“Ladies and gentlemen, we have been watching both the Soviets and the Russians for a long time. We know their systems are not as reliable as we would have, but none-the-less, they are fielding a formidable force,” Hustvedt continued. “You all are very familiar with our forces. When you stack them side to side, the way we come out on top is with our carriers. I can bet you real money they are aware of that. So when we plan, we need to make sure we protect these assets. Mostly we need to protect them from these — the Russian missiles. Take a look at this list. They are fielding 37 different surface to air missile systems, 35 different air to air and air to surface missile systems, 28 tactical surface to surface and another 17 naval anti-ship missile systems. I am particularly pointing out these because nearly half of these can be launched from their submarines,” Hustvedt said grimly. “You can see how this could change things. Submarines lying in wait could sink anything we have at a long range. We might not even know they were there. But there’s one more thing to watch out for. The Russians have developed very sophisticated sets of mines. They can also be deployed from submarines and can be set to activate at predetermined times and places. They have a life of over a year under the water and can be retrieved if necessary. If they have already placed them, our carriers might not even get out of harbor,” he said. Everyone could see he was not happy. Indeed, the more Hustvedt had dug into the material the angrier he became. He turned back to the people in the room. “I don’t mean to frighten you, but I am,” he said as he sat back down.
Admiral Best stood. He had warmed to the task of the committee and had spent many a sleepless night gathering information and helping the team with their presentations. But this one had been something special. “I wanted to give you a briefing on the person we are going up against. To do so, I asked the help of a young man in the room,” he said with a smile. He motioned for someone and Lieutenant Rod Jeffers came forward, much to the surprise of Hammond.
Jeffers looked a little concerned, but as he began to speak, he became more confident. “I was asked to share my experiences as a Russian,” he said. There were some murmurs in the room. “More to the point, my grandfather emigrated from Russia long before I was born, but I was raised listening to him talk about Russia all my life until he died at 102 last year. From experience, I can tell you that the Russians are a very proud people. They are a very tough people and there is a lot of discipline in their lives. My grandfather told many stories of what it was like in Rostok, and how they eked out a living during the Soviet era. He spoke with pride of all the things the Russians did in the space race, their army, air force and navy, but also how they survived many things, from the purges to the Russia winters. He even boasted any Russian could drink any American under the table,” he said with a grin. There were some chuckles in the group. “He always told me it was because the Russians were a stronger people than others. They had to be to survive in the conditions they did, and he was ready to fight anyone who said otherwise. He once told me how they went along with the governments because it was theirs and no one else’s. He fought in the closing stages of the Great Patriotic War as a 15 year old, and still maintained his uniform and medals.
“He and the family came here in 1994, when times were very rough in Russia and my mother had met and married my father while in college. Grandfather used to always tell people how Russian things were better than here, but over time he changed. He later told me that America was the only place where he could share Russia with others and be accepted. In the end, he became a citizen, even though he still told people he was Russian,” Jeffers concluded.
Admiral Best asked him, in Russian, how he felt. Jeffers answered back, in fluent Russian. Best stood and faced the group. “I just asked Jeffers how he felt about this. He said he was an American, but still held his grandfather’s heritage close. When did you learn Russian?” Best asked Jeffers.
Jeffers grinned. “Grandfather insisted we all know it and speak it in his house. I still use it when I get home, sometimes. My mother appreciates it,” he said.
Best turned to the group. “This is typical,” he said. “I asked Jeffers to tell you because he was able to put into words exactly what it took the intelligence department years to formulate. It’s personal for him and it’s very personal for your typical Russian. These are a very proud people, but also practical. They follow the orders of their leaders because it is what they have always done. Once they get something to work, they stick to it and rarely make changes. It will take a major change to make the people change the way they do things or to change their government,” he said. “That includes their tactics. We have watched them for years and most tactics have remained basically the same. That is why the navy is still primarily tasked with defending the shores. The air force is charged with supporting the troops and the army is the primary force projector. It gives you an idea of what to expect and ways to counter their activities. I will have a more detailed intelligence brief as we begin our plans phase, but with just these few facts, we can begin to see patterns and project responses.” Best turned to Jeffers, “Thank you Lieutenant.” He nodded toward Hammond and sat down.
Hammond stood and addressed the group. “Nice work on everyone’s part. We are now three quarters of the way through this process. I will be leaving in two days to talk over the plans of our European allies and get a better feel of their concerns and priorities. General Richardson will accompany me on this trip and when we get back, we will meet to go over what was said. I have been sharing some of what we are doing with both the CNO and the Undersecretary. I believe we have gotten their complete attention. Now it’s up to us to make the final plans to wrap our task up in a neat package. I thank you for everything you have done so far. I really do believe what we come up with will be of great value in the coming months. Thank you all again,” he said concluding the meeting.
The group got up and made its way to the doors. Best hung around for a few minutes and walked up to Hammond. “Surprised?” he asked with a grin.
Hammond chuckled. “You know, I never even asked about Rod’s family. And I never dreamed he could speak Russian. How did you find out? Or should I ask?” he grinned.
“It was in his security clearance. I just went up and asked the rest. He’s very forthcoming about things. He may not know it, but he has the same pride as his grandfather. Nice kid,” Best said.
Hammond nodded. “Yes, he is, and very good at what he does. I’m glad he’s on our side,” he said.
“Roger, I can already see where this is going. Young Jeffers and I talked about it yesterday while we were preparing for today. He has some very insightful ideas. He mentioned he has talked to you as well.”
Hammond nodded. “We talk a lot and see eye-to-eye on most things. He also thinks outside the box. He told me he’s making up a list of things he would be concerned with in preparation for any real conflict. Quite frankly, I am eager to see that list. I want to compare it with my own. You have some thoughts?” he asked Best.
Best nodded. “A bunch. I’m looking at their recent activities to see what patterns are sticking out. That will be ready when you get back. Between the three of us, we might just scare people,” Best grinned.