Cold Choices

boredom. He had heard all of this before, many times before. Nothing new was presented in the final reports, and the overwhelming majority of the adverse comments were on nitpicky items that had already been dealt with by his crew or the shipyard. Of course, there was no mention of that fact. To keep up with the schedule, lunch was shortened and hurried. Breaks were few and far between. More than once Petrov cursed his excessive coffee- drinking habit. Just when Petrov thought he would either go mad or fall asleep, he would remember the fleet commander’s specific request for patience. Quietly, he sat and endured one monologue after another.

It was well into the afternoon before the chief of staff made the announcement that Petrov was longing for, and dreading at the same time.

“Our last report will be from the Chief of the Combat Training Directorate. Vice Admiral Vlasov, will you please present your findings.”

“Good afternoon, comrade Admiral,” spoke Vlasov with a severe and deliberate tone. “In accordance with your instructions, my staff exercised the crew of Severodvinsk in as thorough a manner as was humanly possible. We drove them near to the point of breaking, and then we pushed even harder.”

“No shit, you damned Cossack,” muttered Petrov under his breath. The clearing of Borisov’s throat, and a stern look, informed Petrov that the comment had been heard and was not appreciated. Chastened, he turned his attention back to Vlasov as he continued his report.

“As most of you are aware, my directorate is responsible for evaluating a crew’s performance in the execution of combat training tasks. Although we assist the other directorates with phase one and two exercises, it is the phase three at sea exercises that concern us the most. Captain Petrov and the crew of Severodvinsk completed all prescribed combat training tasks as required in the Russian Navy manual on Combat Readiness Training for Nuclear Submarines. The detailed reports are in your binders but in the interest of brevity, we found the crew to be satisfactory in carrying out their combat-readiness requirements.”

We are much better than that, you miserly bastard, thought Petrov, fuming. Many of the older boats, some that were not even able to go to sea, had crews that had earned a satisfactory rating in their combat training tasks. By contrast, his crew had worked infinitely harder, and to get the same rating was way beyond insulting. Striving valiantly to contain his anger, Petrov stewed while Vlasov droned on.

“Therefore, we assign the crew of Severodvinsk a collective grade of 4.5 for all combat training tasks, and it is our judgment that the crew is ready for independent operations. We further recommend that the submarine be accepted in to the fleet’s combat-ready force.”

Petrov sat in stunned silence and stark disbelief. The grading scheme for Russian naval readiness exercises is based on a five-point scale with 3.0 being “Satisfactory.” A collective grade of 4.5 was in the “Superior” to “Excellent” range and reflected a crew that was on top of their game. Both Borisov and Vidchenko were clearly pleased with such a good score and there were murmurs of approval from around the conference room.

“Quiet please,” barked the chief of staff. “Do you have anything further to offer, Vice Admiral Vlasov?”

“Sir, I have a personal observation that is not in the final report that I would like to bring to this board’s attention.”

A still-shocked Petrov looked at Vlasov with a mix of confusion and concern. Raising issues that were not documented in a final report was definitely not the norm for the Russian Navy.

Kokurin leaned forward, a serious expression materialized on his face as he looked intently at his chief of training, “Please continue, Admiral.”

“During the final antisubmarine exercise, Captain Petrov displayed unusual aggressiveness in prosecuting his attack against PLA K-157 Vepr. On at least two occasions he knowingly violated the one-kilometer safety zone as he executed his maneuvers. And while I believe Captain Petrov retained a firm grasp of the tactical situation, such aggressiveness has brought this fleet no small degree of suffering in the recent past.” The allusion to the loss of Gepard as a result of Admiral Yuriy Kirichenko’s unbridled aggressiveness was not lost on all those present. Even Petrov bristled at the implied comparison, especially since the after-action analysis of the engagement had proven he had correctly assessed Vepr’s exact location and intended movement. Once again there was murmuring as several side discussions started up.

Thumping the table loudly with his fingers to gain everyone’s attention, Kokurin stood up and said, “Thank you, Yuriy Vasilyevich, for your candid statements. All of you would do well to remember that this is exactly what I asked for at the beginning of this board.”

The fleet commander paused, rose, and began to slowly pace around the room, a well-known habit of his that he displayed only when considering how to respond to an important issue. It was said that he’d worn a groove in his office carpet while thinking.

“Admiral, while I value your observation, we will have to disagree. In my opinion, there is a marked difference between my predecessor and Captain Petrov. I say this for two reasons. Firstly, by your own admission in the evaluation report Captain Petrov exhibited a calm composure during the antisubmarine exercise and seemed to weigh all considerations before issuing a maneuver order that brought him within 850 meters of Vepr. To me this is not undisciplined aggressiveness unleashed in the heat of the moment, but rather an example of rational decision-making skills and a well-honed ability to consider the risks before taking action.”

Realizing that the tenor and volume of his voice was rising, Kokurin stopped momentarily and straightened his uniform jacket before resuming.

“Secondly, most of you are aware of Captain Petrov’s upbringing in the submarine force. His teacher, Dmitriy Ivanovich Makeyev, was the best submarine tactician that Russia has ever produced and he spoke very favorably of our young captain’s abilities. And while Captain Petrov’s record speaks highly of him, I cannot think of a better judge of an officer’s tactical qualities than Makeyev. So, no, Admiral Vlasov, I do not agree that Captain Petrov’s aggressiveness is excessive. I will agree that it is unusual, and that is a shame. Right now Russia needs a few more wolfhounds; not another tethered mongrel whose best defense is that it barks loudly.”

As the fleet commander walked back toward his chair, Petrov scanned the room and saw that everyone was looking straight at him. Uncomfortable with this degree of attention, the young captain occupied himself by straightening the papers and binders in front of him.

“Gentlemen,” Kokurin said as he sat down. “Unless there are any more issues to discuss, I will now read the judgment of this board.” The silence assured everyone that the time for discussion was over. Clearing his throat, Kokurin proceeded with the formal announcement.

“Captain First Rank Aleksey Igorevich Petrov, it is the judgment of this board that the crew of the Severodvinsk has met all combat training requirements and tasks, and that the submarine is at one hundred percent technical readiness. We therefore certify the submarine and crew as qualified for independent combat duty. We further decree that the Russian Federation submarine K-329 Severodvinsk is hereby accepted into the Northern Fleet and is assigned to the Twenty- fourth Atomic Submarine Diviziya of the Twelfth Submarine Eskadra. Congratulations, Captain.”

A hearty applause broke out from all corners of the conference room; Petrov rose and thanked the collective audience for their kind sentiments. He then spent the next half hour receiving individual congratulations and wishes of success from the directorate chiefs and their staffs.

As the last of the participants slowly departed, Petrov and his commanders were ushered back to the conference table by the chief of staff. As they headed toward their original seats, Kokurin motioned for them to move down, closer to his end of the table.

“Pavel, please join us.”

“Of course, sir.”

In stark contrast to the packed room earlier, there were only eight men at the table now, including Petrov and his immediate superiors. Of the five fleet officers present, Petrov had met the majority of them, including the deputy fleet commander and the deputy chief of staff for operations. He didn’t know, however, who the rear admiral was that sat next to his eskadra commander. A large map board with a chart of the Barents Sea was brought forward and placed to the left of the fleet commander’s chair. The entire scene filled Petrov with an immense sense of curiosity as he recalled the admiral’s earlier cryptic comment.

“Now that the bureaucratic requirements have been met,” said Kokurin, eyeing his chief of staff, “we can get on to more important business.”