Empire Rising (29 page)

“We can replace the aircraft, but without an air base in the region to operate from, China has taken Air Force tactical air support out of the mix. The only way we can provide persistent airpower is with our carriers, and they've addressed that issue as well. We've lost four more carriers, leaving no operational carrier in the Pacific.

“It appears China is neutralizing all threats along its coast, creating an almost impenetrable defense along the inner island chain. Without the Pacific Fleet to penetrate that barrier, China will have secured its flank.”

“Secured its flank for what?” the president asked.

“Our best guess is this is a prelude to a push south, toward resources vital to their economy.”

“So this is what it's all about.”

Jennings nodded. “Yes, sir. Taiwan was just a feint, drawing the Pacific Fleet into the Strait where it could be destroyed.”

The president replied curtly, “What do we have left? How can we help Japan?”

Jennings glanced at Admiral Grant Healey, Chief of Naval Operations. “Not much remains of the Pacific Fleet,” Admiral Healey began. “Four Pacific carriers, plus the Atlantic carrier
Lincoln
and most of their surface escorts, have been sunk. Additionally, China has infected our MK 48 torpedoes with malware, which shuts down the torpedo whenever a Chinese submarine emits a sonar pulse at a specific frequency. As a result, we've lost every fast attack submarine in the Pacific. Only our SSGNs—
Michigan
and
Ohio
—have survived, along with the two MEFs aboard their amphibious ships. We've assigned every P-3 we have to an anti-submarine barrier between China and the amphibs to protect them, and so far China seems content to keep their submarines close to shore. But without the Pacific Fleet to ensure safe passage to Japan, our two MEFs are useless, stranded at sea. As far as our strategic forces go, our ballistic missile submarine fleet remains intact, and every SSBN has sortied to sea, ready to launch at a moment's notice.”

There was silence as the president and his military advisors digested Admiral Healey's last statement. Brackman hoped everyone considered this a conventional war only—the United States would not resort to the use of nuclear weapons unless they were used against them first.

The president seemed to share Brackman's position, turning the conversation back to conventional forces. “What about reinforcements? Can we send the Atlantic Fleet into the Pacific?”

“We can, Mr. President,” Healey answered. “But it will take much longer than normal. The Miraflores Locks in the Panama Canal have been destroyed and three oil tankers were sunk in the Suez Canal. This means Atlantic Fleet ships will have to travel around the bottom of Africa or South America. The nuclear-powered carriers can make it in three weeks, but they'll be slowed down by the conventional-powered ships. Taking into account the speed of our refueling tankers, we're talking a month before the Atlantic Fleet carrier strike groups reach Japan. By all accounts, that will be too late.”

“Additionally,” General Hodson added, “China has developed a way to jam every U.S. military satellite. GPS, recon, and communication satellites are down. The only comms we have with the Fleet right now is via the X37B Orbital Test Vehicle—a small drone version of the space shuttle, outfitted with sensor and communication packages. We have two X37s. One is already in orbit and we'll be sending the second one up as quickly as possible, which will give us limited message capability. Without our satellites, Pacific Command is paralyzed. What little we could glean of the situation has come from weather satellites, their optics refocused on the Western Pacific.”

General Hodson sorted through the papers on the conference table, locating a stack of black-and-white photographs, which he spread across the table for the president to review. Of the fifty-six surface ships that entered the Strait, only a dozen remained afloat, each one on fire, black smoke angling upward as the winds blew westward. The four carriers that had entered the Taiwan Strait were missing; they were on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

“What about Air Force bombers,” the president asked, “operating from Guam?”

General Mel Garrison, the Air Force chief of staff, replied, “Long-range bombers remain a viable asset. However, due to the long flight times, we're unable to maintain a persistent presence. For the scenario we're talking about, we need constant tactical air support. That means Air Force fighters operating from bases in the region, or carriers off the coast. We have neither.”

A somber silence enveloped the Command Center as the General's words sank in. As Brackman surveyed the officers seated around the table, he sensed something he had never felt before. The United States military had always been confident, convinced they would prevail in any conflict. Tonight, there was desperation in their eyes as they attempted to come to terms with the United States' defeat. Yet at the same time, he sensed a grim determination. A determination shared by their commander-in-chief. His expression hardened as he spoke.

“You're not giving me any solutions, gentlemen. I want options!” The president slammed his fist on the table, punctuating his statement.

There was a long silence before a general on SecDef Jennings's side of the table spoke. “Two can play this game, Mr. President.”

The president turned toward Major General Carl Krae, head of Cyber Warfare Command, who followed up. “China knew they couldn't defeat us in a fair fight, so they cheated.”

“How's that?” the president asked.

“Cyber warfare,” General Krae replied. “They figured out how to jam our satellites and infect our weapon systems with malware. But two can play this game.”

“Explain, General.”

General Krae turned to the two-star Admiral seated beside him. The Admiral introduced himself first. “Rear Admiral Tim Moss, Mr. President. With the data on the flash drive Miss O'Connor obtained, we know how to revise our torpedo algorithms to make them immune to the Chinese sonar pulse. Even better, we can add an algorithm that will make our torpedoes home on the sonar pulse, virtually guaranteeing a hit.”

“That's well and good, Admiral,” the president replied, “but we don't have any fast attacks left in the Pacific. And with both canals unusable, no way to get the Atlantic Fleet submarines there in time. So how does that help us?”

A smile flickered across Admiral Moss's lips. The unexpected glimmer of confidence caught Brackman's attention, and he glanced first at the president, then back to Moss as the Admiral continued. “Our submarines don't have to head south, under Africa or South America, to reach the Pacific. They can travel over the top of the world, under the polar ice cap, cutting the transit time to Japan to twelve days. By the time they exit from beneath the ice cap, we'll have a fix for our torpedo software they can download and install into their torpedoes.”

The president absorbed the Admiral's words, identifying its major flaw. “Our satellites are down, so how are our submarines going to download the new software?”

Moss turned to the two-star Admiral beside him. “Rear Admiral Michael Walker, head of Naval Special Warfare Command, will explain.”

“We bring the satellites back up,” Admiral Walker offered.

The president raised an eyebrow. “And how do we do that?”

“Like General Krae mentioned, two can play this game. It won't be easy, but pending your approval, we'll send a SEAL team from USS
Michigan
into China to inject a virus—developed by General Krae's team—into the PLA's command and control system. The virus will disrupt the jamming of our satellites and take down every Chinese satellite in the process, as well as knock every new-generation Chinese missile battery off-line. With our satellites up, we'll be able to download the new torpedo software to our submarines and bring our GPS-guided weapons back into play, all while we cripple Chinese command and control and their missile batteries.”

“How do we get the virus to the
Michigan
with our satellites down?” the president asked.

“We can transmit the software via one of the X37s. The virus will be a relatively small program, which the X37 communication suite can transmit while it passes overhead. For the large torpedo software download, however, we'll need our normal communication satellites, which have a geostationary orbit and a larger data rate.”

“The plan sounds doable, but what's the point? We can't help Japan defeat China with just submarines. We don't have any carrier strike groups left in the Pacific, and the Atlantic Fleet carriers will take too long to get there.”

Admiral Healey, Chief of Naval Operations, answered. “There is one additional Pacific Fleet carrier,
Ronald Reagan
, in overhaul at Pearl Harbor. If we can get her underway, we'll land an augmented Atlantic Fleet carrier air wing aboard.”

General Ely Williams, Commandant of the Marine Corps, joined in. “And then we can take advantage of the one flaw in China's battle plan. They struck our Pacific Fleet too early, before either MEF landed on Taiwan. Had they waited, both Marine Corps divisions would have been stranded on the island. However, both MEFs are at sea and available. Additionally, TWO MEF from the East Coast was deployed to the Mediterranean, and their ships made it through the Suez Canal before it was sabotaged. That gives us three MEFs in the Pacific, and if we can clear a path to Japan, we can land three divisions of Marines to assist, as well as bring three Marine air wings into play.”

“There's one weakness in our plan,” Admiral Healey added. “It's crucial that the three MEFs be protected from air attack while they off-load their Marines and equipment. China has destroyed or has control of every air base in the region, meaning our air support has to come from ships.
Reagan
will be augmented with two additional Super Hornet squadrons, but that gives them only seventy-two aircraft to defend against the entire PLA Air Force, which had over one thousand fourth-generation fighters at the beginning of the conflict. We don't know how many aircraft they've lost in the battle for Taiwan and Japan, but it's likely they can throw several hundred aircraft at the
Reagan
Task Force.

“In that case, they'll overwhelm the outer layer of our air defense, leaving it to
Reagan
's surface ship escorts, consisting of only six cruisers and destroyers. If China takes out
Reagan
's escorts, or they simply run out of anti-air missiles, we could lose not only
Reagan
, but every amphibious ship in the Navy, not to mention stranding or sinking three Marine divisions and their equipment.”

As the president absorbed Admiral Healey's grim assessment, General Williams picked up the conversation. “We have a partial solution, Mr. President. Our Marine air wings normally include Harrier jets for ground support. However, we can replace two squadrons with Joint Strike Fighters. The Marine Corps has the Bravo version of the aircraft, which has a short takeoff and vertical landing capability and can deploy from our amphibious assault ships. We can configure the Joint Strike Fighters for tactical air support instead of ground support, augmenting
Reagan
's air wing. The fly in the ointment with this plan is that the Joint Strike Fighter hasn't been authorized for combat yet—but with your approval, we can deploy them.”

“The same goes for the Navy,” Admiral Healey joined in. “We also have two squadrons of Joint Strike Fighters, which we can land aboard
Reagan
in place of two Super Hornet squadrons. That would give us almost a hundred fighters, of which half would be the new Joint Strike Fighter, which is far superior to anything in China's arsenal.”

There was silence in the Situation Room before SecDef Jennings summed everything up. “There's a lot that has to go right with these plans, Mr. President, but we believe it's doable.”

After a long moment, the president announced his decision. “Proceed with your plans, gentlemen. Send the Atlantic Fleet carrier strike groups into the Pacific and the Atlantic submarines under the ice. Get
Reagan
underway, augmented by Joint Strike Fighters, and insert the SEAL team into China.” The president paused, fixing each General and Admiral at the table in succession with a steely glare.

“This time, failure is not an option.”

 

46

PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII

As nightfall retreated across the Pacific Ocean, the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, normally placid at this time of day, was a frenzy of activity. Although the skies were clear, a cyclone of men and machines had converged on a large gray warship moored in Dry Dock One. Heavy cranes lifted ordnance across the wharf onto the ship, while smaller cranes swung pallets of supplies to sailors waiting topside. Along the wharf to the south, in a small building serving as the ship's temporary offices, Captain Charles “CJ” Berger stood at the window, oblivious to the cacophony of sounds around him. He stared at the naval message in his hand in stunned silence.

It was an impossible task. He'd been given seven days to get underway and another twenty-four hours to piece his aircraft carrier together enough to conduct flight operations. Four squadrons of Super Hornets, along with two squadrons of Joint Strike Fighters and a slew of Growlers and Hawkeyes, were scheduled to land aboard his carrier in eight days, where they would be packed inside the Hangar and on the Flight Deck, butts to nuts as if it were a crowded men's locker room. As Berger wondered how he would fit all of the aircraft aboard his carrier, he looked up toward the dry dock, and the collection of gray parts one might call a ship.

USS
Ronald Reagan
was in the middle of a yearlong overhaul, scheduled to replace USS
George Washington
as the Fleet's Japan-based carrier. However, now that
George Washington
had been sunk, it looked like that replacement would occur sooner than planned. Unfortunately, the shipyard had spent three months tearing Berger's ship apart and had just begun the painstaking reassembly with refurbished and replacement systems. There was a modicum of good news; this was a non-refueling overhaul, so both reactors and their engine rooms were still operational. Propulsion would not be a problem. However, the Flight Deck was in tatters, all four catapults and the arresting wires completely disassembled. It would take a Herculean effort to undock the ship—two weeks minimum—and another month to reassemble the required systems and train his crew to safely conduct flight operations.