Dancing with the Dragon

Chapter 17

The sun was low in the hazy sky when the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay rendezvoused with the South Korean flotilla of two destroyers, one frigate, and seven patrol boats. The crew of Mobile Bay and the sailors in the South Korean warships were at battle stations.

Three thousand yards away, North Korean warships, patrol boats, and torpedo boats were escorting two dozen fishing boats through a prohibited zone of crab-rich waters demarcated by the United Nations.

The disputed area lay south of a UN-imposed sea border between the North Korean mainland and five South Korean islands located sixty miles northwest of Seoul. This was the third major confrontation in sixteen months between North Korea and South Korea over the disputed fishing waters. The South Korean Defense Ministry had warned Pyongyang not to invade their territorial waters. If they did, the ministry promised to respond swiftly and sternly.

The South Korean frigate Jeong Nam, the destroyer Kwanggaeto, and three of the patrol boats began approaching the North Korean ships and fishing vessels. The destroyer Ulchimundo and the other four patrol boats spread out, while Mobile Bay anchored the center of the small armada.

The North Korean warships quickly maneuvered into a defensive position, with the fishing boats retreating slightly behind them.

Tensions mounted as Jeong Nam, Kzvanggaeto, and the South Korean patrol boats gathered speed.

A Soviet-built Mil Mi-8 helicopter hovered low over the fourteen tightly spaced North Korean warships. Equipped with 128 57mm rockets, the multirole helicopter could definitely prove to be a problem.

Overhead, a single U.S. Air Force AG130U Spectre gunship named Midnight Medusa orbited in a circle. The Herc's primary mission was close air support, air interdiction, and armed reconnaissance. The heavily armed warbird incorporated side-firing weapons, including two 20mm Vulcan cannons with 3,000 rounds, one 40mm Bofors cannon with 256 rounds, and one 105mm howitzer with 100 rounds.

The menacing Spectre could provide surgical firepower or area saturation for extended periods of time. Nothing, not dark nights or inclement weather, stood in the way of the powerful Spectre gunships.

The opposing ships trained their guns on each other as the South Korean frigate, destroyer, and patrol boats stayed their course. When Jeong Nam and Kwanggaeto reached a point approximately a thousand yards from the intruding warships, the long standoff ended. Every North Korean vessel simultaneously opened fire at the Korean warships and Mobile Bay. The Mil Mi-8 helo sprayed rockets at the destroyer Kwanggaeto and the smaller patrol boats.

The South Koreans and Mobile Bay answered the volley with a steady barrage of gunfire. The deafening explosions and huge geysers of water erupting around both flotillas were exacerbated when the AC-130U Spectre gunship opened up with a staggering amount of firepower.

Sounding remarkably like a Paul Bunyan — sized chain saw, Midnight Medusa rained death and destruction over the entire North Korean armada, including the lone helicopter. The Herc's cannons and howitzer shredded the North Korean warships and patrol boats, destroying four of the craft in less than fifty seconds.

Amid the explosions, flames, and billowing clouds of dark smoke, North Korean survivors dived into the sea and swam for their lives. Abandoned by the entire crew, two of the smaller vessels continued on course while flames danced from their decks.

The helicopter lasted only twelve seconds before it was cut in half, literally, dumping the pilot, copilot, and flight engineer into the sea. Alive and suffering only minor injuries, Russian exchange pilot Maj. Nikolai Ivanov was killed when he was run over by a North Korean torpedo patrol boat. The other two men survived the crash.

Mobile Bay and the South Korean warships fired salvo after salvo at the North Koreans, hitting the tightly bunched fleet with devastating results. A number of North Korean sailors who were blown from the decks of their patrol boats landed on other patrol boats.

The armed clash was over in three minutes. Seven North Korean vessels were sinking, including a fishing boat that was hit by an errant shell from Kwanggaeto. Two other North Korean warships would have to be towed to their base or to a salvage yard. Seventy-one North Korean sailors would be reported dead, along with eighty-two injured.

The frigate Jeong Nam suffered a direct hit on her starboard bow but wasn't in danger of sinking. One of the South Korean patrol boats was headed for a watery grave, and Mobile Bay had sustained minor damage to her port hull amidships. Nine South Koreans lost their lives and twenty-two were injured, six seriously. The American cruiser would put in for repairs at South Korea's main naval base, located in a picturesque natural harbor at Chinhae. Midnight Medusa would safely return to her base without a scratch.

The supercarrier USS George Washington and her escorts, the frigates USS Boone and USS Underwood, the destroyer USS John Rodgers, and the cruiser USS Normandy were steaming south-southwest 220 nautical miles due north of the Panama Canal.

Joining the George Washington carrier battle group, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and the Tarawa-class assault ship USS Nassau brought the combined air-and ground-combat elements of Marine expeditionary units to the troubled Panama Canal.

Resembling scaled-down aircraft carriers, the assault ships provided sea control and fast-striking power projections on hostile shores. The Marines use air-cushion landing craft, conventional landing craft, and helicopters to move their assault forces ashore.

Normally constructed around a reinforced battalion, the Marine expeditionary unit was a force with the ability to rapidly mobilize for combat operations in virtually any environment at any time. The force consisted of a battalion landing team supported with artillery, amphibious assault vehicles, light armored reconnaissance assets, and other units as needed for a particular operation.

Depending on the mission, the aviation element of the MEU was comprised of a mix of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, including AV-8B Harrier attack jets, CH-53 Super Stallions, CH-46 Sea Knights, UH-1N Hueys, and AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters.

After the army de Havilland RC-7 reconnaissance plane was shot down near the Panama Canal, U.S. space-based assets and reconnaissance planes provided undeniable proof that elements of the Chinese military were rapidly developing sites for antiaircraft guns and surface-to-air missiles along the entire length of the fifty-one-mile canal.

In a prime-time press conference, President Macklin cited the section of the Panama Canal treaties clearly invoking the right of the United States of America to intervene militarily if the canal was threatened. In his judgment, the safety and security of the Panama Canal was certainly in jeopardy and required U.S. involvement.

The president had ended the short but ominous press briefing by announcing that he was placing the army's 82d Airborne on alert. He also sternly warned Beijing about the consequences of their actions. Steel jawed and unblinking, Macklin insisted that Beijing take immediate corrective action in regard to the SAM sites and the triple-A emplacements. Ignoring questions from reporters, he left the press briefing while the buzz in the room grew louder.

On orders from the White House, a no-fly zone was declared and established over the Panama Canal. Fighter planes from George Washington routinely patrolled the entire length of the canal and overflew the former Howard Air Force Base. Two AC-130U Spectre gunships, Terminator II and Hell Raiser, were making their presence known, one flying at night, the other during the day.

An hour after the assault ships arrived in the Colombian Basin, two Marine AV-8B Harriers took off from Kearsarge and flew directly over the canal to the Pacific port of Balboa.

On the return leg to their ship, they came under intense Chinese antiaircraft artillery fire three miles southeast of Colon. The flight leader's plane was hit, but both aircraft retaliated by striking the triple-A site with conventional bombs and cannon fire. When the Harriers departed the area, the site was as quiet as a tomb.

In an impromptu and emotional press briefing in the Rose Garden, President Macklin called the attack on the Marine Harriers an act of war and declared that U.S. forces would use whatever means available to defend themselves.

In closing his concise remarks, he reiterated the right of the United States to intervene militarily if the security of the Panama Canal was threatened. Leaving the media with their mouths agape, Macklin turned on his heel and departed to meet with the members of his National Security Council and their statutory advisors.

Hours later, when the night watch AC-130U Spectre arrived on station at 2200, the air force crew gave a vivid and unforgettable firepower display near a triple-A site close to the site the Marines had flattened. Terrified at the surgical destruction inflicted by the Spectre gunship, the Chicom gunners flew out of their emplacements as if they'd seen the Grim Reaper face to face. Within minutes, PLA officers chained the frightened soldiers to their guns.

Air force general Les Chalmers skipped a working breakfast at the Pentagon and went straight to Capitol Hill. As Chalmers and one of his aides, army colonel Anthony Sloan, entered the august chamber and took their seats, he steeled himself for his meeting with members of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. They were about to grill him on a wide range of controversial topics regarding the military.

The breaking news on the cable networks was spilling forth with the latest developments in Panama, the Yellow Sea, and the sinking of the Chinese-operated Russian ship that had been kayoed by the flying lighthouse. The Russians, the Chinese, and the North Koreans were alternately protesting and threatening the United States and her allies.

Dante Raines, the cantankerous chairman of the committee, shuffled his papers and looked over the top of his oval wire-framed glasses. "General Chalmers, what can you tell us about the state of our military readiness this morning?" Raines pointed his finger at Chalmers. "I want you to explain to this committee how we managed to get into this much of a mess in such a short period of time."

With his face a mask, showing no emotion, Chalmers forced himself to be calm and respectful.

"Senator Raines, and members of the committee, I know President Macklin and Secretary of Defense Adair are doing everything they can to turn our military around, but it's going to take time, a long time. Especially when we have so many assets assigned to the terrorism problem."

He paused a moment to read the expressions on their faces. "Over a number of years, American naval and air power have been significantly drawn down in the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and in the Pacific — particularly in Southeast Asia and the Philippines. And as of this moment, American troops are on a heightened state of alert in South Korea."

Chalmers glanced at the other committee members and then focused on Raines. "We are facing several crises at the same time, and we're short on aircraft carriers and many other critical items. Our readiness is at an all-time low, and our military is stretched paper-thin all over the world."

The general cleared his throat. "We're cannibalizing parts at an alarming rate to keep the equipment we have in operating order. Our fighter pilots are losing to foreign pilots in mock aerial combat. Our navy recently had to stand down a day for ship-driving lessons because of inadequate training. In addition, recruiting qualified people and retaining our top performers is a major problem. We simply don't have the necessary logistical support to respond to every crisis or region that faces a—"

"General Chalmers" — Raines rudely cut him off—"are you trying to tell us that you aren't managing your resources properly, is that it?"

"Resources — what resources? Many of our pilots who flew combat in Kosovo and Afghanistan were conducting on-the-job training because we didn't have the money or manpower to properly train them before sending them in harm's way."

Politically astute his entire career, Chalmers allowed a narrow smile to cross his face. What the hell, I'm close enough to retirement. Fueled by disgust and contempt for a man who had publicly displayed his disdain for the military and who had referred to military personnel as dumb, stupid animals, Chalmers stared straight into the pinched eyes of the irascible politician.

"Senator," Chalmers said with venom in his voice, "there's no question that we have a hollowed-out military, a military that has been demoralized because of the faddish social experimentations and the quirky policies handed to it by civilians."

Chalmers's voice hardened. "The Asians and the Europeans know our military is stretched to the breaking point, thanks to force reductions that have partially paralyzed many of our frontline assets. If we had to respond simultaneously to North Korea and deal with China in the Taiwan Strait, we couldn't prevail using conventional weapons."

Colonel Sloan visibly cringed and fixed his eyes on the top of the table.

Chalmers spoke more forcibly. "It isn't the management in the military who controls the purse strings, sir. Years of inept civilian management of our military has brought us to our knees and undermined our ability to protect our nation and maintain freedom around—"

"General," Raines said loudly, shaking his finger in anger, "I think that'll be enough — not another word!"

Chalmers talked over Raines. "The best solution for our country is for Congress and the administration to start raising defense spending caps and rebuilding our military and I mean ASAP!"

Inflamed with anger and resentment, Raines slammed the gavel down, called a recess, and stormed out of the hearing room.

Prompted by General Chalmers, Colonel Sloan rose and quietly followed his boss out of the United States Capitol. They were then driven to the White House to have an early lunch with Chalmers's old friend from the U.S. Air Force Academy.