Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [39]
“Good morning, everyone, and thanks much for being here,” he said. “I talked to the president last night, and he sends his greetings. He said he was feeling better and hopes to get out toward the end of the week. He’s proud of the work you’ve done in his absence and asked that the SWAT team continue its post-Chunxiao planning.”
“Mr. Vice President,” asked Secretary of Defense Thurmond Thompson, “are we authorized today to make decisions in the president’s absence?”
“In a fashion, Thurmond; the media has been working the Chunxiao story 24/7 and is vocal about what they consider to be White House inaction. The president is concerned and wants us to recommend a course of action, run it by him, and then issue a statement following this meeting. He has asked me to oversee this exercise, so here’s what we’re going to do today: we’ll go around the room and hear from each of you, and then develop a short-term plan and statement that I’ll read later in the Rose Garden. If there aren’t any questions, I’ll ask you to start, Thurmond.”
“Thank you, Mr. Vice President,” replied Thompson, always one to enjoy center stage.
“For openers, the USS Gerald Ford carrier group has been redeployed to the East China Sea and will join other elements of the Seventh Fleet for high-visibility maneuvers near Taiwan in the coming days. Together with the Ronald Reagan carrier group, we’ll amass an enormous amount of firepower in a concentrated area. A marine brigade from San Diego will be airlifted to Guam within the next few days, and two air-force fighter squadrons will be redeployed there soon thereafter.”
Thompson continued, “I have also been in regular contact with our allies, and they’re developing their own support plans as we speak. The Brits have committed to sending at least one battalion of combat engineers, an elite Harrier V fighter-bomber squadron, and a number of naval vessels in support. All agree this is a situation we can’t let get out of hand. Our armed forces will remain at a DEFCON 4 alert status until further notified.”
“Thanks, Thurmond, good report,” McCarty said, directing his eyes to Secretary of State Elizabeth Cartright. “Elizabeth, what are you hearing from our allies and others?”
The tastefully dressed Secretary of State moved closer to the conference table, opened her leather file folder to her typed notes, and started her report.
“It’s no understatement to say that governments worldwide view the Chunxiao Incident as a grave threat to world peace. They’re worried about the possibility of war between two major countries and the ripple effect it will have on their relations with Japan and China. They’re also deeply concerned with the impact Chunxiao is having on the world oil markets. With two hostile navies in close proximity to each other in the East China Sea, it wouldn’t take much to set off the spark that ignites a war. The presence of the Seventh Fleet has certainly been a stabilizing influence, and I was glad to hear Secretary Thompson say the Gerald Ford carrier group will soon take position in that area.
“Japan continues to pressure us to take actions we are not prepared to take, and our conversations with them have become increasingly antagonistic. They’re asking us to help them find another 250,000 barrels of oil per day to replenish what they will ultimately lose from the Chunxiao field—something we can consider, but not an easy task given our own oil shortages.”
Looking at her notes, she continued, “Parenthetically, the Japanese admiral in charge of the naval vessels lost at Chunxiao has committed suicide. Our sources tell us Prime Minister Sato was furious with him, and his suicide was a direct result of