Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [169]
Excitement mounted as the screen played out the inexorable movement of allied troops in a twenty-first-century blitzkrieg. Clayton nodded and then recognized the feeling of the slight tic in his right cheek that usually signaled extreme tension.
Thompson continued, “Now, with the dirty-bomb disposal operations well underway and communications cut off between the central command in Riyadh and their key military units, we’ll launch a massive aerial bombardment. Our top three priorities will be taking out any cruise missile sites or platforms capable of launching dirty bombs, crippling the Saudi Air Force, and eliminating their command and control structure. British fighter-bombers will concentrate on troop formations, military installations, and supply depots. We’ll use smart bombs to avoid collateral damage to the infrastructure. In terms of sheer concentrated firepower, it will be the most powerful military attack ever launched. We anticipate the morale and fighting ability of Saudi forces will be severely degraded by the airstrikes.”
The president, though captivated by the presentation, seemed perplexed.
“With no airpower,” Thompson continued, “and a command and control system in ruins, they’ll be unprepared for our ground actions. If you’ll refer to the screen, I’ll highlight the three attack points from eleven, one, and three o’clock around Riyadh.”
“The force and fury of the attack will make the ‘shock and awe’ attacks of the Iraq War look like child’s play. Within minutes, the broken Saudi forces will be faced with a three-pronged armored juggernaut coming from the northeast out of Israel, north out of Kuwait, and east out of Bahrain—all pushing for Riyadh at breakneck speeds. The Bahrain force will also send armored columns south to cut off Saudi forces stationed near the borders of Qatar and UAE, and they will meet up with the troops of the 101st Airborne Division guarding the perimeter of the nuclear facility. A small diversionary attack will be made south of Jeddah near the Red Sea to tie down forces there. We expect to reach the suburbs of Riyadh within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, leaving them little time to organize an effective defense of the city.”
Clayton thought about the hours of difficult negotiations with Jordan that had gained permission for American forces to cut across their territory from Israel to attack the Saudis. The Jordanians had no love for Mustafa, and they had finally agreed, provided that Israeli forces were excluded from the operation. Kuwait, though technically a protectorate ally of Mustafa’s, agreed to look the other way as long as Mustafa was prevented from dropping a dirty bomb on their oil fields.
“Where does Prince Khalid fit into all this?” asked the president, mindful of the importance of making this a Saudi operation to the greatest extent possible.
Thompson took a quick look at his notes before answering. “He’ll lead an all-Saudi armored brigade into the city of Riyadh. His brigade will be in the second wave of forces to embark from Bahrain, and he’ll be catapulted to the front once Riyadh is about to fall. Like Charles De Gaulle entering Paris after the Nazis were booted out, Prince Khalid’s all-Arab armored force will be one of the first columns the people of Riyadh see entering the city. This has to be seen as a Saudi-led liberation effort and not a Western occupation.”
“Have the forces been sufficiently briefed on the location of the mosques and other holy sites?” asked Jack McCarty, ever mindful of the diplomatic aspects of the conflict.