The President nodded in thanks and left the office, leaving a still-stunned, confused-and very proud-Norman Weir to wonder what in hell just happened.
Glossary
ACSC — Air Command and Staff College, an Air Force military school for junior field grade officers that prepares them for more leadership and command positions.
AFO — Accounting and Finance Officer — handles pay and leave matters ASAP—" as soon as possible"
AWACS — Airborne Warning and Control System, an aircraft with a large radar on board that can detect and track aircraft for many miles in all directions Backfire — a supersonic Russian long-range bomber Badger — a subsonic Russian long-range bomber Bear — a subsonic turboprop Russian long-range bomber and reconnaissance plane
BIOT — British Indian Ocean Trust, a chain of small islands in the Indian Ocean administer by the United Kingdom
Blackjack — an advanced supersonic Russian long-range bomber Buccaneer — a British long-range bomber Candid — a Russian cargo plane Chagos — the Iliot native name for the islands administered by the British Indian Ocean Trust
Class A's — the business-suit — like uniform of the U.S. Air Force
DIA — Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. military's intelligence-gathering service
Diego Garcia — the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, part of the British Indian Ocean Trust
Dreamland — the unclassified nickname for a secret military research facility in south central Nevada
Extender — a combination aerial-refueling tanker and cargo plane operated by the U.S. Air Force firewalled — on an Officer Effectiveness Report, when all raters rate the officer with the highest possible marks
Goblin — nickname for the U.S. Air Force F-117 stealth fighter
GUARD — the universal radio emergency frequency, 121.5 KHz or 243.0 MHz
HAWC (fictional) — the High Technology Aerospace Weapons Center, one of the top-secret Air Force research units at Dreamland
Ilots — the natives of Diego Garcia in the British Indian OceanTrust
IRSTS — Infrared Search and Track System, a Russian heat-seeking aircraft attack system where the pilot can detect and feed targeting information to his attack systems without being detected
Mainstay — a Russian airborne radar aircraft
Megafortress (fictional) — an experimental, highly modified B-52H bomber used for secret military weapons and technology tests
MiG — Mikoyan-Gureyvich, a Soviet military aircraft design bureau
MOI — Memorandum of Instruction, the directives issued by the Secretary of the Air Force to a promotion board on how to conduct candidate evaluations and scoring
MFC — Military Personnel Center, the U.S. Air Force's manpower and personnel agency
Nimrod — a British reconnaissance and attack plane
NOFORN — "No Foreign Nationals," a security subclassification that directs that no foreign nationals can view the material
O-5 — in the U.S Air Force, a lieutenant-colonel
OER — Officer Effectiveness Report, an officer's annual report on his job performance and his or her commander's remarks on his suitability for promotion
Orion — a U.S. Navy antisubmarine warfare aircraft
OSR — Officer Selection Report, the file members of a promotion board receive to evaluate and score a candidate for promotion
PCS — Permanent Change of Station, a long-term job change
Peel Cone — a nickname for a type of Soviet airborne radar
PME — Professional Military Education, a series of military schools that teach theory and practice to help develop knowledge and skills in preparation for higher levels of command
PRF — Pulse Repetition Frequency, the speed at which a radar is swept across a target: a higher PRF is used for more precise tracking and aiming; when detected, it is usually a warning of an impending missile launch
SATCOM — Satellite Communications, a way aircraft can communicate with headquarters or other aircraft quickly over very long distances by sending messages to orbiting satellites
Scorpions (fictional) — the AIM-120, a radar-guided medium-range U.S. Air Force antiaircraft missile
SP — Security Police
Strait of Hormuz — the narrow, shallow, winding waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, considered a strategic chokepoint for oil flowing out of the Gulf nations
Stratotanker — the U.S. Air Force's KC-135 aerial-refueling tanker aircraft
USAFE — U.S. Air Forces in Europe, the major Air Force command that governs all air operations in Europe
Warning order — a document notifying a combat unit to prepare for possible combat operations
About the Author
Dale Brown is a former U.S. Air Force captain and the superstar author of eleven consecutive New York Times best-selling military-action-aviation adventure novels, including Flight of the Old Dog, Silver Tower, Day of the Cheetah, Hammerheads, Sky Masters, Night of the Hawk, Chains of Command, Storming Heaven, Shadows of Steel, Fatal Terrain, and The Tin Man. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European history and received his Air Force commission in 1978, serving as a navigator-bombardier on the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber. During his military career he received several awards, including the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster and the Combat Crew Award. He is a member of the Writers' Guild and a Life Member of the Air Force Association and the U.S. Naval Institute. A multiengine and instrument-rated private pilot, he can be found in the skies all across the United States, piloting his own plane. He also enjoys tennis, skiing, scuba diving, and hockey. He lives with his wife, Diane, and son, Hunter, near the shores of Lake Tahoe, Nevada.