by James Rosone
“Don’t worry, Patty,” responded CIA Director Nick Olson nonchalantly. “We’ve got our own teams all over Europe, Russia and China ready to execute missions of our own should it come down to it.”
“That doesn’t help us here at home, Nick,” she retorted.
“It’s called mutually assured destruction, Patty. It does help in its own way,” he shot back.
Nick then turned to face Sachs. “Mr. President, one of my senior staff members, Page Larson, flipped to Tate’s side right after the election. She’s a wealth of information to him, and I’m certain she’s been briefing their side on nearly every contingency plan we’ve put in place for something like this. I can’t say for certain that she doesn’t have friends still in the Agency providing her with information, so there is a good chance that Tate—and by proximity, this UN peacekeeping force—is learning everything we’re talking about in these meetings or what we’re going to do next. I know you’ve been trying to give all sides a chance to end this peacefully and return the country to some semblance of order, but we’ve moved past that point.”
Nick paused for a moment as he surveyed the military members in the room. “We need to start cleaning house and preparing for war. We have to move rapidly to identify who’s not on Team USA and purge them from the government. We also need to order the military to enforce the blockade of Canada and prepare to disarm this army on our northern border, by force if necessary. We also need to address these militias and stop them from getting any larger than they are.”
Then he turned to look at the FBI Director. “I just read a report from Nolan’s group that said more than five dozen new militia groups have sprung up across the country, with their membership numbers estimated to have swelled past 100,000 people. This is a brewing disaster, Mr. President. We can’t have partisan militia units forming in our states. People are getting way too riled up from all the crap going on with Facebook, Twitter, and all these other social media platforms. I fear we’re on the cusp of some really brutal stuff about to be unleashed on the country.”
The President turned to his Attorney General. “Malcolm, what thoughts do you have about what we can do concerning these militia forces?”
“We continue to work with the local police departments to help us in identifying who these individuals are. We look through their social media posts and see what they’re saying. If we spot them making threats of violence against any person, group, or the government, we use existing laws and we apprehend them, or at least temporarily seize their weapons under various red flag laws. It’s about the best we can do without violating people’s rights,” the AG surmised.
Sachs nodded in approval. “Then see to it,” he ordered.
The President tapped on the table. “Now, to the military situation—General Peterson, I want the military ready to protect the country and deal with this foreign threat as soon as possible. It’s imperative that we’re ready to handle whatever is coming next. I have a feeling we’re about to get nailed by an unseen tsunami.”
Chapter 6
Southern Front
December 24, 2020
Port of Manzanillo, Mexico
Slowing his walk to stop under a nearby tree, General Han Lei looked at the three Mexican officials giving them the tour of the port. The weather was stunningly beautiful this time of year in Manzanillo. It was eighty-two degrees with low humidity and a cool breeze blowing from inland instead of from the Pacific, which meant that the weather was a lot less humid than it might have been.
“The port will be ready to begin handling your container ships,” the port manager told General Han and the small contingent of Chinese military men touring the new facility with him.
Han nodded approvingly. This site sure had changed a lot since his previous visit. Over the last ten years, China Ocean Shipping Company, also known as COSCO, had been investing heavily in developing deep-water ports all over the world to increase the accessibility of Chinese goods to various countries and regions around the world. One of their key investments in the last six years had been in Mexico.
COSCO had made a five-billion-dollar investment in expanding and upgrading the Port of Manzanillo and the Port of Ensenada. In addition to these ports, COSCO had also invested heavily in nearby railyards, bridges, and highways that helped connect the ports with various manufacturing centers in Mexico, bringing more Chinese products to market faster. They’d also helped to build out the Mexican oil and natural gas fields, something the Chinese economy was aggressively looking to expand anywhere in the world they could.
“What about the tent cities? When will they start to go up?” asked one of the Chinese soldiers, who was dressed in civilian clothing for this visit.
A Mexican soldier replied, “We begin setting them up tonight. Once we start, it’ll be an around-the-clock operation. Within four days, we should have enough housing for roughly 10,000 people. Within a week, it’ll double. By the end of January, the camp will be able to house roughly 50,000.”
“What about the Port of Ensenada? Will it be ready for our ships?” asked General Han.
“Yes. We have tents already set up there, with more going up as we speak,” answered another Mexican official from the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs Office. He was smartly dressed in a suit. “We received the shipment of tents and containerized housing units last month from you and got them all prestaged, just as you requested. The airports will also be closed starting tomorrow as you wished, to allow for your airliners to begin operations.”
Han nodded. “In twenty-four hours, tens of thousands of my countrymen are going to arrive along with a Chinese Army group. The Americans are going to apply enormous political pressure to your government. Are you sure your president is going to be able to hold out against that pressure and will not cave to the American demands?” he asked sternly.
The Mexican official stuck his chin out with pride. “President Lopez wholeheartedly agrees with Secretary-General Behr. Sachs is a danger to the world that needs to be removed. Mexico will no longer be used as an American puppet.”
“Excellent,” General Han said, softening his expression. “Let us continue with the tour then.” They resumed their walk around the new terminals and cranes. In the end, Han was satisfied. This site was already prepared to begin offloading an entire Chinese Army group.
*******
December 27, 2020
Ontario, Canada
Canadian Forces Base Petawawa
The weather was still relatively warm, hovering somewhere around the high twenty degrees Fahrenheit, but threatening more snow. The weather forecast projected there to be a couple of inches of the wet fluffy stuff, but it should let up then for the next week or so before another front rolled in.
General McKenzie looked at the sky one more time before walking into the building. Soon, they’d have to move to the Cold War–era command bunker at North Bay. However, until the fighting started in earnest, they would continue to use their standard facilities.
McKenzie reached for the door handle and made his way into the headquarters building for the 4th Canadian Division. Each time he walked in, it was more crowded and busier than his last visit, but that made sense. This building had essentially become the de facto headquarters for the rapidly growing UN peacekeeping force that was steadily building up across Canada. Each day, dozens upon dozens of commercial airliners brought in thousands of soldiers from Europe and the other nations that were contributing forces to the UN.
General McKenzie made his way down the hall toward one of the two main briefing rooms. He was eager to get an update on what was transpiring both in the Atlantic and along the Pacific coast of Mexico.
One of the young officers saw McKenzie enter the room and shouted, “Atten-TION!”
The senior officers from the multinational command stood as he made his way to the center of the conference table. When he took his seat, everyone else took theirs and the meeting officially began.
“Where do we stand wi
th regard to the American blockade?” McKenzie asked, placing his reading glasses on so he could see the PowerPoint slides more clearly.
A German naval officer cleared his throat. “The Americans are going to move their Carrier Strike Group 2, which consists of the carrier GW Bush and her escorts, to take up station in the North Atlantic. Our sources tell us the carriers Truman and Ford are also preparing to set sail for the Atlantic before the end of the year.”
“How many ships are a part of the current strike group that’s taken up position off the Canadian coast?” asked McKenzie.
“Aside from the carrier, they have the Philippine Sea, which is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, along with the destroyers Truxtun, Roosevelt, and Arleigh Burke,” the German officer explained.
One of the Americans, Captain Eli Tapper, interjected, “You can also bet that strike group is going to be traveling with at least two submarines, probably three, if I had to guess.”
McKenzie turned to the man with interest. He knew the young captain had been passed over for a promotion after making some disparaging remarks about Sachs, but he needed to feel out his level of loyalty. “Captain Tapper, we’re clearly headed toward a military confrontation with your country—one that is going to involve attacking some of your fellow naval officers. I would understand if you feel like you can’t participate in that discussion.”
Bristling a bit at the comment, Tapper just shook his head. “This is my country, and a madman has seized power. If removing him means I must wage war against some of my former colleagues…then so be it. I’ll let history be my judge.”
General McKenzie nodded. “Very well, then. If you were going to break this blockade, how would you do it?” He knew Captain Tapper had twenty-eight years of experience in the US military and had been working for the Chief of Naval Operations before he’d left Norfolk, so his opinion might provide a valuable key to scoring a quick victory that could end this war before it really got underway.
Leaning forward before he replied, Tapper asked, “What forces do I have available to work with, so I can make an educated proposal?”
The German naval officer answered, “Between the French, German, Italian and Norwegian navies, we have twelve submarines, fourteen frigates and destroyers, and two light carriers.”
With a thick accent, the lone Russian naval officer added, “My country is also willing to commit our northern fleet and submarines to this grand endeavor. Even now, our ships are being made ready in Murmansk and will set sail as soon as the request is made.”
Turning to look at the Russian, Captain Tapper asked, “What ships exactly are you willing to commit? I ask because, make no mistake, most of the ships in this fleet may get destroyed. However, I believe I may be able to help ensure that we also take out at least one American carrier and most of its strike group. That may not sound like a fair swap, but I can assure you, the one thing the American Navy is averse to is losing ships, particularly carriers. And they don’t like to risk taking high casualties either.”
The Russian officer snickered at the comment. “Yes, America does not engage in a fight unless it can be assured of complete victory. I agree with you, Captain—we may lose most of our combined fleet, but if we can sink a couple of carrier strike groups, it will have been worth it. I have been instructed to say that most of our northern fleet, sixteen surface warships and eighteen submarines, are available for this operation.”
Smiles spread across the faces of the other naval officers when the Russians said they’d be willing to essentially commit the bulk of their Atlantic fleet. They were by far committing more of their resources to this fight than their EU counterparts. Then again, they also had a lot more to gain from the destruction of, or at least heavy damaging of, the American Atlantic fleet.
Captain Tapper turned back to General McKenzie. “With a fleet this size, I believe we can bust through the American blockade and allow a substantial amount of supplies and reinforcements from Europe to make it to Canadian ports. However, once our combined fleet attacks, you need to make sure the supply ships move as fast as they can for the ports. They can’t dawdle—if they wait too long, I can assure you the US Navy will hunt them down and destroy them. After the thumping we’re about to give them, they’ll be looking for revenge. I’d also make sure your ground forces are ready to move. Once the naval fight kicks off, I can almost guarantee you Sachs will order the Army and Air Force to begin their own attacks in retaliation.”
The group continued to talk for another hour as the various officers went over some of their ships’ capabilities with the American naval officer, calculating how they could best defeat the American blockade with the forces they had. It was going to be a tough battle, considering that it would be taking place in the winter weather of the North Atlantic. However, General McKenzie felt increasingly confident of their chances of victory, especially if American airpower was largely grounded because of inclement weather.
When General McKenzie had finished going over the naval picture, he took a walk further down the hall to the Army and Air Force group. They had been going over various possible battle plans for several days. Thus far, the militia forces inside the US had been providing them with near-constant reports and updates on what US Army units were moving toward the border and where they were setting up their camps.
They’d also been keeping an eye on where the Army was establishing some of its supply depots to keep their fighting force equipped. A big part of McKenzie’s strategy was for his forces to take out these depots. If they could disrupt their supply chain, it would hinder their ability to respond to his force’s movements. The militia units would also tie down thousands of soldiers as they sought to maintain law and order.
Part of the way into the brief, General McKenzie turned to look at his air chief, a French general. “How are we going to handle the onslaught of American bombers and cruise missiles that will be thrown at us once the war officially starts?” he asked.
“We have a plan to deal with the American aircraft, but as to their cruise missiles, we are not as confident. We’ve begun to set up C-RAM systems around some of our critical bases and other missile interceptor systems, but we have a limited capability to defend against such weapons. However,” the Frenchman said as he gestured toward a Chinese general, “our Asian colleagues have a surprise waiting for the Americans once the war starts. He won’t share all the details, but he’s assured us that within the first day of the war, many of the bases housing the American bombers will be attacked and destroyed. If they’re able to neutralize the enemy bombers, then we’ll have a lot fewer cruise missiles to have to contend with.”
“What about air defenses?” asked McKenzie. “The Americans are going to hammer us with F-22, F-35, F-16 and F-15 fighters like we’ve never seen. How are we going to defend against that?”
Clearing his throat, a Russian colonel responded, “Very easily. We’ve deployed multiple S-300 and S-400 integrated air defense systems. I assure you—this won’t be like attacking Iraq or Syria. We’ve deployed the best air defense systems in the world. We’ll see how tough the vaunted American Air Force is when it has to fight a tier one military and not some raghead Muslim extremist group.”
A few of his Chinese and European counterparts chuckled at the comment, but McKenzie wasn’t having any of it. He stood up and placed his hands on the table as he looked down at the officers.
“You all may think this is humorous, but let me tell you something—we’re about to wage war on the toughest, most determined, most combat-hardened military in the world. If you think for an instant this is going to be an easy fight, you’re in for a huge surprise. Don’t forget, the Americans have been in a state of war for the past nineteen years. Their soldiers know how to fight, even if they’ve been fighting Muslim extremists. The average American soldier has seen more combat in a four-year enlistment than any of you have in your entire career. On top of that, their average citizen is armed, and while some may view us as libe
rators, many more will view us as invaders.”
He sighed briefly as he turned away, then looked back at them. “Don’t underestimate them,” he warned. “When this war kicks off, they’re going to hit us with everything they have. We’ll be lucky if we still have an Air Force by the fourth or fifth day of this war if the Chinese aren’t successful in blunting their bombers. Knowing this, I expect you all to plan for every contingency and be ready to execute at a moment’s notice. We could be given the go order any day now. You need to be ready for when it comes.”
When he’d concluded his speech, he abruptly left the room. He shook his head as he walked down the hallway.
We’re going to get murdered when this war starts if these guys think it’s going to be a walk in the park, McKenzie thought.
Just then, his secured smartphone buzzed. Looking down at the phone, he saw a short text message from Johann. “What happened with Spark? We need to move to Omega.”
McKenzie was frustrated with the whole Spark plan. The Germans were certain it would work, but he wasn’t so sure. It relied on using a private military company to carry out the assassination rather than one of their direct-action Special Forces units. Invariably, someone found out about the plan and they tipped off the American FBI and Secret Service. The media had a field day with the attempted assassination. In the end, all it had achieved was to add further anti-UN fuel to the fire brewing in America.
*******
Pentagon
National Military Command Center
“What do you mean the Chinese just offloaded a combat brigade in Mexico?” demanded the Secretary of Defense.
The colonel who had just finished briefing them on what was happening down south shook his head.
General Pruitt interjected, “It’s not just Mexico, and it’s not just a brigade, Mr. Secretary. The last satellite pass just confirmed at least two brigades’ worth of Russian equipment being offloaded in Mariel, Cuba, which is a medium-sized port fifty-six miles west of Havana. In Mexico, it appears that at least three Chinese brigades’ worth of equipment has been offloaded in the last several days in Manzanillo and at least two brigades in Ensenada, which is just eighty-six miles south of San Diego.”
