Dale Brown
The Moscow Offensive
Dedication
This novel is dedicated to U.S. law enforcement and military and civilian security forces located right here in the United States. With all the turmoil and conflicts all over the world, it’s easy to forget those who stand watch over our homes, businesses, and military and government installations in America.
Thank you for your service, your watchfulness, and your dedication to protecting our country. We pray you never have to be used, but we are thankful you’re on the job if the need arises.
Epigraph
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Cast of Characters
STACY ANNE BARBEAU, president of the United States of America
EDWARD RAUCH, president’s national security adviser
LUKE COHEN, White House chief of staff
SCOTT FIRESTONE, admiral, U.S. Navy, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
KEVIN CALDWELL, admiral, U.S. Navy, director of the National Security Agency
JOHN DALTON FARRELL, governor of Texas and presidential candidate
ANDREW DAVIS, head of Governor Farrell’s security detail, former sergeant in the Iron Wolf Squadron and U.S. Army Special Forces
FRANK JAMESON, owner, Jameson Construction
MARTIN CROWN, chief executive officer, Regan Air Freight
HALSEY STUTZ, chief financial officer, Regan Air Freight
TED LOCKE, director of flight operations, Regan Air Freight
RAFAEL DÍAZ, special agent in charge, U.S. Secret Service
CAPTAIN PAUL FRASER, U.S. Air Force, pilot of HH-60G Pave Hawk search-and-rescue helicopter, Barksdale Air Force Base
COLONEL DANIEL KIM, U.S. Air Force, chief of security for Strategic Command Bunker, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
TEAM SERGEANT CASIMIR “KAZ” OSTROWSKI, U.S. Army 10th Special Forces Group
LIEUTENANT (JUNIOR GRADE) CARLY DE MELLO, U.S. Navy, radar officer, E-2C Hawkeye 2000
LIEUTENANT TIM LAYTON, U.S. Navy, Combat Information Center officer, E-2C Hawkeye 2000
COMMANDER DENNIS NINOMIYA, U.S. Navy, executive officer, CG-53 MOBILE BAY
LIEUTENANT BRIAN THORSON, U.S. Navy, tactical action officer, CG-53 MOBILE BAY
CAPTAIN BLAIR POLLOCK, U.S. Navy, commander, Naval Base San Diego
KARL ERICSON, National Cable News, broadcast engineer
AMY MAGUIRE, National Cable News, audio assistant
FRANCIS XAVIER REGAN, Canadian tax exile and billionaire, owner of Regan Air Freight and FXR Trucking, Inc.
KEVIN MARTINDALE, president of Scion, former president of the United States of America
BRAD McLANAHAN, Cybernetic Infantry Device (CID) pilot and XCV-62 Ranger pilot, Iron Wolf Squadron
PATRICK McLANAHAN, Iron Wolf Squadron training and intelligence expert, former lieutenant general, U.S. Air Force (ret.)
MAJOR NADIA ROZEK, Polish Special Forces officer, attached to Iron Wolf Squadron as a CID pilot, and as copilot and systems operator for XCV-62 Ranger
WAYNE “WHACK” MACOMBER, commander, Iron Wolf Squadron CID operations, former major, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (ret.)
IAN SCHOFIELD, commander, Iron Wolf deep-penetration unit, former captain in Canada’s Special Operations Regiment
SAMANTHA KERR, operative, Scion Intelligence
MARCUS CARTWRIGHT, operative, Scion Intelligence
DAVID JONES, operative, Scion Intelligence
HUNTER “BOOMER” NOBLE, Ph.D., chief of aerospace engineering, Sky Masters Aerospace, Inc.
JASON RICHTER, colonel, U.S. Army (ret.), Ph.D., chief executive officer
HELEN KADDIRI, Ph.D., president and chair of the board
RICHARD WITT, Ph.D., cyberneticist
GENNADIY ANATOLIYVICH GRYZLOV, president of the Russian Federation
VIKTOR KAZYANOV, minister of state security
IVAN ULANOV, president’s private secretary
MIKHAIL ARONOV, Ph.D., chief cyberneticist for the State Cybernetics Factory
CAPTAIN YURI BEZRODNY, commander, disguised special operations ship Brodyaga
LIEUTENANT SERGEI ROZONOV, commander, Spetsnaz detachment assigned to Brodyaga
MAJOR VASILY DRAGOMIROV, field operative for Russian military intelligence (GRU)
CAPTAIN EDUARD NAUMOV, technical officer, GRU Ninth Directorate
CAPTAIN DMITRY LEONOV, 22nd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade
SENIOR SERGEANT ANDREI ISAYEV, 22nd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade
COLONEL GENERAL VLADISLAV NIKITIN, commander, Southern Military District
MAJOR GENERAL MAXIM BOROVKOV, chief of staff, Southern Military District
COLONEL IVAN ZAITEV, commander, S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile battalion
RAZRESHENIYE KONFLIKTOV USLUGI (CONFLICT RESOLUTION SERVICES) — a private military corporation owned by Gennadiy Gryzlov
VLADIMIR KURAKIN, president and chief executive officer, former major general in Russia’s special operations forces
KIRILL ARISTOV, commander RKU reconnaissance and security detachment, former Spetsnaz captain
NIKOLAI DOBRYNIN, second in command, RKU recon detachment, former Spetsnaz lieutenant
PAVEL LARIONOV, RKU recon detachment, former Spetsnaz sergeant
YURI ANNENKOV, commander RKU covert flight operations base in Moab, Utah, pilot for converted Boeing 737-200F cruise-missile carrier, former colonel, Russian Air Force
KONSTANTIN USPENSKY, copilot for 737-200F cruise-missile carrier, former major, Russian Air Force
ANDREJ FILIPPOV, ordnance specialist, former major, Russian Air Force
COLONEL RUSLAN BARYSHEV, commander, Kiberneticheskaya Voyennaya Mashina (Cybernetic War Machine) force, former Su-50 fighter pilot, Russian Air Force
CAPTAIN OLEG IMREKOV, KVM pilot, former Su-50 fighter pilot, Russian Air Force
MAJOR VIKTOR ZELIN, KVM pilot, former Su-34 fighter-bomber pilot
MAJOR ALEXEI BRAGIN, KVM pilot, former Su-27 fighter pilot, Russian Air Force
MAJOR DMITRY VESELOVSKY, KVM pilot, former Su-35 fighter pilot, Russian Air Force
CAPTAIN SERGEI NOVIKOV, KVM pilot, former Su-34 fighter-bomber pilot, Russian Air Force
WILLEM DAENIKER, investment banker chosen by Gennadiy Gryzlov to negotiate the secret purchase of Regan Air Freight and FXR Trucking, Inc.
PIOTR WILK, president of Poland, former general in the Polish Air Force and commander of the 1st Air Defense Wing
COLONEL PAWEŁ KASPEREK, F-16 fighter pilot and commander of the Polish Air Force’s 3rd Tactical Squadron
KAROL SIKORA, sergeant, Polish Special Forces, attached to Iron Wolf Squadron deep-penetration unit
TIBOR LUKÁCS, prime minister of Hungary
Prologue
Willem Daeniker glanced at the security guard seated across from him. A faint bulge beneath the other man’s dark jacket showed he was armed. The Swiss investment banker hid a wry smile as he looked away, out through the tinted windows of the big black Mercedes limousine. They were headed north along a winding, rain-slick road.
Overhead, bands of storm clouds drifted slowly across the sky, soaking hills and valleys that had been continuously inhabited for more than eight thousand years. Over the long millennia, wave after wave of peoples — Stone Age tribesmen, invading Gaels from Ireland, warlike Vikings, and then the rival Scots and English — had descended on this small island to hunt and fish and farm. But the old ways were passing fast, supplanted by wealthy newcomers and corporations lured by low taxes and limited regulation. Offshore banking and high-tech manufacturing were the forces driving the Isle of Man’s economy now. And so, one by one, centuries-old estates and homes fell into the hands of rich businessmen from around the world.