Changing some images on the holograph, General Branson continued. “We are starting to see those new MiG40s and Su-37s, and they are tough. Right now, no one has full air dominance over the battlefield, but it is not looking very good for the Allies.”
General Adrian Rice, the Air Force Chief of Staff, broke in to add, “The MiG40 is a tough aircraft, but they are limited in number. Right now they are taking control of the high altitude fight; however, when they come down closer to the ground, that is when we have scored a few hits with our railguns. We found a weakness in the aircraft’s stealth system — it’s the heat it emits. The problem is, we can only spot them using a specialized Doppler radar, which we are short of on the battlefield and have never integrated into our air-to-air missiles before.”
“Well, if that’s the case, let’s definitely get more of these specialized radars to Europe; whatever we need to take control of the skies, let’s get it done gentlemen,” dictated the President.
“Yes sir,” came the response.
“How much longer until the Fifth Army is ready to kick the Russians out of Poland?” asked Stein.
“Soon, Mr. President. We have redirected 90 Pershings to them and another 210 will arrive within the next month. Right now, they will make use of the M1A5s we still have in circulation. We’ve brought another 2,200 M1A4s out of mothball, and hope to have them combat ready within the next 60 days,” General Branson said, responding to the President’s question.
General Wade’s holograph came to life as he said, “One important item to note, Mr. President, is a recent cyber-attack against some of our fighter drone squadrons. My Air Force and NSA LNO’s have told me they identified the problem and are working on a solution, but this could become a serious issue if the Russians or the Chinese can find a way to bring down more of our drone operations.”
General Rice, the Air Force Chief of Staff, jumped in, “We are aware of the problem, Mr. President, and we are currently working on a new software patch and incorporating some additional network security protocols. We believe they gained access to the drone networks via an insider threat. One of the Senior NCOs and two officers who worked in the drone program network security branch were recently apprehended as a result of the Trinity Program. Now that we know how the attacks originated, we are confident we can permanently fix it.”
The President was relieved to know they had identified the problem and it was currently being resolved. He also knew there was not much that could be done in Europe just yet; troops, battle plans and defensive operations were all underway. The only course of action right now was to let things play out and give his generals the latitude they needed to make their military decisions.
“General Branson, General Rice, I am not going to micromanage the air war. I want my generals to have the ability to make the choices on the ground. I do want to be informed and kept in the loop. I may offer a suggestion or advice here and there, but just as in Mexico and Israel, I will leave the actual tactics and strategy to you.”
As the President looked at his commanders, he could visibly see apprehension leaving them. Henry continued, “General Wade, we are going to switch to the Middle East theater now; if you need to leave, we will understand.”
“Thank you, Mr. President, for your vote of confidence and I will step out now. I will continue to keep the Security Council and General Branson apprised of our operations.” Then his holograph disappeared.
General Branson changed the maps and slides over to the Middle East. “General Gardner, are you still with us?” asked General Branson before continuing.
“Yes Sir. I am still here and ready to provide my update” General Gardner said as his holographic image appeared.
“Very well, please continue,” requested the President.
“As you know, Mr. President, the 2nd Shock Army has moved out of Turkey and is transiting through Syria and Lebanon as we speak. Our air forces continue the battle for the skies; neither side has really taken a decisive advantage in that area as of yet. We anticipate our ground units making contact with the Russians within the next 24 hours. I’ve moved half of my Pershing tanks to meet them, and I am confident we will hold them within the ten-mile buffer zone we have established between the Lebanon and Syrian borders with Israel.” Images were being shown of US, Israeli and Russian units as they were moving towards a convergence.
“The Chinese 1st Expeditionary Force (1st EF) has arrived near Ammon. They are under a blanket of mobile laser and SAM defense systems, so for the moment, the Air Force has not been able to attack them much. They appear to be getting ready to make their own offensive push, which will most likely coincide with the Russians. We believe they are going to try and go after the port facilities in the Red Sea, and will also try to make a play for Sinai. We are unsure of whether or not the IR will launch another offensive into the Jordan Valley with their remaining forces in and around Amman. Right now, intelligence is actually suggesting that they may, but the attacks will not be very serious. Intelligence intercepts are showing that the IR is desperately trying to disengage while they work on reestablishing power to the country in order to regain control of their remaining cities,” General Gardner explained. He placed his tablet on his desk and looked up for questions.
The President was intrigued by this last statement and asked. “So you believe the IR may attack and forgo this peace agreement, but yet they would not put their entire effort into attacking like they had in their previous offensive operations?”
“Yes, Mr. President. Our nuclear attack hit them hard, apparently harder than they are letting on or want to believe. Right now, only a small portion of the Republic actually has a functioning power grid. With most of the country in the dark, they have lost communications, and essentially control of large portions of the Republic. Unless they are able to reestablish that control soon, the rest of the country may fall into anarchy as both food and water shortages become critical to non-existent,” General Gardner said in response. More images were being shown of Chinese and IR military units and areas of the IR that were currently without power.
Jim Wise, the Secretary of State, saw an opportunity and jumped in, adding. “Mr. President, with the country in disarray, this could give us a limited opportunity. Most of the IR is broken down into governing sections with a regional deputy Caliph that reports to Mohamed Abbas. If we were able to establish contact with the regional deputy Caliphs, we could offer them a separate peace agreement if they break away from the central government and form their own country.”
The President sat back in his chair for a moment while a few others in the room discussed the possibility of such an event happening. It certainly did present a unique opportunity and one they should explore. After some thought, Henry replied, “I believe there is some merit to this idea. If we can somehow divide the IR and get the governing regions to break off from the central government, then perhaps we can get the entire Republic to collapse. It would eliminate one of the Axis powers.”
Secretary Wise added, “I can have my people begin reaching out to them immediately through various back channels. If any of them are amenable to an agreement, I will let the group know.”