The president took his seat at the head of the table and cast his gaze toward Verbeck, an attractive and articulate woman in her late forties, a rising star in the administration and one of the leading contenders for secretary of defense if Tom Glass moved on.
“What have you got, Brenda?”
“Good morning, Mr. President.” She pressed the remote control, advancing her brief to the next slide, displaying a map of the Persian Gulf annotated with the location of the incident. “As you’re aware, USS Stethem, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer on deployment in the Persian Gulf, was sunk four hours ago by a torpedo attack. Twenty-four crew members are reported missing and feared dead. Search efforts are continuing, but the odds that there are additional survivors are slim.”
Verbeck advanced the brief to the next slide, showing a satellite view of the Persian Gulf at the time of the attack, then zoomed in until the distinct bioluminescent trail of the torpedo intercepting Stethem could be seen.
“At the time of the attack, Stethem was operating in international waters just outside the twelve-nautical-mile limit from Iran. The most obvious scenario is that Stethem was sunk by an Iranian submarine. Iran has denied the attack, of course.”
“Did we have any indication of pending military engagement by Iran?” the president asked.
“No, sir. Only the standard indignant verbiage regarding the presence of American warships in the Gulf. The lack of ratcheting tensions between our two countries, although that is certainly not the case now, indicates there may be another potential scenario.”
Secretary Verbeck’s brief shifted to the next slide, showing a schematic of an unmanned undersea vehicle.
“We currently have a small fleet of large-diameter UUVs, called Scorpions, operating in the Persian Gulf. Their primary mission is surveillance, operating near the coast to intercept short-range electronic communications, which Iran and other countries have been using to thwart our satellite collection efforts. Due to the sensitive capabilities of these UUVs and the desire to keep their existence secret, they’re managed as a black program in concert with the CIA, which analyzes the information obtained.”
The brief advanced to another slide, which displayed a map of the Persian Gulf, divided into sectors.
“It turns out that the UUV assigned to the area where Stethem was operating has failed to report in. Every attempt to force it to report its location and status has failed.”
“The Iranians may have also destroyed our UUV?” the president asked.
Verbeck shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “No, Mr. President. The situation could be far more serious. Unknown to anyone outside the program, even the CIA” — she glanced briefly at Christine — “these UUVs are weaponized.” She clicked the remote control, advancing her brief to the next slide, showing a front view of the vehicle, which revealed two round portals in the bow. “Each Scorpion carries two torpedoes.”
The president’s gaze shifted slowly from the display to Verbeck. “Are you saying that one of our UUVs went renegade and sank Stethem?”
“It’s a possibility, sir. Nothing is certain, but the data is aligning that way. The UUV failed to report in several hours before the Stethem attack, and there was a previous concern that these UUVs were being rushed into service with insufficient testing.”
The president turned to the Chief of Naval Operations, who cleared his throat before speaking.
“Due to the crucial need for consistent electronic surveillance in the Middle East, Fifth Fleet submitted an Urgent Operational Need request. UONs enable the rapid fielding of new technology with limited testing. What Secretary Verbeck is alluding to is that the testing in this case may not have detected latent defects in the Scorpion’s artificial intelligence and attack protocol. Another possibility is that this UUV was hacked and a virus was inserted. We think that’s unlikely, however, due to the strict secrecy of this program — we doubt Iran or any other country is aware of the existence of these vehicles — which means the problem is most likely internal.”
“How do you recommend we proceed?” the president asked, turning back to Verbeck.
“I propose a dual response: one public and one internal,” she replied. “Publicly, we keep what might have happened regarding our UUV confidential, hinting instead that Iran is the likely culprit. Tell the press we’re evaluating the situation and what our response might be. Internally, we need to locate and destroy this UUV quickly. Assuming it sank Stethem, it still carries another torpedo, and who knows what else it might attack.”
“What assets do we have available?”
Verbeck advanced her brief a few slides, stopping on the U.S. order of battle in the Persian Gulf, then deferred to the CNO, who answered the president.
“We have several surface ships in the Gulf, but no carrier strike group at the moment. As far as submarines go, Michigan is the closest asset. Submarines are the most capable platform for hunting down the UUV, so I recommend we assign Michigan to the task. The BLUE crew is aboard, so Captain Murray Wilson is in command. If you recall, he was the officer we assigned to track down the Russian submarine Kazan.”
“Yes, of course,” the president replied. “Michigan sounds like an excellent choice.”
“One more thing, Mr. President,” Verbeck interjected. “Due to these UUVs being a black program directly under the SecNav’s purview, I’d like to personally oversee the operation to locate and destroy our UUV. I think it’s prudent to minimize the number of personnel who are made aware of the Scorpion program and its potential shortcomings.”
The president looked to the CNO, who announced, “That can be arranged.”
“I concur,” the president replied. “Move quickly on this. We already have two dozen missing and likely dead sailors. If our UUV was truly responsible, we don’t need more blood on our hands.”
3
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
Brenda Verbeck’s SUV rolled to a stop at the base of the Pentagon’s Mall Entrance, where she was escorted up the steps by two protective agents, one on each side, then into the massive military complex covering thirty-four acres, designed in a fashion that would enthrall a cribbage player: five sides, five stories, five rings, with a five-acre courtyard in the middle. As Verbeck stepped into the building, she reflected on the Pentagon’s unusual concentration of power — not at its center but along its perimeter: a mile-long pentagonal corridor labeled the E-Ring, where the main offices of the Department of Defense were located.
Verbeck entered the reception area adjacent to her office, taking no heed this morning of one of the perks of her position: a suite offering splendid views of the Robert E. Lee memorial and surrounding Arlington National Cemetery. She passed her military aide, Captain Andy Hoskins, seated at his desk. Their eyes locked briefly, then he followed her into her office. After closing the door, he took a seat beside Verbeck at her conference table.
“How did the brief go?” he asked.
“As well as I had hoped.”
“Did everyone buy the renegade UUV story?”
“Hook, line, and sinker,” Verbeck replied. “The administration is concerned about the potential negative publicity, so they’re reacting quickly, before evidence from the attack is analyzed.”
“Excellent,” Hoskins replied. “Were you put directly in charge of the mission to hunt down the UUV?”
“Exactly as planned. The CNO will make the necessary arrangements, so I’ll have direct authority over the effort, bypassing the combatant commanders.”