Dick Couch - Out of the Ashes

“Don’t be. It’s because you care and because you’re up against a brick wall. To be honest with you, I feel kind of like I’m letting you down because I can’t help. Hell, I wish there were some way, anyway, that I could.”

“Sandee, I think there is, but it involves a risk, a big risk, and I don’t know if I have the right to even ask you do to it.”

“Ask away,” Sandee replied. “Remember what I told you the other day, ‘It’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.’”

“I’m afraid this would take that to a new level.”

“Look, we’re both trying to do the right thing here. Just spit it out, OK?”

“OK. You read the intel reports just like I do. It’s as clear as day the United States could attack Syria at any moment and, who knows, throw this entire region into a senseless war. We also have proof something is not right about this. I’m telling you, I know the intel the ship and everyone else is looking at is completely bogus.”

“I know, I know,” Sandee replied, “but you gave it your best shot with the captain. Maybe he’ll change his mind. Or maybe you could prevail on your friend at NRO to go forward up his chain of command.”

“Neither of those things is going to happen, Sandee.”

“No, I guess you’re right, but how can I help you?”

“Sandee, later today, or maybe tomorrow, you’re going to go get that part for Mustin . You’ve told me before that on one of these, I think you called them, ‘gedunk runs,’ you could take me up in the left seat of the helo as a qualified observer. Could you take me on this part pickup mission? It’s a pretty simple mission, right, and one that doesn’t require an experienced pilot in the other seat?”

“I suppose so, Laurie. Heck, yeah, I’d be happy to take you flying. It would be a good mental health break for both of us. But why now?”

“Here’s why,” Laurie replied as she reached over to her pull-down desk and grabbed the SIPRNET e-mail and attachment from Charlie Bacon as well as a navigation map of the Arabian Gulf.

“What am I looking at, Laurie? You’ve shown me all this before, but I still don’t see how I can help?”

“I’m getting to that. Do you see here on Charlie’s attachment? The DF-21D site that everyone thought was in Syria is really here in Saudi Arabia.”

“I remember when you told me that originally. I didn’t look at the map that closely, but yes, now I see that.”

“Do you see how close it is to the coast?”

“I do, yes. Why is that important?”

“If someone could fly over the site and show this was where the Global Hawk saw the DF-21Ds, that would prove they weren’t in Syria. Then, maybe we could keep this thing from spiraling out of control.”

“I suppose if that happened it would.…” Sandee stopped short, the full impact of what Laurie was suggesting hitting her like a two-by-four. “Laurie, wait a minute. Are you suggesting we fly there? You want me to overfly that site in Saudi Arabia? That’s why you wanted to fly with me?”

“Yes, Sandee.” She gave her a helpless shrug. “I know it’s asking a lot — maybe too much.”

“Laurie, I know you’re not an aviator, but do you have any idea what kind of international incident it would cause if we flew over Saudi Arabia without permission?”

“I know there would be risks, Sandee. Believe me; I had a hard time making myself ask you to do this, but there really isn’t any other way.”

“Whew. I need a minute, OK. I’m gonna hit the shower. I just need a minute,” Sandee said as she grabbed her towel and robe and made for the officers’ head.

Duncan Sutherland had worked wonders redeploying them from Incirlik Air Force Base and the JSOC team was on site at an unused airfield in western Iraq. Volner and his team had taken their operational, logistics, and communications gear from the initial Gulfstream lift into the remote strip and had all but gone to ground. They were in camouflaged tents and the only creature comfort was the generator for the comm gear. They could wait at this remote location for a week to ten days and be ready for any operational tasking. Their footprint in the western desert was small and only the most discerning satellite imagery would reveal their presence.

The assets Volner and his team were most focused on at the moment were their air assets, both manned and unmanned. They were netted to hide them from airborne surveillance. They knew their first step was to get eyes-on of the site, or sites, in Syria where the DF-21D missiles were located and then if ordered to, go in and neutralize the missiles.

They had been surged forward before, in various theaters, only to have the crises they were anticipating not evolve to a situation that required direct triage. As professionals, they viewed these situations not as a waste of time and resources, but as opportunities to rehearse their support and logistic procedures. Each time there were lessons learned, ways to do it better the next time they rolled into their kit bag.

For Brian Dawson, Hector Rodriquez, Mike Volner, and his men, this time it felt more like the real thing than on previous flyaways. As soon as Dawson made his check-in call, that feeling surged.

“Hector, Major Volner,” Dawson said. “Here’s the secure message that just came in from Op-Center. What we’re looking for isn’t in Syria; it’s in Saudi Arabia! The mission just changed. Let’s get the planning cell assembled now, and Hector, get ahold of Duncan. I want those Combat Talon aircraft on standby alert in al-Asad, Iraq, and I’ll want them there within fifteen minutes of making the call.”

Like his predecessors before him, President Wyatt Midkiff’s schedule was handled by a bevy of aides and his days were scheduled almost to the minute. There was little or no time for “pop-up” events or drop-ins by anyone, except for a select few. Chase Williams was one of those and as he entered the Oval Office at 0900 the president rose to meet him.

“Chase, your POTUS/OC Eyes Only memo this morning certainly got my attention, so I had my calendar adjusted to meet with you. Tell me more now that I’ve had a moment to absorb what your memo said.”

“Mr. President, I’m dialed in to what your national security team is doing, and I fully understand what Secretary Bradt, Mr. Putnam, and others are telling you. Believe me, armed with that intel I would be ready to move against Syria immediately.”

“And now,” Midkiff offered, “we have Iran threatening, and maybe moving forward, to mine the Strait of Hormuz.”

“I understand, Mr. President, but as I alluded to in the memo, we have intelligence the Global Hawk was spoofed, and the missile site isn’t in Syria, but in Saudi Arabia.”

“Chase, what are you saying; that can’t be!”

“It is, Mr. President. The other thing is this. All of the communications our intelligence agencies have been picking up that are ostensibly coming out of Syria threatening to strike our ships and bases in the area are false, a ruse, likely orchestrated by whoever erected this site in Saudi Arabia.”

“That’s a hell of a lot to process.”

“There’s more, Mr. President. Evidently someone on a Navy ship in the Gulf has seen the video we’ve all seen back here, the Global Hawk video that started this chain of events, and that person sent it to someone at the National Reconnaissance Office. We’re still pulling the string on who that person is, but anyway, this person at NRO is convinced the site is not in Syria but in Saudi Arabia and we’ve read what the NRO analyst has sent to the ship and it looks convincing to us.”

“Chase, I needn’t remind you, other than Israel, Saudi Arabia is our strongest ally in the region. It’s … it’s … just beyond belief they would do this.”