Cyber Attack (12 page)

“I’m sure he has a plan,” replied Sarge. “He’s
always
had a plan. But I agree with you. Financial and geopolitical motivations are at play here, more than the protection of America from her enemies.”

“This Bilderberg Conference plays into it as well,” said Steven. “One of the targets in Frankfurt was the head of some committee of the Bilderbergs.”

“The Steering Committee,” said Sarge.

“Right. Our instructions were to force him to resign. He
resigned
all right.”

“Are you talking about the Deutsche Bank guy?”

“One and the same,” replied Steven.

“News reports stated he had a heart attack in a park getting a blow job from a hooker,” said Sarge.

“Nope, he died after we waterboarded him.”

“Fuckin’ fabulous,” said Sarge.

“Bro, you know I’m not supposed to spill these details to you. But the shit’s gettin’ weird and you understand how all of this plays together.”

Sarge stared at the television screens as one talking head after another analyzed the upcoming northeast presidential primaries. He wondered if Abbie would be in town.
Let it go!

“Hey, bro, you with me still?” asked Steven, interrupting Sarge’s wandering mind.

“Yeah, yeah,” replied Sarge. “Do you have any specific instructions for the Bilderberg Conference?”

“Nope,” replied Steven. “They have their own security team and we will supplement their program. It’s unprecedented that their annual conference would be held in a city like this. Normally, they find some secluded backwoods fortress to hide behind.”

“I thought the same thing. It is part of the Bilderberg’s goal of raising the veil of secrecy although I think it’s just a facade.”

“In any event, they are bringing their COBRA unit—elite Special Forces made up primarily of German and Austrians. I’m sure they are charming.”

“Quite,” said Sarge. “You know Julia is traveling this weekend to interview the candidates. You wanna go out to eat, or order in.”

“Let’s pop some brewskis and order pizza through GrubHub. I have last year’s
Strike Back
to catch up on. Plus, we’ll need the inspiration for Brad’s war games at Camp Edwards this weekend.” The brothers fist-bumped as they started their boys’ weekend with a couple of Samuel Adams lagers.

Chapter 22

June 3, 2016

Camp Edwards

Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This was the first trip for Brad to Joint Base Cape Cod since the installation of Sgt. Major Carlos Rivera as the new commander of JBCC. Rivera, a longtime member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, also maintained a stellar career as an investigative specialist for the Drug Enforcement Administration. From first impressions, Rivera ran a tight ship, immediately gaining the respect of his counterpart from Fort Devens.

Lieutenant Colonel Francis Crowninshield Bradlee, Brad to his friends, was the consummate military man. In the early, pre-Revolutionary War days, the Crowninshields were known for their seafaring adventures. But as the War for Independence came to full fruition, the prominent family, close friends of Thomas Jefferson, became the backbone of the United States military for years to come. A member of the Crowninshield family held the positions of Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of War under several presidential administrations.

Like so many of the Founding Fathers, the Crowninshield lineage included the surnames Adams, Endicott, Hawthorne, DuPont and Bradlee. Brad’s father was the editor of
The
Washington Post
before his death and his mother was a highly respected, influential journalist. While the Bradlee branch of the Crowninshield family tree generally abhorred the military, Brad lived for it. He attended the Naval Academy and during his second-class year he chose Leatherneck for his summer training. He received praise from his mentors and surpassed all of the academic and physical standards required to graduate as one of a few dozen Marine Selects.

Brad’s career was stellar, and after three years as a major, he earned the rank of lieutenant colonel. Under his command were 750 infantry designated service members comprising the 25th Marine Regiment of 1st Battalion. At age forty, he had fast-tracked his career to battalion commander.

Brad met Steven at the Naval Academy and the two became good friends despite their age difference of several years. He encouraged Steven to become a Marine. But he was hell-bent on becoming a SEAL via the Navy rather than through the BUDS training option offered by the Marines. Either way, Brad admired Steven for becoming one heck of a soldier and the two stayed close friends over the years. They also realized they had common interests, which they immediately pursued. When Steven called Brad about getting together with Sarge for a little rest and relaxation, Brad thought this particular weekend would be perfect. Of course, his definition of R & R was different from most.

Fort Devens was part of a three-installation military training program along with Fort Dix in New Jersey and Fort Drum in New York. Fort Dix and Fort Drum had extensive combat-training facilities while Fort Devens did not. Fort Devens considered Camp Edwards as its home field. While each base had its own unique training attributes, Camp Edwards was known as the only installation in the northeast with a training center meant to simulate a Middle Eastern town. Built in 2008, Camp Edwards was dedicated to Theater Immersion Training. The theater immersion training technique placed units into an environment comparable to the one they would encounter in combat in order to rapidly build combat-readiness. Tactical Training Bases like Camp Edwards were developed to prepare troops for missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans.

This weekend, the teams from Devens, Dix and Drum would receive a thorough briefing on urban warfare operations on Saturday morning. The weekend schedule included specific field training in urban warfare followed by a friendly competition between teams of two. Brad wasn’t participating; he was there to train his men and those who participated from the other installations. The Sargent brothers were the only civilians, but Brad knew they could hold their own.

Chapter 23

June 4, 2016

Camp Edwards

Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts

“Let’s get started, everyone. Grab a seat, as we have a long day ahead of us,” said Brad. “I’m glad that all of you have gotten to know each other a little bit.” Brad observed the faces of the soldiers in the room as well as his ringers—Sarge and Steven. He also caught a glimpse of eye contact and smiles between Steven and Second Lieutenant Michaela Dodge from Fort Drum. Does the boy never rest? Dodge may have a sweet smile, but Brad had seen her in action. She was a third-degree ball breaker who took no prisoners.
He’ll see
.

Dodge was part of a four-soldier team from the 10th Mountain Division stationed at Fort Drum, New York. Each of the two soldier teams was the winner in the Best Ranger competition within their squads. Dodge and her teammate, 2LT John Rose, represented the 1st Brigade Combat Team. First Lieutenant Michael Bergman and 2LT Duane Rosenberg, son of the garrison commander, represented the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. Dodge and Rose had trained at Camp Edwards before and Brad was extremely impressed. But it was Bergman and Rosenberg who won the title of Best Rangers at the nationwide competition held at Fort Benning, Georgia, last fall.

Attending from Fort Dix were two new teams. The first team was part of the 174th Infantry Brigade. This brigade was a training unit responsible for preparing other soldiers to train the trainers. As soldiers prepare for deployment throughout the military, they were briefed and trained on maneuvers, equipment and other details pertinent to their theater of operation. These members of the 174th trained the trainers, who in turn trained the military personnel before deployment.

The other two-man team was from the United States Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team. This was a new group to the Camp Edwards program, and Brad knew very little about their function. When their CO contacted Brad about participating, he was a little puzzled. The Coast Guard operated primarily as a maritime law enforcement branch of Homeland Security. Their primary responsibilities had been responding to environmental disasters off the United States coast.
Why does the Coast Guard need their personnel trained in urban tactics?

Finally, Brad was very pleased with his team from Fort Devens. Master Gunny Sergeant Frank Falcone was an old-school master gunnery sergeant under Brad’s command for years. He would trust this man with his life. His partner, Chief Warrant Officer Kyle Shore, had become known as an expert in one form of long-range fire support—sniping. In Afghanistan, Shore had recorded kill shots on two Taliban machine gunners at roughly 2,500 yards, just short of the longest confirmed kill of slightly over 2,700 yards.

The other two members of the Fort Devens contingent were members of the 366th Military Police Detachment. First Lieutenant Craig Russo and Captain Pedro Torrez were specifically trained in urban tactics although they had never served in combat. Part of the Army Military Police Corps, the 366th and their counterparts, the Military Intelligence Detachments based at Fort Devens, did not fall under the direct command of Brad. He suspected their deployment would be on United States soil at some point—not something he wanted to contemplate often.

“Before you is a packet of materials, which is the latest intelligence and summation provided us by the Pentagon on the subject of UO—urban operations—which has replaced the previous acronym, MOUT—Military Operations on Urban Terrain,” said Brad. “I know that most of what we will cover is familiar to you, but a refresher course prior to this afternoon’s LFX will be beneficial.” Brad did not bother to explain the military’s many lexicons for Sarge’s benefit. He knew Sarge, as a civilian, was well versed in military jargon and did not need an explanation of what a live fire exercise entailed.

“The Army has not updated the field manuals on urban operations since June 2003, yet a lot of information has been gathered from our operations abroad since then,” said Brad. “FM 3-06 spends a lot of time on theoretical and historical perspectives on urban operations. The most recent information at our disposal provides a more accurate picture of what our soldiers faced in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today’s urban warfare puts a heavy emphasis on distinguishing between civilians and enemy combatants—such as armed militias, insurgents and even gangs. As you know, the rules of engagement and use of combat power are more restrictive than in other conditions of battle.”

Brad did not verbally express his biggest fear concerning the United States military’s new emphasis on urban warfare. Falcone and the Sargents recognized our soldiers were being trained for ground operations—in America.

“Urban environments are highly advantageous to the defender. Buildings in an urban setting provide high levels of cover and concealment for enemy combatants. Multistoried buildings with basements allow the defenders of urban territory the ability to maneuver in what we call the third dimension. Your unit may have a group of insurgents pinned down in front of you only to be surprised when they reappear behind you by making use of underground passageways through basements. Modern cities have elaborate sewer systems and often have underground tunnels for transit systems. Defenders may move laterally or vertically, completely out of sight of the attacker.” Brad walked around his desk and wandered the room as he continued.

“For the aggressor, buildings in an urban environment provide significant obstacles to the movement of heavy equipment, which necessarily limits the ability of a superior military force to take advantage of their advanced armored vehicles. The tall buildings in urban terrain also permit defenders to shoot antitank weapons at angles able to penetrate the relatively thin top armor of infantry fighting vehicles.”

Turning in the direction of CWO Shore, he added, “Long fields of fire are scarce, so the technological advantages our forces enjoy in tactical long-range fire are neutralized. In fact, those of you who have deployed to the Middle East know the majority of engagements are up close and personal. Gun battles occur at such a close range that rifle rounds retain the sufficient velocity to penetrate flak jackets.”

Brad saw the nods of acknowledgement by these brave soldiers. Many of them had seen their buddies die within a few feet of where they stood, knowing it could have been them.

“As we all know, intel is critical to any military operation,” said Brad. “In an urban-warfare scenario, intelligence can become outdated in a blink of an eye. For the defender, your lack of information is a tremendous advantage to them. You should always expect that the locals will enjoy a far superior knowledge of the battlefield—the urban environment.”

As Brad spoke, his mind processed the application of urban tactics to American cities. Clearly, the Pentagon anticipated the application of these tactics on American soil. Were they training us to implement martial law?

“In traditional open warfare, the advantage clearly leans to the attacker who holds a technological advantage. Our overhead reconnaissance assets feed us real-time images and maps of the battlefield—as well as real-time situational awareness during the mission. GPS systems enable the attacker in open warfare the opportunity to be as well oriented on the enemy’s terrain as the defenders are,” said Brad.

“But it is not clear that modern technology offers this kind of leverage in urban settings. Again, the defending enemy will have a far better understanding of the city or town than will the outsider.”
To what extent would Washington use advanced technology against its own citizenry in times of unrest
?

“In
The Art of War
, the famous Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu surmised the worst policy is to attack cities, and throughout our history, this advice has been followed. Today, seventy percent of the world’s population resides in urban areas. The rapid increase of population coupled with the accelerated growth in the cities brought the Pentagon to this realization—urban areas are expected to be the future battlefield and combat in these areas cannot be avoided.