“Thank you, sir. We have concluded that the hijacking was premeditated and carefully planned for months in advance. Captain Adams specifically requested BuPers to assign crew members matching the profile of those who are missing. They were assigned to stay onboard the Louisiana the night of the ship’s party by the XO. The ship’s party, although a commonly held event, was likely scheduled for that particular evening as a diversion to get other crew members off the submarine and to occupy them for the entire evening. Since there was no sign of any struggle or forced entry, there is only one logical conclusion: We have concluded it was not terrorists who hijacked the Louisiana, but Captain Adams and forty-nine other crew members.”
A hush fell over the room as the assembled officers turned and stared at each other in shock and disbelief.
“The marine guards have not been found, and we suspect they were kidnapped and are onboard.” Lannis paused, before quietly adding, “We do not know the crew’s motive.”
Admiral Byers, the CNO, shook his head in disbelief. Darn intel officers. They don’t know a thing about operations or the mentality of real warriors. In the silent room, Admiral Byers slowly rose to his feet. A submariner, Admiral Byers had so many rows of military ribbons on his uniform that his dolphins were practically pinned to his shoulder! He turned and accusingly pointed a shaking finger at Lannis and said, “You better recheck your facts, Commander, because your conclusion just isn’t possible! Only our nation’s most trusted individuals are assigned to positions where they control nuclear weapons. They go through years of rigorous training and are subject to extensive background checks and psychological testing. Our Personnel Reliability Program makes sure this sort of thing can’t happen!”
General Metcalf, the air force chief of staff rose at the CNO’s side. His slender athletic build and short-cropped hair reminded Lannis of Admiral Yates. “I concur. Our system recognizes that it may be possible for one loose cannon to slip through the cracks every now and then, but that’s why we have the ‘two-man rule’ for any actions dealing with nuclear weapons. No one man or woman can do something crazy because someone else who’s not crazy will be looking over their shoulder. The chances are practically nil that you’ll have two crazies in a sensitive position at the same time. But you’re not talking about two crazies in the same place at the same time, you’re talking about fifty!”
As Admiral Byers and General Metcalf sat down, the room went crazy! Everyone shouted at the same time, trying to be heard over the din. Nobody believed Lannis’s conclusion. In their universe, such an event was completely impossible! Like the Native Americans who reportedly could not see the Spanish galleons sailing into their bay because “canoes” could not be so large, the gathered officers could not comprehend what had happened. Then General Naeger, the commandant of the Marine Corps, rose and walked to the podium where Lannis stood defensively. The commandant took the microphone from its stand in front of Lannis and turned to face the audience.
“Let me have your attention, please. Everyone take your seats and let me have your attention.” The noise level finally dropped as the officers sat down and turned their attention to the commandant.
“There’s a component to this analysis that’s missing in your thinking. What all of you seem to have forgotten over the last five years is that our nation’s capital was obliterated by Islamic terrorists and over two hundred thousand people were killed! Now I get out and talk to my marines on a regular basis. I don’t know about the members of other services, but my marines take that personally. They are frustrated with the political response that this country took, and they are frustrated that nothing has been done to prevent it from happening again.”
Admiral Byers stood and responded. “General Naeger, we feel that way in all the services. The marines are not alone. We all recognize that our national defense strategy is flawed because we can’t deter nuclear terrorism. And in the event of an attack, we can’t strike back at the perpetrators. It’s frustrating to all of us because no matter how hard we train, we can’t correct this problem. But by the same token, we are all professionals. We do our job whether we like it or not!”
“I’m sure you do, Admiral. But despite that, there are parts of the system that are broken. Just look at the Personnel Reliability Program about which you speak so highly. The PRP program hasn’t been changed significantly since the early 1970s. Thanks to DC, there’s a whole new dynamic now in the way military people think about the world and their role in it. But we didn’t modify the PRP program to match. We were still using a B.DC program A.DC.”
“B.DC and A.DC?” asked Admiral Byers.
“Sorry — that’s Before DC and After DC. We didn’t modify the psychological testing after the attack on DC. We didn’t modify the background checks to identify people who lost loved ones or friends in DC. We should have been identifying those people so we could give them special attention. No matter how professional they are, military people are still human, and all humans have weaknesses.”
Admiral Byers shook his head and sighed. “Okay, I agree some mistakes were made. But I know George Adams personally, and I know he’s professional — clear to the bone. He would never willingly take such an action. If he’s doing this, he has to be doing it under duress.” Admiral Byers was grasping at straws. “Maybe he’s being blackmailed somehow. Maybe he was contacted by terrorists who have a nuke in the U.S., and they told him they would detonate it if he didn’t hijack the submarine. It seems that’s just as likely as Commander Wayne’s scenario!”
Lannis stepped to the commandant’s side and indicated he had a response for the CNO. The commandant handed him the microphone.
“Admiral, I also know George Adams personally. We served together on the SUBLANT staff for three years. We rode in the same carpool for two of those years. And I can tell you, George Adams would do this — if he had the chance. He was assigned to fly reconnaissance drones over DC looking for survivors after the blast. He was devastated by what he saw. He was frustrated by our political response; he was frustrated that nothing had been done to prevent a recurrence; and he talked openly about ballistic missile submarines being obsolete as a deterrent force in the age of nuclear terrorism.”
“Yes, but did you interview other people who knew him personally?” asked Admiral Byers.
“Yes, sir, as part of my investigation, I interviewed a number of people. I spoke to his administrative assistant, Petty Office Leona Harris, but she claimed she only knew him professionally, and he never confided personal feelings with her. I also interviewed Commander Robert Sewell, now the commanding officer of the attack submarine USS Texas. He was also on the SUBLANT staff with George Adams and was one of his closest friends. Commander Sewell was surprised that Adams would go to this extreme, but he confirmed that Adams was extremely frustrated with the status quo. When it comes right down to it, Admiral, George Adams had the capability, the motivation, and the opportunity to do this. My conclusion is that if anyone could and would do this, it would be George Adams!”