“I agree, but as you said, it would cause more issues at this moment, so we are stuck having to turn a blind eye to it at the moment. Please continue.”
“The 1st ID is less than two miles from Jerusalem; in some locations, the IR forces are even closer to the city. Our forces have been getting mauled and they have been in almost continuous combat for nearly 48 hours. General Gardner has ordered the rest of the 3rd ID in to reinforce them; the 1st armored division broke through the IR lines and quickly advanced to the outskirts of Damascus. Gardner has ordered them to swing south and try to put more pressure on the IR forces in the Jordan Valley.”
“The 2nd MEF has secured the Sinai and the SCZ. The 6th Fleet is reporting a massive troop movement from Cairo heading toward the SCZ; the Marine Air Wing is engaging them along with the 6th Fleet. I’ve directed Admiral Todd to do what she can to assist our troops in the valley. We still do not have air supremacy, but the more pressure we can put on the IR air forces, the better,” said Branson.
“Where is the rest of the Air Force in all of this? When will we have control of the skies and start to pound these guys into the dirt?” asked the President.
“Soon, Mr. President. We are moving the USS Intrepid to the Mediterranean. Their battlegroup should be on station in four days; they are sailing at flank speed,” said Admiral Juliano.
“The 81st Fighter Drone Wing has arrived in Sigonella Naval Airbase, Italy. The Wing consists of 1,000 F38 air superiority drones and 600 FA38 ground attack drones. The 80th Fighter Drone Wing has arrived at Aviano Air Base, Italy; they consist of the same number and type of aircraft. The 80th is engaging the IR Air Force in Turkey and their naval assets left in the area. The 81st is going to focus solely on providing support to our forces in Israel once our forward airbases in Crete are back to being operational. As soon as air superiority has been achieved over Israel (or as close as we can get to it), the ground attack drones will move to their forward bases so they can provide quicker ground support.”
“The 80th ground attack aircraft will also move to Israel as soon as possible. I’ve ordered two additional JF35 squadrons to the region, and our cyber guys are wreaking havoc on the remaining US aircraft they have. So far we’ve managed to keep them grounded, so I’d call that a win,” declared General Adrian Rice, the Air Force Chief of Staff.
“How soon until additional reinforcements are going to arrive?” asked the President.
“We lost two transports carrying reinforcements a few hours ago. Once the Air Force can provide additional air cover, we have another 3,000 troops waiting in Italy. Most of the XVIII Airborne Corps is still in Mexico, so they are not going to be available for at least another week. The issue we face is getting enough troops mobilized and deployed to Israel to make a difference.”
“The troops we would traditionally have available are either tied down in Mexico, already deployed in Israel, or conducting anti-terrorism activities here in the US. We have one brigade from the 82nd that is en-route to Italy and will be ready to jump into Israel as soon as there is an opportunity,” said General Jeremiah Smith, the Army Chief of Staff. A worried look covered his face. “With your permission, I would like to prepare Fifth Corps to head to Israel as quickly as possible.”
“How soon could they get there?” asked the President.
“I have the orders drafted and the Corps has been placed on ready alert for deployment; we can start to have them move to Norfolk for embarkation immediately. They should arrive in nine days with their full equipment load,” said General Smith.
“Before we deploy more troops to Israel, we need to secure the Straits of Gibraltar. The British are holding their end; the issue is the IR side. At first, they posed no significant problem once our aircraft from Britain paid them a visit, but I am concerned that this may change now that we are going to need to move a lot more ships through there,” posited General Tyler Black, the Commandant of the Marine Corps. General Black looked like your typical Marine; he had a bulldog of a face and could stare down just about anyone. His first concern was his Marines, then his country.
“I suppose you have a plan, General?” asked the President, raising an eyebrow at the General.
“I do, Mr. President. I have the 4th MEF about a day away from the Straights as they move to reinforce the 2nd MEF in the Sinai and the SCZ. I would like to drop a battalion and their equipment to secure the area; the British Forces on Gibraltar have said they would provide air support for the battalion and, if needed, medical support.”
“All right, General. Secure the area, and then get the rest of those Marines to the 2nd MEF. General Gardner has ordered one of your Brigades there to retake our base at Eilat. The situation around Jerusalem is only getting worse, so the more Marines we can get in country, the better.” The President looked exhausted, practically haggard from lack of sleep and immense pressure.
“Mr. President, we need to make a decision about Jerusalem and whether we want General Gardner to hold it or withdraw to a more defensible position,” interjected General Branson, pouring himself a refill of his coffee.
“I’m afraid the IR has already made that decision for us, General. If we surrender the city, they are going to kill everyone in it and destroy any Jewish and Christian historical sites. We need General Gardner to hold the city at all cost, even if it means house to house fighting. The civilians need more time to evacuate. I spoke with the Israeli Prime Minister, and he said they are evacuating as many civilians as possible out of Israel to Italy.” The President let out a heavy sigh. “Generals, you all have your orders…continue to manage the war as we have discussed, and have your updates ready for our next meeting in…four hours.”
“Henry, you need to make another address to the nation soon. The people need to be reassured that things are OK and we are in control. The COG has really spooked a lot of people; there are lines of people fleeing the major cities, heading to the countryside. People are not showing up for work and basic services are starting to break down,” explained Monty.
“You are right as usual. Please schedule a broadcast for 5pm today. When is our domestic briefing?”
“In a couple of hours. You have some time to catch a short nap, if that is what you were thinking.”
“Thank you, Monty. You know, aside from my wife, you probably know me better than anyone else.”
The President made his third address to the nation in a few hours, this time to reassure the American people that things were fine and they should return back to their homes and jobs. The President informed the public that the National Guard would remain on the streets with the police to help maintain law and order. The best thing people could do for the war effort was to return back to their homes and their businesses as the country and the soldiers in the Middle East needed their support.
In this same period, the FBI and DHS had apprehended 74 individuals prior to them being able to carry out further attacks. This brought the total number of captures to 329 terrorists. Four hundred and sixty-two thousand people had applied to join the military in the first 48 hours of the war. People were angry, and they wanted payback.
Despite large numbers of people wanting to leave the big cities after the initial use of nuclear weapons by the IR and the attacks on the Senate and Capital buildings, American nationalism was at an all-time high. Riots and demonstrations both for and against the war, along with pro-Muslim and anti-Muslim rallies continued. Some turned violent, and there was a lot of vigilante justice going on; local and federal law enforcement was doing their best to maintain law and order, though they fell short often.