by Van Torrey
In the next thirty minutes, both the DNI and the Director of Central Intelligence took the National Security Team through an exhaustive, step-by-step sequence of what happened at the fateful dinner in Beijing, up to and including finding the North Korean Foreign Minister dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Raymond Rollins concluded with, “Ballistics leaves no doubt that the President’s assailant was the lone shooter and his gun jammed, perhaps sparing others in the process. There is also no doubt that the Foreign Minister took his own life with the gun we found with him. The weapons had been stolen from Chinese security people and were old military surplus, probably from Yugoslavia. There is no evidence that Chinese security was complicit in the scheme, if there was one, and I say that because we have no motive.”
“But Ray, these things don’t just happen...there must be a motive,” offered Alexander Randolph.
“Correct,” said Marilyn Mitchell. “We’re still working on this. As you all know, we have very little intelligence about the DPRK and the situation is made more difficult by the recent regime change there. All these things are working together to make a difficult situation even more so,” she concluded.
Secretary of Defense Justin Roberts asked to be heard. “Ms. President, I have been a soldier and a diplomat. Although I never practiced law, I have a law degree. I have been trying to look at this situation for all those diverse perspectives. I have come to the unwavering conclusion it would be improbable that a relatively unsophisticated diplomat, such as the Foreign Minister of a country that has so few diplomatic encounters, could operate independently without direction from higher authority. I believe this was a state-directed killing. In addition, the fact there seems to be no motive that we can understand, is also consistent with the unpredictable behavior the world has come to expect from the DPRK.”
“How does this dovetail with the recent change of leadership there?” asked Rachel Hunter.
“Ms. President, I have zero faith that the new strongman there is any more of a Boy Scout than his predecessors. Same do-do, different day,” the Secretary concluded.
“How about from your perspective?” Hunter asked Secretary of State Randolph.
“Ms. President my diplomatic team has reported nothing coming from anywhere trying to explain or justify any actions taken in Beijing by this diplomat. If this was simply some tragic outcome by a rogue operative of the DPRK, logic and diplomatic chatter would have revealed something by now. We listen, make discrete inquiries, and hear nothing. Outside of flying to the DPRK and confronting Fhang himself, I can’t suggest anything else,” Randolph concluded.
“Thank you, gentlemen. Unless we receive some conflicting evidence soon, I will agree with that assessment,” replied Hunter. At that same moment Rachel Hunter caught herself and was reminded of the lecture she had heard years ago from Admiral Morgan about “flawed conclusions.” What was the motive? There has to be a motive, she thought.
After some additional conversation and conjecture during which no conclusions were advanced beyond what was mostly unknown, Rachel Hunter felt it was time to exert some strong leadership and establish herself as the Commander-in-Chief in addition to the Chief Executive, two roles of the Presidency that sometimes were separate by definition.
“Gentlemen...please pardon being included in a male salutation Marilyn,” she smiled faintly. “I want to try for these to be semi-formal...”
“That’s fine Ms. President. I’m not sensitive about that,” replied Marilyn Mitchell pleasantly.
“Gentlemen,” Rachel continued, “unless there is some constructive dissenting opinion here, I am inclined to view the murder of Jonathan Braxton as an act of international terrorism, and I intend to present it to the diplomatic community and the news media as such. I do not feel we should be coy about this or use political words-of-art in our description of this dastardly act. We will refer to this unabashedly as a “terrorist assassination”. Unfortunately, the big loose end here is our lack of information about a motive.”
Based on the unanimous nods of approval from the members of the National Security Team, Rachel felt she was moving ahead appropriately and continued, “Furthermore, if we don’t make an immediate and appropriate response, we invite similar attacks from others who mean us harm. If we can all agree on this, the questions of a response then become in what form, and against whom. I’m open to suggestions.”
“If I may,” replied Justin Roberts, “there is substantial precedent from previous administrations to use stealthy drones, or UAVs, in a role of ordnance delivery for targeted killings of specific individuals. We certainly have the technology for this. It has actually been steadily improved over the years. We could employ it as a measured response. Once we identify an individual or group, we use what we call tag-and-track visual technology to find the target even when the drone is flying undetected at several thousand feet altitude. Once authorized, we fire a missile guided by the tag-and-track software and the target is soon blown to so many smithereens that you have to pick ‘em up with a spoon.”
After a moment of nervous, subdued laughter by the group Rachel Hunter replied, “Well, Justin, that was pretty succinct, and most graphic. It leaves little to the imagination.”
“If you subscribe to the eye-for-an-eye protocol, this seems like an appropriate response,” remarked Alexander Randolph. “I can’t really fault it. If you all agree with the how, who do we go after?”
Once again, Rachel Hunter took the lead. “I would prefer not to go after General Fhang, whoever he is,” she said. “I think this is taking the eye-for-an-eye thing a little too far at this point. More specifically, I’m afraid this might be a somewhat too provocative and inappropriate, given the DPRK’s client relationship with the People’s Republic of China. So...who is number two,...or so? But definitely someone who will get Fhang’s attention when we take him out?”
Secretary of State Randolph replied, “Given the fluid situation in North Korea, Ms. President, I’m afraid I don’t have a handle on that. Perhaps CIA can help us with who the current movers and shakers are. Be that as it may, may I suggest a strategy as this activity relates to the PRC? If and when we pull the trigger on this, no pun intended, I believe it will be important for us to consult with some of the parties in the area immediately after the fact, explaining precisely what we did and why we did it. Such a cautionary move will reassure our friends that this was not some cowboy-type reaction that is not well understood, and perhaps seen by them as a potential threat.”
“Point well taken,” replied Philip Johnson, momentarily removing the pressure from Rachel Hunter to make or approve every move. “I would suggest doing this at the ambassadorial level with the PRC Foreign Minister. This way we don’t risk dirtying the Premier’s hands with such messy information. Same with Japan. Needless to say, we should consult in advance with the South Koreans.”
After more discussion about strategy and contingencies surrounding such an operation, Rachel Hunter sensed she had a consensus within her National Security Team. That was the all important first step. The next thing was for the DNI and CIA to come up with an appropriate target and for the Air Force to plan the mission. Due to the uncertainty of developing a human target, President Hunter left the deadline for presentation of the operations plan open, but requested she be given something “soonest.” To her staff, this meant pulling out all the stops and working all-nighters until the drone targeting mission op-order was signed by the President and executed.
*
Since CIA had no reliable Human Intelligence, HUMINT, assets working in the DPRK, it had to rely on satellite imagery and occasional propaganda films, such as those showing North Korean leadership reviewing the many military parades that had taken place during the latter phases of the Chong regime and the early stage of General Fhang’s takeover. By comparing the faces and positioning of Fhang’s subordinates on the parade reviewing stand by photo analysis and superimposing knowledge of certain specific individuals mined from databases c
arefully built over the years, a rough outline of the current DPRK leadership hierarchy could be determined. There were other sources of information as well. The delegation to the recent Beijing Arms Talks was well known and changed from time-to-time when certain technical issues were up for discussion. The South Koreans had met on many occasions with North Korean counterparts to discuss and defuse various border issues along the truce-line of the 38th Parallel, the cornerstone of the 1953 armistice agreement ending the war. Finally, unlike the American CIA, the South Korean military and intelligence apparatus had been able to infiltrate the North Korean military and political hierarchy with covert intelligence operatives who, courageously and clandestinely, were able to get valuable intelligence data back to Seoul on a regular basis. Of course, the North Koreans had spies in South Korea as well, with the end result being both sides knowing a great deal of secret information about each other.
The CIA turned to South Korea’s intelligence apparatus for help in trying to identify a valuable human target that might be close enough to General Fhang to send a message that any further attempts on American officials would mean certain doom for him personally. The rationale would be that if the U.S. could suddenly take out someone close to him with no warning, even with tight DPRK security in place, the U.S. could potentially get General Fhang in the same manner. Such knowledge would have Fhang constantly looking over his shoulder, with the hope stress would soon start to take its toll on his daily actions and decision-making. Few can function rationally while constantly looking for eminent death around every corner.
*
Marilyn Mitchell’s second-in-command in the CIA, Deputy Director - Intelligence (DDI), Monroe Proctor, met privately with his counterpart Colonel Jong Duk-sung, in the private conference room of CINCPAC Admiral Thomas Fletcher at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. The subject of their conference was deemed so secret that Marilyn Mitchell and her nominal boss, Raymond Rollins, opted for a face-to-face meeting rather than diplomatic cables or secure video-conferencing. Too much was at stake for any breach of security or misunderstanding.
The South Korean intel operator began the meeting after perfunctory greetings. “Mr. Proctor, our opinion is there are two potential human targets that meet your criteria for a drone strike against the DPRK leadership. One is General Fhang’s Deputy President, the equivalent of your Vice-President, and the other is his brother, Colonel Fhang Woo-jo, who, after the removal of the Chongs in the recent coup d’état, became head of the DPRK dreaded Ministry of People’s Security, which is basically their version of the Secret Police, much like the Russian NKVD or the Nazi SS villains of years ago. Many say he is the most feared man in North Korea, even more so than General Fhang himself.”
“Do we have good enough information on either for us to pick up a track and target them with a drone?” asked Proctor. “Either sounds like good potential,” he added.
The Korean intel chief looked at his counterpart with a grim smile and said, “We know enough about the personal habits of both of these men to predict with great accuracy where they will be and when.”
“And how do get this information, if I may ask?” replied Proctor.
“Mr. Proctor, to use an old humorous cliché that originated within your intelligence community, “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” replied Lee. “Let’s just say that we have impeccable sources that we have developed with great patience and difficulty over time, and at great expense. They have never failed me.”
“Yes, having impeccable sources of other’s secrets almost always means that things are never completely as they seem to those who hold those secrets at the other end.” At that the Korean slowly nodded in agreement, and Proctor continued, “That’s what keeps men like us awake at night, Mr. Lee.”
*
Monroe Proctor met with Director Marilyn Mitchell at CIA Headquarters in Langley immediately after returning from Hawaii and his meeting with Colonel Lee. “I am impressed with how much the South Koreans know about the goings on in the dark corners of Pyongyang,” remarked Proctor to the DCI. “They probably know a great deal more than they are sharing with us, but they are much closer to the situation and have a higher stake in the game. Can’t say I blame them for holding some things close.”
“So, do you have a recommendation I can take to the DNI and President Hunter?”
“Yes, ma’am. Based on what the South Koreans say, there are two good choices. Fhang’s deputy, who recently went to Beijing and met at least their Foreign Minister after the assassination, and Fhang’s brother, his closest relative and confidant and also the head of the DPRK Secret Police. These guys seem to be the top three in control in North Korea at the moment.”
“And the winner is...?” asked Marilyn lightly.
“Colonel Fhang Woo-jo, being his brother, is, I feel, the better target, and the one that would rattle General Fhang the most. He is arrogant in his new role as having virtually unlimited power and does not try to disguise his movements or alter his daily routine...except for one thing. He is apparently seeing, in a romantic way, a certain Ms. Yong, the young secretary and personal assistant to General Fhang. The General would probably disapprove of such an intertwining relationship as there are likely matters of state that Fhang would prefer his brother not know. According to the South Korean intel guys, the Fhang brothers’ relationship is not exactly a reprise of the Kennedy brothers’ mutual-trust partnership.”
“Woo-jo has moved Miss Yong into a new, stylish apartment not far from the executive compound and he is driven there in his personal car late on many evenings. Sometimes he stays there, other times they go to dinner or to his apartment, but always in his personal car, a late model Mercedes Benz.”
“This is almost the perfect setup for us,” replied the DCI. “Once a surveillance drone picks up on that vehicle, we can I.D. it at day or night and hit it at the most opportune time. They’ll never know what hit them, as if will matter,” she said grimly.
“If I may say further, Director, I think the ideal situation, the one causing the most personal despair, anger, and subsequent angst for General Fhang, as well as significant professional disruption, would be to hit the brother when he is with his mistress while traveling in his car. In addition, such an event could not be hidden from public view, meaning that ordinary citizens could see General Fhang’s vulnerability in the early stages of his power grab.”
After some moments of silence, during which Director Mitchell considered the reasoning, implementation, and actual logistics behind the proposed drone strike operation being proposed by her deputy, she agreed it was a sound plan. It was simple, directed at an appropriate human target, although Ms. Yong would unfortunately become collateral damage, and technologically doable. The big difference here would be, unlike the shooting of President Braxton in Beijing, which was done like an old fashioned mafia-style hit where the shooting was carried out in front of multiple witnesses by a hired hit man, the source of this would be many times more violent and the stealthy trigger-man of this execution would likely never be known.
“Great job on this Mr. Proctor. I’m comfortable with everything you are recommending here. I’ll take this to Ray Rollins and the President as soon as I get the appointment. Put this in writing and sign it so I can endorse it. If successfully executed, I want to make sure you get credit for the creative part, as if it will ever see the light of day in our lifetime,” she smiled.
*
The U.S. Air Force began surveillance drone operations for “Operation Tidewater”, the drone mission to kill Fhang Woo-jo originating out of South Korea’s Osan Air Base. This was the first half of the serveil/kill mission to identify the previously selected target and then kill it with a missile subsequently fired from another Hunter-Killer drone. Typically, these missions would sortie out of Osan and skirt the west coast of South Korea until immediately west of Pyongyang and then proceed stealthily eastward taking extremely high resolution video simultaneously beamed to an American s
urveillance satellite in geosynchronous orbit twenty-two thousand miles overhead. In turn these images were beamed to a drone control center back at Osan where photo-interpreters and other intel types could analyze the images in real time. Using body conformation and facial imaging data from a database painstakingly built from existing photos taken over years from news photos, parade videos, and what South Korean intelligence sources euphemistically called other resources, the computer tag-and-track software patiently combed through human images juxtaposed against the database and after just five days of searching eventually tagged an image of General Fhang’s brother emerging from an automobile in front of an apartment building near the executive compound where he worked. From then on it was just a matter of building an algorithm of movements that would present a series of kill opportunities to the analysts at Osan.
Air Force Colonel Earl McClutchen and his CIA counterpart, Fred Campbell, co-analyzed the surveillance drone data that had been built-up over the past week. It clearly showed that Colonel Fhang Woo-jo could be found entering and/or entering and leaving Ms. Yong’s apartment building around nineteen-hundred hours most evenings. Since the strategic preference for the strike was to kill both the Colonel and his girlfriend, the men were stuck with a dilemma.
“The obvious place for us to hit the Colonel is in front of the woman’s apartment,” offered Colonel McClutchen. “However, the trick is to hit him when the girl is in the car with him. How do we assure that?”
Campbell replied thoughtfully, “I’ve watched the drone images carefully many times, Colonel, and I think I’m seeing a pattern here.” This was consistent with the individual mindset of each man’s professional outlook. The Colonel was absorbed with the nuts-and-bolts operational aspects of the mission, while Campbell was more concerned with analyzing the visual data produced as the end result of the drone’s imaging.