The lieutenant (jg) stopped near the CNO, whispered briefly into his ear, and handed him the folder.
No one spoke. Admiral Casey opened the folder and read the single-page document inside. The CNO looked up. “Mr. President, our little mess just got a hell of a lot messier.”
The president lifted his papers from the table and straightened them.
“Bad news never improves with age, Bob. What have you got?”
The CNO looked down at the folder again. “Sir, about twenty minutes ago, two squadrons of British Sea Harriers exchanged missile fire with a German frigate in the North Sea. The ship was the FGS
The president rubbed the back of his neck. “Any word on who fired first?”
“The preliminary satellite data suggests it was the Brits, sir. And they don’t seem to be going out of their way to deny it.”
“They’re getting even for what happened to the
“It certainly looks that way, Mr. President,” the CNO said.
“Apparently we’re not the only ones worried about the credibility of their deterrence.”
CHAPTER 25
//SSSSSSSSSS//
//SECRET//
//FLASH//FLASH//FLASH//
//180504Z MAY//
FM COMUSNAVCENT//
TO
USS TOWERS//
USS BENFOLD//
USS INGRAHAM//
INFO CTF FIVE ZERO//
SUBJ/USW TASKING/IMMEDIATE EXECUTE//
REF/A/RMG/CNO/150744Z MAY//
REF/B/RMG/CNO/180449Z MAY//
NARR/REF A IS CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS TACTICAL SUMMARY OF LIVE-FIRE HOSTILITIES BETWEEN UNITED KINGDOM ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS AND FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (LUFTWAFFE) AIRCRAFT APPROX 13MAY//
NARR/REF B IS CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS TACTICAL SUMMARY OF LIVE-FIRE HOSTILITIES BETWEEN USS KITTY HAWK BATTLE GROUP AND FOUR DEUTSCHE MARINE TYPE 212B DIESEL SUBMARINES EARLIER THIS MORNING.//
1. (CONF) AS OUTLINED IN REFS A AND B, GERMAN NAVAL UNITS HAVE ATTACKED BRITISH ROYAL NAVY AND U.S. NAVY ASSETS TWICE IN THE PAST FIVE DAYS. IN MOST RECENT ENGAGEMENT, TWO U.S. NAVY HELICOPTERS DESTROYED, USS KITTY HAWK SERIOUSLY DAMAGED. PERSONNEL CASUALTIES HIGH.
2. (CONF) CURRENT THREAT EVALUATION HOLDS ALL FOUR DEUTSCHE MARINE SUBS AS UNDAMAGED AND UNRESTRICTED IN ABILITY TO FIGHT OR EVADE.
3. (CONF) INTELLIGENCE SOURCES BELIEVE DM IS ATTEMPTING TO DELIVER SUBS TO SIRAJ IN VIOLATION OF STANDING UN RESOLUTIONS.
4. (SECR) USS TOWERS, USS BENFOLD, AND USS INGRAHAM ARE DIRECTED TO FORM A THREE-SHIP SEARCH ATTACK UNIT (SAU) AND PROCEED SOUTH AT MAXIMUM AVAILABLE SPEED. SUBJECT SUBMARINES ARE DECLARED HOSTILE. TOWERS, BENFOLD, AND INGRAHAM ARE DIRECTED TO ENGAGE AND DESTROY ALL DM SUBMARINES WITHIN COMMANDER U.S. NAVAL CENTRAL COMMAND S AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY.
5. (SECR) COMUSNAVCENT WILL MAKE ALL EFFORTS TO LOCATE AN ADDITIONAL SURFACE ASSET TO REINFORCE SAU. IN THE INTERIM, USS TOWERS IS DESIGNATED AS SAU COMMANDER.
6. (SECR) AT LEAST ONE DM SUBMARINE HAS SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGED AND DESTROYED CARRIER- BASED USW AIRCRAFT USING SUB-LAUNCHED SURFACE TO AIR MISSILES. TAKE ALL POSSIBLE PRECAUTIONS WHEN DEPLOYING AIRCRAFT IN THE VICINITY OF TARGET SUBS.
7. (SECR) ALL UNITS ARE ADVISED THAT DM SUBMARINES HAVE SHOWN EXCEPTIONAL TACTICAL SKILL AND CREATIVITY, HIGHLY PROFICIENT EXPLOITATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, AND A PREDILECTION FOR DEPLOYING ELECTRONIC DECOYS. EXPECT COORDINATED, ZERO-NOTICE, MULTI-AXIS ATTACKS AND BE PREPARED TO DELIVER SAME TO DM SUBMARINES.
8. (UNCL) GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HUNTING! ADMIRAL ROGERS SENDS.
//180504Z JUN//
//FLASH//FLASH//FLASH//
//SECRET//
//SSSSSSSSSS//
There was a full-length mirror bolted to the bulkhead outside the wardroom. Across the top of the glass was a blue decal depicting the eagle-and anchor emblem of the U.S. Navy, followed by a short paragraph in white block lettering:
CHECK YOUR MILITARY APPEARANCE. ARE YOU SETTING A PROPER EXAMPLE FOR YOUR SUBORDINATE PERSONNEL? LOOK LIKE A LEADER. THINK LIKE A LEADER. BE A LEADER.
Sonar Technician Chief Theresa McPherson paused to examine her reflection in the mirror. She was a bantam hen of a woman: short, redheaded, and inclined toward plumpness. Thirty-five minutes a day on the treadmill kept her within Navy body-fat standards, but her round face and full cheeks made her seem chubby no matter how trim she kept her body.
She suppressed a sigh. Her face was a preview of the years ahead. The women of her family all put on weight in their late thirties, and some day — when she no longer had the energy to struggle against her genes and the general entropy of middle age — she would become just as round as the others. That day might not be too far in coming. She didn’t need the streaks of gray in her hair to know that her fortieth birthday was careening toward her like a juggernaut.
She turned her attention to her uniform. Her short-sleeved khakis were crisply starched, the creases sharp
