by James Rosone
“All sides have done their best to move critical aspects of communications networks and other military functions onto the civilian satellite grid, surreptitiously coopting control of many of the satellites in certain cases. Everyone knew this was going on, so the Chinese went to work on devising a way around it. They couldn’t wipe out the civilian satellite grid without wiping out their own grid, so they found a way to do it without crippling themselves.”
She pulled up the slide of the newest UAV. “This little guy is called the Y’an, which translates to The Eye. The Chinese have been building these giant UAVs to act as a nationwide 5G umbrella to compensate for the inevitable loss of their civilian satellite network. While this new network won’t replace all of the satellites’ functions, it’ll provide them with consistent real-time ground surveillance and high-speed digital data and communications, ensuring their civilian population isn’t left in a data or communications blackout,” Katelyn explained.
The President held up a hand. “Excuse me if you will. What you’re saying is that at this juncture in the war, the Chinese are going to go after the global civilian satellite network in an effort to blind and cripple the Allies right before our major ground invasion?”
All eyes turned to look at her and Tom, who clearly knew more about this than anyone else in the room. Tom tipped his head toward her to take the question. “Yes, Mr. President, that’s what I’m saying,” she responded.
The President snorted. “So, if they can’t win, they’re going to make sure no one else does either,” he said, disgusted that the war was stooping down to a new low. It wasn’t enough to inflict the horrors of war on each other’s militaries, now they wanted to spread that discomfort to as much of the world’s population as possible.
Katelyn quickly brought up another briefing slide. “If I could, Mr. President, there’s more you need to know.”
He signaled for her to go on. He might as well rip the Band-Aid off rather than prolong the inevitable.
“Sir, this is going to be bad, but it’s not completely unexpected. We’ve known this was a possibility for nearly nine months, so we’ve been taking measures to prepare for it. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan was trying to tackle a major data communications problem of keeping the ground forces out on patrol in contact with their bases. The lack of infrastructure and the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan made it nearly impossible for our guys to transmit high volumes of data and maintain steady communications. The DoD came up a solution they termed ‘the last tactical mile,’ which utilized two systems to solve this problem.
“First, they placed 4G communications equipment on static aerostat blimps high above the bases, which provided a twenty-to-thirty-kilometer 4G bubble. They also explored ways of integrating 4G capability into UAVs that could be flown over the ground forces. Ironically, it was Facebook that took the latter program on and really ran with it. Mr. Zuckerberg had plans to leverage this kind of capability to bring Facebook to even the remotest parts of the world.
“When we first caught a whiff of the insidious Chinese plan to cripple the civilian satellite network, we reached out to several technology firms to discuss a plan B. SpaceX, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google all signed on to a classified program we established just six months ago. When the Chinese do begin to destroy the civilian satellite network, we have the ability to deploy aerostat blimps in 300 cities right now. That number will continue to increase by 50 cities a week at our current production scale. While this is still going to leave an enormous gap across the country, it won’t leave us completely blind. We’ve also been working with the broadband providers to be ready to pick up the data slack, which will be huge.
“For the military, SpaceX and Facebook have developed several drones that will be able to stay aloft continuously running on solar energy. That network will be able to provide 5G communications and data capability to our naval, air and ground forces in the war zones.”
She took a deep breath. “Mr. President, while the loss of the civilian satellite network will obviously hurt our economy, this development is actually going to be the key to defeating the Chinese.”
The President’s left eyebrow rose in incredulity. Several others leaned in closer, hanging on her every word.
“If I can, I want to give you a little background on this next piece. It’ll help you understand our plan better. During World War II, the Germans developed the Enigma cipher machine, which at the time was a foolproof communications system—at least until the British Navy was able to capture a German U-boat and seize an intact Enigma and the codebook. Once they had these two components, they were able to essentially read the entire German military communications system for the duration of the war, giving the Allies an enormous leg up.
“In our case, once we became aware of this Chinese program, we inserted a code into the firmware of a critical component used in the Y’an communication UAV. Once the Chinese activate the Y’ans and switch all their communications over from their encrypted satellite and radio systems to the 5G system on the UAVs, we’ll have complete access to their entire communications infrastructure. We’ll be able to see everything they’re transmitting on that network.” Her lips curled up in a devilish smile.
Someone in the room let out a low whistle. The President leaned forward in his chair and a smile spread across his face. “This is huge, Kate. You should’ve led with this. That said, I can’t help but wonder how this is going to impact things here at home. The level of chaos it’s going to cause when the satellite systems begin to go down isn’t something I’m even sure we can monetize, Tom.”
Foss turned to his NSA. “We’re going to have to have an emergency meeting with DHS, Treasury, and Commerce to see how bad this is going to be.”
McMillan scribbled a note on his paper. “Yes, Mr. President. I’ll make the calls as soon as we’re done here.”
Turning to face the SecDef, the President said, “Jim, I think this goes back to my original hesitation about the ground invasion. If we’re going to invade, then perhaps we should focus on going after the factories producing these new UAVs and the Chinese financial enclaves. In light of these new developments, my concerns about a wide-ranging ground war are only increased. What are your thoughts?”
The Secretary of Defense paused, adjusting his tie as he mulled over the options. Finally, he turned to Katelyn. “Ms. Mackie, does your source know for certain that these UAVs are ready to be deployed now? And do we know how many of them are currently ready for use? Lastly, what if the Chinese suddenly decide not to take down the global satellite infrastructure at all but to keep things as they currently are?”
Katelyn pulled up some other information she had on her laptop. “Sir, up to this point, the information our source has provided has been nearly 100% accurate. He wasn’t able to tell us how many of these fighter UAVs are currently available for use, but clearly, from both the source in Vietnam and our guy, we know it’s real. As to your last question, if the Chinese suddenly develop cold feet about taking down the global satellite network and they opt to not use the Y’an UAVs, then we’ll have to keep fighting them the way we have been. We almost need to hope they take down the satellites, so we can gain access to their military communications systems.”
The SecDef, Katelyn, Tom, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs bantered back and forth for another fifteen minutes while the President listened silently. As they spoke, Foss grew more and more concerned about the current invasion plan. A ground war in mainland China would be messy, no matter how they looked at it.
“OK, people, I think I’ve heard enough,” the President finally asserted. “I know this is going to ruffle some feathers, but we’re going to change our current tactics. Instead of launching diversionary invasions in southern China and an offensive drive on Beijing, I want us to focus on going after Guangdong Province. That will disrupt their aerospace manufacturing base and interrupt their collection of tax revenues.
“Ne
xt, I want to go after China’s piggy bank. We need to attack Shanghai and the surrounding area—that will take down their financial and tech sectors in one fell swoop. I was just reading a white paper written by the Institute for the Study of War that emphasized the strategy of depriving the Chinese government of the ability to pay for the war and disturbing the manufacturing base needed to sustain the PLA. I know this kind of throws a wrench into your plans, Jim, but what are your thoughts?” the President asked. He surveyed the faces of his military leaders and tried not to be amused when he observed that most of them were just doing their best not to look irate that their Commander in Chief had just thrown out their yearlong invasion plans.
Jim didn’t say anything for a moment. He put his index fingers together and leaned into them, thinking it all over. “Mr. President, you’re the Commander in Chief,” he finally said. “If you want us to revamp our invasion plans, then that’s what we’ll do. I haven’t read that same white paper, but I believe I know who wrote it—a retired colonel, Kyle Buller, if I’m not mistaken. He had worked many years in the Pentagon’s procurement program and at DARPA. He’s a smart fellow. We hadn’t initially looked at that angle under President Gates since he favored a more direct attack strategy against Beijing, but I can also see the merit in considering the path you just outlined. If I may, would you allow us a few days to give this a good study and see how feasible it would be? We’ve spent a lot of time positioning war stock for the original plan, so I need to evaluate whether we would need to shift most of that war stock around, or if we could still use it in its current positions.”
The President nodded his approval. He knew he couldn’t spring a major change like this on the military without allowing them a chance to look at its viability. “That’s fair enough, Jim. And, yes, it was Kyle Buller who wrote the white paper. I believe it was written maybe four months ago. I’ll give you some time to look into it all, but I’d like an answer within a week. If we’re going to make this change, then we need to do it quickly.”
With that said, the meeting broke up. The various parties went to work on getting the country ready for the eventual loss of satellites and preparing for a possible change in the invasion strategy.
Chapter 2
Calmer Heads Prevail
Chennai, India
Ripon Building
At 0830 hours, the air was already hot and muggy as General John Bennet, the Supreme Allied Commander for Asia, walked into the central meeting room of the Ripon Building. As soon as he entered, he was met by Major General Alan Morrison, the Australian Commander of Allied Forces in India. Behind him waited a small cadre of staff officers as well as Rear Admiral Shelley Cord, the commander of Task Force 92, the naval fleet supporting the ground operations. The new Secretary of State, Philip Landover, was also seated at the table along with several of his staff. When General Bennet walked in, Secretary Landover walked over to Bennet and heartily shook his hand.
The pleasantries were short, even by military standards. They had a lot to discuss. Once everyone was seated, General Bennet started the meeting. “All right, General Morrison, I’d first like a quick update on the disposition of the Allied forces in India,” he announced.
General Morrison stood. “General Bennet, five days prior to your arrival, we successfully offloaded the remaining Allied units and supplies for our next offensive campaign. As of right now, Operation Jade Tiger, which will capture Bengaluru in the center of the country, is still ready to launch when you give the order. I have two Australian divisions, one New Zealand brigade, one British armored division, and two American mechanized infantry divisions ready to move.
“To cover our right flank and ensure the continued occupation of Chennai, I have a Canadian light infantry brigade, a French brigade and a German tank brigade, along with numerous other support units. If the Indian government doesn’t want to pursue peace, then we’re still ready to prosecute the war until they will,” General Morrison said, a full grin on his face.
General Bennet smiled too. It was obvious the man before him was truly loving his position as the Allied commander in India. After all, within the last month, he’d gone from having a small contingent of 32,000 soldiers to over 73,000, with more on the way.
Secretary of State Landover inserted himself. “I’ve read over your progress up to this point, General—very impressive. You’ve certainly succeeded in humbling the Indian government.”
“General Morrison, please excuse Secretary Landover,” said General Bennet, shooting a scornful look at Landover. “I have a few more military matters to discuss before we move to politics.” He didn’t like being interrupted. This was his turf.
“My apologies, General,” said Secretary Landover, his cheeks a bit red. “I was getting ahead of myself. I’ll wait until we’re ready to discuss tomorrow’s meeting.”
Bennet turned his attention back to the Australian. “General, I’m pleased with your progress up to this point. You have done a superb job with the forces given to you. You managed to pull off some impressive wins. Chennai was captured with very few casualties and very little civil unrest, which is fully attributed to the way you had the Army carry out its initial seizure of the city and the port.
“I spoke with President Foss, who has spoken with your Prime Minister, and they’ve accepted my recommendation that you be given a third star and continue to remain the overall Commander of Allied Forces in India. I have multiple divisions en route to Asia from Europe, and depending on how tomorrow’s meeting goes, I may have those divisions placed under your command for you to widen the war in India. I hope that doesn’t happen, but if it does, then we’ll begin discussing additional objectives beyond Operation Jade Tiger.”
General Bennet paused. “OK, then, Secretary Landover, it’s over to you now.”
Secretary Landover stood. “Thank you, General. My objective tomorrow is simple: get the Indian government to agree to a complete and unconditional surrender. If they don’t, the war will continue as planned. You’ve shown me that you have the supplies and the forces needed to keep the war going, and frankly that’s the major reason I wanted to meet with you today. I do have one question—may I inform the Indian prime minister that if he doesn’t agree to our terms, our victorious European armies will now be directed to India?”
General Bennet thought about that for a moment. Under normal circumstances, he would never want to advertise his position like that to an enemy, but at the same time, if that information could lead the enemy to surrendering, then it’d be worth it. “If General Morrison has no objections, then neither do I,” Bennet asserted. “We need this Indian theater wrapped up sooner rather than later. Once ground operations start in mainland China, we’re going to be hard-pressed to keep India fully supplied for heavy offensive actions.”
“I have no objections,” Morrison confirmed.
The meeting went on for a bit longer as the military and political sides were discussed, then everyone broke for an early lunch and a nap. Between all the flying and the time zone changes, the sudden shift was wreaking havoc on people’s mental alertness, and they’d all certainly need that the following day.
*******
En Route to Ripon Building
Prime Minister Vihaan Khatri was both enraged at the situation he now found himself in and greatly ashamed that he had allowed it to come to this. He knew India should have stayed on the sidelines of the third great war, but he had permitted himself to be convinced that joining the Russian and Chinese grand alliance would position India for future greatness. America had been on the decline—everyone had said so for years. Even the President prior to Gates had publicly acknowledged it. Khatri clenched his fists. “I should’ve known not to count America out,” he mourned.
The scene was filled with juxtaposition. Khatri sat in the leather chair of an Embraer Legacy 600 luxury jet, and yet, the members of his parliament were ready to throw him out of office. After such horrific humiliation and loss of life suffered under his le
adership, even his partner in crime, President Aryan Laghari, had begun to side with the growing antiwar movement sweeping across the country. The absolute slaughter of their militia forces at the naval airbase outside of Arakkonam had shaken the population to the point of nearly collapsing the government. The people were furious that these largely underequipped and poorly trained militia forces had been thrown against a battle-hardened enemy because the government had not accepted the Allies’ first peace offer to end the war. Now, the people and parliament had demanded that he settle the matter, or they’d replace him with someone who would.
When Khatri’s jet flew over Chennai, he immediately noticed the sheer size of the military buildup on the outskirts of the city. He didn’t need a military general to tell him the Allies had landed many more divisions of fresh troops in his country. They were obviously gearing up for a major offensive should his talks fail. Moments later, his plane, which was being escorted by a pair of Australian F/A-18s, landed at the Chennai International Airport in full view of rows of helicopter gunships and Allied warplanes. Once his jet had parked and the engines were shut off, the outer door was opened, and he was greeted by an Allied military honor guard.
At the end of the line of military members stood the American Secretary of State, Philip Landover, the American general currently in command of Allied forces in Asia, and an Australian general, the man Khatri recognized as being in charge of the Allied armies currently invading his homeland. Lifting his chin up in pride, he stepped off the plane and walked past the military members arrayed before him.