Chapter 126

Another double posting today chapters 126 and 127.Just to take the mind off the news.

‘‘Senator Downs will not be rejoining us so let’s get this meeting started. I know all of you have questions.’’

‘‘First a couple of quick statements. In order to eliminate leaks to the media - both print and electronic - there are a variety of changes to security procedures in the Executive office building. In all of the White House all conversations, all discussions, all notes and all hand out materials will be considered classified top secret.’’

‘‘That is also why you were required to sign new security forms. I can promise you any leaks will be aggressively investigated and responsible parties will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,’’ I said.

‘‘I know all of you are upset about your phones being collected. I ordered that to end interruptions by texts and calls and to prevent recordings of the conversations spoken in here.’’

‘‘I will tell you that the daily White House press briefings may be discontinued soon. That decision is on hold pending legal advisement. However, if the press briefings are continued the number of press with passes will be greatly reduced,’’ I said.

‘‘Some of you I know by name and some I do not, but know I am working to correct that shortcoming. Today, if you would, please state your name before you speak to help me,’’ I said.

‘‘Who wants to go first, or do you prefer that I go down one side of the table and then the other?”

‘‘Senator Bob Ajax, North Carolina. The press release has got Navy installations and shipyards on edge. Would you expand on your reasoning?’’ he asked.

‘‘Yes. Since the attack on my convoy in Pakistan, and the double transition from Vice President to President there have been several changes to intelligence collection, including adding some new techniques and new locations that are proving beneficial.’’

‘‘Through them we have learned of Iran’s terrorist plans for the next year. Those plans include coordinated attacks on US installations in the Middle East as well on our allies in the region by Iran or Iran’s IRG trained surrogates. They also include a more aggressive posture in the Somalia, Yemen and Sudan civil wars and even building a base in Ethiopia.’’ I said.

‘‘That said I was extremely disappointed to find that there were no carrier task forces available for at least four to six months - and then only one for sure - to respond the these possibilities. The rest of them were months or years away,’’ I said.

‘‘General Ingram and I decided, based on the intercepted information, that more were needed. Much more and sooner than the months and years predicted. Too much dock time was being assigned to the Fordson and Kennedy.”

“Repairs to other carriers were being put off and the budgets used in an attempt to cure the unending problems to the Fordson class. We will have more carriers at sea sooner by halting work on the Fordson, Kennedy and Enterprise,’’ I said.

‘‘Next.” I said.

‘‘Senator Jack Daniels, Tennessee. You did not expand on the cancellation on the fourth carrier,’’ he said.

‘‘The fourth and fifth in the Fordson class are on hold pending cancellation. In my opinion carriers are nearly obsolete now and certainly will be long before their life cycle ends. ‘‘

‘‘Unfortunately the Navy - and I should include the Air Force - are still using tactics developed in WW2 as a models. The carrier to carrier battles at two or three hundred miles by plane is a thing of the past.’’

‘‘The only reason China is building so many carriers is to project power to intimidate its small island neighbors. In a war their intent is draw our carriers close enough so they can use swarms of land based long range missiles and overwhelm their defenses.’’

‘‘That is why China went on an island building campaign. It was to extend and implement an effective swarm policy and make the South China Sea a no-man’s land for US surface ships in the event of a conflict.’’

‘‘By fortifying the South China Sea atolls, islands and coral reef into military bases, mainland China has essentially protected the mainland from any threat from foreign navies, eliminating one leg of the triad. The only threat would be submarines with cruise missiles, essentially no threat at all unless you go nuclear.’’

‘‘China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran have all grasped the swarm concept whether it be on the battlefield with small drones or at sea with missiles. What does it cost them to build a missile? Five hundred thousand? For a billion dollars - the cost of operating a carrier for a year - that is two thousand missiles. Do that math for a couple years.’’

‘‘Simultaneously launch one hundred every ten seconds for thirty seconds, how many missiles will get through? More than enough to take it out of the war or sink it.’’

General Ingram interrupted, ‘‘That’s a simplified assessment of some of the possibilities that the war college experts are predicting. Swarms present a new challenge in task force defense. As of yet there is no answer.’’

‘‘The one possibility is small yield nuclear anti-missile shells that would disrupt the navigation and electronics of a swarm based attack. The problem is - without violating treaties - there is no way to field test the theory and if you did, then the problem with the radioactive fallout is there,’’ the General said.

‘‘We have gotten a little afar, so returning to the question: the Fordson, Kennedy and the Enterprise have a life of fifty years, possibly seventy years with refits and rebuilds. That takes us into the next century. Do you really think we are going to be launching planes off carrier decks in seventy more years?’’ I asked.

‘‘The next Enterprise could well be the Starship Enterprise. Technology has moved so much in the last fifty years. The next fifty will make it look like we are still using the horse and buggy today.”

‘‘The moon landings fifty years ago were calculated with slide rules. Today, most engineering students would have to go to a museum to see one. ‘‘

‘‘Artificial intelligence was once a pipe dream. It is now in use and the scholars and ethicists are debating how to use it and protect us from it. Just imagine what’s going to be developed in the next seventy years. You can bet we are not going to be launching fighter planes from carrier decks.’’