Chains of Command

by Dale Brown

  “Anyway, this low-key show of force hasn’t satisfied the Moldovans, who have been staging raids into the Ukraine, trying to blow up bridges, canal locks, port facilities, and communications towers to try to slow down the Russian resupply convoys to the Dniester Republic. Romania is actively resupplying the Moldovans with weapons, in preparation for an all-out war, and has mobilized its reserve forces and sent five divisions of troops to the Moldovan border. It is felt that Romania can seize the Dniester Republic in less than a week, but Russia has warned that a state of war will exist if Romania crosses an inch over the Moldovan border.

  “Romania mobilized their active duty units to level-one readiness, and the ready reserves have been mobilized to level-two readiness as well—they could have a half a million men under arms by now, with another half million within six months. They ignored Russia’s warnings and sent about half of the Romanian armed forces—two tank divisions, four motorized rifle divisions, a few antitank and artillery brigades—from their bases in southern and eastern Romania, principally in the army bases in Iasi, Bacau, and Braila, into staging bases in western Moldova. Air patrols from Constanta air base in southeastern Romania, mostly MiG-29s, are patrolling the border round-the-clock, and Romanian MiG-27 bombers have been seen over the Black Sea with antiship weapons. All this obviously prompted the Russian air attack last night.

  “If hostilities were to break out, Romanian airborne and ground forces would move in from Iasi, led by fighter and bomber units from Constanta. Air operations against the rebels in Bendery and Tiraspol could begin immediately. Four tank and motorized rifle divisions could be in Kishinev to relieve the Moldovan capital in a few days or less, and they could be engaging the rebel divisions soon after that. The Russian and Romanian ground units are fairly equal, considering their sophistication versus numbers. The Romanians can put a lot of air power up front fast, but if the Russian Air Force fully engages in Moldova, it’ll be over real quick.

  “The Ukraine’s trying to stay cool, but their cool is slipping,” Pierce went on. “In response to the border incursions by Russia, Moldova, and Romania, the Ukraine deployed what they call a Special Action Detachment of approximately thirty thousand light infantry troops along the border, and light patrol boats now patrol the Dnestr River. They are looking for guerrilla forces and illegal cargoes, so they have stopped several Russian, Romanian, and Moldovan vessels, including Russian and Romanian warships. Romania has retaliated by seizing Ukrainian warships on the Black Sea, but that can’t last long because Romania’s navy is laughable, at best.”

  Another map of Europe was put up on the overhead projector, this time one of Germany and Central Europe. “One other nonmilitary event is creating a lot of strain on military forces in the region, and that’s the refugee problem,” Pierce said. “Finland, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Ceska—what used to be Czechoslovakia—Romania, and the three Baltic states have taken in an estimated one million Russian refugees in the past five months. Many of these refugees are making their way into Germany and Austria, where antiforeigner sentiment is already at the flash point. Slovenia has closed its borders to Russian refugees, and Romania has imprisoned many of the male refugees over the age of fourteen as possible combatants or spies. Budapest and Warsaw are practically being overrun by starving refugees—their own economic situation wasn’t that good to begin with, without another extra quarter of a million hungry mouths added to it. And now the Russian government is threatening to punish any country that does not treat the Russian refugees with compassion.”

  Fogelman commented, “Their economic policies and threat of war forces the Russian people to flee the cities, and then they warn other countries to be nice to them or else? What total buttholes.”

  “The warning was primarily aimed at Romania, which has been virtually holding the refugees hostage as the Dniester crisis escalates,” Pierce pointed out. “But here’s something I know you haven’t seen in ‘Aviation Leak’ magazine yet.” Pierce put up a slide with some satellite photos of a large military air base, with very large aircraft lined up in exhaust-blacked parking spots. “Here’s what else the Russians are doing—this time in our own backyard. This is San Juan de los Baños military air base, south of Havana, the largest Soviet-built airfield in Cuba. Apparently in response to the so-called goodwill visit by the U.S. Navy into the Black Sea, Russia has sent Backfire bombers into Cuba again and based them here, as they did up until 1992.

  “The Russians call them ‘maritime reconnaissance’ planes, and in fact no offensive weapons have yet to be detected, but of course the Russians would be able to move a large number of land attack and antiship cruise missiles into Cuba very easily. So far we count six Tupolev-22M Backfire-C bombers, plus two Il-78 Midas tanker aircraft. The Backfire-Cs have a reconnaissance capability, but they are primarily dash-and-flash bombers. They can carry every weapon in the Russian arsenal, including nuclear and conventional cruise missiles.”

  “Not much of an offensive force,” one of the flight pilots said with a bit of bravado. “The Black Knights can probably take out San Juan de los Baños and all the planes with a sneeze. What about fighters?”

  “Well, San Juan de los Baños is also the headquarters of the twenty Mikoyan-Gurevich-29 fighters remaining in the Cuban arsenal—they lose about five planes per year during training missions,” Pierce said with a faint smile. “The -29s are the top-of-the-line counter-air fighters, and they have a full ground attack capability and aerial-refueling capability as well. The Cubans also have about three hundred various other fighters deployed around the island, but they put their money in the MiG-29s for sure. Half the Cuban arsenal of surface-to-air missile units is in the Havana area as well.

  “That’s for air-base defense. The Russians have stationed three MiG-29 or MiG-31 fighters in Cuba for every bomber as possible bomber escorts. You’ll notice during Hell Week that the 134th Green Mountain Boys from Burlington won’t be playing with you—they’re all committed to air defense duties. Some Backfires have been flying as far north as Newfoundland on their coastal patrols. What do you think of your chances now?” The pilot who made the smug remark was silent. The MiG-29 and -31 were the Russians’ top-of-the-line jet fighters, almost as good as the American F-15 Eagle and nearly a generation better than the F-111. Not even the Vampire’s low-level supersonic capabilities would be a match for a MiG-29 if they got caught over open ocean.

  “Christ, I feel like I’m watching TV from the sixties,” Larry Tobias said. “Most of you punks probably don’t remember the Cuban Missile Crisis, but I do—and this is just like it.”

  “The Russians have been quiet since the coup in 1991, and they’re coming out again in a big way,” Pierce concluded. “Bottom line: things are getting pretty bleak over in Europe, and if the two most powerful republics of the former Soviet Union start slugging it out for real, it’s anybody’s guess what will happen. Russia has committed itself to asserting its position with military force, including in the Western Hemisphere.”

  “Now, wait a minute, Major Pierce,” Major Jamieson said between gulps of coffee. “You’re the intel officer here—you’re supposed to guess about what’s going to happen, or at least pass on what the powers-that-be think is going to happen. Don’t cop out on us—tell us.”

  “Our job is not to give you opinions, Ben,” Pierce replied. “We only give you the latest facts.”

  “Yeah, right. Okay, tell us your opinion. Are we going to get involved in a fight in Europe?”

  The question obviously made Tom Pierce uncomfortable. Even nervous. Furness could see the anxiety in his face. “All right, I’ll tell you my opinion for what it’s worth: the Ukraine is the darling of the West right now, especially the United States. Russia has been dragging its heels with economic reforms, while the Ukraine is opening consulates and trade offices all over the place in an attempt to attract foreign investors. While Russia still hasn’t cut back its conventional military forces according to the Conventional-Forces-in-Europe-Treaty
, Ukraine has fully complied—they have scrapped over ten thousand tanks and other armored military vehicles in just the past two years, plus they halted the sale of that half-completed aircraft carrier to mainland China. And while Russia still maintains a substantial nuclear force, including battlefield nuclear weapons, the Ukraine got the United Nations to certify it as a nuclear-free nation late last year. Besides applying for membership in the NATO alliance, there’s talk of the Ukraine joining the European Economic Community—the Ukraine wants to do this because they’ve been under Russia’s thumb for hundreds of years, and a new alignment with the West would help them prosper.”

  “So we like the Ukraine better than Russia—nothing earth-shattering about that idea,” Jamieson said. “But what’s going to come of it? What’s the chance of a war between Russia and the Ukraine—and U.S. military intervention?”

  Pierce nodded thoughtfully, then shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Russia has made it clear that they consider ethnic unrest and foreign military influence in the former Soviet republics a major threat to their sovereignty. They have pledged to use every means at their disposal, including nuclear battlefield weapons, to protect Russians living in the former republics and to secure their borders. Now, they haven’t made any threats or done anything to suggest they’re ready to start a full-scale war, but Velichko has made his intentions plain. There’s obviously a power struggle going on between the civilian and military leaders in Russia, and it has yet to run its course.

  “So,” he continued, “what if war does break out? The Ukraine has a pretty potent military force, even with all the downsizing and civilian conversion they’ve been doing, but of course they couldn’t stand up for long against Russia, and everyone knows it. Despite their differences, the Ukraine and Russia are still tied pretty closely together economically, socially, diplomatically, politically, every which way—and no one thinks that the Ukraine wants a war.

  “But now we got three U.S. warships making a port call in Odessa this week—they call it a goodwill visit, although the timing of this whole visit creates anything but goodwill in the area—and the balance-of-power shift those ships create could push someone over the edge. Russia has repeatedly warned the U.S. about getting involved in the crisis.”

  “The President’s an asshole,” Mark Fogelman interjected. For once, Rebecca had to agree with him. “Didn’t he realize how dangerous and how provocative that can be?”

  “Like Russia sending Bear and Backfire bombers into Cuba again?” Tobias interjected. “It looks like a lot of government leaders around the world are being pretty stupid. But the President had to do something.”

  “Yeah. Twist the tiger’s tail,” Fogelman said in disgust. “Piss off the Russkies so they have to respond.”

  With all the concern and agitation Colonel Hembree seemed to be expressing that morning, Rebecca wanted to know if the crisis in Europe had anything to do with Hembree’s near-manic emphasis on readiness, but she put that question on her mind’s back burner as Pierce began describing yet another potential world crisis.

  “The point of all this malarkey,” Major Pierce said in conclusion, “is that there are lots of other forces alive and strong in the world right now, not just the United States, and they have their own plans for the New World Order. We are most certainly the strongest superpower in the world, but that is mostly in terms of military size and industrial potential, and even that is shrinking. If we go at it, we might very well go at it alone.”

  A fairly ominous picture, Furness thought, from a man usually upbeat. She made a point of intercepting him as he was heading out the door after completing his briefing: “Hey, Tom, you giving up on the human race, or what?”

  “Uh, no, Becky. No, nothing like that,” Pierce said. “The Wing King is really concerned about events between Ukraine and Russia. He wants situation briefings every morning and every couple hours, which means I’m in here by five A.M. every day. He wants the worst case, too, and I’ve been inundated by some pretty serious stuff lately.”

  “Are you concerned about us deploying or something, Tom? I’ve had this feeling lately. Everyone’s uptight, but no one’s coming clean. Has the General been getting any messages, any directives?”

  “Whoa, whoa, Becky, you’re asking the wrong dude. I know nothing, nnnothssing,” Pierce replied, imitating Sergeant Shultz of Hogan’s Heroes fame to emphasize the last part of his too-emphatic denial. “I just report the news, not make it. Talk to the Wing King yourself—he might just tell you. Gotta go. See ya.” He gave her a mind-blowing smile and quickly departed.

  Well, the last thing she needed to do, Furness thought, was to meet with the wing commander and talk about world problems, especially after the day she was having. Better to wait until nearer the end of Hell Week, after a few good flights and a no-writeup inspection before trying to get any information from the brass.

  But … the feeling of uneasiness persisted. It was a feeling, Rebecca Furness realized, that both excited and frightened her. She tried to shake it out of her head and walked on.

  SIXTEEN

  After the latest intelligence briefings had concluded, the squadron members reported back to the squadron, where the next day’s ATO, or Air Tasking Order, was just being posted. The Air Tasking Order was the unit’s game plan, detailing the location and mission of every aircraft involved in an operation. The usual plan was for Alpha Flight aircrews to launch as soon as possible, with the first six aircraft that were ready to go. Bravo Flight would follow in the next six aircraft, but they would accomplish a strike or reconnaissance mission first, then recover at the “deployment” base. Charlie Flight in the last six planes could do either role, but, because they had the least-experienced crews, was usually tasked to bring more weapons and spare parts for the other planes.

  The other units within the Fifth Air Battle Force, the composite-force unit headquartered at Plattsburgh, would contribute to the week-long exercise as well, although, except for the 336th Air Refueling Squadron’s KC-135 tankers, none of the other squadrons were based at Plattsburgh. The F-16 C- and D-model multirole fighters from the 134th Fighter Squadron at Burlington Airport, which had long-range interceptor, tactical air superiority, precision bombing, and close-air support versions of the single-engine fighter, would play a dual role in this operation: some would act as escorts for the bombers, while others would play enemy fighters and try to hunt down the bombers while they made their bomb runs. The Wing also used C-130E Hercules transports of the 328th Airlift Squadron based at Niagara Falls International Airport, C-141 Starlifter transports from the 756th Airlift Squadron in Maryland, and C-5A Galaxy transports from the 337th Airlift Squadron in Massachusetts, to practice loading deployment equipment. Sometimes they also practiced joint deployments with A-10 Thunderbolt attack squadrons and even Navy and Marine Corps Reserve units, practicing the important task of joint air operations.

  All this was known as the “surge,” the most important aspect of the unit’s mission—the ability to get a combat tasking order, deploy in the fastest way possible, set up shop at another location, strike targets in just a few short hours after notification, then conduct continuous strike and tactical reconnaissance operations with only the bare essentials until the rest of the Wing arrived. With the drastic downsizing of the U.S. military and the reliance on Reserve forces for national defense, rapidly mobilizing, deploying, and operating inactive combat units was more important than ever.

  Lieutenant Colonel Hembree, Lieutenant Colonel Katz, and the Wing Operations staff had already broken down the Air Tasking Order when they arrived back at the squadron building. In the staff meeting that began a few minutes later, Hembree laid out the plan. “Ben Jamieson’s flight is already headed out to the aircraft,” he began. “So far the first six airframes look pretty good—they should be ‘deploying’ by sundown. The new MG jumped the gun and started generating bombers and tankers early, but the General obviously likes his ideas, so we’re ahead of the game this morning. />
  “Bravo Flight’s attack stream will be launching at about seven A.M. We’re looking at two radar bombing platforms, one GBU-15 bomber, two PAVE TACK bombers, and one recon bird in Bravo Flight. The GBU and PAVE TACK planes will have live weapons on board, one GBU-15 and two GBU-24s—Headquarters finally came through and got us a few real bombs to play with, so I want to be able to tell the boss that they weren’t wasted. Charlie Flight will be all strike—two laser, four radar, with one GBU-12 and one Mk-84 shape per laser plane. They say more live bombs may be authorized this week.” Employing all these precision-guided weapons during a Hell Week was very rare. “The recon bird from Bravo Flight will quick-turn and fly photo recon for both strike packages. Rebecca, that’ll be you.” Hembree put up a slide on an overhead projector, which showed the schedule of activity for each flight.

  Furness was disappointed. In a real-world attack, the first planes over the target were the most important—the first hits had to be deadly to minimize the threat for the rest of the squadron following behind—so you sent your best troops first. Flight commanders usually led the strike packages using the PAVE TACK pod, a combination infrared seeker and laser designator designed to deliver laser-guided bombs with pinpoint precision. The flight commanders were supposed to lead, not come in after the “bad guys” had already been blown away. Flying photo reconnaissance was an important function of every combat operation, but that task was usually left to someone else in the flight.

  Not only that, but they had real bombs to use in this surge.

  She copied the critical times off the ATO for her flight, double-checking the numbers and weapon loads. “I’ll expect package briefings from the flight commanders at sixteen hundred hours,” Hembree continued. “I present the packages to the General at five, and then I’ll come back with any changes. Questions?” There were none. “Okay, let’s do it.”