Battlefield Ukraine

Planning

It had been a busy five days at the JIOC. Military planners were scrambling to get things ready for what everyone believed was an almost certain military confrontation with Russia. LTG Cotton was getting a situation update from Major General Mueller, the ground force commander at the Pryluky Airbase. “The 2^nd Cavalry Regiment’s Brigade Combat Team (BCT) has arrived, and so has the 173^rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team,” Mueller began. “Most of their equipment is being delivered in a near-constant gravy train of heavy trucks, Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft and C-5s. What was practically an abandoned Ukrainian airbase just six months ago has turned into a bustling hub of American military activity.”

“I have a concern, General,” said Mueller. “I think that my current headquarters element is far too close to the potential frontlines, should hostilities kick off. That puts 15,000 US and NATO members in peril. I’d like to move to the Kiev International Airport at Boryspil.”

“I understand the concern General Mueller,” Cotton replied. “Permission granted to move the headquarters element to the Kiev International Airport. How soon until you begin deploying your combat troops to the field?”

Once SACEUR gave the order to deploy, the 2^nd Cavalry along with the 173^rd, would move to designated marshalling points and await further orders on where to move to engage the enemy. This way, the ground forces would not be all bunched up on the bases should the Russians launch a surprise attack.

General Mueller turned and said something to one of his officers just off the screen, then turned back to look at the monitor. “I’ve given them the warning order; they are retrieving their munitions and ordinance now. The 173^rd should have the rest of their equipment arriving later today. Once they’ve had a chance to get them offloaded and sorted, we’ll issue the order. I anticipate the units moving to the field on Friday, 36 hours from now.”

“Excellent, keep us apprised of any changes,” responded Cotton. “Let’s hope the politicians can defuse the situation before it becomes a shooting war. We are still weeks away from having most of the Reforger troops and equipment here.” Outwardly, General Cotton sounded confident. Inwardly, he was nervous. He was sure that the US and NATO Air Forces could keep the Russians at bay until additional air assets could be flown in from the States, but he was not as certain about the ground assets.

The Russians had moved several divisions from the 1^st Guards Tank Army into east Ukraine, with the rest of them sitting at the edge of the border. Intelligence also showed that the 6^th Army was conducting military exercises in Belarus, which everyone knew was a farce; they had moved so many soldiers and equipment to a border region, just as they were issuing their ultimatum. Cotton and Mueller saw it for what it was, an excuse to deploy them to Belarus and apply additional pressure on NATO. However, between the two Russian Army groups, they had a combined 225,000 troops and tanks, so even if it were a ruse, it could not be completely ignored.

Before signing off, General Mueller asked one last thing, “If hostilities do kick off, how long are my forces going to have to hold until additional reinforcements from the US and other member states start to arrive?”

General Cotton thought to himself, “That’s a good question — tough to answer given how fast things are starting to move.”

Cotton pondered his response for a moment before he answered, “If hostilities break out, I’m going to need your guys to buy us time. Give ground if you have too, but try and hold the line at Kiev. The SecDef has initiated Operation Reforger. The gravy train of supplies and troops will start to arrive in Europe shortly. I’m sorry, but that’s about as much clarity as I can provide you,” Cotton replied.

Mueller smiled before responding, “Well that’s about as clear as mud Sir, but I understand. We’ll do our best to hold the line. Just make sure I have plenty of air support, and I’m sure we can make it work.”