by James Rosone
One of the men, who had stayed out of the conversation up to this point, put down his folder and looked up at the team. He had just finished reading the summary of “techno-communism.”
“You guys, I think that this new approach could be incredibly effective against the younger generations in the Allied countries. You should really give this a read.”
They all took a break from their conversation and dug into the files before them. Finally, Cindy asserted, “Frank, you’re right. This ‘techno-communism’ is going to be very alluring to the restless youth of society, since it basically guarantees them a job as a right. The Chinese are selling this as a way to use technology to enforce a ‘social justice’ model, punishing those who have views that are considered hateful, racist, or otherwise harmful to the population or government as a whole.”
Dr. Winters cut in at this point. “If we’re going to counter this appeal, then we need to pick it apart piece by piece. Do you all have any suggestions?”
One of the younger women on the team, Stephanie, spoke up. “We need to sell that this version of communism is not only a disaster for the future, but also means a complete and utter censorship of free speech. We could have a commercial where someone is being kicked out of college because they disagreed with their professor, and another person is fired from their job for working too many hours because that would deprive another individual from obtaining a job.”
Frank added, “I can just picture a Google Home or Amazon Alexa device being used under this system to rat out an individual’s non-sanctioned beliefs. What if an Xbox recorded someone praying and their religious convictions were not considered legal under the State’s demands?”
Cindy chimed in, “You know, a lot of people don’t realize that the microphones on their phone are never really turned off. Picture a commercial where all these devices are listening in on conversations and reporting actions, and the jails are filled with political dissidents.”
Dr. Winters nodded emphatically. “Exactly, Cindy. Those are the exact points we need to make to counter what the Russians and Chinese are proposing. The enemy is going to use our open society, our freedom of the press, and the internet to flood the minds of our young people and those disenfranchised voters to turn the people against not just the war, but against our form of government. Their arguments will sound appealing, but in the end, techno-communism would be the death of the very freedom our people now enjoy.”
Winters’ teammates nodded.
“We have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to get it done in,” Winters asserted. “I need everyone to work together on this and crank out some ideas quickly. I would like to start getting some of our messaging points ready over the next couple of days.”
As John finished giving his team their marching orders, the group went to work tackling the challenge.
Operation Strawman
Moscow, Russia
The snow was beginning to fall more heavily in the Bibirevo district of Moscow, where Alexei Kasyanov remained under house arrest.
“Why in the world would a reporter want to meet with me on a day like this?” thought Alexei as he prepared a fresh kettle of water on the stove. His guest would be arriving within the next ten minutes, and he wanted to make sure he had something warm to offer him to drink. The cold of the Russian winter had finally settled in across the country.
A couple of months ago, a reporter from Der Spiegel in Germany had reached out to him, asking if he could write a biographical piece on him and his political opposition party. Of course, Alexei had jumped at the chance, but he had to be incredibly careful about how he communicated with Gunther. He was still technically under house arrest; however, with the war with NATO consuming so much of the Petrov government’s focus and resources, Kasyanov felt this was the right time to connect with an outside journalist, especially in light of President Petrov suspension of the next election, which had been scheduled to take place in March, until the end of the war.
So far, Gunther Brinkbaumer had written two exceptional pieces about Alexei’s efforts to lead the People’s Freedom Party or PARNAS against Petrov’s United Russia party. Gunther had done a superb job thus far in conveying the struggle faced by any political party other than the ruling party and how the opposition parties often found themselves the target of any number of government charges and allegations just prior to each election cycle. Satisfied with Brinkbaumer’s reporting up to this point, Kasyanov had agreed to his first sit-down with the reporter. Since Alexei’s wife and two children were temporarily living with friends in Sweden, he was not as worried as he normally would have been to have Gunther meet him at his home.
Alexei thought wistfully, “This year is supposed to be the year reformers like myself bring an end to the Petrov regime. We need to reassert Russia as a country ruled by law and the constitution and not by the politically connected oligarch class.”
Looking out his apartment window, Alexei saw a taxi pull up to a building down the road from him. A single figure got out of the vehicle and slowly walked away from the cab. As Kasyanov watched the cab turn down another street and disappear out of sight, the passenger crossed the street and headed towards his building.
“Good, just as I instructed,” thought Alexei. “Always have the taxi drop you at one point, wait for him to leave, and then walk down to your true destination.”
He buzzed the reporter into the building. After a soft knock at the door, Alexei walked over and opened the door.
“Alexei?” the reporter verified.
“Yes,” Kasyanov confirmed.
“I’m Gunther Brinkbaumer from Der Spiegel. It is good to finally meet you,” he said, extending his hand.
“Please come in. It’s cold out there. I have a fresh kettle on the stove. Would you care for some tea?” Alexei offered.
Gunther smiled and nodded as he took his jacket off, hanging it on the hook on the wall next to the door. The two of them sat down at his kitchen table.
Gunther began the interview by asking Alexei a lot of questions about his political beliefs, how he felt Russia could prosper under a different leader, and how he would govern Russia if he were elected president of the country. About an hour into the interview, the conversation started to turn more serious, almost as if it were a job interview. Alexei could sense the difference in the tone of the questions and grew suspicious.
“Alexei,” Gunther said as he leaned forward in his chair, placing a small device on the table between them, switching it on.
“What is this? What are you up to?” Alexei demanded as he sat back in his chair, ready to defend himself should he need to.
Gunther held up his hands and explained, “I have activated an electronic scrambler in case anyone is listening to our conversation. I need to ask you some serious questions, and I need a sincere response.” He searched Alexei’s eyes and facial features to make sure he understood what he had just been told.
When Alexei simply nodded, he proceeded. “My name is Gunther Brinkbaumer, and I do work for Der Spiegel. But I also work for the BND, which I am sure you already know is the German intelligence branch. We have a plan. We would like to replace President Petrov with a new leader, and the Allied nations believe that you, Alexei Kasyanov, leader of the People’s Freedom Party, may just be our best hope.”
A smile spread across Alexei’s face. “It’s about time the Allies looked for someone to replace Petrov,” he thought.
Inside, Alexei was giddy with joy. This offer was beyond his wildest dreams.
The two of them talked for many more hours and went over how the BND, CIA, and MI6 were going to break him out of his house arrest and establish a series of safe houses and underground networks in Russia for him to operate within. Their goal was to provide him with a secure means of communicating with his supporters to organize peaceful rallies across Russia and begin garnering public support. As that support grew, they would look to find ways to erode Petrov’s backing and eventually replace him as
the leader of Russia.
Expansion & Government in Exile
Zhanjiang, China
South Sea Fleet
President Xi looked proudly at the sailors and marines before him. They had fought gallantly in Vietnam and now they had been a part of the successful reacquisition of Formosa. Today, however, was a special day. After this ceremony, these men would return to their ships and head out on the next adventure to expand China’s control of Asia.
As the sailors took their seats, Xi began to speak, “My fellow countrymen, I applaud the success you have achieved thus far in helping our nation to achieve its rightful place as the new leader of the world. Our grandfathers were part of the great revolution that saw the rise and unification of China. Today, you are taking their place as you help to unify Asia under Chinese control and assert our dominance as the new leader of the world — a title of which the Americans are no longer worthy.”
He paused for a moment as people stood and applauded at his opening statement. Slowly, the fanfare died down, and he resumed his fiery speech. “During the first hours of the war, the Navy showed it could defeat the American Seventh Fleet. You even killed their commander in the opening hours of the war,” he said, openly giving praise to the men before him. They stood and clapped once more.
Xi raised his hands to get the men to resume their seats. “What we ask of you now is to demonstrate to the world once again that it is China, not the US, that controls Asia. You will lead a campaign to expand Chinese control to the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. We need you to do your best in hunting down the remaining American submarines that can threaten us and ensure our armies stay supplied and able to hold our new territories. With the acquisition of these three countries, China will not only have secured our future petroleum needs, we will also have protected passage for our African mining operations. The work you sailors are going to partake in will help shape and define the future of the 21st century. China, our great nation, is depending on you men to accomplish your mission. We wish you the best of luck and a safe return,” he concluded, then stepped back from the mic.
The sailors jumped to their feet, clapping excitedly once again. They loved hearing their leader not only praise them but give them a reason for why they were fighting and dying. While the victories against America had been great, they had come at a heavy price to the navy, and the American Pacific Fleet had not yet been destroyed. A final battle would still have to be fought, and in the meantime, they had to take down those American submarines who were tearing apart the entire Northern Fleet.
Xi turned and walked off the stage. While he enjoyed the applause, he had a meeting to get to.
* * *
A few minutes later, President Xi and Admiral Shen were alone in a small private room without any maps, computers or other electronic devices. Xi signaled they should sit in the two chairs waiting for them. The Chinese president was feeling a bit paranoid and had taken great pains to make sure that what was said in this room would not be discovered by anyone, including Chairman Zhang, the architect of Operation Red Storm.
“I wanted to meet privately with you so you could give me your honest opinion without fearing losing face if you admit failure,” Xi began. “I have ensured that no one is listening to our conversation. I need a frank assessment of how the naval war is going against the Americans, and I need to know if Chairman Zhang is accurate in his assessments.”
Nodding, Admiral Shen sat back in the chair. “We are in a precarious position right now. The Northern Fleet is shattered. The American submarine and cruise missile attacks are devastating our forces and our ability to continue to operate in the northern parts of the country. Nearly every aircraft we had assigned there was destroyed, along with some of our best submarines and destroyers. It is fortunate that we kept our carrier group south of Taiwan; we could have lost it if the Americans had attacked it.” Admiral Shen felt relief from the confession but immediately started to sweat, worried that he should not have been so open in his response.
Xi nodded solemnly and leaned in. “Can we still win?”
Shen took a deep breath, relieved that Xi was genuine in seeking a real assessment. He paused for a second as he calculated his answer. “It depends. If we can produce more of our anti-ship cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles, I believe we can win the surface warfare part of the fight. What we are not going to win, at least not right now, is the underwater fight. While we won a great battle in the East China Sea, it cost us dearly; we lost over half of our naval aircraft and a large number of our submarine force. The American submarines are incredibly effective weapons. We are working with the Russians to try and help solve this problem, but right now we do not have a good answer as to how we are going to defeat them. If we cannot defeat the American submarine force, then it will be nearly impossible for us to keep our carriers safe and not lose our southern fleet,” Shen answered.
For a moment, the President’s countenance appeared sad and defeated. Then, he lifted his head, and a fire burned in his eyes.
“Are you in need of more destroyers to defeat the American submarines?” asked Xi.
“We have five new Luyang III-class destroyers and nine additional Jiangkai II frigates. These ships are going to be a part of a new antisubmarine warfare task force I have assembled. This specific group of ships and aircraft will focus solely on hunting and then sinking the American submarines operating in the South China Sea. Until I can fully secure the South China Sea, I need to have them stay local to this area,” Admiral Shen explained.
The President nodded, then leaned in and looked Shen directly in the eye for a brief moment. “We need to win this fight, Admiral. What more do you need to win it?”
Exile
Kyoto, Japan
Four Seasons Hotel
Following the collapse of the Taiwanese military, the democratically elected leaders of the Republic of China had been forced to flee the country and establish a government in exile. Since this outcome had always been a possibility, several possible locations had been identified in advance. Japan had not been one of those preselected locations, but ultimately, there was no other choice. The Phillipines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand had all rejected them; in desperation, they’d turned to Japan and had been told they could set up their mobile government in Kyoto. They had opted to rent out all 123 guest rooms at the Four Seasons Hotel, which would provide the security services with a safe and controlled location for the government officials to sleep and work.
While the government fled the country, the military continued to fight on for several more weeks before they had to surrender or face certain death. A small cadre of soldiers, mostly Special Forces units, would continue to operate in secret. They would collect information and carry out an insurgency. Minister of Defense Lu, who had been a soldier in his youth, had opted to stay with the military and continue the fight. While their military had been largely destroyed, their ability to collect intelligence and keep tabs on what was happening on the island was very much intact.
Walking along the corridors of the second floor, President Hung Hui-ju couldn’t help but marvel at how her staff had turned the entire hotel property into a functioning government building for them to live and work in. It had taken a week, but they had transformed the entire first and second floors into functioning offices. The third floor had been designated as sleeping quarters for the senior government members; the rest of the staff that had been able to evacuate stayed in a separate hotel nearby.
Foreign Minister Chang was hard at work in one of the suites that had been converted to a work space. When he saw the president enter the room, he smiled warmly. “Madam President, it is good to see you,” he said as he stood and walked around his desk to greet her.
“Please, let’s sit over here.” Chang gestured at a pair of chairs with a small coffee table next to them.
President Hung got right down to business. “Have you spoken with the Americans yet about helping us retake Taiwa
n?” she inquired. She knew the Americans could not help right away, but Taiwan had now been under the control of the communists for nearly five weeks. Each week, each month, meant it would be that much harder to liberate her country.
Chang had a sparkle in his eyes. “They are developing a plan now to neutralize the Chinese navy. Once the Americans can control the sea, the PLA will not be able to stay in control of the island for long. As you know, the American Secretary of Defense was in Tokyo two days ago. I was able to meet with him for roughly an hour before he left for Seoul. He assured me that when the US Pacific Army is fully formed up, Taiwan will be among the top priorities to retake. Right now, we have to bide our time and wait.” His voice rang with hopeful optimism.
Hui-ju thought about that for a second while trying not to betray any emotion on her face. “While it is reassuring that the Secretary of Defense has prioritized the liberation of Taiwan, I am under no illusions about how long that would take,” she thought. “The Americans and Japanese may control the waters around Japan, but they have not ventured further south to confront the Chinese carrier strike group, and now that the mainlanders control Taiwan, they can turn it into a fortress to defeat any American-led efforts.”
“I am glad you were able to speak with Jim Castle,” she responded. “However, I suspect it will be at least six months until the Americans attempt anything to help us.”
Seeing her sad expression, Chang hoped the President would be pleased with this next concession he was able to get from the Americans. “He did say it will probably be more like seven or eight months until they will have the ground forces necessary to start an operation. However, he said they will direct additional submarines to start operating in the straits. They will also continue to carry out strategic strikes against high-priority targets that our forces identify in Taiwan. He said his hope is to provide some Special Forces troops within the next couple of months to help keep our insurgency operation going for as long as possible.”