by James Rosone
As the renovation was finalized, a battalion of HQ-9 Red Banner surface-to-air missile systems was slated to arrive in port in the coming weeks. It had taken nearly two years to complete, but the air base had been completely transformed into a full-fledged front-line military base should it ever need to be used as one.
Colonel Jerez marveled at how this dilapidated Soviet-era base had been transformed into a real, modernized facility. Turning to look at his Chinese counterpart, Jerez mentioned, “You know, when our pilots start their new training routines, we will begin to encounter American aircraft. We practically share a border with them—they will observe virtually everything we do.”
The Chinese colonel nodded. “You are probably right. But look at it this way, Colonel. It will be good training for your pilots. Our plan to conduct most of our training in the southwestern Caribbean will help shield you from any issues with them. It does present us a unique opportunity to test their response times when we start our practice attack runs on their oil rigs in the Gulf. It is, after all, international waters.”
Laughing at the suggestion, Colonel Jerez commented, “That will be fun indeed. Come, let’s head into town for some lunch. We have much to talk about before we start our next training evolution.”
*******
Phenix City, Alabama
As the stick of butter melted in the hot iron skillets, Staff Sergeant Amos Dekker crushed several cloves of garlic with the flat side of his chef’s knife. He dropped the morsels in the sizzling butter, then threw some thyme down on the skillets. He grabbed both three-pound Châteaubriand steaks and placed them in the skillets with his buttery garlic-and-thyme sauce.
The steaks sizzled nicely. One by one, Amos tilted the skillets to one side, the butter pooling around the meat. He used a spoon to baste the steaks for sixty seconds as he let the heat give the beef a good sear. Then he flipped the steaks over to allow the other side to face the heat and the garlic to get seared into the meat.
“Damn, that is starting to look good,” commented Captain Allen Meacham as he handed Amos a fresh beer.
“It’s all about getting a good sear on each side of the steak before you place it in the oven. This keeps the juices trapped inside as they heat up and cook the steak from within,” Amos replied.
“How much longer until it’s done?” asked one of the other staff sergeants.
“Oh, I’d say another twenty minutes or so,” Amos replied. With a solid sear on all sides of the large pieces of beef, he placed a thin strip of butter across the entire steaks along with a few additional cloves of garlic and more thyme. He opened the oven and placed them in, setting a timer.
Turning around to face his friends as he lifted his beer, Amos announced, “In twenty minutes, you all are about to have the finest homemade steak of your lives.”
The guys cheered him while the wives sat in the other room, talking amongst themselves.
Amos walked up to Captain Meacham. “This was really nice of you, sir, to buying fancy steak like this.”
Allen shrugged. “It’s my way of saying thank you for an outstanding job these last few months. We’ve been gone from our friends and families for a while. It’s time the company took some downtime and reconnected before we go back on the training rotation.”
“You won’t get any disagreements from me. Any idea where we’ll be sent next?” Amos tried to inquire.
“Who knows? The way things are going with China, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up in a shooting war against them soon. They seem to be an unstoppable juggernaut right now,” Allen replied.
“Sir, any chance you can get us some additional range time? I’d like to have the platoon work through the new rifles we’re being outfitted with some more,” asked Sergeant First Class Tim Hill, the platoon sergeant.
“Yeah, those new Sig Sauer 6.8mm rifles are awesome. A seriously needed improvement if you ask me,” added Dekker.
Their entire battalion had just been issued the Army’s new next-generation squad weapon. The new rifles were being issued to all the Special Forces units first and then a handful of top tier divisions like the 82nd Airborne and the 101st Air Assault. Then as more became available they’d be integrated into the other infantry brigade combat teams before the Army’s standard M4s would be fully phased out.
“Hey, everyone, no work talk. This is supposed to be a day off. Good food, lots of beer and fast women,” chided Sergeant Hill’s wife flirtatiously.
The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur as the NCOs and officers of Bravo company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Rangers held their end-of-deployment party. It had been a long three months—now it was time to cut loose and reconnect with family and friends before they started the next train-up routine and went back into the deployment hopper.
Chapter Ten
For the People
April 2023
Palace of the Revolution
Havana, Cuba
First Secretary Salvador Mesa-Díaz took another puff from his cigar as he reviewed the latest petrol report from the Cuba Oil Union or CUPET. It was the beginning of July and this was their first quarter with all the refineries and offshore rigs running at one hundred percent. They were now extracting more oil in a single month than they had in the previous two years combined. Next month, they would receive their first payment from the cobalt mine. That money alone would equal what they were generating from oil.
Flipping to the last page of the report, Mesa-Díaz found the financial figures he wanted. Even with oil prices as low as they were, the government was set to earn more in a single quarter than they had the previous year. They were going from a GDP of $100 billion annually to $112 billion in a single quarter. The cobalt mine would double that.
“Diego, I would like you to draft a proposal to triple the salaries of everyone in the country, effective immediately,” First-Secretary Mesa-Diaz explained. “With our newfound wealth, and with some of the other initiatives you are proposing, we should silence our critics and maintain the hearts of the people.”
Diego Ventura, the First Vice President of the Council of State, smiled at the news that it would be him announcing the new changes—that would go a long way toward solidifying his image with the people.
“Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I agree, we will need the people on our side as the Americans ramp up the pressure on both us and the Chinese.”
The leader of Cuba smiled at the younger man. “Diego, one day, you will succeed me. It is important that we start to get the people as familiar with you as they are with me. We also need to prepare our people for the coming struggle that is sure to ensue between us and the Yankees. We need them to understand it will be the Americans taking away this newfound wealth of theirs if they force the Chinese to leave our country and reimpose their embargo on us. We also need to begin the transition of power from me to you. I am not a young man anymore. We are headed for some troubling times and we will need you at the helm.”
Diego beamed at the news. The two of them had talked about the transfer of power before, but nothing had been set in stone.
“Perhaps we can make the transition next month if that’s not too early. Then, as my first act as leader, I can announce the tripling of salaries. This will rally the people to me as the new leader before the Americans start to take notice of our country.”
Mesa-Díaz chuckled at how quickly his protégé wanted to get things going. In all honesty, it wasn’t a bad idea. It would be best for Diego to be the face of this newfound economic success and not him. It would ensure his own legacy as well.
Looking at Diego, Mesa-Díaz smiled. “You know, that should work, Diego. I think that is a good plan. Now, let’s talk about this proposal you’ve been chomping at the bit to talk about.”
Diego placed his cigar on an ashtray. “Mr. Secretary, have you given the Chinese proposal any further thought?” he asked in a formal tone.
Mesa-Díaz sighed inwardly as he nodded. Despite the years of tutelage, the younger man still had
much to learn about the political realities between Cuba and the US.
Mesa-Díaz looked at his protégé. “I have. Before I render my thoughts on it, I would like to hear your thoughts on what I asked you to consider when we last spoke on this. You will, after all, be the leader of Cuba, so this will soon become your decision and not mine.”
Diego did not seem pleased with the delay but nodded in agreement. “The pros are obvious. The partnership with the Chinese would bring in substantial income to the Casablanca ward of Havana, both with the sailors that would be stationed there and from the increased number of people who would be employed by them. It would also give our sailors the opportunity to train with another professional navy. Having a Chinese naval presence in Cuba would give us increased standing in the region and provide our country with further protection against Yankee aggression—”
“And the cons of having a permanent Chinese military presence on Cuba?” interrupted Mesa-Díaz.
“The cons are the increased pressure on us by the Americans. If I may, Salvador—I know we don’t want increased scrutiny from the Americans, but this is our chance to reclaim our former glory. The Chinese ambassador said that in the coming months, the Americans will fall into an economic collapse. Their attention will be focused elsewhere. If this truly happens, then that will be our chance to make a bold move,” Diego said urgently.
Mesa-Díaz took another puff from his cigar as he nodded. “I don’t disagree with you on the timing and the Americans being distracted. But let me ask you this, Diego. Who are the Americans focusing their attention on right now, globally, and here in the Caribbean?”
“China and Venezuela,” answered Diego.
“Exactly. If we lease a naval or air base to the Chinese, how will the Americans view that? What do you believe the Americans will do to us? Right now, we are experiencing an economic boon from oil and the refinement of that oil. Soon, our cobalt mine opens, which will only add to our wealth. This is why I think your earlier idea of accepting the purchase of military equipment and then advisors and trainers is a brilliant idea, and it’s why I believe we should firmly and publicly reject their proposal for a permanent base. By rejecting their basing request, we deceive the Americans into believing we have a strained relationship with them, when in fact we are deepening the ties that bind us together.”
Mesa-Díaz pressed his point further. “Right now, Diego, we already have to contend with the economic embargo of our oil and refined goods by the Americans, so China is our only steady customer. If we moved forward with your proposal for a military base, how much tougher do you think the Americans will make it on us?”
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Then Diego finally nodded. “I see your point,” he said and then sighed in frustration. “These damn Yankees are hell-bent on making the lives of our people as miserable as they can, aren’t they?”
Mesa-Díaz chuckled. “You are a young man, Diego. I can assure you, the Americans could make it much harder on us if they wanted to. Right now, we have to play the long game. Look at what China and Vietnam have done. They are our communist brothers, but they found a way to succeed and develop a working relationship with the Americans, even if it’s adversarial at times. You, Diego, will be the future of Cuba soon. You need to follow in their footsteps so the people of Cuba can experience a better life. If we stick to the old ways, we will become trapped like the Iranians, the North Koreans, and now Venezuela. We just became wealthy from oil and, soon, rare earth minerals. We need to tread carefully with the Americans so we can expand that wealth for our people.”
Diego shook his head in frustration but bit his tongue.
“I know you are irritated by this, Diego. But understand you are playing chess, not checkers, with the Americans. Even wounded, they can still be dangerous. Let’s stick to the original plan of allowing the Chinese to have advisors and trainers here. It’ll accomplish a lot of what you had originally wanted without the headaches of having a permanent base.”
*******
July 2023
National Security Council
Pentagon
Arlington, Virginia
Deputy National Security Advisor Katrina Roets sat back in her chair as the final briefer wrapped up his presentation.
Take the Latin American desk, they said…build up your national security bona fides, they said. Now it looks like it’s gearing up to be the hottest location since the invasion of Iraq, she thought.
“Do you have any specific questions, ma’am?” the briefer asked, concluding his portion of today’s meeting.
Katrina did have a question. She had many questions, like “Why did I agree to take on the Latin American desk?”
“I sure do,” she said aloud. “First off, why are we only now learning about this apparent military modernization program going on in Cuba? Shouldn’t this have been brought up in past briefings?”
The briefer’s face flushed a bit as he looked at his boss, a man sitting four seats down from Katrina. He nodded as if giving some unspoken cue.
The briefer responded, “Our focus has been on drug cartels and the migrant caravans originating out of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. We don’t have the assets needed to monitor everything going on in some of these countries.”
Roets sighed to herself. She knew the man was right. Of all the deputy advisors on the NSC, she probably had the least resources.
“I get that we’re overworked and understaffed,” Roets replied. “But this seems like a big deal to fall through the cracks. I have a meeting with the boss this afternoon. I’ll speak with him about getting additional staff, or at least the ability to issue some outside taskings.”
Roets paused for a moment. She looked at the map of Cuba before adding, “If I’m understanding this correctly, the Chinese delivered a squadron of F-10As, the export version of the J-10 fighters, to the San Antonio de los Baños air base. Do the Cubans even know how to fly an aircraft like this?”
The briefer nodded. “Yes, they can fly them. An Agency asset in Cuba published a report about this a week ago. Apparently, the decrease in Cuban Air Force activity the last couple of years can now be attributed to them sending most of their pilots to China. The Chinese put the Cuban pilots through their own pilot training program. We suspect the pilots are continuing their training now that they’re back in Cuba. Some of the aircraft spotted by our satellites are the F-10S versions of the plane, which is a tandem-seat trainer. They’ll likely continue their training with the new aircraft.”
“If I could add something,” said Tim Fengel, speaking for the first time. Tim was her liaison rep from the Defense Intelligence Agency. While he covered Latin America, he was an actual Cuba expert with more than ten years’ field experience during the time that he lived in Cuba as a spy.
“Sure, Tim. I’d love to hear DIA’s position on this.”
“The Chinese have sold them quite a few F-10s. We recently learned that this military sale was substantially larger than initially thought. It’s actually three squadrons of F-10s, and two squadrons of J-11s. It’ll bring their air force up to eighty front-line modern aircraft. But if I may, this is much bigger than fighters. Everyone knows about the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. For years, because of continued problems with the Iranians, the Chinese have been looking for a source of oil outside the Middle East.
“There are substantial oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Straits of Florida. The Venezuelans have the world’s largest proven oil reserves. Both countries also have rare-earth minerals, something the Chinese are always looking to control. In Cuba, they recently discovered cobalt. In Venezuela, it’s coltan.”
“Let me stop you there, Tim. I can buy the logic of the Chinese looking for oil outside of the Middle East, and the rare-earth minerals. But what do those resources have to do with the Chinese military arming and modernizing these two countries?” Roets asked impatiently.
“Over the last ten years, we’ve seen the Chinese Navy set u
p several overseas bases along what they’re calling the Silk Road. Their navy has established either an official or an unofficial base in Cambodia, Myanmar, Djibouti, and more recently Sri Lanka to support the protection of their transports ferrying goods and resources to and from Europe, East Africa and the Middle East.
“We’re still verifying this other piece of information with several of our local assets. But it would appear the government of Panama may be signing an agreement with the PLA to allow their ships to make port calls, refuel, and take on provisions in Panama. We’ve also heard rumors that the PLA may be signing a similar deal with Venezuela and Cuba soon as well.”
Katrina sat forward in her chair, interrupting him again. “Whoa, hold up, Tim. You’re saying the DIA’s sources in Panama, Venezuela, and Cuba are telling you these governments may be signing a basing agreement with the Chinese? This would be completely contrary to the Monroe Doctrine if they did this. I’m not sure the President will go along with this—especially given the trade war we’re in with China.”
“I agree, Katrina. This would be a big deal. it also could be part of the trade war negotiations too. You know, work a better deal for themselves or they’ll move forward with setting up shop in our backyard,” Tim countered.
Katrina thought, I need to talk with the boss about all this. Maybe he knows something I don’t.
*******
Later That Day
White House
Blain Wilson, the National Security Advisor, returned from using the White House gym. He had gone through his CrossFit routine and then spent another twenty minutes running sprints on the treadmill. The job of National Security Advisor to the President was a tough and stressful position. Wilson knew if he planned to work these long hours, he needed to develop a physical fitness routine that would allow him to relieve the stress of the job and keep him physically active.