“I want you to take command of the First, and the Second Corps and implement the strategy and plan that you just discussed. I will coordinate with our reinforcements, the PLAAF and PLAN to bring in the support and supplies you need to win. You need to deliver though. The PLA does not accept defeat, and it is imperative that we hold our gains here in California.” Tung spoke with a toughness in his voice.
“If you can get the PLAAF to attack the American reinforcements and specifically destroy the rail and highway systems leading into California, we can hold our ground,” Shinzo said with determination in his eyes.
Analyze This
Admiral John Casey was pouring over the intelligence information reports from the previous night and comparing them to the global picture of the war. Three of his best contractors (who specialized in military operations) and his two most trusted intelligence officers were also sifting through the information and the maps, trying to piece together the bigger picture of what was going on with the worldwide conflict.
One of the contractors blurted out, “This doesn’t make sense. Why would the Chinese stop attacking in Alaska? They have the upper hand there.”
Another contractor said, “Think about it for a second. Look at the units in Alaska. Over the last month, they have rotated out some of their best frontline units and moved them to support the California invasion. All of the new Chinese units and reserve units are being sent to Alaska, and their combat veterans are being redeployed to California. The forces in Alaska are clearly meant as a distraction at this point to tie down our resources and troops. They control everything of value; now they just need to make sure we continue to think they are going to pose a threat,” he explained, pointing to charts and maps as he spoke.
A smart young major from the Marines interjected, “My concern with these unit rotations is not that they are all going to show up in California, but that some of them may be used to invade Washington State.”
The room erupted in grumbles and murmurs, as others clearly disagreed with his assessment.
“No, hear me out. The Russians just moved all their amphibious troop ships to this point here in Alaska. My money says they are loading up troops and will ferry them down to Seattle. Think about it…we have very few forces in Seattle, and now with the invasion of California, what forces we have in Seattle are being sent to California to try and retake the ports in Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area.”
Another contractor jumped in, “It’s an idea. If we start to see all the troop transports and other support ships move from Oakland and LA up to Alaska to pick up more soldiers, then you might be right. Until that happens, even with the help of the Russians, they do not have enough sealift capability or support ships to make it happen.” He was somewhat flippant in his dismissal of the Marine’s idea.
The third contractor (who had not said anything up to this point) broke into the conversation to add, “What everyone is missing is what the Indians and Indonesians are doing. Both countries have sent troops to participate in the California invasion, we already know that. But what we have not talked about is the massive troop movements showing up on our satellites to the Chinese railheads. These forces are moving by rail to Russia. Thus far, the Indians have not made a move against our forces now occupying the Islamic Republic, but all indications are they are moving hundreds of thousands of soldiers to Russia, then possibly on to Europe. If that is the case, then our forces in Europe are going to be in some serious trouble come spring.” He sat back in his chair, waiting for the information to sink in.
Admiral Casey finally chimed in with his own thoughts, “I believe Russia and China are trying to distract us by attacking everywhere, knowing if they hit us in enough different places, they can bleed us dry. What we have to figure out is how we can hit them hard enough to take them out of the war without them going nuclear.”
Everyone nodded.
Casey continued, “I have an idea and I want you all to vet it and see if it is possible. As everyone knows, we are systematically destroying Japan and India electronically. The US has a limited supply of X59 scramjet cruise missiles, which the President currently wants to use to destroy several major Chinese port facilities being used to build PLAN naval ships and super carriers. What if we used those cruise missiles to destroy key rail bridges linking China, India and Russia together in Siberia? How would that impact the logistics of the war? Also, if we hit the Three Gorge Dam in China, how bad would that hurt the Chinese?”
Casey didn’t wait for a response, instead plowing on to the next tactical point. “I want you guys to look at how we can go after their transportation industry and how we can systematically destroy these countries from within. I do not care how many civilians may be killed in these attacks or because of them; I want you to consider all angles and find a way to defeat them before they tear our country apart. I want your ideas ready by the end of this week.”
“Yes sir,” the group responded.
Admiral Casey then got up from the table and left to go check on his next think tank group to see what they had come up with. That was the one that was systematically destroying Japan electronically… Casey may have been slightly too happy to learn about how his enemies might be suffering.
Vampires During the Day
“Vampires! Vampires! Vampires!” yelled one of the petty officers in the CIC as the radar screens started to show one, then dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of cruise missiles heading towards the American fleet. Immediately, the fleet’s automated defense system began to take over, slaving every ship in the fleet to the central command at the heart of the fleet, the USS New York, the flagship of the fleet. Admiral Stonebridge would now be able to control all of the ships’ defense and targeting systems.
The carriers immediately began to launch their drone fighters to get them heading towards the missiles to engage them. The missiles were still several hundred miles away, but they were closing that distance fast. As the naval attack came into range of the first ships in the strike group’s screening force, the frigates, destroyers and cruisers began to engage them with their railguns and anti-missile interceptors. A curtain of projectiles was flying at the thousands of missiles streaking in towards the strike group. Dozens of missiles started to disintegrate as they were shredded by the railgun projectiles, while others were destroyed by the missile interceptors. As the ships desperately fought to destroy the waves of incoming fire, several of them started to find their marks, ripping through the frigates and destroyers. Fireballs appeared as the missiles ripped through the hulls and superstructures of the ships like hot knives through butter. As the enemy swarm overwhelmed the outer screen of the strike group, the heavy cruisers and battleships began to throw up their own wall of projectiles, missile interceptors and point defense lasers, engaging as many missiles as their systems could target.
Several anti-ship missiles plowed into the two heavy battleships, the pride of the American Navy. To everyone’s amazement, they sustained little damage. The reactive armor added to the battleships had held, and the ships just shrugged off the hits, only sustaining superficial damage to the exterior structure. As the final wave of missiles flew towards the three carriers of the American fleet, they disintegrated in a hail of railgun projectiles and laser point defense systems.