The ISIS Gambit

XIV

“My fellow Americans, I come to you tonight to disclose to you, and to the world, some startling news we have discovered concerning who was behind the recent attacks on Boston and New York City just a few days ago. As many of you may have suspected, Hezbollah, with the help of the former Iranian Quds Force organized this attack. We have already dealt with the threat posed by Iran but this operation of theirs actually started prior to our deposing the oppressive Iranian regime and the establishment of a more democratic and free Iran. However, the most startling thing of this past weekend is the role played by the Russian government. You see, none of this would have been possible but for the active assistance of the Russian government and its naval personnel in Syria.”

“The information I’m about to release has been classified at the highest levels for obvious reasons. However, to demonstrate just how involved the Russian government was in these attacks, I want to play a recording of an actual phone call from Defense Minister Anton Ivanov with Admiral Igor Nesterov, who is the commander in chief of the Russian Navy:

“My fellow Americans, this conversation occurred more than a month ago and, for obvious reasons, the very disclosure of this recording will put some of our intelligence assets at risk. However, I believe that the disclosure of this information is more than justified given the nature of Russia’s involvement in this past Sunday’s attacks.”

“Given the extent of Russian involvement, I have ordered the US Navy and Air Force to carry out a coordinated air strike against all Russian military forces in Syria. These strikes are currently underway and will continue until all Russian military forces in Syria cease to exist.”

“Jolly Six, looks like we have five Russian ships headed out of Tarsus. Looks like they might be destroyer-type vessels,” the radar operator onboard the orbiting E2-D Hawkeye reported to the commanding officer of VF-103, the Jolly Rogers from the Abraham Lincoln.

“Roger that, Seahawk,” Jolly Six replied. “We see ‘em. Commencing attack.”

“Jolly flight, launch on my command… three, two, one, fire!”

And with that order, sixteen AGM-84 Harpoon missiles flew off the rails of the four F-18Fs in the Jolly Roger flight. Approximately ten minutes later, the first of the Harpoons found its target, followed in near simultaneous succession by the fifteen others. The five Russian Destroyers never had a chance.

The gloves came off in the skies over Syria as well — first came the Tomahawks, then the Israelis. The Tomahawks hit the fixed installation sites at the Khmeimim air base as well as the Tartus naval base. The Israelis followed up with what amounted to their own alpha strike on Hama, Palmyra, Shayrat and T-4 where the Russians had established air bases. Seventy F-16Is and twenty-five F-15Is, accompanied by another fifty F-16s for a fighter escort, targeted the four air bases. The Russians scrambled every one of their Su-34 and Su-35s but they were no match for the wrath of the Israelis — every one of them went down in flames. Those that didn’t get airborne were destroyed on the ground. One hour after President Barre’s address to the nation, and the world, the Russians no longer posed a threat to anyone in Syria.

“Admiral, just how quiet is a Virginia class submarine?” President Barre asked Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elliott Richardson.

“Sir, they’re in a class by themselves,” Richardson replied, who proudly wore his own dolphins on his chest. “We could probably duplicate Gunther Prien’s raid on Scapa Flow and sneak one into Severomorsk,” the home port of the Russian Northern Fleet, “and take out much of the Russian main fleet — they’re that quiet.” The admiral’s reference to Gunther Prien and his raid on Scapa Flow, the home port of the British navy, occurred early in World War II when Prien sailed his U-boat into the British port and sank the battleship HMS Royal Oak. Prien’s raid is still regarded as one of the preeminent submarine raids in history.

“If we put a sub up there, would it be able to essentially announce its location and then disappear into the depths of the sea?”

“Mr. President, that’s asking a lot. The whole premise of a submarine is to avoid contact and use its silence as its own kind of shield. Once that shield’s been penetrated, it’s a little more problematic, but it could probably be done.”

“Okay then, I believe we have a sub up there, do we not?”

“We do. The Florida is up in the Murmansk area. It’s an older Ohio class SSGN, sir, but they still define what it means for a submarine to be silent.”

“That’s even better. I want the Florida to announce its location to the Russian navy — I don’t care how they do it — and then they are to disappear. However, they are to be prepared to launch every one of their Tomahawks. I’ll be speaking with President Sergei Gromyko very soon and I want him to know that, while our attack is over, should they take any measure to retaliate, the Florida is in position for further action that will leave them with very little time to respond to protect their northern fleet.”

“Mr. President, we can do that without giving away the location of one of our best submarines,” Vice President Donner broke in. Donner had retired as a captain from the Navy’s sub force several years earlier and hated the thought of betraying the location of one of its most sophisticated boats.

“De, we’ve done this before. Several years ago — actually, you were probably still a sub-driver yourself — we intentionally surfaced three SSGNs simultaneously in waters off Korea, the Philippines, and the Indian Ocean specifically so the Chinese would see them and recognize a thinly veiled message to back down in the South China Sea. That represented an additional 462 Tomahawks pointed at them on top of the Seventh Fleet’s arsenal! They got the message. Now, I want Gromyko to know that we’re not only in his back yard, we’re on his back porch with just one SSGN with over 150 Tomahawks ready to launch on a moment’s notice if we detect even a hint of them spinning something up! Is that clear?”

“Absolutely. It’ll be done immediately,” Admiral Richardson replied.

“Pam, what are our capabilities at hacking into Gromyko’s computer?” Barre asked his national security adviser.

“We’ve had access to his computer for some time now. What are you looking for?”

“When I talk to him, I want to know what he has on his schedule tomorrow… well, today for him. I want to ask him about a few things that are on his personal schedule and I want the call made on his personal phone — not the hotline we have with them — I want to talk with him directly, on his phone. This will be sending another message: we’ve not only hacked your personal computer but also the presidential phone system. He can imagine what else we are capable of hacking.”

“That’s easily done, Mr. President,” Pam McDowell answered. “We can do that whenever you’d like. I’ll just need a few minutes to contact someone on my staff to access President Gromyko’s system.”

“Get on it, Pam. I want to talk to Sergei within the hour. You, too, Admiral, I want to send President Gromyko an unmistakable message.”