Chapter 7
Infiltration
September 2040
Riyadh, Islamic Republic
Imperial Palace, Council Chamber Room
“Muhammad, are we ready for Operation Allah’s Fire?”
“Yes, our operatives have infiltrated the Port of Baltimore, the Port of Houston, the Port of LA, and several contracting companies that provide services at two of the major utility companies that provide power to the northeastern US,” Muhammad replied, pouring himself another cup of tea.
“Excellent. I am glad that you have included several ports, in case one does not work out.”
“As of right now, the primary targets are the Port of Baltimore and the Port of LA. We have people infiltrating the Houston port in case we need a fallback plan. Some of our people believe we should also make use of our liquid natural gas tankers. They would act like mini-nuclear bombs if they were full when they are detonated.”
“That is not a bad idea, but the Americans only export LNG, and they only use a couple of companies for security purposes. I am not convinced a shipment from one of our front companies would be able to get through.”
Wanting to discuss the main operation and not get dragged down a rabbit hole, Caliph Mohammed said, “Tell me about the plans against the American power companies in the Northeast that you mentioned.”
“The primary attack against the northeastern US is going to take place in the dead of winter, when electricity is needed most. The plan for our groups that have infiltrated the power companies is for them to destroy several critical transformer nodes from the inside. One group even plans to destroy one of the power plants directly with explosives.
“When the power goes out, it will cause a number of things to happen. First, people will lose power in the throes of winter, which will prove deadly as it will take more than a couple of weeks to repair. Second, with no power, there will be a lot of looting as people run out of food. Third, we have two hundred fighters broken down into numerous smaller direct-action units that will go on a killing spree all across the major cities. After the first five days, those fighters that are still alive will do their best to fade away into the population and move to their next assignment once they are able to check the draft emails in their accounts.”
Huseen ibn Abdullah, the Director of Intelligence, made a point to mention, “We are staggering the attacks to take place over an extended period of time, to cause as much fear and damage to the American psyche as possible. Some of our three and five-man direct-action units will conduct random and uncoordinated attacks on malls, supermarkets, movie theaters and elementary schools, mostly across small and rural towns, cities and the suburbs outside of the major cities. These attacks will be hard to deter and even harder to predict. We believe this will increase their likelihood of success and cause more casualties.”
“How are we going to ensure these attacks coincide with the two nuclear bombs?” asked Caliph Abbas.
“The plan right now is to have the nuclear weapons detonate two days apart from each other. The first one will hit Washington, D.C., during the first day of the new Congress in January of 2041. The vast majority of the government will be in session that week, giving us the highest likelihood of decapitating a large swath of their government. In the evening, the President is supposed to have a dinner with the prime minister of Israel, so it is possible that we may take him out as well,” said Zaheer Akhatar, the Caliph’s Senior Advisor.
“This is also when we will issue our ultimatum to the US to stop supporting Israel and to leave the Middle East and Europe alone. We know they will not agree to these demands, and that is when we will have the second device detonate two days later. After dealing with two months of terrorist attacks across their country, the blackout on New Year’s Day in the Northeast, and then two nuclear bombs, the country will be in a panic, and they will agree to our terms. If they do not, then the attacks will continue, and their economy and country will grind to a halt,” said Talal, the foreign minister.
The Caliph smiled a sinister grin. “At long last, we will be able to pay the Americans back for all of the wars they have waged on our lands. We need to remember that when this happens, and the Americans are most panicked, they will lash out and it will not take them long to do so. What contingency plans do we have in place to deal with the Americans once this occurs?”
“We have the most advanced surface-to-air missile defense systems, the same ones both the Russians and Chinese have. Our antimissile laser defense system is now operational and will be able to protect the industrial heartland of our country and the major population centers from any ballistic nuclear missiles or bombers the Americans may try to hit us with,” said Muhammad.
“I hope you and our advisors are right. This is going to either devastate the Americans, or it is going to cause them to destroy us. Are the plans for Israel ready?” asked Abbas.
“The operation is ready to start on New Year’s Day.”
“What are we going to do about the American carrier battlegroup in the Mediterranean?” he inquired.
“Our plan is to saturate their defenses with missiles and then slip in a nuclear missile to finish off the battle group. Once the operation begins, Israel and the Americans will be bombarded with missiles, and while they are raining down, our armored forces will be racing across the border and will drive their army into the sea,” said General Rafik Hamza, the commander of the Republic’s military, hate and vitriol in his voice.
Clearing his throat, Huseen linked his tablet with the holographic monitor and brought forward several reports. Changing subjects, he said, “Caliph, if you are ready, I have the briefing of our activities in Mexico completed for your viewing.” Prior to the formation of the Republic, Huseen had been the head of intelligence in Egypt and had been instrumental in Egypt joining the IR several years earlier. Now, he was the director of the Islamic Republic’s intelligence service and had the task of coordinating the myriad of attacks that would take place across North America.
“True to their word, the cartels have held up their end of the bargain. They have thoroughly infiltrated the police and military and are ready to take over as soon as we give them the word. We have also secured the cooperation of numerous senior defense officials.”
The Caliph smiled. “This is good news indeed. Have they asked for any additional weapons?”
“They have asked us for two thousand SA-18 man-portable air-defense systems and three thousand additional RPG-7V rockets along with eight hundred additional launchers.”
“Why so many MANPADS and the new RPG-7Vs?” asked the Caliph with concern.
I’m not sure how badly that will cut into our own reserves, he thought.
“Their assessment—and I have to concur—is that once the coup takes place, the Americans will most likely intervene. When this happens, they will need to turn to guerrilla tactics. The SA-18s will aid them in shooting down the American drones and pose a huge risk to their attack helicopters. The specific RPG rockets they are asking for are the high-explosive antitank or HEAT rockets, which can destroy or disable just about any armored vehicles the Americans would bring to the fight. They have RPGs, but the rockets are only fragmentation rounds. They needed the newer rockets to take out newer tanks and armored vehicles the Americans are likely to use,” he explained.
“I understand now, but do not send them that many. Send them about one third of their request. There is no way they will need more than that. Also, I want you to send a few thousand advisors to assist them in the coming conflict. Our advisors can also help in taking down those American helicopters.”
“As you wish. I’ll see how many commandos I can get reassigned to Mexico.”
“Once the coup takes place, how reliable is their military going to be? Are they going to be effective?” asked Abbas.
“Their military is pretty infiltrated already, and we have several high-level officers on our payroll. The military will be brought in line within the first couple of days. Some units may not respond or go along with the coup, but those units can be dealt with. As for how effective the army will be against the Americans…not very effective. Their plan is to try and hold their own at some strategic locations, and then, between their propaganda and ours, they will try to rally the people against the Americans once they invade. Their plan is to move everything to a sustained guerrilla war, which will drain the Americans of even more troops. With US forces entangled in Mexico, it will limit their options in aiding Israel. Add to that the chaos our sleeper units will be causing, and a large portion of the American military will be unavailable.”
“There are a lot of moving parts. How are we going to ensure the American intelligence agencies do not discover this before the operation is able to start?” asked Caliph Mohammed.
“There is no guarantee. We have a lot of activity going on in Africa, and we are starting to stir things up in the EU, mainly in France, Germany, and England. We just need them to be distracted. This is also why we cannot delay the operation. The longer we postpone, the more likely it is that someone will figure out what we are doing.”
“I agree. What other items do we need to discuss?”
“I think we should talk about the nuclear warheads. I still believe that if we use them, the Americans are going to use theirs against us. We can still accomplish our goals without the use of nuclear weapons.”
“I know we can make things work without the nukes, but I want to use them. We want to level Washington, D.C., and wipe out as much of the government as possible in the process. They may use nuclear weapons against us, but we are a huge sprawling empire. We can absorb some hits like India did. We also have our laser defense system, and I’m confident we will be able to shoot down their missiles,” the Caliph said, rebuffing their concerns.
He continued, “The damage that will be done to America will be devastating. I am just not sure where the second bomb should go off. Part of me wants to have it go off in New York, and then the practical side says we should use it against a target that will cripple their economy.”
“I suggest using it against Houston or the Port of Los Angeles. Houston would hurt their energy exports and refinery capacity. Hitting the Port of LA, however, would wipe out their largest and probably most important port, not to mention the damage it will do to the city,” Talal said.
“I’ll have to take that under advisement, Talal.”
“I think it is also time for us to get things going in Mexico. Let’s stir that hornet’s nest up and get the Americans involved. The sooner they become truly entangled there, the better,” said the Caliph, indicating he wanted to end the meeting.
“As you wish,” said General Rafik Hamza.
*******
Early September 2040
Washington, D.C.
White House
“Monty, we need the President down in the Situation Room,” said General Branson with urgency.
“What’s going on?” asked Monty with a bit of concern in his voice.
“Monty, this is Jim Wise. We need the President down in the Situation Room ASAP. Please go find him.”
“All right, I’ll track him down. I believe he was out for a short walk to clear his head,” said Monty as he looked for an exit that would lead him towards the Rose Garden.
As Monty was walking towards the Rose Garden, he spotted the President smelling one of the roses still in bloom. “Mr. President, we need you down in the Situation Room—something is going on,” Monty said as he moved towards the President.
“Is it really so urgent that it can’t wait fifteen minutes? You know I like to take a short walk after breakfast to clear my head before the day’s schedule.”
“Yes, Mr. President, it’s important. Jim Wise, Eric, and General Branson are all down there waiting for you.”
“Well, if they’re all there, then I suppose it really must be important.” Henry sighed deeply, knowing something must have gone wrong that would require him to make a decision he would rather not have to deal with right now.
As the President walked into the Situation Room, he could see by the looks on everyone’s faces it was grim news. “Gentlemen, this had better be important.”
“Mr. President, it’s critical. One of our agents in the Mexican Army told his handler yesterday that the cartels had just received a very large shipment of weapons from the IR—MANPADS and RPG-7V rockets,” said the National Security Advisor as he looked up from his tablet.
“We’ve known for some time that the IR has been shipping weapons to the cartels. We’ve intercepted some of these weapons shipments in the past—if I’m not mistaken, the Mexican Army has as well. Why is this such bad news, Jim?” asked the President, clearly annoyed at having his morning routine interrupted.
“The cartels are planning a coup, and the Mexican Army is in on it,” General Branson blurted out.
“Our source said his unit just received orders directing them to be ready to attack the presidential palace and secure the major government buildings in Mexico City,” Jim added.
“What about the rest of their military? Are they in on it as well?” asked the President.
“Not all of the units are in on the coup. Our source said he’s going along with the coup plans for the moment, but when it comes time to execute his orders, he’s going to move to safeguard the palace and the government buildings, not seize them.”
“Have we alerted their President about this impending coup?”
“Not yet. We aren’t sure who in the government we can alert without notifying the wrong people. Our source in the military said he believes his commanding general is part of the coup, so informing the military is not going to work, and neither will the police. They’ve been heavily infiltrated by the cartels, so nothing stays a secret with them.”
“So, what’s our plan, then? Do we have one?”
“We have the military option we discussed earlier in the year, Mr. President. If the coup does happen, then we can initiate our plan,” General Branson said, not knowing if the President would want to act now or play a “wait and see” approach.
“What are your thoughts, Monty?”
“This is a hard one. On the one hand, if we do nothing, then the cartels will more or less take over the country. This will give the IR a willing partner on our southern border, which is something we want to avoid. On the other hand, if we do intervene, it’s going to require a lot of troops and resources,” said Monty.
“Eric you’re the SecDef. What are your thoughts?” asked the President.
“Well, General Branson is right. This gives us the pretext to act on our earlier discussion about this situation. The government is going to fall—we know that. I propose we let this play out and once the dust has settled, then we execute our plan and intervene. This way we can hopefully eliminate the leadership once they have come forward to form their new government.”
“You’re talking about the plans to annex Mexico?” the Secretary of State asked.
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” replied the SecDef.
“I still think the annexation of Mexico is not a wise move, Mr. President. There are just too many problems in Mexico that we’ll be inheriting,” asserted the Secretary of State.
“I have to agree with Secretary Wise, Mr. President. We can annex Mexico, but managing it is going to be a difficult problem,” Attorney James Roberts said. If the annexation went through, then the Department of Justice would be incredibly busy trying to establish a new legal system with the Mexican provinces.
“What are your thoughts, Jorge?”
The Director of Homeland Security, Jorge Perez, pondered the question for a moment before responding as he steepled his fingers. “America has been dealing with problems from Mexico for nearly a hundred years. The country is rife with crime and totally corrupt. If you’re willing to keep Mexico under martial law for a few years and give us time to root out the cartels, I believe we can make it work. I think we should just annex it if we’re going to get involved. Putting that much blood, sweat, and tears into nurturing a territory, only to hand them off to revert right back to what they came from would be a supreme waste of time, effort and resources. It reminds me too much of what our country did in Iraq in 2011 that ultimately led to the formation of the Islamic State.”
Taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly, the President thought about what his advisors had said before responding. “I understand the logic and concerns in annexing Mexico. It would solve a lot of problems, but it would also bring a lot of problems that we don’t need right now. When I first took office, I told the American people that we would not get involved in foreign wars unless American security was threatened. Because of Mexico’s proximity to us and our shared border, I believe this constitutes an immediate threat. With that said, I do not believe America should have to shoulder the burden of nation-building. If America is going to intervene abroad, then we’re going to keep what we take, and America will be the one to benefit, not some corrupt government that always seems to come to power once we hand it over,” said the President, who had clearly made his mind up now.
“Jim, I want your staff to work up an exercise with the DOJ, DHS and the FBI on how we would begin to implement our law enforcement agencies into Mexico once annexation begins. Let’s frame this as an exercise to downplay the possibility of it really happening, but I want a plan ready within the next twenty-one days.”
“That’s a tight timeline, Mr. President. I’ll see what we can do,” Jim said as he wrote down some notes in his tablet.
“Well, I guess we wait and see what happens next,” said the President as he stood up and left the Situation Room.
*******
September 2040
Moscow, Russia
Kremlin, Presidential Office
While situations continued to spiral out of control in Mexico, the Russians continued their covert preparations for their own attack against the European Union. On the opposite side of the world, China and the Islamic Republic continued to plot their own assaults against the Americans and the West. Their ultimate goal was a new world order, where the three nations would rule.
*******
“Mr. President, it would appear the Islamic Republic has presented us with a unique opportunity. They are moving forward with their attack on the US,” said Nicolai with a mischievous smile.
“Have we learned the full details of the attack yet?”
Nicolai shook his head. “Not yet. We know some of it, and we know they plan on attacking the Israelis,” said General Sergun, the director of the GRU, reading the latest intelligence feeds from his tablet.
“Do we know when they plan on attacking the Israelis? What type of assault are they going to launch?” asked Fradkov.
“We believe they are going to launch their attack around the New Year, although we are not sure of the exact date. As of right now, it looks like they plan on launching a massive conventional missile attack on Israel, targeting their military bases and their ability to defend themselves. This raid will be quickly followed up by their military attacking through several predetermined invasion points, so no WMD as of right now,” replied General Sergun.
General Sergun loved to use the multidimensional maps and graphs when presenting war plans. They made everything seem more aligned and perfect, or at least they did to him. He cleared his throat and continued. “Their first invasion point is across the Golan Heights. If they can break through, then they will be able to drive deep into Israel quickly. The Israelis know this, so they will send a large part of their forces in that direction. A second front will be initiated from the north along what used to be Lebanon. A third front will then be opened in the south near the American naval base in Eilat on the Red Sea. The fourth front will come from the Sinai, and the fifth attack, which is the main assault, will come through the Jordan Valley towards Jerusalem.
“From what we have gathered, the attack in the Golan along with the assault in the south will happen almost simultaneously, and then twelve hours after the first assaults begin, the other three fronts will begin their invasions,” General Sergun said while changing some slides and maps on the holograph.
“It sounds like they might actually have a chance of beating the Israelis if they do not go nuclear, which I highly suspect they will,” President Fradkov said, not believing for a minute that the Israelis would not use atomic weapons if they were about to be overrun.
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