"I propose to send more troops to Colombia! And mobilize our allies, especially those parasites who are in arrears with NATO's military expenditures! "
"The idea is good, but it is very difficult to implement. The United Kingdom has sent two divisions to support us, and France has also sent one division. We can't expect them to invest more troops in South America that is not in their interest …"
"What about Turkey? If we promise to help them enter the EU … "
"Then we will offend at least 20 allies!"
"…"
The argument in the conference room continued, and Mike Pence stared at the globe on the corner of the table without saying a word, lost in thought.
The problems faced by the UA were more serious than imagined.
Although the defense budget had been increasing, the number of soldiers had been decreasing.
Since the end of the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War, the total number of UA Army soldiers had dropped from a peak of 570,000 in 2012 to the current 480,000 (2020). At present, the number of active soldiers in the UA Air Force was about 300,000, the Navy was about 320,000, and the Marine Corps was still 180,000. Of course, the National Guard of each state was not counted here. It was more convenient to mobilize reserves than to mobilize those guys to participate in foreign wars.
In asymmetric wars, this number of standing forces was actually enough for countries with sea power. Unfortunately, they were now at a disadvantage in the face of the technical strength of Celestial Trade. Fortunately, the previous Hill stopped Obama's disarmament plan. Otherwise, the current situation would only be worse …
"Everyone." National Security Adviser John McCain knocked on the table with his knuckles to signal everyone to stop arguing and look at him. He raised his voice and said, "There are already 130,000 UA people fighting for the freedom of Colombia. According to the data analyzed by the Pentagon, if we want to achieve an 'overwhelming' advantage in Colombia, we need to invest at least one army in South America. Moro and Madagascar volunteers are on the way, and those Third World hooligans will drag us into the quagmire. "
McCain paused for a moment and continued.
"You have all ignored the most effective method."
"Celestial Trade is strong enough, but their strategic depth is limited! Whether it is the space elevator or the high-tech factories concentrated in Xin. Instead of throwing hundreds of thousands of people into the bottomless pit of Colombia, it is better to send our aircraft carrier battle group to the Western Pacific! Launch our intercontinental missiles! Even if their air defense system is excellent, it can't make up for the gap in numbers! "
"Launch 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles to the space elevator and launch a strategic nuclear strike on the Ange Island industrial base. Even if they can arm every soldier to the teeth, we can make them return to the Stone Age!"
"You're crazy!" Another consultant sitting next to him exclaimed. "We're not the only ones who have nuclear weapons! If they launch a retaliatory attack on our homeland … "
"But our gains are huge!" McCain said in a firm tone. "In the long term, as long as we absorb their technology, with the industrial strength of us and our allies, we will be able to colonize Gliese 581 in a few decades! Not fighting a defensive battle with aliens at our doorstep! "
As for blowing up the space elevator, as long as the technology was in his hands, he could just build another one. After the new space elevator was built, Celestial Trade's Moon and Mars colonies would be incorporated. It would be the UA that would lead mankind into the future, not Xin or Celestial Trade!
"This is too risky."
Mike Pence frowned, but he began to ponder in his mind.
He had heard of Celestial Trade's submarine missile silos a long time ago, but Hill did a good deed before she left office. That was, she introduced the THAAD air defense system to military bases such as Guam and Wake Island. If Xin launched an intercontinental missile from the Western Pacific Ocean, there was a high probability that they could intercept the missile during its ascent stage …
But if they couldn't stop it …
Just as Mike Pence was hesitating, a phone call came in.
McCain still wanted to persuade him, but when he saw the president pick up the phone, he politely closed his mouth.
Mike Pence's hand that was holding the phone turned pale, and his expression was uncertain.
After he put down the phone, his hand was still on the phone, and he sat there in silence for a long time.
After a long time, he raised his head and said.
"Lewis."
Lewis, who served as the president's chief of staff, paused for a moment before he replied.
"… Mr. President?"
"Go inform the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Treasury … and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff." After naming about twenty names, Mike Pence paused for a moment and slowly said, "An emergency meeting will be held here in an hour. All members of the National Security Council must be present. Now, all of you go out for a while. "
When Lewis, McCain, and other senior officials heard this sentence, the expressions on their faces changed, and they looked at each other.
Everyone had different expressions on their faces, just like their complex emotions at the moment. Lewis looked at the president in disbelief, and a hint of ecstasy appeared on McCain's face, but it was quickly hidden behind a series of small movements.
The National Security Council was established during the Cold War, and the president served as the chairman of the National Security Council. Regular participants included the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the National Security Advisor. As well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of the CIB, who was the legal military advisor of the National Security Council. In addition, there were also important officials such as the Chief of Staff, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security. Depending on the importance of the content discussed at the meeting, the president would decide whether to attend.
It was not difficult to see the importance of this level of meeting from the level of participants.
The last time such an emergency meeting was held was twenty years ago, when the president was named George W. Bush. Shortly after the meeting was held, the US-led coalition force went to Afghanistan and started the long-lasting war in Afghanistan …
Lewis took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'll go now."
At the request of the president, the people in the conference room left.
After the conference room was empty, Pence's shoulders slowly relaxed. He was not in a hurry to prepare for the next meeting. Instead, he took out a pen from his pocket and looked at it for a long time.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered about a month and a half ago, when the regime was transferred.
As the vice president, he was also there at the time, and he vaguely remembered the situation at the time.
There had never been a president who looked relieved when he handed over his power. It was as if what she handed over was not the supreme throne of the country, and what left her was not power or interest, but a heavy burden.
Now he suddenly understood a little.
Or rather, he regretted it.
She was facing a madman, and now the madman was standing in front of him. Just when he was still hesitating whether to add a handful of firewood to the stove, the madman had already guided the spark outside the stove …
But it was useless to regret now, and it seemed that he had no right to choose from the beginning. After the president died, there was the vice president, and after the vice president, there was the Speaker of the House of Representatives … From the moment Wall Street was "unified", the balance of power in this country began to be unbalanced, and those capitalists had completely gone crazy.
After a long silence, he picked up the phone, slowly dialed a number, and called a familiar person. He now needed to consult other people's opinions, although he also knew that this was likely to be useless.
The phone connected.
Without any unnecessary greetings, Pence sorted out his thoughts in his mind and slowly said.
"Twenty minutes ago, in the Caribbean …"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
