort, and they had both graduated near the top of their class. Last was Captain Su Yenpeng, who had been a first-year cadet when Lee and Danyu had been seniors.

  Lee didn’t know what this meeting was about, but if the four of them were in the room, Lee knew one thing with certainty—their new Type 95A attack submarines must be close to complete.

  Lee wasn’t personally acquainted with the other three surface warfare captains in the room, but he was familiar with them by reputation. The remaining three captains were in the merchant force. Lee didn’t know them at all. Their presence in this secretive meeting was a curiosity to him.

  *******

  Admiral Wei Huang shook hands and made small talk until Lee entered the room. Noticing Lee, the steely-eyed admiral walked over to him.

  Admiral Wei greeted him. “Ah, Captain Lee. I am pleased to see you. I know your journey here was long. I apologize for the short notice. We should have flown you here.”

  “It was no trouble, sir. I am honored to be called upon.” Lee took the admiral’s hand.

  “I am sure you are wondering why you’re here,” Wei said, motioning around the large room. “As you probably figured out, this is the JBCC. Not many people who aren’t stationed here are summoned to attend a meeting here, but secrecy is of the utmost importance when it comes to what we’re about to tell you.”

  “I must admit, Admiral, this place is impressive. As we approached it, I had no idea it was here,” Lee replied.

  The admiral smiled at Lee, directing him to a seat next to his. Wei motioned to flag his aide, and the officer tapped on the microphone three times.

  “Gentlemen, please take a seat. Admiral Wei will make his opening remarks now.”

  Wei patted Lee on the back as he walked to the stage. His aide clipped a microphone to his lapel and departed.

  “Comrades,” Wei began. “Everything you will hear over the next two days is classified Top Secret. Should any of you divulge what you are about to hear, you will be shot. This material is not to be talked about outside of this facility and is to be discussed only with those who have been read into the program. No exceptions. When you return to your commands, you will read your crews onto the mission and give them the same instructions. Is that understood?”

  Wei let that hang in the air for a long moment, wanting them to understand that this wasn’t just Top Secret, it was classified with their very lives. He smiled when he saw that none of his handpicked officers flinched or even appeared to question the threat. These men were the best of the Navy; they knew what was on the line.

  “The People’s Republic of China,” he began as a display behind him lit up, a map of China filling the screen as the lights in the auditorium dimmed, “began the long march many decades ago. First it was against the capitalists who backed Chiang Kai-shek, so we turned to the Soviets and formed the People’s Republic. At first, we were subjugated to the Soviets. They used us as a means to an end. They treated us as nothing more than fodder for the communist revolution. However, unlike China, the Soviets eventually fell apart, crushed beneath the weight of their own incompetence.”

  Wei began walking the stage as images of war from the Korean conflict scrolled across the screen. “Slowly, we gained momentum and our own march took shape. We modernized our military with help from our Soviet brothers. Then they turned their backs on the cause in the name of coexistence with the West. This was nothing short of revisionism.

  “For decades, the Soviets fought a Cold War against China and the West, until they fell apart. China, under the great and wise guidance of Premier Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong, was able to establish a partnership with the West that didn’t force us to sacrifice our Marxist ideology. This relationship has allowed us to grow our economy to become the largest, most dominant economy in the world. This unprecedented opportunity with the West has allowed us to educate our people at the best universities in the world and bring those skills back to China.”

  Wei expounded, “Unlike our Soviet brothers, we did not have to abandon the cause of communism. Instead, we have shown the world how China has continued to grow and how our people prospered under communism as an alternative to capitalism. Over time, our position among the United Nations and the World Trade Organization has given China a voice to be heard around the world.” Admiral Wei paused for a second as he surveyed his small cadre of senior leaders, looking each of them in the eye like a soldier trained by the West.

  Continuing, he added, “While our overt actions helped our nation develop into an industrial and economic force to be reckoned with, this was only the beginning. Our country climbed out of poverty and entered the twenty-first centu
ry. It was our covert actions against the West’s educational system, corporations, and defense contractors that turned our slow and steady march over the decades into an all-out sprint.”

  The images behind Wei displayed a montage of China’s once ancient cities, now transformed into ultramodern metropolises. Then it showed historical images of the People’s Army, clothed in tattered rags with secondhand Russian military equipment, followed by short video clips of the largest military in the world, equipped with modern weapons that rivaled the West’s.

  Wei went on to say, “Our nation’s 2025 plan has come to fruition early because we never lost sight of our eternal goal. We never gave up on the revolution or the idea and belief that, through communism, we can lift our people out of poverty. America and her allies have been mired in endless wars with Islam for the last thirty years. Meanwhile, we have transformed our navy from a green-water territorial force, only capable of protecting our borders, into a true modern blue-water navy that can now project our own military power beyond our borders.”

  Swelling with pride, Wei exclaimed, “No longer will China or the rest of the world be dependent on the benevolence of the American hegemony and dominance of the sea lanes and trading routes. China will no longer be bullied by America or the West into doing what is in their best interest. We are now in a position to do what is in the best interest of China.”

  A different video appeared on the screen behind Wei, showing the navy China had once had—a navy that was openly mocked and ridiculed by not just the navies of the West but their fellow communists in Moscow too. The video then faded to black, and triumphant patriotic music played as the newest warships of China’s modern navy appeared.

  The Type 52 Luhu-class guided-missile destroyer morphed into the larger Type 55 Renhai-class—the largest and most advanced destroyer in the Chinese Navy, if not in all of Asia. The video then showed the venerable Type 71 Yuzhao amphibious transport dock ship, paired with the Type 75 amphibious assault ship, a massive helicopter assault ship on par with the United States’ America-class warships.

  The video of the navy soon transformed into similar videos of the ground force, where old tanks became powerful modern war machines. Then the video changed to show the army air force as it morphed from mostly Cold War–era Soviet jets to the new and venerable J-20s, streaking across the skies in mock combat against American fighters.

  Admiral Wei looked at the assembled captains, who shifted in their seats in anticipation of what might be coming next. It made him smile to see their excitement. He had gone through this video demonstration for a purpose. What he was about to show them next would change the world.

  “I have shown you these videos because it is time that you be brought into the inner circle of those who know about what is about to happen next,” Wei said as he motioned for another man sitting further away from the military officers.

  As the mystery man stood up, Wei continued, “It is my pleasure to introduce you to perhaps the smartest person in the world, Dr. Xi Zemin, the head of Project Ten. Dr. Xi is the world’s leading expert in machine learning and artificial intelligence. He has led the integration of these two technologies, and it’s been his department that led to the technological advances you are about to see.

  “Dr. Xi, the floor is yours,” Wei said and then took his seat next to Captain Lee.

  Dr. Xi Zemin looked at the military officers in front of him. He knew the admirals and generals, but the ship captains were new. These were the men who would be implementing the strategies his department was generating.

  Clearing his throat, Dr. Xi began, “For the last twenty years, I have been working on developing the most advanced AI in the world. To fully realize its potential, we had to build a quantum computer powerful enough to analyze and synthesize the data we intended to feed it. The technological transformation of our military these last fifteen years is a direct result of Project Ten.”

  Xi continued, “This computer, Jade Dragon, was instrumental in solving the technological problem of integrating the propulsion and other systems into the new Type 95A submarine. What my computer program needs now is more data on how the technology works outside of a laboratory environment and how our American counterparts will undoubtedly respond to it. This data will allow our AI to begin running electronic war games against the Americans so we can test our strategies and equipment against the known performance of their weapon platforms and the training of the individuals operating it. In short, we will start integrating AI into our war planning, strategies, and future combat action. With that, I will go ahead and hand it back over to Admiral Wei to explain some items further.”

  Dr. Xi waited for the admiral to return to the lectern and then scurried off to his seat.

  *******

  Admiral Wei might not have understood everything involved in Dr. Xi’s secret program, but he sure appreciated what it had been able to deliver to his command thus far.

  Returning to the center of the stage, Wei announced, “I’ve been showing you some videos while we talk. I think you will see what I am trying to achieve when you see the next set of short clips.”

  He nodded to his aide, who started the video. It showed a picture of an enormous warship. The American Ford-class carrier was on full display as it sailed out of Pearl Harbor. The video transitioned to an interview of the carrier’s captain, who had spoken with an American reporter earlier.

  The captain was cocky and sure of himself. He proudly talked about his ship’s capabilities and how the ship would allow America to project power for decades to come in the Pacific. As that video ended, a new video by the same reporter showed a Virginia-class submarine running through a series of drills. The crew was going through a battle station torpedo drill. This got the attention of all the submariners in the room—their interest piqued as they intently watched the American sailors run through their drill procedure. If they ever fought against a foreign military, this was likely how they would do it. They watched as the submariners moved throughout the sub, calling out what they were doing, and how they handled each scenario being thrown at them. Not having access to Western media, the Chinese officers were seeing something that was totally new. What astonished Wei, and probably his captains, was how openly this information was being shared.

  The last video after the submarine drills was of an American Arleigh Burke destroyer. This was the most modern version of the destroyer in the American Navy. It was widely known that the Burke-class ship was at the end of its technical loadout. There wasn’t anything else the Americans could cram into the ships without a complete redesign. The nonsubmariner captains leaned forward as they, too, tried to absorb every bit of the content shown in the video.

  When the videos of the American warships ended, Wei smiled as the image of China’s newest fast-attack submarine, the Changzheng “Long March” class, was finally revealed. This caused the submarine captains to smile. They were finally getting to see the details of the newest submarine to enter service.

  With the images and specs of the sub displayed behind him, Admiral Wei announced, “The Changzheng will be the most modern submarine in the world. The new rim-driven propulsor system reduces propulsion noise by as much as twenty percent, even at fifteen knots. It incorporates brand-new retractable bow planes and reduced sail. More importantly, its acoustic signature has never been recorded by the West and its movements were kept secret during its initial test trials.

  “What makes the Changzheng so deadly is its weapons platform. Today, I will reveal to you its actual specs for the first time. Anything you were told about or saw in the past was a lie, meant to distract in case a security breach occurred.”

  As the admiral was speaking, his aide brought up a spec readout of the new sub on the big board behind him. “In the bow, the ship is equipped with eight torpedo tubes, not six. Directly behind the torpedo room are eight VLS launchers. These launchers are unique because we can equip them with a myriad of different missiles—anything from land-attack cr
uise missiles to antiship missiles. To throw a huge curveball in the Pacific, the VLS system can also be equipped with our HQ-9 missiles. Now some of you may ask, ‘Why in the world would a submarine need to be equipped with something like this?’”

  A short video clip played of a computer simulation. It showed a military transport aircraft flying from the US mainland toward the military base in Guam. It then showed the Changzheng going to periscope level, acquiring the aircraft with its search radar and then firing one of its missiles.

  “Jade Dragon came to the realization that the Changzheng can become more than a super sub to challenge the Americans at sea. It can become an aerial denial weapon if equipped with surface-to-air missiles that could be launched from the sea. The Pacific is a big place, but there are only so many air routes commercial and military aircraft can take to bring supplies and personnel in. If we strategically place one of our subs in these air highways, we can sow further chaos among our enemies.”

  The image behind Admiral Wei returned to the specs of the sub. “Behind the sail, as you can see, are an additional twelve VLS pods, and two additional aft torpedo tubes. The forward and aft tubes can also be equipped to fire our newest submarine-launched surface-to-air missiles. This will give the Changzheng the ability to engage ASW helicopters should the need arise. The sub will be equipped with the new YU-9 torpedo, which has a top speed of sixty-nine knots. Dr. Xi’s group has equipped the computer in the warhead with an advanced AI targeting system, meaning this system is not going to be easy to spoof or evade.”

  Wei saw a few smiles and nods. He pressed on, “The Changzheng’s real punch is an improved version of the YU-9’s cousin, the YU-9 Mk III. This is a much-improved version of the Russian VA-111 Shkval and our earlier version, the Mk II. Where our older versions of this torpedo had a range of five thousand meters, the Mk III now has a range of nine thousand meters, giving your subs an incredible new weapon. The Mk III launch speed is still the same fifty knots as before, but its new max speed is now two hundred and twenty knots.”