Chapter 176

The first meeting was at 1000, but many of the diplomats met in the five star cafeteria for breakfast. President Orbatch, Prime Minister Attenborough and I arrived at the same time for breakfast. The three of us decided to sit at one table without any aides.

Other G8 members were scattered around at various tables. Japan, Germany and Canadian representatives were at another table. Italy and France were at yet another.

Over breakfast Orbatch, Attenborough and I discussed how the agreement with Russia was working out. They both offered assistance again if we needed it in any conflict with Iran.

I seriously doubted that Prime Minister Attenborough would be able to offer anything but token assistance. Muslims now held the political edge in Britain. More than fifty percent of the cities were now controlled by Muslims and almost as many seats in Parliament and the House of Commons. France, Germany Italy were all in no better shape. Sharia law was replacing traditional laws and penalties.

Refuges from the Syrian conflict and other Middle Eastern civil wars along with the European Union’s insane open borders policies had sealed the fate of Europe; in twenty more years they all would be Muslims.

All that was one reason I had asked for no help from European countries. If asked, they would demand to be part of the decision making process and as there were more of them, I would end up losing control or get mired down in continuous political disputes.

I felt sure that Orbatch would very probably send troops if I asked, given I had him on a string. I was betting I wasn’t going to need them with the plan that the generals and admirals had worked out. The DOD had excellent planners when one took their blinders off and threw the book of restrictions in the shredder.

Prime Minister Attenborough was trying to get a feeling on what kind of military cuts the US was going to do in Europe. It was a topic that the Pentagon had put on hold. Even though they were no longer part of the European Union, they were still affected by decisions connected to it by trade.

The numbers and bases would have to be first looked at by several groups in the Pentagon and that would take a couple years. After they were finished, Congress would have to be convinced. Then there was the work to do with our allies.

The Pentagon could do slow draw downs and reductions saving lots of money. But the big issues would be political and take time.

Troy handed me a note from Chief of Naval Operations. It was on the condition of the Hammann. It had traveled under its own power with JBG ships for escort to the JBG Masqat dry dock. Experts from Ingalls Industries - the builder of the Hammann - were waiting to inspect it.

The Hammann had been escorted by twelve JBG fast ships and four army helicopters from a Saudi base and guided into the dry dock. The keel blocks were placed and the dock was pumped dry by a team from Newport News Ship Building. They were the ones that used the dry docks last to repair the collision damaged destroyer.

The crew was put up in the barracks that were part of the JBG site. While the last destroyer was being repaired improvements had been made to make it more livable and fit in the twenty first century. There were 10 VCATS rooms where American guest service men and ladies could contact home through the JBG network. A sailor could set up a prearranged time and see his or her family live at any JBG office.

The Hammann was twenty five years old and had just returned to service from a two hundred and fifty million dollar upgrade and overhaul. A new destroyer to replace the Hammann was two billion dollars and eight years away with the two year fitting out and sea trials before accepted delivery. The ship yards that built them had construction contracts with the Navy that far out.

The USS Cole had taken fourteen months to be repaired after a terrorist boat filled with high explosives struck her amidships, flooding multiple decks and nearly sinking her.

With most of the damage on the Hammann superstructure, I expected the ship to be repaired and a lot faster. With CAD equipment and blueprints, repairs would go quickly.

After breakfast we went to the acclaimed Resort Country Club of Madrid. The meeting became contentious from the opening. Agriculture trade was a big issue; Spain, France and Canada were unhappy that the US had entered in the grain deal with Russia.

Their argument was by the exclusivity of the agreement it robbed the international markets of fair trade. Their theory was that the US should have bought the grain on the European grain market and donated it to Russia.