With the bulk of the IR army destroyed, it was now time to push them out of Israel and get ready to take the fight to their homeland.
Europe Changes Tactics
Despite the final fiscal and political unification of the European Union (EU) in 2026, Great Britain continued to maintain its autonomy. While the Scandinavian and Eastern European countries had folded into the EU during the Great Depression of the 2020s and early 2030s, the UK was determined to remain their own country. The free trade agreement with the US had guaranteed access to affordable food and had helped to fuel the revival of the British economy in the late 2030s. Prime Minister Stannis Blair, unlike Chancellor Lowden (the leader of the EU), had no problem convincing the members of Parliament of the dangers posed by the Islamic Republic, Russia and China.
At the private urgings of President Stein, Prime Minister Blair had persuaded Parliament to increase defense spending and the size of the British military several years ago. The United States also made available extremely low interest rate loans to aid Britain in their military buildup. When war broke out with the IR, the British were not only ready; they had a military force that was up to the task.
General Sir Michael Richards of the British Defense Staff walked briskly into the room. He was ready to provide his boss with the latest updates. “Prime Minister, the Americans confirmed several hours ago the nuclear devices that destroyed New York and Baltimore did in fact originate from the IR. Caliph Abbas himself confirmed this to President Stein during a brief phone call they had. As of right now, the Americans have not responded with nuclear weapons, but we believe they are going to hit the IR hard in the very near future.”
The Prime Minister was exhausted from the late night meetings and the early morning phone call he had with President Stein. He still could not believe the casualty estimates had reached over four million civilians dead. He understood the need for America to respond with their own nuclear weapons but had cautioned Stein on not going overboard. He did not want the Americans to escalate the war into a nuclear shooting exchange with China and Russia should they come to the defense of their ally. PM Blair signaled for Sir Richards to continue.
Nodding towards the PM, he expounded, “The last intelligence brief we received from the Americans says the Russians are going to invade the EU within 72 hours. Military intelligence and MI6 also concurs with this assessment.” He nodded towards Admiral Sir Mark West, the First Sea Lord, to provide the PM with the military recommendations.
“Mr. Prime Minister, with consultation from our intelligence services and the American Navy, I recommend we put our entire naval force to sea immediately. We need to ensure our naval forces are not destroyed in port or caught off guard as the American Pacific Fleet was when the Chinese launched their surprise attack,” Admiral West announced with confidence. “The Russians will try to move their fleet and subs into the North Atlantic, which will cause all sorts of logistical problems for us if they are left unchecked.”
“I agree, Admiral. Please have our naval forces put to sea as soon as possible. Let’s also start coordinating with the EU Navy and get ready to interdict the Russian Navy in the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland/Iceland gap,” the PM ordered.
The Prime Minister looked each of his senior military leaders in the eyes and said, “Gentlemen, the Americans have been warning us for years of the Russian military buildup. There was not a lot we could do to influence our EU partners to prepare; it is now time to put our own preparation to the test. General Sir Wall, I want the entire Reserve and Territorial Army activated immediately. Recall all military members from leave and cancel all future holidays. You are to have the military ready to disperse from their garrisons within 48 hours.”
The British army had quietly increased their military reserve from 25,000 personnel in 2037 to 275,000 by the end of 2040. The increase was mostly infantry, military police and armor — areas that could quickly bolster the strength and capability of the active duty force, should hostilities occur. The active duty force had likewise been increased from 89,000 to 300,000. Similarly, the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy had increased in size with the Navy, adding five additional submarines to their fleet and additional anti-submarine capabilities.
The RAF had followed the American Air Force in developing Fighter Drone Wings to augment their piloted aircraft. The advent of fighter drones offered the RAF a unique ability to increase their air power at a fraction of the cost of traditional manned fighters. The drones could outmaneuver their manned counterparts, and for all intents and purposes, were disposable. If they were shot down, the pilot was not placed at risk and could activate another drone. Drone aircraft did not have to take into account the survivability of a pilot; they were smaller, nimbler, carried a good weapon load, and cost a fraction of what a manned aircraft did.
The Americans had perfected the manufacturing of fighter drones and were able to produce nearly 85 % of the aircraft using 3D printers. A drone could be built within two months and ready for action. The construction was still incredibly complex, and required thousands of 3D printers of various sizes and capabilities, which is why it took so long from start to finish. It was only a matter of time until the American manufacturers were able to produce these drones in days instead of months.
3D printing had been around for decades, though it was not until a relatively small unknown manufacturer, the Atlas Group, built the first combat fighter drone in 2025 that the military saw a real combat use for them beyond surveillance and pinpoint strikes. After 10 years of testing and evaluation of various models, the US Air Force finally approved the first prototype two years before President Stein came into office. Once in office, the Stein administration exponentially increased the fighter drone programs as a means to cut costs while improving capability.
“Air Marshal Sir Trenchard, what is the status of our air defense capability?” asked the PM as he took another sip of his tea.
“Our laser missile defense and surface to air missile systems now encompass all of our airfields and major defense facilities and cities. If they use ballistic missiles, we are ready to knock them down. We will move the eight mobile laser systems with the army as they disperse. We also have eighty-seven of the American mobile anti-air/missile railgun systems; they will also disperse with the army. I will issue orders after this meeting to begin flying air combat missions over the country and our critical facilities round the clock. The Russians may suspect we know about their pending invasion with our sudden increase in force posture, but I assure you, they will not sucker punch us,” said Air Marshal Sir Andrew Trenchard with an air of confidence.
“Excellent, Sir Trenchard. We should be ready to provide fighter support over the EU when hostilities do begin. I have a meeting in two hours with Chancellor Lowden and his defense staff. I would like everyone to return back to the conference room in an hour and half and be ready to participate in this meeting. We need to convince the Chancellor and his staff that they need to mobilize. With that said, everyone is dismissed to issue what orders you need to and prepare our country for war,” said the Prime Minister in a stoic manner.