April 24th, 2006
0755 Hours
USPACOM HQ, Oahu
Camp H. M. Smith was built in the hills north of Honolulu. Despite being named for General Holland McTyeire “Howling Mad” Smith, it was perhaps the most pleasant US Marine Corps base in the world, with island breezes, light afternoon showers, and a spectacular view of Pearl Harbor, below and three miles distant to the southwest. The headquarters of Marine Forces Pacific had occupied the base since the 1950’s, however, the building directly across the street was much more impressive.
United States Pacific Command was the headquarters of US military forces across nearly half the Earth, from California to the Indian Ocean. And earlier in the week, the whole area had flashed into crisis the likes of which the world had never seen.
Fleet Admiral Peter McDowell sat at the head of a table in the secure basement of PACOM headquarters. His white, short-sleeved uniform was somehow holding its starch, despite having been worn for hours already.
A week ago, he’d served as commander of PACOM. A large job, even for a four star admiral. McDowell had been chosen because he could handle it. But now, as the person in the best position to do so, he’d been appointed the Supreme Allied Commander of the Arcaian War.
Earlier in the day, Washington DC time, a special session of congress had confirmed McDowell as the first five-star US military officer since the Korean War. At short notice, there was no rank insignia available, but an enterprising junior officer had gone down to the USS Missouri museum in Pearl Harbor and requisitioned Chester Nimitz’s own shoulder boards. They felt heavier than McDowell would have imagined, but fortunately the pressure of commanding more than one million troops distracted him.
People moved around the room, talking in urgent whispers, tapping on classified computers, or consulting binders of intelligence documents. The other end of the room from McDowell was occupied by a camera and several large screens. One by one, feeds to other such teleconference rooms around the world were being connected.
“This is Japan Joint Staff.”
“Australian Chiefs of Service checking in.”
“London here, Defense staff.”
“Hello, this is US Embassy Equestria.”
All the stations were checking in prior to the scheduled start time, not willing to risk missing such an important meeting. McDowell stared at his notebook, spread on the table in front of him. His aide, a Navy Commander, put a bottle of water on the table, but he barely saw it.
The digital clock above the teleconference screens changed to the top of the hour. McDowell cleared his throat. The room instantly went quiet as if muted.
“I am Fleet Admiral Peter McDowell. In a joint decision between the United States and Equestrian governments, I have been appointed Supreme Allied Commander of the coalition against the Arcaian Defense Bloc.”
He paused for translation into more than a dozen languages. It seemed like half the militaries of the world were attending this meeting.
“As you know, this is the most significant conflict the human world has ever seen. Several of our countries have been attacked by the Bloc. It was their attempt to push us out of the Pacific so they may operate unimpeded.”
McDowell paused again for translation. He did the mental math while he waited. No, not half the world. Probably only an eighth. Still enough to demonstrate the scale of the war.
“As of now, the United Nations Security Council has held an emergency vote. Russia and China vetoed the resolution to form a UN force. On the sidelines, concerned Pacific countries have met and agreed to form an alliance against the Bloc. This was put together in diplomatic channels.
“However, as we all know, talking does not win wars. I recognize the need for diplomacy, but I’m sure you’ll agree that time has now passed.”
McDowell looked at the screens in front of him. Some were subdivided to hold multiple camera feeds. Hundreds of people were listening to him, and they in turn would spread his message to hundreds of thousands of others.
“I want to recognize this new alliance. Five Eyes, Equestria, Japan, Philippines, and the Republic of Korea, thank you for joining us today. Some of you have suffered attack by the Bloc. All of us will work together to defeat the Bloc and bring peace to the Arcaian continent.
“We will now review the proposed alliance organization.”
Someone flipped the camera feed to an image of a computer monitor. If the IT techs had done everything right, all the other conference rooms should now be seeing PowerPoint slides. The audio was still connected, however.
A man in an army uniform stepped to the front of the room. He spoke rapidly, but paused for translation between each paragraph. “I am Major General Troy Anthony, PACOM Chief of Staff, now dual-hatted to the Supreme Allied Commander. I invite your attention to the following slide.”
Allied Forces Leadership
Supreme Allied Commander/PACOM
Fleet Admiral Peter McDowell (USN)Deputy Supreme Allied Commander
Marshal James Waddsworth (RAF)Combined Forces Maritime Component Commander
Admiral Roger Brown (RAN)Combined Forces Air Component Commander
General Eduard Durand (RCAF)Combined Forces Land Component Commander
Royal Marshall Silver Lance (REA)
Anthony reviewed the information. “Admiral McDowell - pardon me - Fleet Admiral, is the incumbent PACOM commander and has been appointed SAC. His deputy will be Marshal Waddsworth.
“Allied Maritime forces will be commanded by Admiral Brown, Air Forces by General Durand, and land forces by Royal Marshal Lance.”
The United States had the dominating military force in the region, even with losses suffered in the Bloc surprise attack, but a combined force needed combined leaders. McDowell knew the British Marshal, Waddsworth, and the Australian Admiral, Brown. He had briefly talked with the Canadian General, Durand, during a call yesterday to tell him of his appointment.
The Equestrian Royal Marshal, Lance, was the figure McDowell knew least about. Equestria was still building the ability to communicate securely, especially to this kind of meeting, which was why Silver Lance was attending via video from the US Embassy in Equestria.
The slide changed, listing the allied countries.
Combined Forces
Five Eyes
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
United Kingdom
United States
Equestria
Japan
Philippines
South Korea
This many nations going to war against the combined Bloc...no one wanted to call it World War Three, but McDowell already suspected the history books would record it as such.
Anthony went on. “The listed countries have already committed support or combat forces. Upon arrival, they can be expected to operate from bases in Japan, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and inside Equestria.”
Treaty obligations and concern for their own safety had prompted the large response. Five Eyes was a strong alliance. The US had additional treaty allies in Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea; all of whom also had something to lose if the Bloc dominated the Pacific.
Five Eyes was well equipped. Compared to the US, the other member countries’ militaries were fairly small, but all were advanced.
Australia had avoided the initial Bloc attack, but clearly was close enough to be in danger. Their military was capable of fighting the Bloc’s best, though perhaps not with even numbers. The same applied to Canada. New Zealand’s talents lay more in reconnaissance and support. The United Kingdom had high tech weapons and experience, but had to come all the way from Europe.
Japan’s constitution limited it to purely defensive operations, however McDowell expected them to thoroughly patrol the waters and skies of northeast Asia. South Korea, tied up in constant stalemate with its northern neighbor, would not be able to bring its full military to bear, but could perhaps contribute a few fighters or destroyers. The Philippines’ military was constantly under-budgeted, and would probably only be able to patrol its local area and provide basing.
Equestria, meanwhile, had been fighting the Bloc for years. Their forces were experienced, but exhausted. Recent weapons imports had kept them afloat, but without outside help, their future was tenuous.
“This concludes the partners brief,” said Anthony. “SAC will disseminate organizational information as it is finalized.”
That was the cue for most listeners to go. Camera feeds started to go dark. McDowell stayed in his seat. Only four other rooms stayed connected: London, Canberra, Ottawa, and Canterlot.
The group was more intimate now. Only McDowell, Marshal Waddsworth, Admiral Brown, General Durand, and Marshall Lance remained with their closest staffs.
The slide changed again, to a map of the Pacific.
Anthony stepped back to the microphone. “This is an overview of current and expected forces in theater.”
As he spoke, arrows and text changed on the map to denote his words. “The situation as it stands...we can’t sugarcoat it, it’s rough. There are too many casualties to list, but a significant fraction of the US Navy carrier striking power is out of action. Enterprise is the only flattop still mission capable, though we do have two big-deck amphibs in San Diego. The Navy still has several several submarines and Tomahawk-shooters, and the new-build carriers, battleships, and others coming online should even the balance. US Air Force fighters in the area are mostly intact.
“The UK and Australia are sending fighters, plus some refueling and recon assets. Canada has deployed its fighters, patrollers, and refuelers to western bases and is sending their new Presence carrier with their air wings. Equestria has made progress in setting up a modern air force with equipment contributed from allied countries.
“For naval forces, Australia has already deployed their submarines and Sydney battleship group. Canada is patrolling the west coast of North America. The UK will likely take weeks before their ships can arrive. Equestria has begun to commission their newest modern surface combatants.
“The US is massing troops on the west coast - Army at Fort Lewis, Marines at Pendleton - to move to Arcaia. Four infantry divisions plus one division each of armored and cav to plus up what’s already in Equestria. Australia, Britain, and Canada are each contributing a mechanized division. The Marine MAGTF is mobilizing in Okinawa, though their sealift capability is uncertain after the attack.”
Anthony stepped away and the camera turned on again. Though it was through the teleconference, McDowell saw the faces of the alliance in front of him. He’d been chosen to lead, and they looked to him for guidance.
He consulted his notes, took a deep breath, and began to speak. “We believe the Bloc’s intent in launching this attack was to remove human assistance to Equestria. Perhaps they thought we would cut ties and choose to limit our losses. Clearly, that has not been the case. There have been more war declarations in the past few days than in the past few decades.
“While I believe this new alliance of ours has more than enough ability to defeat the Bloc, I hold no misconceptions that the war will be over soon. There are a number of potential risks we must face.
“Since the attack, the Bloc’s activity on Arcaia has intensified. They’re using the leeway to their advantage, trying to gain as much as they can before we recover. We must mobilize as quickly as possible to counter this.
“Additionally, while the Bloc is highly dangerous, human countries joining them would ignite an even greater conflict. Of particular concern, of course, are China and Russia, who have been supplying the Bloc. We must make every effort to prevent them from entering the war.
“The loss of much of our aircraft carrier capability has hurt our close-range air power. Fighters flying from land bases will need significant support to perform offensive counter-air and to escort bombers.
“On a more positive note, we hold several key advantages. Our alliance controls territories around the circumference of Arcaia. We can attack them from any direction. While the Bloc has close range ballistic missiles, they lack the ability to reach our regional bases. We hold an edge in technology and experience. We have better supply chains, and greater numbers.
“As I have said, this will not be a short war. This will not be a bloodless war. But it is a war we can win, a war we must win.
“Though, no combined force can exist and fight without coordination. I will be staying here at Camp Smith and I invite Marshall Waddsworth to join me. PACOM facilities are able to monitor and control the situation. Admiral Brown, Pacific Fleet Headquarters is ready to host you at Pearl Harbor. General Durand, I trust NORAD North Bay will be suitable?”
The Canadian aviator nodded and replied with a trace of a French accent. “It will require a few changes, but the facility is more than capable.”
McDowell nodded. “Marshall Lance, Marine Forces Pacific is already making room for you and your staff here at Camp Smith, just across the street from PACOM.”
The unicorn stallion replied, “Respectfully, sir, I would rather stay here.”
“I understand the need to be involved,” McDowell said, “but until a secure and connected headquarters suitable for commanding all allied ground forces can be established in Equestria, I need you here. You can establish a forward headquarters when possible.”
The idea of leaving his homeland in the middle of a war clearly didn’t thrill Silver Lance, but he was a professional soldier, and simply nodded at the order.
McDowell took a moment to meet their eyes. They were about to embark on the most difficult thing that any of them had ever done.
He decided to close by paraphrasing Nimitz. “Our armament is adequate, but we must put our faith not in those weapons but in ourselves and in each other.”