“Can you be honest with me and everyone you deal with, Patrick?” Martindale asked. “I think you can. You saw firsthand what we faced. You need to find the right systems that will help prevent a repeat of those attacks. What do you say?”
Patrick looked at Maureen, took a deep breath, and said, “I’ll do it, Mr. President.”
“I knew you would. Meeting tomorrow at ten-thirty in the Oval Office—you know the way. Be ready with your plan of action. I want to hit the press with the plan in time for tomorrow’s prime-time news. Thanks, my friend. Good to be working with you again.” And he hung up.
Patrick replaced the phone on its hook. Maureen looked at him closely—and her heart leaped again. He had that faraway gaze once more—but this time there was fire in those blue eyes. He was no longer looking back into the dead eyes of his friends or scenes of blackened devastation; he was staring into the future, and she could see the excitement lighting up his face.
Maybe someday, she thought, I’ll light up his face like that. It was too soon to know if she would ever get that chance, but at least perhaps he was going to be around long enough for her to try.
“Got some phone calls to make, General?” she asked.
“Yes,” Patrick replied. He reached over to her face, pulled her gently to him, and kissed her lips. “Just take a minute.” He then spoke, “McLanahan to Luger.”
Battle Mountain Air Reserve Base, Nevada
That same time
Go ahead, Muck,” David Luger responded. He was sitting in the superviser of flying’s radio truck, out at the approach end of Battle Mountain’s twelve-thousand-foot-long runway. His driver’s-side window was open slightly, enough for the interior not to fog up and so he could raise a pair of binoculars to his eyes occasionally.
The parking apron and taxiways on the isolated base in north-central Nevada were beehives of activity. Along with the few surviving EB-52 Megafortresses, EB-1C Vampires, and the one remaining AL-52 Dragon aircraft, the two surviving B-2A Spirit stealth bombers had been relocated to the 111th Bombardment Wing at Battle Mountain to undergo modification as QB-2 unmanned bombers. In addition, the first QA-45C “Hunter” unmanned combat air vehicles—slightly smaller versions of the B-2 stealth bomber, capable of carrying ten thousand pounds of ordnance or sensors and attacking targets with pinpoint precision—had been deployed to Battle Mountain for operational tests. The surviving E-4B National Airborne Operations Center command posts, RC-135 reconnaissance planes, KC-135R tankers, C-21 transports, and EC-135 intelligence-gathering aircraft that had been based at Offutt Air Force Base had also been reassigned to Battle Mountain. The Battle Management Center had been redesignated the new U.S. Strategic Command battle-staff area.
“I need you in Washington tonight,” Patrick said. “I need the strategic-transformation report we’ve been working on updated with the latest intelligence and industrial-research data.” He paused, then added, “And pack for an extended stay.”
“I’ll be there,” Dave said. He raised the binoculars and focused them on an aircraft preparing to turn base leg in the visual pattern. “Break. Luger to Furness.”
“Go ahead.”
“You guys just about done playing around? I’ve got a flight to catch to Washington.”
Aboard the EB-1C Vampire bomber in the visual pattern, Major General Rebecca Furness shook her head. “I figured as much,” she said. “I’m glad we got our flying in early. You need me to watch the store for a few days?”
“Might be for a lot longer than that, Rebecca.”
“Roger that,” she said. She turned to her mission commander and remarked on intercom, “Sixth or seventh time the boss has been called away. I have a feeling he’s not coming back this time.”
“I agree,” her mission commander, Brigadier General Daren Mace, replied. He still bore some of the scars on his face and extremities from frostbite after spending almost three days in a life raft in the Bering Sea, but he was now back on full flying status after his rehabilitation.
“I think we’re ready to take charge of this place, don’t you, General? I’ll run the Air Battle Force, and you take over the One-eleventh Bomb Wing. How does that sound?”
“I hate to admit it, Rebecca,” Daren said, “but I think I’m ready for a desk job. I love flying, but I think these high-tech birds are getting smarter than me. And I can’t keep up with these young sticks. They’re trying to tell me I’m too old for this shit, I think.”
“They’re trying to tell you to stay here, with me. We’ll run this place the way we think it should be run, and we’ll show these hot-shot young techie nerds how the war is supposed to be fought,” Rebecca said. “Then, in a few years, when they put us out to pasture, let’s build a ranch out here so we can raise a few head of cattle and some horses, take long dips in the hot tub together, and keep an eye on this place—from a distance. How does that sound to you?”
“Perfect,” Daren said, patting Rebecca’s gloved hand on the center-console control stick of their Vampire bomber, his eyes dancing. “Just perfect.”
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Gene and Alison Pretti, Steve and Chris Johnson, and Dave and Cheryl Duffield for their generosity.
Special thanks to William Dunsmore, Major, U.S. Air Force (retired), for his invaluable insights and experiences.
Credits
Cover design by Richard L. Aquan
Copyright
PLAN OF ATTACK. Copyright © 2004 by Air Battle Force Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition April 2004 eISBN 9780061749469
FIRST EDITION
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
DEDICATION
This story is dedicated to my son Hunter, who has shown me time and again that he has inherited and embraced the greatest gift I can give any young person: the gift of imagination.
You may be reading this story for the first time, but I can tell you that Hunter and I have told and retold this story to each other dozens of times.
The old man thanks you, big guy.
CONTENTS
DEDICATION
ACRONYMS AND TERMS
CAST OF CHARACTERS
REAL-WORLD NEWS EXCERPTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CREDITS
COPYRIGHT
ACRONYMS AND TERMS
2S6M Tunguska—combination missile and cannon mobile Russian air defense system
AGM-170D—supersonic scramjet-powered attack missile
Almaz S-300—Russian surface-to-air missile system, also capable against ballistic missiles
ARB—Air Reserve Base
Armstrong Space Station—first American military space station
BDU—Battle Dress Uniform, the standard utility uniform worn by soldiers in combat
BDU-58 Meteor—releases payloads over a target area after atmospheric re-entry
BERP—Ballistic Electro-Reactive Process, the material worn by “Tin Man” commandos
BOHM—borohydrogen tetroxide rocket fuel oxidizer
CAP—Civil Air Patrol (U.S. Air Force Auxiliary)
CID—Cybernetic Infantry Device manned combat robots
CO—Commanding Officer
COMSEC—communications security
Con
dor—bomber-launched commando insertion and retrieval aircraft; also large unmanned new technology airship
Crew Exploration Vehicle—next generation orbital and lunar manned space vehicle
DARPA—Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Doshan Tappeh Air Base—Tehran headquarters of the Iranian Revolutionary GuardsCorps
EVA—extravehicular activity; a spacewalk
exfil—exfiltration
G-forces—acceleration forces imposed on the human body, expressed in multiples of Earth gravity
hypoplastic thumb—congenital birth defect where the thumb is reduced in size, missing, or fused with another finger
IRGC—Iranian Revolutionary Corps
ISAR—Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar
JP-7—jet fuel refined with a higher flash point than more common JP-4
KC-77—aerial refueling tanker and cargo aircraft
komiteh—Iranian moral and religious enforcers
LADAR—laser radar
LakeSpotter—private individuals who camp outside secret U.S. military installations to spot classified aircraft test flights
LPDRS—Laser Pulse Detonation Rocket System magnetohydrodynamic generator—using the movement of liquid metal moving through a magnetic field to generate electricity
Majlis—Iranian parliament
MHD—magnetohydrodynamic
mil power—full aircraft engine thrust without using afterburners
muay thai—kick boxing
NCOICNon Commissioned—Officer In Charge
NSA—National Security Agency
OPSEC—operational security
Orion—next generation manned spacecraft
Pax River—Patuxent River Naval Air Station
Pilatus PC-6—Swiss-made single-engine turboprop trainer
pollicization—surgical creation of a thumb from a finger
PSID—pounds-per-square-inch differential, a measure of cabin pressurization
RFID—radio frequency identification device
RPG—rocket propelled grenade
RTB—return to base
SA-10, SA-12, SA-19, SA-21—Russian surface to air anti-aircraft missiles
SAM—surface to air missile
SDB—small diameter bomb
Shahab-2, Shahab-3, Shahab-5—Iranian ballistic missiles
Skybolt—space-based anti ballistic missile laser
SPAW—supersonic precision attack weapon
SPO—senior project officer
sun-synchronous orbit—orbit that places a satellite over the same spot on Earth at the same time of day
Supreme Defense Council—Iranian military advisory group to the president
TEL—transporter-erector-launcher
Tin Man—commandos who wear advanced protective suits and carry sophisticated weapons
VFR—visual flight rules
XR-A9—Experimental Reconnaissance Article Nine, Black Stallion spaceplane
Zulfiqar—Iranian-made main battle tank
CAST OF CHARACTERS
AMERICANS
KEVIN MARTINDALE, President of the United States
MAUREEN HERSHEL, Vice President
ARMY GENERAL JONAS HARMAN SPARKS, National Security Adviser
JOSEPH GARDNER, Secretary of Defense
ARMY GENERAL WILLIAM GLENBROOK, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
DR. MARY CARSON, Secretary of State
KEN T. PHOENIX, Attorney General
CARL MINDEN, Chief of Staff
U.S. MARINE CORPS MAJOR-GENERAL ANTHONY LEWARS, White House Press Secretary
GERALD VISTA, Director of Central Intelligence
LT. GENERAL PATRICK MCLANAHAN, special adviser to the President
BRIGADIER GENERAL DAVID LUGER, asst. special adviser to the President
BRIGADIER-GENERAL REBECCA FURNESS, commander, First Air Battle Force (air operations), Battle Mountain Air Reserve Base (ARB), Nevada
BRIGADIER-GENERAL DAREN MACE, Air Battle Force operations officer and EB-1C mission commander
U.S. AIR FORCE COLONEL NANCY CHESHIRE, AL-52 Dragon aircraft commander
U.S. AIR FORCE RESERVE MAJOR WYATT CROSS, EB-52 Megafortress aircraft commander
U.S. AIR FORCE RESERVE CAPTAIN MARK HOURS, EB-52 mission commander
AIR FORCE RESERVE CAPTAIN MARGARET “MUGS” LEWIS, EB-1C Vampire aircraft commander
BRIGADIER GENERAL HAL BRIGGS, deputy commander for operations (ground operations), First Air Battle Force, Battle Mountain Air Reserve Base, Nevada
MARINE CORPS SERGEANT MAJOR CHRIS WOHL, NCOIC, First Air Battle Force
U.S. ARMY FIRST LIEUTENANT CHARLIE BRAKEMAN, Tin Man commando
ARMY NATIONAL GUARD CAPTAIN CHARLIE TURLOCK, CID engineer and pilot
U.S. ARMY SPECIALIST MARIA RICARDO, Tin Man commando
COLONEL MARTIN TEHAMA, commander, High Technology Aerospace Weapons Center (HAWC), Elliott Air Force Base, Nevada
CAPTAIN HUNTER “BOOMER” NOBLE, XR-A9 Black Stallion aircraft commander, Elliott Air Force Base, Groom Lake
FIRST LIEUTENANT DOROTHEA “NANO” BENNETON, Ph.D., Black Stallion mission commander
U.S. AIR FORCE CAPTAIN WIL LEFFERTS, XR-A9 mission commander
U.S. NAVY LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JACK OLRAY, XR-A9 pilot
U.S. NAVY LIEUTENANT LISETTE “FRENCHY” MOULAIN, XR-A9 mission commander
STACY ANNE BARBEAU, senior U.S. senator from Louisiana, ranking member of Senate Armed Services Committee; Colleen Morna, her aide
GENERAL CHARLIE ZOLTRANE, commander, Eighth Air Force
GENERAL COLLEEN EDGEWATER, commander, Air Force Matériel Command
ANN PAGE, Ph.D., former U.S. senator, astronaut, and space weapon engineer
COLONEL KAI RAYDON, Space Shuttle aircraft commander
CIVIL AIR PATROL CADET MASTER SERGEANT DOUG LENZ, Cadet Lieutenant Katelyn VanWie’s NCOIC
IRANIANS
MAJOR-GENERAL HESARAK AL-KAN BUZHAZI, former chief of staff of the Iranian military
CIVIL AIR PATROL CADET LIEUTENANT KATELYN VANWIE, aka Shahdokht Azar Assiyeh Qagev, heir presumptive of the Peacock Throne of Iran
IMAM SAYYED MOSTAFA SHĪRĀZEMI, religious leader of Iran
MASOUD AHMADAD, president of Iran
BRIGADIER GENERAL MANSOUR SATTARI, Buzhazi’s aide
BRIGADIER-GENERAL KAMAL ZHORAM, commander of the Second Rocket Brigade of the Pasdaran-i-Engelab, or Revolutionary Guards Corps
GENERAL HOSEYN YASSINI, commander-in-chief, Iranian armed forces
FLIGHT CAPTAIN ALI-REZA KAZEMI, transport pilot
LIEUTENANT GENERAL MUHAMMAD BADI, commander of the Pasdaran (Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps)
COLONEL/GENERAL ALI ZOLQADR, replacement Pasdaran commander; Major Kazem Jahromi, his aide
AYATOLLAH HASSAN MOHTAZ, Director of the Supreme National Security Deputate and military adviser to the Faqih
MAJOR PARVIZ NAJAR, Lieutenant Mara Saidi, Katelyn’s bodyguards
COLONEL JAMAL FATTAH, chief political officer, Iranian embassy, Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan
RUSSIANS
LEONID ZEVITIN, president of the Russian Federation
GENERAL KUZMA FURZYENKO, Russian chief of staff
REAL-WORLD NEWS EXCERPTS
PENTAGON PLANNING FOR SPACE BOMBER—By Robert Windrem, MSNBC NEWS, August 14, 2001—An experimental NASA spacecraft could well be the harbinger for a small armada of billion-dollar space bombers—“space operations vehicles” that could be launched from a U.S. base and fire weapons at almost any target on Earth, all within 90 minutes of a presidential order.
…The next generation of America’s bomber fleet will be a far cry not only from World War II’s B-17 but from the stealthy B-2 bomber as well. Speed to target is likely to be just as high a priority as a bomber’s payload in the 21st century.
…In June, Rumsfeld directed the Pentagon to investigate “suborbital space vehicles” that “would be valuable for conducting rapid global strikes,” according
to a Pentagon planning document issued under his name. And as recently as last month, Boeing said it was talking to the Air Force about investing millions of dollars more in Boeing’s X-37.
Then, in congressional testimony this month, Gen. Michael Ryan, the Air Force chief of staff, acknowledged that a futuristic “space bomber” is being contemplated by the Pentagon’s long-range planners…
STRATEGIC FORECASTING INC., www.stratfor.com, 9 November 2004—An Iranian official said Nov. 9 that Iran has acquired the capability to produce medium-range ballistic missiles in mass quantity. Defense Minister Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani told journalists in Tehran that the Islamic republic is able to manufacture in bulk the Shahab-3 missile, whose range was recently upgraded to 1,250 miles.
IRANIANS REFUSE TO TERMINATE NUCLEAR PLANS—by Elaine Sciolino, New York Times—26 November 2004—VIENNA—Iran refused Thursday to abandon plans to operate uranium enrichment equipment that could be used either for energy purposes or in a nuclear bomb-making project, European and Iranian officials said.
The refusal threatened to scuttle a nuclear agreement Iran reached 10 days ago with France, Britain and Germany to freeze all of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, the European officials added. It also gave new ammunition to the Bush administration, which asserts that Iran has a secret nuclear weapons program and cannot be trusted…
U.S. FORCE EYES RAPID SATELLITE CAPABILITY—Jane’s Defense Weekly, 7 January 2005—The U.S. Air Force, along with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), plans to conduct a flight experiment mid-year to see if it can rapidly place a light satellite payload into orbit aboard a small space launch vehicle. If successful, the demonstration could herald a new technology for space access, said officials involved with the launch.