Able One

The President sagged back in his chair. “They’re armed with nukes?”

“We’ve got to assume that they are.”

“Hit them now!” the Secretary of Defense urged. “I can get a submarine within range in a few hours. Wipe them out with one missile.”

The President’s eyes never left the image on the screen. “In a few hours they could launch both those missiles.”

“What’s their range?” asked Defense. “Could they hit us?”

The CIA director said, “Our people have identified them as Taepodong-2s. From where they’re sited now they could reach Alaska or Hawaii.”

“The West Coast?” asked the President.

“No, that’s a bit beyond their range.”

The President smiled weakly. “Good. I’m scheduled to give a speech in San Francisco tonight.”

“But they could hit Japan,” said the Security Advisor.

“The Japanese will go apeshit when they see this,”

Defense rumbled, almost as if he was enjoying the thought.

CIA pointed out, “You remember a couple of years ago North Korea launched a whole series of missiles across the Pacific and we didn’t do anything about it.”

“Those were just tests,” said the President.

“Yes, and now they put a bird into orbit. We’ve got to assume those other two missiles they’ve got on their pads won’t be tests, either. They could hit Hawaii, the Philippines, even northern Australia.”

“Screw Australia,” the Defense Secretary snapped. “They could wipe out Honolulu! We’ve got to take them out!” Banging a fist on the arm of his chair, Defense insisted, “We’ve got to!”

“And start World War III?” the Secretary of State countered. “How do you think the Chinese would react if we hit North Korea?”

“Hell, their satellites have been knocked out, too.”

The President asked, “What do the Chinese have to say about this?”

State hesitated a fraction of a moment, then replied, “It’s been difficult communicating with them. The satellites are down and we don’t have a direct cable link with Beijing.”

“They’re being inscrutable, I bet,” said Defense, allowing himself a tight smile.

“They have a fleet of nuclear missiles with the range to reach every city in the United States,” the Secretary of State said firmly.

The CIA director spoke up again. “Do we want to take the risk of starting World War III? A nuclear war?”

“I do not,” said the President.

“But those missiles,” the Security Advisor said, jabbing an accusing finger at the wall screen. “They’re going to fire them. And soon, before Pyongyang’s troops can reach the site.”

Turning to the Homeland Security director, the President said, “How soon can you get Hawaii and Alaska alerted?”

Homeland Security looked startled. He had formerly been the head of one of the nation’s largest construction companies, known to the media as a can-do kind of executive who wasn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty.

“We’re talking about evacuating Honolulu?” he asked.

“And Anchorage, maybe Juneau.”

“On a half hour’s notice,” added Defense.

The former construction executive shook his head. “We’d have to start right now.”

“That’s going to cause quite a panic,” State pointed out.

“But you can’t evacuate a city the size of Honolulu in half an hour!” Homeland Security said, almost pleading. “You’ve got to start right away. Now.”

“Wait a minute,” the President said. “What about our missile defense system?”

All eyes turned to the Secretary of Defense, who shifted uneasily in his chair. He and the President had cut funding for missile defense every year they’d been in office.

“Um… the system’s still in a test and evaluation stage.” Defense temporized.

“I was told it was operational,” said the President.

“It was declared operational...” Defense let the implications hang in the air.

“You mean we couldn’t shoot down those missiles if the North Koreans launch them?”

“When they launch them,” the Security Advisor corrected.

“Can we shoot them down or can’t we?” the President demanded.

Defense answered with a shrug and said, “We can try. But we certainly couldn’t stop a full-scale Chinese attack.”

“There’s the Russians, too,” the CIA director pointed out.

The President raised both hands, silencing them all.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “We will activate our missile defense system. And alert our own retaliatory forces: missiles, submarines, and the manned bombers.”

“Defense Readiness Condition Three?” asked Defense.

“DefCon One,” said the President. “Let’s not waste time on this. Full alert, everybody ready to go.”

Before anyone could object, the President turned to the Secretary of State. “Let Beijing and Moscow know our moves are strictly defensive. Tell Tokyo what’s going on. Maybe they’ll want to attack that missile site. That way we could keep our hands clean.”

“I wouldn’t depend on that,” the Security Advisor muttered.

The President went on, “But we will not make an attack on North Korea. Not yet. We’ll give Pyongyang the opportunity to clean their own house. Our moves will be strictly defensive.”

“And when those two nukes are launched?” asked the Security Advisor.

“We’ll hope to hell we can shoot them down,” the President replied. “And if we can’t, if they hit an American city, we’ll blow those fuckers off the face of the earth.”

Dead silence in the Oval Office.

Then the Secretary of Defense muttered, “Maybe we ought to get the chaplain in here.” The President glowered at him.

They rose and left the Oval Office, all except the chief of staff, who got up from the couch by the fireplace and settled in one of the emptied chairs in front of the President’s desk.

“It’s a mess, Norm, isn’t it?” said the President.

“Yeah, but I think you’re doing the right thing.”

The President shook his head. “I wonder. Why’d they knock out all the satellites?”

“Economic terrorism. Wall Street’s shut down. Markets all over the world have closed.”

“Damn. I’ll have to work this into tonight’s speech.”

“In San Francisco? You’re still going?”

“I won’t cancel it,” the President said. Then, rubbing at the bridge of his nose, he added, “My wife wanted to go with me, but I told her I’d only be there for a few hours.”

“The First Lady will be safer here,” the chief of staff agreed. “You would be, too, you know.”

“No, I’ve got to go,” the President said. “There’s enough panic out there, with all the satellites out. My job is to show the people that everything’s under control.”

“Even when it isn’t?”

The President flashed his famous grin. “Especially when it isn’t, Norm. Especially when it isn’t.”

Missile defense basics

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has developed a research, development, and test program focusing on a layered defense system based on the three phases of a ballistic missile’s trajectory: boost, midcourse, and