Into the Fire

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

In what was becoming a tradition, Chase Williams gathered his Op-Center team soon after they had all returned home and hosted a modest victory celebration. In this case, they were celebrating two victories — rescuing the LCS crew and blunting the attack on the United Nations. The staff had taken over the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s atrium cafeteria for this quiet, late-afternoon event. There had been no long speeches, just a quiet recounting of their success and an unspoken but profound recognition of how much they depended on each other.

When he did offer a few words, Williams reminded his staff of the enormous degree of autonomy they enjoyed, something found nowhere else in government. This autonomy, he pointed out, came with a great deal of responsibility. He complimented them on their mastery of an increasingly diverse skill set. He praised them for protecting Americans and American interests abroad. And they had now shown they could do that at home as well. Williams had not minced words when he reminded them these missions were not without risk. For the first time, they had lost comrades in arms.

In the days following this impromptu celebration, Williams and his senior staff had begun attending the memorial services of CIRG team members who perished when Marty Axelson’s helicopter was lost during the mad chase to keep the North Korean assailants from reaching the United Nations. They had attended three memorial services already, and there were more to come in the days ahead. Not all of them could attend every service, but no member of the CIRG-SWAT team was laid to rest without at least one senior member of the Op-Center staff in attendance. Allen Kim was not surprised when the director of Op-Center himself turned up at the graveside service of one of his junior operators.

Now Williams was meeting with his senior staff: Anne Sullivan, Roger McCord, Brian Dawson, Duncan Sutherland, Rich Middleton, Hector Rodriguez, and Jim Wright. This was to be their first detailed hot washup, and it promised to be an all-day affair. Williams did not like to surprise his staff, nor did he entertain recriminations when things had not gone as planned or an alternative course of action might have proved more successful. Over the past week, he had told his senior leaders what he wanted from this meeting so they could come prepared for an informed discussion. He tasked Anne Sullivan to come up with an agenda that would support this important after-action review.

Williams began with only a short preamble. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for carving out this time to meet collectively. I trust you each had a good Thanksgiving holiday with your families and our suspension of operations for a few days facilitated that. I think it’s important we do this hot wash early on, while the events of the past several weeks are still fresh in our minds. We were successful in our efforts and accomplished our mission, but we also lost comrades. Our success is tempered by those losses. I’ve asked Ms. Sullivan to put together a tight agenda to keep us moving through the morning and perhaps into the afternoon. Anne, what do you have for us?”

“Sir, you wanted to discuss three things. First, how things transpired back here at Op-Center and what techniques and procedures might we change to better handle the headquarters function. Associated with that is what hardware and software we might need to better execute our command, control, and communication responsibilities. Roger and Rich will lead that discussion. Next, you wanted to explore the detailed mechanics of the rescue of the LCS crew to include our surge into theater and our command relationships with all the players in that theater. Part of this in-theater review is a candid look at the performance of our JSOC team and the equipment they have at their disposal. Brian, Hector, and Duncan will lead that discussion. Finally, you wished to discuss our takedown of the van during their mission to attack the United Nations. You wanted to address the working relationship with our FBI–CIRG element, our coordination with the FBI and local officials, and the tactics employed by Allen Kim’s team. Brian and Jim will lead that part of the discussion. Did I miss anything, sir?”

“Thanks, Anne. I think you have it about right. And I also want to review how and when I communicate and interface with senior government leaders, including the president. I wish this to be a no-holds-barred discussion. If there’s a better way to handle information, prosecute key intelligence, manage tactical data, streamline internal procedures, or facilitate interagency cooperation, I want to know about it. This is not about turf or ego; it’s about efficiency and performing at a higher level. And I count on you all to give it to me straight. Fair enough?”

All nodded in agreement. Williams and his staff lapsed into an extended discussion that would go through the afternoon and into the early evening. When they were done, they had agreed on a series of procedural and operational changes. These changes would require time, money, and a great deal of effort, but they would make Op-Center better prepared to deal with the next crisis.