Tiger's Claw: A Novel

Glenbrook looked exceedingly uncomfortable. “Ma’am, you know the situation as well as I,” he said finally. “China has been quickly ramping up its surface, subsurface, and air military forces in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and as far away as the Indian Ocean for almost a decade now, reinforcing their trade routes with military hardware, while the United States either has been diverting the same assets to the Middle East or cutting those forces altogether. They’ve also been building dozens of ballistic missile and cruise missile bases as far away as Africa. We used to believe that China’s navy and air forces were large but qualitatively inferior. No longer. Their quality has increased and their numbers have held steady—numerically far better than ours.”

The president turned to General Spellings, silently asking his opinion, and the four-star general nodded agreement with the national security adviser. “Zhou says China ‘owns’ and ‘controls’ the South China Sea, and he may be right, sir,” Spellings said. “To answer your question, Miss Vice President: it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to keep an aircraft carrier strike group in the South China Sea, within range of Chinese land-based bombers, ballistic antiship missiles, and cruise missiles. We could certainly hold a number of fixed Chinese targets at risk with our own sub- and surface-launched cruise missiles. But keeping a strike group in the South China Sea leaves the rest of the Pacific and the Indian Ocean uncovered. We give up a lot and don’t get any benefit. Not to mention the huge increase in world tensions with two fleets eyeing each other in relatively close proximity.”

“So let’s get another carrier strike group to cover the rest,” Ann said. “Let’s park a carrier strike group in the South China Sea, right in Zhou’s face, and have two other groups patrol the rest of that part of the world.”

“I don’t want to do that, Ann,” President Phoenix said. “I’m angry about what happened out there, and there’s no question that China wants to exert more control in the South China Sea. I’m not convinced that Zhou ordered our aircraft to be shot down, but when we lose planes and then he says China ‘owns’ the South China Sea, I’m nervous.

“But I know the effect putting one of those carrier strike groups has in a region,” the president went on. “The firepower it represents is enormous. It’s a direct challenge to any nation. A lot of fingers start hovering a lot closer to red buttons when you know there’s dozens of bombers and hundreds of cruise missiles right over the horizon.”

He thought for a moment, then said, “I need more options, people. As much as I want to, I don’t want to get in Zhou’s face and challenge his claim that China ‘owns’ and ‘controls’ the South China Sea—things are tense enough as it is. I want to keep the carrier strike groups on patrol. The George Washington can move into the South China Sea and assist with rescue and recovery, but then they go back on patrol and do a normal rotation. Same with the Reagan—when the GW moves out, the Reagan can move in, but unless something else happens, it resumes its patrol or goes back to San Diego to complete its fleet qualifications.” He turned again to Spellings. “What about aircraft, General? What do we have out there that can maintain a presence along with our carriers? What about long-range bombers?”

“As you know, sir, our long-range heavy bomber forces were nearly wiped out in the American Holocaust and the ensuing counterattacks over Russia,” Spellings said. “That left us with just a handful of survivors that had been deployed to bases that weren’t hit by the Russians. Over the years we de-emphasized manned air-breathing bombers and started to develop the next generation of unmanned bombers and space-based attack, but when the super-recession hit, all funding for new, untested programs went away.” Kenneth Phoenix averted his eyes, his mouth a hard line—he knew he was the one most responsible for killing all the expensive, untried defense programs since taking office.

“Nowadays most of the surviving bombers are rotated to Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, the airfield at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, and other countries in the Pacific that allow armed attack aircraft to use their facilities, such as Australia,” Spellings went on. “But it’s a very thin force: usually only five or six bombers are deployed, with the others preparing to deploy or just coming back from a deployment.”

“My God,” Ann breathed. “We used to have hundreds of bombers; during World War Two, we had thousands. Now we have less than a couple dozen?”

“We still have a number of tactical fighter-bombers that can be set up for long-range patrols, but unless we secured agreements from friendly countries that border the South China Sea, our available land bases are just too far away,” Spellings said.

“And those countries that border or directly interact with China are very unlikely to allow American strike aircraft access to their bases, for fear of losing trade and friendly diplomatic relations with China,” Secretary of State Kevich reminded everyone. “Their relations with China are at least as important, and in some cases more important, than their relations with us.”

“What would it take to use fighters like the Eagles and Hornets over the South China Sea, General?” the president asked.

“Even with extensive aerial refueling tanker support, an aircraft such as an F-15E Strike Eagle would have to be loaded up with two and perhaps three external fuel tanks, which decreases its weapons load,” Spellings went on. “An aircraft such as the smaller, lighter single-engine F-16 Fighting Falcon would be under even more constraints. It would be a monumental task for even a more modern aircraft such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet or F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter.”

“But those crews have done it all before, General, haven’t they?” Kevich asked. “What about Iraq and Afghanistan? They flew long sorties out there, too.”

“They had to do a lot of flying, sir, no question,” Spellings replied, “but the distances in the Middle East and Southwest Asia were nowhere near as great as what we’re talking about in the Pacific. It’s fifteen hundred miles one-way from Guam to the middle of the South China Sea—that’s a three-hour cruise just to get to the patrol area, assuming the Philippines gives us overflight permission. Navy and Marine Corps carrier planes used against targets in Iraq during Desert Storm and over Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom only had to fly about one hour or so to get to the target area, and that was a lot for guys who had to tank often, go into combat, tank again, and then land on a carrier deck afterward.” Spellings hesitated for a moment, looking at the others, then to the president: “There may be another option to consider, sir.”

“What’s that, General?”

“I received a proposal from a high-tech firm in Nevada to refurbish twenty-two B-1B Lancer bombers that were in flyable storage in New Mexico and outfit them with modern off-the-shelf avionics and weapons,” Spellings replied. “The company would . . .”

“Excuse me, General: ‘high-tech firm in Nevada’?” Ann Page interrupted, her entire visage brightening. “Do you mean Patrick McLanahan?”

Spellings blinked in surprise. “Why . . . yes, ma’am, retired General McLanahan,” he said. “How did you . . . ?”

“I heard he took over Sky Masters when Jon Masters was killed by those domestic terrorists last year,” Ann said, a huge smile on her face. “Boy, that guy doesn’t waste any time. One minute he’s a retired guy playing Air Force with the Civil Air Patrol—the next minute he wants to build B-1 bombers.”

“Twenty-two B-1 bombers, General?” National Security Adviser Glenbrook asked skeptically. “We don’t have the money for something like that. Besides, it would take forever to build that many.”

“He’s not building them, sir: he’s rebuilding the ones that were retired and are in flyable storage, and he’s using existing off-the-shelf components that are already tried and proven,” Spellings explained. “He refurbished one and did a successful demonstration recently, all on his company’s nickel. Plus, his written proposal claims he can deliver the fleet in less than two years, and he says he can refurbish all of them for about the price of less than ten F-35 Lightnings.”

“It sounds interesting and a little fantastical,” the president said. “Less than two years?”

“If you don’t mind, Mr. President, I’d like to check it out,” Vice President Page said. “I’d like to see Patrick again, and I can’t wait to see what he’s got in mind.”

“I need you here, Miss Vice President.”

“I can have him come out and give me his dog-and-pony show,” Ann said. “I can’t wait to see what the corporate life has done to him.”

Phoenix gave her a shake of his head and an exasperated smile, but then nodded assent. “Invite him to the residence when he gets in,” he said. “I’d like to see him too—and I’d like to find out what mischief he’s getting into next.”