Battlefield Ukraine

by James Rosone

  General Cotton grunted. “Shoot, tell him to plaster that Russian naval base. Also, provide him with the grids of the Russian airbases that are being used to launch all those bombers and fighters. I want him to take them offline immediately.” The general was happy to finally be able to issue some real retaliatory orders.

  The briefing went on for some time while General Cotton continued to issue additional orders to get more US Forces into the fight. “Sixty-Two F-35s have just arrived from the US after an arduous trans-Atlantic flight. I know the pilots are exhausted, but I want you to give them some uppers and throw them right back into the fight. For the sake of the ground forces still alive in Ukraine, the U.S. needs to get air superiority as quickly as possible. Understood?”

  “Yes, Sir,” came the response.

  “Good,” said the general. “We’ve got 35 additional F-22s, 180 F-16s and 20 F-15s in the process of flying across the Atlantic right now. When they arrive, I want you to give them some coffee and throw them into the fight, just like the F-35s.”

  “Now, what many of you may not know is that several B-2 stealth bombers arrived last night at Lajos airfield in the Azores. In the coming hours, they will fly their first combat mission into Russia. Their first mission is to hit the Russian Command and Control Centers, including the grand prize, the brand new National Defense Control Center in the heart of Moscow.”

  A few people gasped. This was a daring plan.

  Ignoring the reactions, General Cotton continued, “They will also hit the FSB headquarters, which is still located at Lubyanka Square, the original heart of the KGB. While the B-2’s are busy with that, the B-1 Lancers will be going after the various rail, road, and bridge networks that are vital to keeping the Russian war machine going. The Russians may have numbers, but those ‘numbers’ chew through a lot of fuel, munitions and food. Destroying their logistical capability to fight is the surest way to cripple their army fast.”

  General Cotton then turned to his senior National Security Agency Liaison Officer and asked, “What is the NSA doing to reestablish our GPS and satellite communication systems, and what are we doing to go after the Russian systems?”

  All eyes turned to the NSA LNO, who had been relatively silent during the briefing thus far. Mr. Justin Lake was the Senior Executive Service (SES) representative to EUCOM and NATO from the NSA, and while he had a small staff of people that worked for him in Stuttgart, he was really just a forward contact for the agency at the Command. He cleared his throat before replying, “I spoke with several of my colleagues before coming to this briefing. I was told roughly half of our GPS satellites will need to be replaced. The industrial control systems were burnt out, rendering the satellites useless. I have it on good authority that we will have close to 25% of these satellites replaced in the next few days.”

  He continued, “Now, the larger issue is the communications and surveillance satellites. Not everyone knows this, but we maintain a certain stockpile of these satellites, which we have kept ready to launch in case of a situation like this. When the Russians launched their DDoS and cyber-attack, they effectively crippled 70% of the world’s GPS satellites and nearly all of the US military’s surveillance and communication satellites. Fortunately, they did not go after the private sector’s satellites, and we have temporarily commandeered many of them until we can get our replacement satellites in place.”

  Mr. Lake then turned to specifically address General Cotton, “As to what we are doing in response, most of that is classified beyond what the folks in this room have clearance for. However, I can assure you that we have launched a massive cyber-attack against the Russians’ logistics and transportation sector. Shortly, their communications infrastructure will be attacked, along with their banking sector. There are certain unspoken thresholds that both the US and Russia have unofficially agreed not to touch, like the power grid. They will not look to turn the lights out permanently in the US, and neither will we in Russia. Suffice to say, a cyber-attack is well underway against Russia with the specific intent of going after their ability to wage and sustain a war.” As he finished speaking, he reached over and took a drink of water from a bottle he had brought with him.

  Nodding in approval, General Cotton was pleased with the response. He knew he wouldn’t get any more details unless he went to another secured room to talk privately with Mr. Lake or cleared the briefing room. For the moment, he was content to know the NSA was on top of it and they had it handled.

  At the end of the meeting, the people in the room felt like General Cotton was the modern version of General Patton; despite the losses, he had a way of making everyone feel like things were under control.

  The Crossroads

  Berezan & Baryshivka, Ukraine

  55 Miles East of Kiev

  LTC Brian Munch of the 1st Armored Division, 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, was the only operational commander in the area. He had ordered the remnants of 2nd Cavalry Troops to form up with his battalion, along with their field artillery squadron (aptly named the "Artillery Hell") to take up positions in the strategic towns of Berezan and Baryshivka. The two municipalities sat on the P03 highway and the E40, which led straight to Kiev and passed by the Boryspil International Airport.

  Sergeant Childers looked over at Lieutenant Taylor. “So, what do you think of our position?” he asked, wanting to know if the lieutenant was thinking the same thing he was about this plan.

  Taylor thought for a minute before responding, “I think we have our Strykers and LATVs placed well; they have fall back positions and alternative firing positions, just like the tanks do. Overall though, I’m concerned about our placement near these two towns. While we are in an excellent blocking position, we are also sitting right in the way of what is probably a very large Russian force that is headed our direction. With no air cover, and no idea if we will have reinforcements, I think we should fall back to Kiev. Unfortunately, Captain Richards and Colonel Munch want to make a stand.”

  Childers nodded in approval. The lieutenant was finally learning, putting together the bigger picture and then figuring out how his platoon fit into it. While it’s not the sergeants job to handle the big picture stuff, a good sergeant will understand it so that he can help guide his lieutenant or captain to best utilize their unit’s strengths.

  “I agree, LT,” responded SFC Childers. “Now that we both have the same understanding of the situation, our goal should be to make sure our guys come out of this alive--and that we can bloody up as many Russians as possible in the process. I’m going to walk the line and make sure the Javelin crews are ready and know what to do. Perhaps you can check on the vehicles and make sure the TOW gunners are ready Sir.”

  Once Lieutenant Taylor nodded in agreement, Luke turned away to go walk the line where the infantry soldiers were still digging their fox holes and other fighting positions.

  Jack had always been a smart young man, scoring well on academic tests and making good grades. That kind of book smarts didn’t always translate into real-world intelligence though. He was grateful for the guidance of Sergeant Childers; having a sounding board to bounce his thoughts off of was really helping to boost his confidence (and surviving their first encounter with the Russians also increased his poise and self-assurance). He still had fear, but it was healthy fear; respect for the force of the enemy. He put his head down and put one foot in front of the other; the best thing he could do now was to make sure that his forces were as ready as they could be to meet the Russian force that would undoubtedly head their way.

  *******

  Donetsk, East Ukraine

  Lieutenant General Mikhail Chayko, the Commander of the 1st Tank Army, had moved his field headquarters from Rostov, Russia, to the new Capital of East Ukraine, Donetsk, just as soon as it had been secured a few days ago. As he sat in an underground bunker, he poured over the digital map of Ukraine and the various units on it.

  He smiled like a child seeing a video game for the first time; these new maps th
at the technology sector had developed were amazing. The large one-meter by one-meter touch screen was fully interactive, and several of the operations staff kept it updated with the exact real-time location and disposition of the various Russian and East Ukrainian militia units as they advanced across the demarcation line. In addition, each friendly or enemy artillery strike was displayed as it was happening, as well as showing each enemy aircraft as it entered the area of the map. Most of that information was being delivered via a series of Russian and commercial satellites, as well as Russian ground and airborne radar and surveillance platforms. The end product was incredibly detailed, and allowed the mission planners to direct or redirect military units to where they were truly needed most.

  Chayko smiled and thought to himself, “The Americans aren’t the only ones who know how to integrate technology into battle management and combat operations.”

  As he continued to examine the map, General Chayko’s smile disappeared completely. What caught his eye at that exact moment was the stall in the advancement of the 12th Guard’s Tank Regiment. They had apparently run into a well-organized American unit that had somehow managed to nearly destroy a battalion’s worth of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. The map showed that the unit had lost 12 main battle tanks and 19 BMPs and BTRs--that was a lot of men and material lost, with very few Americans killed in return. It appeared they had only destroyed two of the Americans’ new HUMVEE replacement vehicles and one Stryker vehicle. They had captured two wounded Americans and found five other dead bodies. “I’ll bet the Americans tried to collect their wounded and dead before they left,” he thought. “There is no way that is all they lost from that engagement.”

  The other lines of attack were showing great progress. The 6th Tank Brigade and the 27th Guard’s Motor Rifle Brigade had pushed Mykolaiv along the coast and would be at Odesa by tomorrow. Once they reached Odesa, they would continue to drive West and push through southern Moldova and the coastal area of Ukraine. His biggest concern now was making sure the Allied air forces were not able to slow down or destroy his tank regiments before they had met their objectives. The goal was not to invade further NATO countries, but to make them believe that invasion was a real threat, forcing them to the negotiation table.

  As he re-centered the map over Pryluky, General Chayko suddenly felt angry. He turned to the army group’s operation officer, who had been examining the map with him, and demanded answers. “Colonel Sokolov, why is there a delay in capturing the NATO airbase at Pryluky? It should have been in our hands by now.”

  Sokolov swallowed hard. “Sir, I spoke with the division commander, and they are moving to take it now. We have several Su-34s assigned to provide them air support. He says they should have the base in our hands by tomorrow morning,” the Colonel responded, knowing that was not the answer the general was looking for.

  Looking at the map and the division’s location, General Chayko could see that his men were only 50 miles away from Pryluky. That division should be able to have that base under his control by dark, not the following morning. “I may have to replace him if he doesn’t get a move on,” he thought.

  *******

  SFC Childers and 2nd Lieutenant Taylor sat in their fighting position along a narrow tree line, overlooking the E40 highway. It was the first time since the fighting started nearly ten hours ago that they had a chance to just sit, drink some water, and eat an MRE. Today’s Meal-Ready-to-Eat consisted of beef steak, but it came with a special prize, the jalapeño cheese sauce--the most-prized condiment in any MRE. It was the most-often traded item, and was treated like pure gold by those who regularly ate MREs. Childers looked briefly at his watch as he squeezed some cheese on his crackers. “It will be dark soon; we have maybe another hour of light,” he said.

  “You think the Russians are going to hit us at night?” asked Lieutenant Taylor. He was not sure if that would be a good thing or a bad thing for them, since all the American soldiers in their unit had night vision goggles, and most of the Russian soldiers would likely not be equipped with them.

  Childers paused for a moment, calculating. “Probably,” he answered. “I would. If you want to rush through an area, what better time to do it than at night? They know we are tired, and they know we are a small group of Strykers and tanks…we’ll make them pay for it though.” As he finished speaking, he patted his pouch of night vision goggles.

  Luke wanted to change the subject and take his mind off the war, if only for a few minutes. “Why did you join the Army, LT?” he asked.

  “Hmm, that’s a good question Sergeant, and it’s a long story. Not sure we have time for it right now,” he replied with a wry laugh.

  Snickering himself, Childers responded, “Well, we have a few minutes until the Russians decide to do something. Besides, it’ll help take my mind off our situation here. So, why did you join?”

  “OK, OK,” Taylor said, putting his hands in the air as if to say, “I give up.”

  “Well, believe it or not, I was accepted and went to college at Yale. I originally wanted to be a lawyer, so going to Yale made sense. I figured I’d go to another Ivy League school afterwards and go to work for some fancy law firm in New York and make the big bucks. During my junior year, I got an internship for a law firm in New York over the summer--it was a prestigious firm, the kind that pays you high salaries right out of college. They had me working 100-hour work weeks, which was brutal. I talked with a few of the first-year lawyers and they told me they also worked more than 100 hours every week; most of them did their first two or three years, until they got promoted to associate lawyer. Then their schedule dropped down to sixty to eighty hours.”

  Pulling out his wallet, the LT handed Childers a picture of a very beautiful woman. “Then I met her over the summer of my senior year--Cindy. She was going to school for accounting. We dated, and by the time the fall semester of my senior year was over, I was completely head-over-heels in love. She got pregnant unexpectedly, and I realized that I couldn’t live a moment of my life without her and asked her to marry me.” He began to rub his wedding ring, and looked like he might get emotional.

  “With a new fiancé and a baby on the way, I suddenly realized that I couldn’t be a lawyer. My father was a workaholic, and I never saw him much. We had a nice house, nice cars, and fancy clothes growing up. I mean, I never wanted for anything…except time with my dad. He never made it to any of my sporting events at school, or anything else that really mattered to me. Now that I was going to be a father, I vowed I would not be like my dad. My entire perspective changed and I knew I needed to change my path. So, what was I supposed to do? I was about to graduate Yale with $82,000 in student debt and I was no longer going on to law school to get one of those high-paying lawyer jobs in New York to pay it all off.”

  “As fate would have it, I ran into an Army recruiter during finals’ week. He asked me if had I given any thought to how I was going to pay off my student loans. Well, that got me to stop and talk with him. He told me if I joined as an infantry officer, he could get me a $10,000 signing bonus, and the Army would pay off all $82,000 of my student loans over a six-year enlistment. After that, I was free to stay in the Army or leave.”

  “I talked it over with my fiancé and we agreed that I should join and get my student loans wiped out. She was going to have a degree in accounting, so she could get a job anywhere the Army sent us, except here in Germany. But, then again, our son is only a few months old, so she will just plan on being a stay-at-home mom until we return to the States. So, that is how I ended up in the Army. How about you? How did you end up here, Sergeant Childers?” Taylor asked.

  Just as Childers was about to go into his story of how he ended up joining the military, they heard a missile streak over their position towards a target just over the horizon. Seconds later, they heard a Bang! Then a Russian Hind helicopter emerged in the distance, flying straight for their position. The Hind was emitting some smoke, but appeared to still be combat effective as it cont
inued to head towards them. Then, another missile streaked over their position and hit the Hind just below the rotor blades, exploding directly into the engine. The chopper was not flying that far off the ground, so when this second Stinger missile hit it, it did not have very far to fall before it blew up.

  A loud whistling noise overwhelmed their ears, which meant either artillery or bombs falling. Explosions began to rock the area all around their positions. The Russians began to hit the American positions with 152mm artillery rounds, softening them up before their tanks and infantry fighting vehicles began their attack. The artillery barrage lasted for about five minutes; then, as soon as it ended, they heard the unmistakable sound of tanks.

  SFC Childers poked his head above their foxhole and saw numerous Russian tanks spread out in a wide attack pattern, supported by dozens of BMPs and BTR infantry assault vehicles. They were racing towards the American positions, trying to get within knife range and limit the ability of the American tanks from their primary advantage, their long reach. Following behind the armored vehicles was the infantry--and not a small number of soldiers, but a whole regiment’s worth. “It looks like it’s time for us to earn our pay again,” SFC Childers said with a wicked grin on his face as he raised his rifle and took aim at the advancing Russian infantry.

  *******

  LTC Brian Munch was sitting in his Stryker command vehicle, scarfing down an MRE before the next round of fighting started. As tough and macho as he acted in front of his men, he was nervous. He knew they were outnumbered, and he knew the smart move would have been to fall back to the international airport or even Kiev. However, he also knew that they needed to buy NATO time to get more forces into Ukraine and to the front lines. The rest of their division was less than a day away. If they could hold this position until morning, the rest of the division might reach Kiev and even be able to relieve them.