“We believe it was the Russians who are backing the President of Adwalland,” Young answered.
“Is that confirmed?” asked the President.
“No, sir,” answered the Director truthfully.
Throughout his Presidency, he had found himself having to make tough choices, with respect the protection of the United States of America; the authorization of the covert assassinations of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan and Al-Awlaki in Yemen was two such examples.
The Executive Orders in those situations were a walk in the park compared to this one as then the United States had the moral high ground.
In this situation, he was being asked to order U.S. Forces into a neighboring country to provide support to the United Nations personnel on the ground that appeared to be under attack from forces loyal to a Russian backed President.
The problem he was now facing was related to how the United States of America wished to be seen in the world under his stewardship of the Presidency.
If he delayed in deploying troops then his Administration would stand accused of abandoning the United Nations and pandering to the Russians, and thereby, by definition, allowing the Russians to give him yet another bloody nose to go with those his Presidency had received in Syria and Ukraine and by their welcoming of the traitor Snowden. He wasn’t having that!
“General, what is your recommendation?” he asked his Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
Since the compound was only one hundred and twenty miles from their base in Djibouti and the recommendation was that they should send four Black Hawk helicopters with personnel from the SEALS and air support using F-15s to secure the location within thirty minutes, then follow up straight away with two hundred men from the U.S. Marines using Hummers to relieve them within three hours. The President then opened up to the floor to his Secretary of State.
“That would give us time to deal with the Russians, Mr. President, and fulfill our obligations to the United Nations,” The Secretary of State had offered over the speakerphone. He was still on route to the White House knowing like the President that the minute the U.S. announced they were placing troops in theatre, the Russians would cry blue murder and quickly bring pressure to bear on the Security Council despite their nation having authority under the resolution to do so.
“Are we absolutely sure this Wasir guy isn’t behind the attack?” the President asked the Director of CIA again.
“We believe that isn’t the case with the information available to us at this time,” answered the Director ever the politician without blinking not really answering his Commander in Chief.
“Sir, if Wasir Hassan fails in his attempted coup then we will be facing a scenario whereby the incumbent Jawari will request an immediate withdraw of our forces back across the border. Legally we would have to do so. But at the very least we should demand the Russians bring their man back into line,” said the voice of the Secretary of State giving his legal overview of the result if the coup d’état failed.
“That will make us look like we bowing to the Russians again,” replied the President unimpressed with his Secretary of State’s statement.
“It’s God Dammed fucking Ukraine all again!” continued the tired President angrily with his own assessment of the international politics of the situation.
The President took a moment. As he did so he reflected on what one of his predecessors and one of the men who inspired him as a young man once said.
“I do the very best I know how; the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right what is said against me, won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.” -Abraham Lincoln
Here, he was again facing such a situation yet without the benefit of time as an ally to respond. He had to determine the appropriateness of this request from the United Nations, and whether the moral/ethical decision was not based on the international community’s approval nor on divine approval but on the efficacy rather than the moral outcome.
Having made his decision, the forty-fourth President of the United States of America looked at his Chief of Staff and gave his orders.
“Authorization is granted. As soon as our men are on the ground I will make a statement,” The President followed up as his Chief of Staff set about picking up the phone on the table to get the Director of Communications to do the necessary in the short time available for the President’s speech.
His orders were acknowledged by a chorus of, “Thank you, Mr. President!” The leader of the United States of America got up and left the situation room to return to his office.
It was going to be a long night.
As the President left the room the General made the call to Admiral in charge of Special Operations, followed swiftly afterwards by one to the Base Commander,
“Operation BAILOUT is authorized,” He ordered, using the codename in turn to each of them.
The President of Russia sat at the front of the table listening to the Minister of Foreign Affairs brief him on his latest discussion with the United Nations Secretary General.
Unlike its counterpart at the White House, the décor of the situation room in the bunker of the Kremlin could only be described as belonging to something out of a palace of Versailles. With its bright white walls and antique furnishing from that period, the only modern intrusion to the room was the HD Flat screen televisions on three walls and the Flag of Russia in the corner of his rectangular bombproof room.
“The Secretary General advises me that he has asked the Americans to provide armed support to the U.N. base under the resolution guidelines of the original mission,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs said.
“Did you explain to him that it wasn’t needed, as the Jawari’s Militia will provide the support?” asked the President.
“He says it was the President’s Militia that conducted the operation!”
“He did not trust them to fulfill their obligations,” replied the Minister of Foreign Affairs putting his pen down in disgust.
“And why is he under that impression?” said the President.
“Just because a Putsch leader says it is,”
“Doesn’t mean it is!” replied the Russian President his anger building.
The last Secretary General had been very vocal in his distaste of the Americans in their attempts to use the United Nations almost by stealth as a diplomatic tool. Unfortunately, this current Secretary General, although nobody had ever reported on it, maintained, in the opinion of many on the Security Council in contrast, a relationship with the Americans that one would describe as unhealthy, as he often shared their outlook on global issues and stepped firmly in line with U.S. foreign policy.
“I did raise that with him,” replied the Minister. “But he replied that they had confirmation they needed.”
“What confirmation?” the President of Russia asked.
“A desperate call from one of the residents of the compound…a young German woman,” the Minister replied checking his notes.
The Russian President looked towards the Director of the GRU to see if their listening post in Yemen had picked this call up.
He got answer he didn’t want.
“We did pick up this call. It was made to the United Nations offices in Djibouti and then followed by another one to Viper. In both cases the woman asked for help and blamed HARE,” he answered using Wasir’s and Jawari’s codename.
“Sir, I recommend we declare to United Nations that we have a brigade on the way that can provide support for the mission,” the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian military said knowing they were thirty minutes away from entering Adwalland’s air space. He could see the situation descending into a full-blown confrontation between Russia and America if they didn’t.