Kagel then leaned forward, closing the personal space between them. “If I were the President, I’d have already nuked these countries back to the Stone Age. As it is, acting President Powers is showing far more restraint than I or our military believe he should.”
She paused and then sat back in her chair, noticing how visibly uncomfortable Singh had become. “Ambassador Singh, destroying the Three Gorges Dam achieves a number of military and political objectives. The hydroelectric power produced there accounts for ten percent of China’s entire electrical output. It provides fifty-six percent of the electrical power to the province of Hubei as well as thirty percent of Zhejiang Province’s power and twenty-four percent of Shanghai’s. The loss of this much electrical generation at one time, along with the inordinate amount of infrastructure damage to the region, will force the Chinese to reevaluate whether they’re willing to pay that high of a price to continue with their invasion. We have demanded that they withdraw and go home; however, if they choose to still invade, then we’ll hit their army with tactical nukes on our own soil if necessary. But one way or another, we will stop them.”
Singh clearly wasn’t quite sure how to respond to what he’d just heard. Seeing the pained look and uncertainty on his face, Kagel quickly added, “Our goal is not to do this horrible thing, Ambassador Singh, but make no mistake—our country has been savagely attacked and invaded. We will use any and all means necessary to win. If we’re going to go through an internal civil war, then we’ll handle that internally, but we won’t allow outside forces to shape our country or its future by supporting one side over another.
“Right now, we’re hoping that if India makes a serious threat of intervening in Tibet, it will give the Chinese pause. If they do invade, then we don’t have much choice other than to make the price of invading America too steep for even them to pay.”
Singh reached for his glass of water, his hand shaking slightly. “When do you need an answer by?” he asked.
“We need to know as soon as possible, Mr. Ambassador. This isn’t a decision that we can wait to hear from you about in a week or two. The Chinese could launch their invasion anytime. If they do, we’ll be forced to hit that dam.”
“I’ll bet the Chinese Air Force is doing everything they can to make sure you aren’t successful now that they know you intend to blow it up,” Ambassador Singh countered.
She smiled and nodded. “They are. Our satellites show a massive increase in defensive measures being set up around the dam. In the end, though, it won’t matter. They know they can’t stop us, and the B-2 stealth bomber isn’t the only way we have of delivering our response to their invasion. If they do decide to cross that Rubicon, I can assure you, China won’t survive.”
Grimacing at the ominous statement, Ambassador Singh responded, “I just hope the rest of the world will survive whatever may come next.”
From the Authors
Miranda and I sincerely hope you have enjoyed this book. We will be releasing the preorder link to book three of the series, Invasion, very soon. If you are not already aware, in real life, Miranda and I are a married couple, expecting the birth of our third child shortly. So, in order to make sure that we keep our deadline for the preorder, we will likely wait until after the delivery to set up the preorder on Amazon. The best way to be notified as soon as the preorder goes up is to sign up for our email list. Simply go to http://www.author-james-rosone.com and scroll to the bottom of the page. This will also help you stay updated on any future new releases as well as special pricing deals we may make available.
In the meantime, we do have several audiobooks coming out. All of the books in the Red Storm Series have now been released in audio format: Battlefield Ukraine, Battlefield Korea, Battlefield Taiwan, Battlefield Pacific, Battlefield Russia, and Battlefield China are all now available for your listening pleasure. The first three books of the World War III series are available on audiobook now, and the final book should be released by the end of September. In addition, Traitors Within and Interview with a Terrorist will also be available in in audio format by the end of September.
As independent authors, reviews are very important to us and make a huge difference to other prospective readers. If you enjoyed this book, we humbly ask you to write up a positive review on Amazon and Goodreads. We sincerely appreciate each person that takes the time to write one.
We have really valued connecting with our readers via social media, especially on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RosoneandWatson/. Sometimes we ask for help from our readers as we write future books—we love to draw upon all your different areas of expertise. We also have a group of beta readers who get to look at the books before they are officially published and help us fine-tune last-minute adjustments. If you would like to be a part of this team, please go to our author website: http://www.author-james-rosone.com, and send us a message through the “Contact” tab. You can also follow us on Twitter: @jamesrosone and @AuthorMirandaW. We look forward to hearing from you.
You may also enjoy some of our other works. A full list can be found below:
Nonfiction:
Iraq Memoir 2006-2007 Troop Surge
Interview with a Terrorist
Fiction:
World War III Series
Prelude to World War III: The Rise of the Islamic Republic and the Rebirth of America (audiobook version here)
Operation Red Dragon and the Unthinkable (audiobook version here)
Operation Red Dawn and the Invasion of America (audiobook version here)
Cyber Warfare and the New World Order
Michael Stone Series
Traitors Within
The Red Storm Series
Battlefield Ukraine (audiobook version here)
Battlefield Korea (audiobook version here)
Battlefield Taiwan (audiobook version here)
Battlefield Pacific (audiobook version here)
Battlefield Russia (audiobook version here)
Battlefield China (audiobook version here)
The Falling Empires Series
Rigged
Peacekeepers
For the Veterans
I have been pretty open with our fans about the fact that PTSD has had a tremendous direct impact on our lives; it affected my relationship with my wife, job opportunities, finances, parenting—everything. It is also no secret that for me, the help from the VA was not the most ideal form of treatment. Although I am still on this journey, I did find one organization that did assist the healing process for me, and I would like to share that information.
Welcome Home Initiative is a ministry of By His Wounds Ministry, and they run seminars for veterans and their spouses for free. The weekends are a combination of prayer and more traditional counseling and left us with resources to aid in moving forward. The entire retreat—hotel costs, food, and sessions—is completely free from the moment the veteran and their spouse arrive at the location.
If you feel that you or someone you love might benefit from one of Welcome Home Initiative’s sessions, please visit their website to learn more: https://welcomehomeinitiative.org/
We have decided to donate a portion of our profits to this organization, because it made such an impact in our lives and we believe in what they are doing. If you would also like to donate to Welcome Home Initiative and help to keep these weekend retreats going, you can do so by following this link: https://welcomehomeinitiative.org/donate/
Abbreviation Key
1MC1 Main Circuit (shipboard public address system)
AAAnti-aircraft
AFBAir Force Base
AFNAmerican Forces Network
AGAttorney General
AIArtificial Intelligence
AKAAlso Known As
AMRAAMAdvanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile
AORArea of Responsibility
APCAntipersonnel Carrier
ASAPAs Soon As Possible
ASWAntisubmarine Warfare
ATGMAntitank Guided Munition
AWACSAirborne Warning and Control System
AWOLAbsent Without Leave
BMP-3Russian infantry fighting vehicle
BTRBronetransporter (Russian armored vehicle)
CAGCommander, Air Group
CATCountermeasure Anti-torpedo
CBPCustoms and Border Protection
CCTVClosed-circuit Television
CDFCivilian Defense Force
CFBCanadian Forces Base
CFSCanadian Forces Station
CGCommanding General
CIACentral Intelligence Agency
CICCombat Information Center
CICOCombat Information Center Officer
CIWSClose-in Weapons System
CNOChief of Naval Operations
COBClose of Business
COGContinuation of Government
COSCOChina Ocean Shipping Company
C-RAMCounter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar
DDGGuided Missile Destroyer
DEFCONDefense Readiness Condition
DHSDepartment of Homeland Security
DoDDepartment of Defense
DOJDepartment of Justice
EODExplosive Ordnance Disposal
EUEuropean Union
FBIFederal Bureau of Investigations
FEMAFederal Emergency Management Agency
HARMHigh-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile
HEMTTHeavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck
INDOPACOMUnited States Indo-Pacific Command
IRInfrared
ISKIslamic State of Kosovo
JASSM-ERJoint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, Extended Range
JGJunior Grade
JLTVJoint Light Tactical Vehicle
JSOCJoint Special Operations Command
KSKKommando Spezialkräfte (German Special Forces)
LELaw Enforcement
LTLieutenant
MOABMother of All Bombs
MOSMilitary Occupational Specialty
NCISNaval Criminal Investigative Service
NMCCNational Military Command Center
NORADNorth American Aerospace Defense Command
NRONational Reconnaissance Office
NSANational Security Agency OR National Security Advisor
NSCNational Security Council
NVGNight Vision Goggles
NY CDFNew York Civil Defense Force
ODAOperational Detachment Alpha (Special Forces)
OS2Operations Specialist
PAPublic Address
PEOCPresidential Emergency Operations Center
PKP MGPulemyot Kalashnikova Pecheneg (Russian machine gun)
POTUSPresident of the United States
QRFQuick Reaction Force
REBSRapidly Emplaced Bridging System
RFIDRadio Frequency Identification Device
ROERules of Engagement
RPGRocket-Propelled Grenade
S2Intelligence Group
SAMSurface-to-Air Missile
SARSearch and Rescue
SEALSea Air and Land (Naval Special Warfare Unit)
SecDefSecretary of Defense
SIGINTSignals Intelligence
SITREPSituation Report
SO1Staff Officer 1
SOCOMSpecial Operations Command
SOFSpecial Operations Forces
STSonar Technician
ST1Sonar Technician First Class
TACAMOTake Charge and Move Out
UAVUnmanned Aerial Vehicle
UNUnited Nations
VABVéhicule de l’Avant Blindé (French armored frontline vehicle)
VBLVéhicule Blindé Léger (French light-armored vehicle)
VLSVertical-Launch System
VPVice President
XOExecutive Officer