52
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
In the Pentagon’s National Military Command Center, the president took his seat at the head of the conference table. The list of those present was similar to the meeting held a few hours after the Trident missile’s dummy warheads landed in Washington. On one side of the table sat the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with the other side occupied by Vice President Tompkins and members of the president’s staff and cabinet. Dunnavant began the brief, providing an update on Russia’s incursions across Ukraine and the dual thrusts into Poland from Lithuania and Ukraine. A summary of NATO forces followed. They were retreating rather than fighting, as NATO hadn’t yet constituted sufficient firepower to engage.
“How long before our forces arrive in Europe?” the president asked.
“The first troops will begin arriving at daybreak, and the two Airborne divisions and most Stryker brigades will complete the transit by the fifth day. The rest of our forces will take much longer to complete the transit, with the long pole in the tent being First Armored Division, which will be transported by sea.”
“Can we send First Armored Division by air?”
“We can, but we’d have to delay three other divisions. First Armored Division has a lot of equipment, over twenty thousand vehicles and shipping containers, and their tanks are so heavy that only two will fit in our largest transport. From an efficiency standpoint, it makes more sense to send First Armored Division by sea and allocate the airlift to divisions with less equipment.”
“How long before every division arrives in Europe?”
“Two weeks, but we’re working on pulling the timeline in.”
“Two weeks? A quarter-million Russians are on the move now. What if they don’t stop?”
Dunnavant turned to General Okey Watson, Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, who answered the president’s question. “General Wheeler will have some tough decisions to make regarding NATO force commitment. U.S. air assets will complete the transit in a few days, and Wheeler can commit those forces early if necessary. That will probably be his last resort, as he’ll want to preserve air assets for the offensive. One way or another, Wheeler should be able to stop the Russians or slow them down enough to buy the time we need. The question will be the cost, both in ground and air units. But hopefully the Russians will stop without penetrating deep enough into Europe to force Wheeler’s hand.”
The president asked Secretary of State Dawn Cabral, “I take it the waffling countries have dropped their objections to the NATO resolution authorizing military force?”
“Yes, Mr. President. The secretary general has moved up the timetable for a vote on the resolution. A decision has been requested by 4 p.m. tomorrow, Brussels-time.”
“Submit a yes vote for the United States,” the president directed.
He looked at General Watson. “If we’re forced to engage Russia militarily, I imagine the casualty rate will be high.”
“Tens of thousands dead and many more wounded, sir.”
The president addressed Dunnavant. “How long until we extract Kalinin?”
Dunnavant glanced at the clock. “Michigan’s SEALs will head ashore in two hours.”
“Where do we stand on a plan returning him to power?”
“We’re working on it, sir. But we’re also working with a big assumption. That Kalinin will keep his word and recall his troops.”
“If he reneges, we won’t be any worse off than we are now.”
53
KRASNODAR KRAI, RUSSIA
As night fell across the Black Sea, dark gray clouds had moved ashore, accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain. On the side of a two-lane road of crumbling concrete, rain pelted the windows of Traktir na Petrovke, a local pub in a small cluster of buildings in the heavily wooded oblast. Inside the pub, Danil Vasiliev stood behind the bar serving drinks to his customers. The tavern was busier than normal, with most of the patrons gathered around the bar, their eyes glued to the television mounted on the wall behind him.
Details were filtering in about Russian’s invasions of Ukraine and Poland, with scenes of Russian tanks and armored vehicles rumbling west. The topic dominated the conversations, with opinions ranging from shock and disapproval to “it’s about time Russia reasserted control over its belligerent western neighbors.”
The pub door burst open with a gust of wind as Georgiy Abramov entered, his coat and hair drenched from the short walk from his car. Abramov hung his coat on a rack, then worked his way through the crowd to the bar. “’Evening Danil. The usual.”
Vasiliev greeted his customer and friend, then poured a glass of his favorite beer. After sliding the drink across the bar, he poured himself a shot of vodka.
Abramov eyed him curiously. “What is the occasion?”
“I was robbed.” Vasiliev went on to explain the gunpoint theft, also describing the perpetrator. “Have you seen her around or heard of other incidents?”
Abramov shook his head. “She took only your phone? No money?”
“Just the phone. It does seem strange,” Vasiliev admitted.
Vasiliev moved on, serving other customers at the bar, returning to refill Abramov’s glass.
Abramov pointed over Vasiliev’s shoulder at the television screen. “What did you say the woman looked like?”
Vasiliev turned and spotted a news flash from the local television station, which had taken a break from the Russian invasion to focus on local news. The TV screen was split between a news anchor at his desk and a mug shot of a woman. Vasiliev listened intently as the anchor continued his report.
“… and is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone spotting her or having information about her location should contact authorities immediately. A reward is being offered for information leading to her apprehension. At the bottom of the screen is the number to call.”
Vasiliev wrote the phone number on a napkin as the man continued with details of her alleged crimes.
“Good-looking woman,” Abramov said. “You should have invited her to stay for a drink.”
Vasiliev extended his hand. “Give me your phone.”
Abramov pulled his flip phone from its holster and slapped it into Vasiliev’s hand.
After glancing at the napkin, Vasiliev punched the number into the phone and hit Send. The next time the woman used her stolen cell phone, authorities would be able to pinpoint her location.
54
USS MICHIGAN
Captain Murray Wilson entered Michigan’s Battle Management Center where his crew conducted Tomahawk mission planning and coordinated SEAL operations. The BMC was crammed with twenty-five tactical consoles: thirteen on the port side, plus twelve on starboard arranged in four rows facing aft. Mounted on the aft bulkhead was a sixty-inch plasma screen.
Wilson took his seat at one of the twelve consoles on the starboard side, joining his Executive Officer and department heads. Navy SEALs, led by Commander John McNeil, occupied the other consoles, with several more SEALs gathered at the back of the room. Standing beside the plasma display were Lieutenant Harrison and the submarine’s Navigator, Lieutenant Ed Lloyd.
McNeil kicked off the mission brief. “As you’re aware, we’ve been tasked with extracting President Kalinin and Christine O’Connor from the Russian countryside. The Nav will brief our approach to the launch point, then Harrison will review the mission details.”