Rogue Forces pm-15
Rogue Forces
( Patrick McLanahan - 15 )
Dale Brown
The clash of civilizations will be won ... by thte highest bidder
What happens when America's most lethal military contractor becomes uncontrollably powerful?
His election promised a new day for America ... but dangerous storm clouds are on the horizon. The newly inaugurated president, Joseph Gardner, pledged to start pulling U.S. forces out of Iraq on his first day in office--no questions asked. Meanwhile, former president Kevin Martindale and retired Air Force lieutenant-general Patrick McLanahan have left government behind for the lucrative world of military contracting. Their private firm, Scion Aviation International, has been hired by the Pentagon to take over aerial patrols in northern Iraq as the U.S. military begins to downsize its presence there.
Yet Iraq quickly reemerges as a hot zone: Kurdish nationalist attacks have led the Republic of Turkey to invade northern Iraq. The new American presi dent needs to regain control of the situation--immediately--but he's reluctant to send U.S. forces back into harm's way, leaving Scion the only credible force in the region capable of blunting the Turks' advances.
But when Patrick McLanahan makes the decision to take the fight to the Turks, can the president rein him in? And just where does McLanahan's loyalty ultimately lie: with his country, his commander in chief, his fellow warriors ... or with his company's shareholders?
In Rogue Forces, Dale Brown, the New York Times bestselling master of thrilling action, explores the frightening possibility that the corporations we now rely on to fight our battles are becoming too powerful for America's good.
Dale Brown
Rogue Forces
CAST OF CHARACTERS
AMERICANS
PATRICK S. MCLANAHAN, Lieutenant-General, USAF (ret.), partner and president, Scion Aviation International
KEVIN MARTINDALE, former president of the United States, silent owner of Scion Aviation International
JONATHAN COLIN MASTERS, Ph.D., chief of operations, Sky Masters Inc.
HUNTER NOBLE, VP of development, Sky Masters Inc.
JOSEPH GARDNER, president of the United States
KENNETH T. PHOENIX, vice president
CONRAD F. CARLYLE, national security adviser
MILLER H. TURNER, secretary of defense
WALTER KORDUS, White House chief of staff
STACY ANNE BARBEAU, secretary of state
U.S. MARINE CORPS GENERAL TAYLOR J. BAIN, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
U.S. ARMY MAJOR-GENERAL CHARLES CONNOLLY, division commander, northern Iraq
U.S. ARMY COLONEL JACK T. WILHELM, executive officer, Second Regiment, Allied Air Base Nahla, Iraq
ARMY LIEUTENANT COLONEL MARK WEATHERLY, regimental executive officer
ARMY MAJOR KENNETH BRUNO, regimental operations officer
USAF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL GIA “BOXER” CAZZOTTO, commander, Seventh Air Expeditionary Squadron
KRIS THOMPSON, president and CEO of Thompson Security, private security company at Allied Air Base Nahla, Iraq
FRANK BEXAR, privately contracted intelligence officer
CAPTAIN KELVIN COTTER, USAF, deputy regimental air traffic management officer
MARGARET HARRISON, privately contracted UAV director
REESE FLIPPIN, privately contracted weather officer
TURKS
KURZAT HIRSIZ, president of the Republic of Turkey
AYSE AKAS, prime minister of the Republic of Turkey
HASAN CIZEK, minister of national defense, Republic of Turkey
GENERAL ORHAN SAHIN, secretary-general, Turkish National Security Council
MUSTAFA HAMARAT, Turkish foreign minister
FEVSI GUCLU, director, National Intelligence Organization
GENERAL ABDULLAH GUZLEV, chief of staff of the military of the Republic of Turkey
GENERAL AYDIN DEDE, replacement military chief of staff
MAJOR AYDIN SABASTI, liaison officer to U.S. Second Regiment at Allied Air Base Nahla, Iraq
MAJOR HAMID JABBURI, deputy liaison officer
GENERAL BESIR OZEK, commander, Jandarma (Turkish national internal security forces)
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL GUVEN ILGAZ, deputy commander, Jandarma
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL MUSTAFA ALI, replacement Jandarma commander
IRAQIS
ALI LATIF RASHID, president of the Republic of Iraq
COLONEL YUSUF JAFFAR, commander, Allied Air Base Nahla, Tall Kayf, Iraq
MAJOR JAAFAR OTHMAN, Iraqi Maqbara (tomb) Company, Seventh Brigade commander
COLONEL NOURI MAWLOUD, liaison officer to Second Regiment
ZILAR “BAZ” (HAWK) AZZAWI, Iraqi PKK rebel leader
SADOON SALIH, Azzawi’s assistant squad leader
WEAPONS AND ACRONYMS
ACRONYMS AND TERMINOLOGY
AMARG—Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (the “Boneyard”), a U.S. Air Force facility near Tucson, Arizona, that stores, dismantles, and recovers parts from out-of-service aircraft
AOR—Area of Responsibility
AQI—Al-Qaeda in Iraq, an Iraqi offshoot of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organization
“battle rattle”—personal equipment necessary for combat operations
bullseye—a designated point from which range and bearing information to an objective can be transmitted on open frequencies without revealing one’s own location
C4I—Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence
Çancaya—the seat of government of the Republic of Turkey
CHU—Containerized Housing Unit, a mobile living space resembling a cargo container used by U.S. soldiers in Iraq
CHUville—an area of a large number of CHUs
DFAC—Dining Facility
ECM—Electronic Countermeasures
EO—Electro-Optical, sensors that can electronically distribute or enhance optical images
FAA—Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. aviation regulatory agency
FOB—Forward Operating Base, a military base close to or in enemy territory
Fobbits—slang for staff and support personnel
Fobbitville—slang for the headquarters building
FPCON—Force Protection Condition, a rating of the enemy or terrorist threat level for a military installation (formerly THREATCON)
GP—Geneal Purpose (gravity bomb or vehicle)
IA—Iraqi Army
IED—Improvised Explosive Device
IIR—Imaging Infrared, a heat sensor with enough resolution to form images
ILS—Instrument Landing System, a radio beam system that can guide aircraft to land in severe weather conditions
IM—Instant Messaging, transmitting text messages between computers
IR—Infrared
Klicks—kilometers
KRG—Kurdistan Regional Government, the political organization that administers the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq
LLTV—Low-Light TV
LRU—Line Replaceable Units, components of aircraft systems that can be easily removed and replaced on the flight line if it malfunctions
Mahdis—slang term for any foreign fighter
Mission-adaptive technology—system of automatically shaping aircraft surfaces to allow greater flight control capabilities
Modes and codes—settings for different aircraft identification transponder radios
MTI—Moving Target Indication, a radar that tracks moving vehicles on the ground from a long distance
Netrusion—transmitting false data or programming into an enemy computer network via digital communications, datalinks, or sensors
NOFORN—No Foreign; a security classification that restricts foreign nationals from acessing data
PAG—Congress for Freedom and Democracy, an alternate name of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
PKK—Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, Kurdistan Workers' Party, a Kurdish separatist organization seeking to form a separate nation from the ethnic Kurdish regions of Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq; recognized as a terrorist organization by several nations and organizations
ROE—Rules of Engagement, the procedures and limitations for a combat operation
SAM—Surface-to-Air Missile
SEAD—Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, using jammers and weapons to destroy an enemy air defense weapon, radar, or command and control facilities
triple-A—antiaircraft artillery
WEAPONS
AGM-177 Wolverine—air-or ground-launched autonomous attack cruise missile
CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition—an air-dropped weapon that releases antipersonnel and antivehicle mines over a wide area
CBU-97 Sensor-Fuzed Weapon—an air-dropped weapon that can detect and destroy numerous armored vehicles at one time over a wide area
CID—Cybernetic Infantry Device, a manned robot with enhanced strength, armor, sensors, and combat capabilities
Cobra gunship—U.S. Army second-generation weaponized light helicopter
CV-22 Osprey—a medium transport aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter but can then swivel its rotors and fly like a fixed-wing aircraft
JDAM—Joint Direct Attack Munition, a bolt-on kit for gravity bombs that give them near-precision accuracy using Global Positioning System navigation information
KC-135R—latest model of the Boeing 707 family of aerial refueling tanker aircraft
Kiowa—light helicopter that carries advanced sensors used to spot targets for helicopter gunships
MIM-104 Patriot—American-made ground-based antiaircraft missile system
SA-14—second generation Russian-made shoulder-fired antiaircraft missile
SA-7—first generation Russian-made shoulder-fired antiaircraft missile
Slingshot—high-powered laser defensive system for aircraft
Stryker—an eight-wheeled multirole armored personnel carrier of the U.S. Army
Tin Man—a soldier outfitted with advanced body armor, sensors, and strength augmentation systems to increase his combat capabilities
XC-57 “Loser”—a flying-wing aircraft originally designed for the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Bomber, but converted to a multimission transport aircraft when the design lost the contract competition
REAL-WORLD NEWS EXCERPTS
BBC NEWS ONLINE, 30 OCTOBER 2007:
…Tensions between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurdish region had been rising steadily in the months running up to the current crisis, triggered by PKK attacks which have killed some forty Turkish troops in recent weeks.
…In May, Turkey was angered when the three provinces of Iraqi Kurdistan were handed security control by the US-led multinational forces, and promptly raised the Kurdish flag instead of the Iraqi one.
…“You don’t need 100,000 [Turkish] troops to take their positions,” said a senior Iraqi Kurd politician. “What they’re clearly planning to do is to stage a major incursion and take control of the major land routes inside Iraqi Kurdistan leading up into the border mountains from the Iraqi side.”
…There is speculation in Kurdish circles that the Turks might also try to bomb or otherwise neutralize the two Iraqi Kurdish airports, at Irbil and Sulaymaniyah, which Ankara asserts have been allowing PKK fighters to gain refuge.
…“The Turks could wipe them out or bomb them as they have done in the past. What they are proposing is something larger than that. They are talking about a large-scale military incursion, which is getting people extremely, extremely nervous and worried. The concern of many people is that Turkish ambition may stretch beyond taking out the PKK…”
BBC NEWS ONLINE, 18 JANUARY 2008:
…Turkey has been threatening military action against the PKK ever since insurgents intensified their attacks on Turkish troops, putting the government here under immense public pressure to respond with force. Last month, the government authorized the military to carry out cross-border operations [into Iraq] against the PKK whenever necessary.
The air strikes on Sunday night were the first serious sign of that.
…Ankara says it has tacit approval from the U.S. for its operations, under an agreement reached in Washington last month by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President George W. Bush.
“I believe the USA supplied actionable intelligence, and the Turkish military took action,” Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Levent Bilman told the BBC…
“TURKISH TROOPS KILL 11 REBELS IN SOUTHEAST TURKEY NEAR BORDER WITH IRAQ—ASSOCIATED PRESS,” 12 MARCH 2007—ANKARA, TURKEY:
Turkish troops killed 11 Kurdish rebels during clashes in southeastern Turkey near the border with Iraq, a private news agency reported Wednesday. The fighting comes two weeks after Turkey’s eight-day incursion into northern Iraq to flush out the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, who have been battling the Turkish government since 1984.
…Some Turkish nationalists fear that increasing cultural rights could lead to the breakup of the country along ethnic lines. They worry that Turkish Kurds could be encouraged by the U.S.-supported Kurdish region in northern Iraq, which has its own government and militia…
SECOND QUARTER 2008 FORECAST, © STRATFOR.COM, 4 APRIL 2008:
Regional trend: Turkey is emerging as a major regional power and in 2008 will begin to exert influence throughout its periphery—most notably in northern Iraq…
Turkey is feeling strong not only in northern Iraq, but also in the nearby Balkans and Caucasus, where it is seeking to mentor newly independent Kosovo and a newly oil-rich Azerbaijan…
“‘IRON MAN’ IS THE NEW FACE OF MILITARY CONTRACTORS,” JEREMY HSU, SPACE.COM, 6 MAY 2008:
When superhero Tony Stark isn’t donning his Iron Man armor to personally rough up villains, he’s pitching the U.S. military on new gadgets to fight the War on Terror.
…Private individuals and companies might not be as visible as UAVs soaring above the skies of Afghanistan and Iraq, yet their role has grown just as dramatically during the recent conflicts.
…No one questions that the United States could not fight a war now without outsourcing to military contractors…That means military contractors have also expanded beyond just selling military hardware. They now run supply lines, feed troops, build base camps, consult on strategy and even fight as private security forces…
“IRAN: U.S.–IRAQI DEAL WOULD ‘ENSLAVE’ IRAQIS—RAFSANJANI,” STRATFOR.COM, JUNE 4, 2008:
Iranian Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on June 4 said the Islamic world will try to stop a long-term security agreement between Iraq and the United States, saying the terms of the deal would “enslave” Iraqis, the Associated Press reported. Rafsanjani said the U.S.–Iraqi deal would lead to a permanent occupation of Iraq, and that such an occupation is dangerous for all states in the region…
THIRD QUARTER FORECAST, STRATFOR.COM, 8 JULY 2008:
…Regional trend: Turkey is emerging as a major regional power and in 2008 will begin to exert influence throughout its periphery—most notably in northern Iraq…Turkey is becoming bolder on the international stage: sending troops into northern Iraq, mediating Israeli-Syrian peace talks, pushing energy projects in the Caucasus and Central Asia, and making its influence felt in the Balkans…
“IRAQI PARLIAMENT CALLS SESSION ON KIRKUK,” ASSOCIATED PRESS, 30 JULY 2008:
…Tensions escalated Monday after a suicide bomb attack in Kirkuk during a Kurdish protest against the elections law killed 25 people and injured more than 180.
Kirkuk is home to Kurds, Turkomans, Arabs, and other minorities. After the explosion in Kirkuk, dozens of angry Kurds stormed the offices of a Turkoman political party that opposes Kurdish claims on Kirkuk, opening fire and burning cars amid accusations that their rivals were
to blame. Nine Turkomen, or ethnic Turks, were reported wounded.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which has been defending the rights of Turkomen, called Iraqi authorities to express concern over the incidents in Kirkuk and proposed to send a plane to bring the wounded to Turkey for treatment, the Iraqi president’s office said…
“TURKEY CONCERNED WITH CITY OF KIRKUK,” ASSOCIATED PRESS, 2 AUGUST 2008:
Baghdad—The Turkish government has expressed concern regarding the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, where ethnic Turks are locked in a territory dispute, an Iraqi official says.
An unidentified Iraqi foreign ministry spokesman said Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari had been contacted by Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babican regarding the situation in the city, the Kuwait News Agency KUNA reported Saturday.
The province of Kirkuk has demanded the city become part of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, while Turkey has steadfastly opposed such a movement.
While the city holds the largest concentration of ethnic Turks in Iraq, the spokesman said Zebari has maintained that any attempts to solve the dispute will be conducted solely by Iraq.
Zebari said any outside attempts to become involved in the dispute would not be welcomed by Iraq, the spokesman told KUNA.
“LASER GUN’S FIRST BLAST,” WIRED, DANGER ROOM, 13 AUGUST 2008:
Boeing announced today the first ever test firing of a real-life ray gun that could become U.S. Special Forces’ way to carry out covert strikes with “plausible deniability.”
In tests earlier this month at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, Boeing’s Advanced Tactical Laser—a modified C-130H aircraft—“fired its high-energy chemical laser through its beam control system. The beam control system acquired a ground target and guided the laser beam to the target, as directed by ATL’s battle management system…”
“RECORD NUMBER OF U.S. CONTRACTORS IN IRAQ,” CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, PETER GRIER, 18 AUGUST 2008: