Defcon One (1989) (4 page)

The bar was crowded as the Central Committee members congregated to talk about old times and the promise of the Party's future. The evening was progressing very smoothly.

Three members of the Politburo, greeting old acquaintances at the bar, discreetly caught the eye of the new general secretary.

The four men exchanged a brief smile.

They had every reason for celebration. The new leader, ousted from the Politburo in 1988 for being combative and unyielding, had returned to power with a flourish.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The former chief of naval operations, Adm. Edward Robinson Chambers, set the Washington Post on the edge of his seat and reached for his leather briefcase. The navy blue limousine braked evenly and slowed to a smooth stop at the entrance to the JCS headquarters in the imposing Pentagon Building.

Admiral Chambers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was of medium height and weight with a trace of a limp. The limp resulted from injuries sustained in a crash landing aboard the carrier Midway after a tough sortie over Vietnam.

Chambers kept his light gray hair trimmed short and wore distinguished tortoiseshell-frame glasses to correct the near vision in his hazel eyes.

Good morning. Admiral, Capt. Mike Trenton, the admiral's aide, greeted Chambers.

What the devil do you make of all this, Mike? the admiral asked as the captain took the briefcase in hand, thinking it unusual for the genial admiral not to respond to a greeting.

Sir, the information we have, as of thirty minutes ago, indicates a full-court press by the Soviets, Trenton replied.

Sorry to awaken you so early. Admiral, but CINCLANT was absolutely insistent.

No problem, Mike. Are the other members on their way?

Yes, sir, Trenton paused, with the exception of General

Hollingsworth. He is on an inspection tour of Camp Pendleton and should be here in approximately three hours.

How is General Seecroft? Chambers asked, referring to the assistant chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Mick Seecroft.

He is mending rapidly. Admiral, Trenton responded, switching the briefcase to his other hand. I talked with the general yesterday, and he assured me that his career as an equestrian is over. Something spooked the horse and it tossed the general onto a tree stump.

Chambers chuckled. Bet I know where we could pick up a good Appaloosa for a song.

No doubt.

Trenton, a tall, thin, red-haired submariner, had been an aide to the admiral for seven months. This assignment, though unexciting to the former sub skipper, was necessary to his career development. He genuinely liked the friendly chairman and had grown used to his quirks.

Has the president been notified? Chambers asked as he passed through the door being held open by Trenton.

He is aware of some unusual events, but not the particulars, sir.

The chief of staff has requested, on behalf of the president, a full briefing as soon as the Joint Chiefs convene.

Okay, Mike, the admiral responded, thinking about the simplicity of life twenty-four hours ago. Chambers and his wife, Mariam, had entertained old friends from the Naval Academy with a champagne brunch.

Good morning, comrades, General Secretary Viktor Pavlovich Zhilinkhov addressed the Central Committee members.

It is a pleasure to be with you again. I trust everyone enjoyed the activities of last evening, the general secretary continued, a warm smile spreading across his craggy face.

A murmur spread throughout the vast meeting hall. Smiles and soft laughter rose from the contingent of party members as everyone thought about the previous boisterous evening. Formulating a thought, for some red-eyed attendees, was a difficult task at this early hour.

The Central Committee, joined by the Politburo members, had been served a sumptuous breakfast of eggs, beef, pork, dark bread, gravy, and steaming coffee, strong and rich in flavor.

Now it was time to grapple with the multitude of problems facing the Motherland and her leaders. It was time, as Zhilinkhov had stated so vociferously the previous evening, for a return to hard-line Marxist-Leninist orientation. The Gorbachev Doctrine had not strengthened the Soviet economy or restructured Russian society.

The Reagan Doctrine, providing support for anticommunist guerrillas in the far-reaching Soviet empire, had pressured the former general secretary into capitulation on many fronts. The Soviet Union, during the late eighties and early nineties, had been forced to retreat from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Angola, and Nicaragua.

The present American administration, to Soviet consternation, had kept the pressure concentrated on Russian outposts of communism. The ensuing political confrontations in the Politburo had led to the demise of the previous general secretary.

Zhilinkhov had been one of the chief conspirators who had planned the transfer of power.

We have much to accomplish, my fellow countrymen, Zhilinkhov smiled again. I have important news for you. News that will change our country for the better. News that will revolutionize our Motherland.

THE PENTAGON The Joint Chiefs, with the exception of Marine General Hollingsworth, sat down and opened the hastily prepared briefing folders.

Soft light fell on the conference table from overhead fixtures.

The room was totally void of noise or movement as the service chiefs reviewed the situation briefs.

Admiral Chambers spoke first. Gentlemen, it would appear the new Russian boss is an expediter. Why, with all their internal troubles, would Zhilinkhov choose to antagonize the U.S.?

The chairman paused, waiting for a possible explanation from the other chiefs. No offers were extended.

It is inexplicable, at least to me, he continued, why they would push us so soon. Zhilinkhov has been in power for less than four weeks. One would think, logically, gentlemen, that he needs all the help he can muster, especially from us.

The chairman slowly shook his head, It just doesn't track, at least not in my mind.

Silence surrounded the massive oak table and gleaming furnishings.

Gen. Forrest Milton Ridenour III. United States Air Force chief of staff, always a listener, broke the silence.

I believe the good comrade is trying to muscle us into a position of capitulation through confrontation. The Soviets are totally perplexed, in regard to SDI, and now our Stealth bomber is coming on line.

Zhilinkhov needs to make his mark soon.

His country is progressively decaying.

Ridenour allowed his words to have an impact and continued.

' Think about this: Why would they bring back an aging Politburo member, considered too aggressive under the previous regime, to reform the Party?

The chiefs digested this scenario as the Air Force chief of staff sipped his water and continued.

The man is in ragged health. Zhilinkhov knows he doesn't have a lot of time. He has to perform. What has he got to lose?

His reputation and the future of his country, his ideology, is on the line. He must demonstrate to his supporters that he can bring the Americans to the bargaining table, that he can make us, through a thinly veiled threat of war, bow and acquiesce.

The Air Force general looked around, leaned back in his chair, and continued.

I believe Zhilinkhov is being manipulated. The Politburo ruling class, the conservative elite, are becoming dinosaurs in a crumbling society.They are becoming desperate. These recent incidents are reminiscent of old-style Soviet tactics.

Admiral Chambers interrupted in a quiet manner. Milt, what do you see as the bottom line?

Ridenour, looking relaxed, responded. I really it would be pure conjecture to project an absolute.

The general paused to form his reply. I don't know if they, and I emphasize 'they,' are desperate or deranged. How far would Zhilinkhov push? We don't have any way to gauge.

Ridenour, seeing Chambers didn't have a question, continued.

The incidents could continue to escalate to the point where no rationale remains. Desperate people do desperate deeds, as we've seen many times.

Zhilinkhov has proved to be overly aggressive and reactionary in the past. He openly celebrated the death of President Zia in eighty-eight.

Zhilinkhov's display deeply embarrassed the Kremlin.

That incident and his record of opposing Gorbachev were the fundamental reasons for his removal from the Politburo during the shake-up. Shortly afterward, as I'm sure all of you will recall, Zhilinkhov publicly criticized Gorbachev for allowing Andrei Sakharov to travel to the United States. So, we can anticipate the worst from the general secretary, in my opinion, General Ridenour concluded.

Let me pose a question, the Army chief of staff. Gen. Warren Kinlaw Vandermeer, said as he leaned over the table.

Does anyone believe the former general secretary died in a purely accidental crash?

Vandermeer handed a picture and biography of Zhilinkhov to General Ridenour.

No, replied Adm. Martin Grabow, chief of Naval Operations.

The circumstances are very suspect, what with the short mourning period and the new players in the starting blocks.

In addition, the admiral continued, there is every indication, according to our operatives, that a ground-launched missile hit the airplane as it lifted off the runway at Sheremetyevo.

General Ridenour passed Zhilinkhov's biography to Chambers.

We have a real problem on our hands.

I'm afraid you're right. Milt, Chambers concluded, studying the somber, puffy face of the Soviet president and general secretary.

USS CARL VINSON The Third Fleet carrier and its battle group, recently conducting operations in the Bering Sea north of the Aleutian Islands, had received orders to steam at flank speed toward the Sea of Okhotsk.

The 93,000-ton Vinson and her escort ships would join the Seventh Fleet battle group, spearheaded by the earner USS Constellation, to prowl the waters adjacent to Kamchatka Peninsula.

The USS Ranger and her carrier task force, enjoying a port call to Anchorage, Alaska, were being hurriedly dispatched to replace the Vinson in the Bering Sea.

The past thirty-six hours had been marked by significant increases in Soviet air and naval activity near Alaska and me Aleutian Islands, along with an unusual number of Russian submarine deployments from the port of Petropavlovskkamchatski on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Russian submarine base was the only Soviet seaport with direct, year-round access to the open ocean.

Aboard the Vinson, Rear Adm. Thomas R. Brinkman was meeting with his Rag Staff to coordinate the combined efforts of the two battle groups.

We have seen an alarming and growing threat from the Russian sector in the past four days. The admiral paused while a color slide of recent Soviet movements was projected on a screen to his left.

Our intelligence community hasn't come to grips with the actual purpose of this sudden activity; however, we can assume it has to do with the political swing brought about by the untimely death of the former general secretary.

The portly task force commander glanced at his staff intelligence officer, Capt. Jack Sinclair.

I believe Jack can give us a better picture of the current situation, at least what we know to be factual at the moment.

Jack?

The Russians are mobilizing their ground forces in these areas of Eastern bloc countries, Sinclair paused, pointing to different sections on the slide, and they have been moving their fighter air wings to forward operating bases west of the Urals.

Sinclair placed a different graphic on the projector.

Also, the carrier Kiev has left port in the past sixteen hours, presumably to dog the Eisenhower. It has a complement of twenty-three Yak-36 Forgers' on board and three escort ships, two Sovremenny-class missile destroyers, and a guided missile cruiser, the Slava. The Brezhnev is preparing to get underway from Nikolayev shipyard with a full load of various aircraft; Sinclair reached for another slide and continued. Every operable sub has left the bases at Polyamyy and Petropavlovskkamchatski. The waters we are currently traversing are crawling with Russian subs. Intelligence estimates at least twelve Soviet submarines in a three-hundred-mile radius of the Kuril Islands.

Satellite reconnaissance confirms seven Russian submarines have ducked under the ice cap from the Beaufort Sea to the Laptev Sea, big boomers.

This is where we stand at the moment. Sinclair waited until the other staff officers perused the slide depicting American and NATO movements.It was clear that a major Soviet military buildup was underway.

What we don't know is the why, Sinclair continued.

The general consensus is this: The new regime is sending a strong signal to indicate they want to realign the Soviet and American power base. The Russians apparently believe they can achieve this result through intimidation and military pressure.

As you are well aware, the new Soviet government has a basketful of problems, and they haven't had much success at the bargaining table the past few years. The SDI issue had them frothing at the mouth in ninety, and they are aware that our final link to the basic space defense system is about to be launched aboard Columbia. Another big rub is the pending deployment of the Stealth bombers. They're already mad as hell about our 'no-see-um' fighters.