was over. The Chinese lost four plus damaged a carrier, the Americans lost two. Penrose felt as if he had been beaten up by an entire street gang. Who won this one? Who the hell won this one? NATIONAL MILITARY COMMAND CENTER THE PENTAGON, WASHINGTON, D.C. %30 SEPTEMBER 1994, 1319 HOURS LOCAL (1 OCTOBER, 0219 GUAM TIME) The National Military Command Center, located three stories beneath the inner ring of the Pentagon, was a large, sophisticated command post where members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, their senior staff officers, and members of the National Command Authority and National Security Council could monitor crisis developments anywhere in the world, receive real-time satellite imagery, and speak directly with anyone from foreign leaders to theater commanders to individual crew members via secure, high-tech worldwide communications gear. The place was much like the Strategic Air Command’s underground command center, with uliratight electronic and physical security, several huge wall-size, fullcolor monitors, banks of telephones, a secure code room, and a huge support staff-except this was where national military strategy and command decisions were made and disseminated, not received and executed. A gallery above the main floor allowed high-ranking visitors to view the proceedings; a few persons were up there now. Most of the J-Staff and several other members of the Joint Chiefs were already present in the NMCC when General Wilbur Curtis trotted in and took his place in the front row center seat. Beside him, sitting in the seat reserved for the highestranking civilian present-usually Frank Kellogg, the President’s National Security Advisor, or even Thomas Preston, the Secretary of Defense himself-was Paul Cesare, the President’s Chief of Staff. Curtis gave him a brief nod but ignored him as he clicked on the microphone at his seat. He didn’t care for Cesare. Never had. Shortly after Curtis had been dismissed from the last Situation Room ineeting on this crisis, he’d phoned Cesare, trying to get in to see the President alone, to privately make the case for more fighters to accompany the carriers as well as deploying the Air Battle Force. He’d gotten nothing from Cesare but a chilly “The issue is closed.” He was Machiavellian and ruthless. He’d play either side of the fence as long as it was the side the President was on, and mow down anyone who got in his way. Curtis more than disliked him, he couldn’t stand him. “Curtis here. Situation report, please.” Navy Captain Rebecca Rodgers’ voice came over the NMCC’s loudspeaker: “Good afternoon, sir, Captain Rodgers here. This briefing is classified Top Secret, no foreign nationals, sensitive intelligence sources and methods involved. The command center is secure, with the gallery sound-isolated. Briefing contents describe a priority-two incident.” She paused for a moment in case Curtis wanted to configure the NMCC any differently. He did not, and she went on. Damn, Curtis thought, here it comes. “About fifteen minutes ago the aircraft carrier Ranger, her escorts, several Navy fighters, and an Air Force reconnaissance plane were attacked by Chinese land-based fighters and bombers south of the Philippines.” There was considerable murmuring among the assembled. Several of the Joint Chiefs shifted in their seats, bracing themselves for more. Paul Cesare sat there shaking his head, not believing what he’d just heard. Well, Wilbur Curtis thought, the shit’s hitting the fan a lot faster than anyone expected. And with the President’s Chief of Staff sitting right here, the news was going to travel faster than Curtis could respond. He needed to have a list of options prepared for the National Command Authority literally before the President knew about the crisis. Without a plan of action, the entire JCS might seem like a bunch of bumbling idiots. If things got out of control now, Curtis would be lucky to remain JCS chairman for the rest of the day. “Wait one, Captain.” Curtis turned to Cesare. “Mr. Cesare, what exactly are you doing here?” Curtis expected an argument out of the President’s big aide-Cesare certainly had the security clearance and the need to know” for everything that went on in the NMCCbut to his surprise, Cesare was acting rather stunned, and not just from the news he had just heard. ……. I was notified that a group of senators was going to meet with the Secretary of Defense at one o’clock, ” he replied. “Something to do with the Philippine crises and the Chinese… our military options, something like that. These senators want to keep the President from committing any troops at all to Southeast Asia-they’re afraid we might be starting another Vietnam conflict, or World War Three. They’re pressing Secretary Preston-which means the President-into withdrawing all forces from the Philippines. Preston’s trying to walk a balancing act, but he thought the meeting here was at least a little further away from… the public eye and the press. . . than on the Hill or at Defense.” Curtis couldn’t believe it. Once again the White House was pulling the Pentagon into a political mudfight. It was typical. God, how he hated politics. He turned to Cesare. “That’s all well and fine, Mr. Cesare, but that doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.” ……. well, gathering information. So that, um, the President can make an informed response when the senators press him.” Admiral Cunningham, the Chief of Naval Operations, discreetly cleared his throat behind him. Curtis could feel the gaze of his JCS colleagues and staffers on him, silently urging him to deal with the emergency at hand-Cesare would have to wait. “I’ll provide you with whatever you need later, Mr. Cesare, but for this situation, your place is up in the gallery.”
“I’d really prefer to sit here and-“
“Mr. Cesare-“
“General-” Curtis motioned to the NMCC’s senior security policeman, Army Command Sergeant Major Jefferson, who stepped over immediately in front of Cesare. “Jake, please see that Mr. Cesare finds his way upstairs to the gallery with the other visitors, and double-check everyone’s credentials up there.” Cesare rose to his feet. “The President will expect a full report. “He’ll get more than that, ” Curtis said. He turned to his communications officer beside him. “Get the President on the line, priority two.” Priority codes issued from the Pentagon were in numbers of non-nuclear threats and colors for nuclear ones; ‘one” was the highest conventional code, associated with major military or terrorist actions against the continental United States, its bases or territories. “Two” was reserved for major attacks against American overseas bases, embassies, deployed vessels, or nonembassy citizens; and so on. Priority “red” was reserved for an all-out nuclear attack on the United States and was never used in simulations or exercises. Curtis then turned back to Cesare with a hint of a smile. This was Curtis’ game now. Have a nice day, Mr. Cesare. Sergeant Jefferson will show you upstairs.” Curtis motioned to the door with his head, and the guard motioned to the door and escorted Cesare out. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff turned his attention back to the big screens and computer monitors before him, but the information Cesare had parted with lingered. The surveillance operation in the Philippines blows up right when there’s a major congressional push to pull out. What the hell else could go wrong? When Cesare was safely gone, Curtis double-checked to be sure the intercom was shut off in the gallery-the ranking person in the command center could restrict all information dissemination, no matter what the other person’s security clearanceand said, “Continue, Captain Rodgers. Casualty and damage report, start with Ranger.”
“Current casualty report: forty-seven dead, two hundred injured.” A ripple of anger and dismay spread throughout the room. Curtis felt sick. “Ranger is still afloat, heading to the port city of Manado in Indonesia at minimum speed, escorted by destroyers Hewitt and Ffe and cruiser Bunker Hill. Wounded have been airlifted to Manado as well.” A chart of the area was put up immediately on one of the large computer monitors when a foreign city or nation was mentioned, so Curtis and his staff could get a look at the area in question. Curtis found his mouth going dry, his pulse quickening. Forty-seven dead… “Aegis cruiser Bunker Hill damaged during action, ” Rodgers continued, “but sustained no casualties and only minor injuries. It is fully combat-capable and is assisting Ranger.”
“Action approved, ” Curtis said. Dammit, the Bunker Hill too. Two major warships damaged, with more casualties in one day than practically the entire 1991 Persian Gulf crisis. “Wait one. Wasn’t there another ship with Ranger? Another cruiser?”
“Yes, sir. USS Sterett is en route to the Celebes Sea to attempt to recover two F-14 fighters downed in action with Chinese fighter-bombers. The Tomcat crews are listed as missing in action.” Two fighters? Jesus, four aviators. How many more were going to be lost? “Goddammit, Captain, give us the casualties all at once. Are there any more?”
“No, sir. American casualties only on Ranger and two Tomcats.” “Thank you, ” Curtis said, taking a deep breath. “Hold on that last action by Sterett. Can Ranger provide any air support for Sterett?” “Not at this time, sir, ” Rodgers replied. “Ranger unable to launch or recover aircraft. Admiral Walheim advised that he does not suggest sending any heavy Air Force aircraft within six hundred miles of Zamboanga on Mindanao due to heavy Chinese fighter and antiair naval activity. He is trying to organize a fighter patrol using carrier-based tankers that were stranded from Ranger…”
“How can he rearm his fighters if they can’t use Ranger?”
“His fighters received permission to land in Indonesia along with the medical helicopters, ” Rodgers replied. “Admiral Walheim has organized land-based rearming for the fighters by transferring stores from Ranger by helicopter to Ratulangi Airport near Manado, Indonesia, but he has not yet received permission from the Indonesian government to allow those helicopters to land or to conduct offensive operations from Indonesia. In addition, the Indonesian government has requested that the armed aircraft not depart Ratulangi until their status has been
