SUBJECT READER REVIEW WITH PLOT SPOILERS FOLLOWS:
Completely ignoring all the plot twists that predominated the first part of the book, 'Oath of Office' was unique because of the dastardly storyline Marc Cameron put together; the Russians up the ante on deniable plausibility by 'losing' a couple of anti-ballistic missiles. Now on the surface this didn't shake my world, not until the best minds in government finally figured-pointed out by a midshipman-that if one single satellite in low-earth orbit were to, say, be obliterated the shrapnel space junk would likely disable every LEO satellite within two weeks. All business and entertainment comms go poof! Now the spooks might rely on geosynchronous orbiting satellites for the key systems, but any traversing low earth would likely kill any launched vehicle. Interesting that Reagan brought the Russians to their knees in fear of ABMs (remember SDI, Star Wars?), refusing to move that option off the table in exchange for arms reductions. That was a bitter, bitter pill for the Russkies to swallow, and they obviously ain't forgot about it, according to Cameron.
Operation AVIDA, where the 51T6 Gorgon anti-ballistic missile targets a key US LEO satellite, say like a Keyhole or its successor Orion, and the kinetic energy blows it to smithereens, is played out by unlikely bedfellows. The Russians give the conn to GRU to 'lose' the ABMs, specifically to an apparent Iranian dissident Reza Kazem, who utilizes a clearly excited Ayatollah to launch the two missiles from Iran's Mashhad Air Base. The ABM misses the satellite by a shade of gray, or silk degrees, when Jack Jr. figures it all out, calls it in and the powers that be figure out which satellites would be most likely targets. One of the ABMs successfully launches, and the USAF Satellite Control Network engages repositioning thrusters two minutes following launch. It woulda been a dastardly thing indeed to allow a thermonuclear device to detonate in low earth orbit, but the Russkies knew that'd kill their own ops, so no magic codes. The ABM was to be a kinetic energy weapon that would obliterate anything traveling at full thrust.
Two things of personal interest happened in the book. Jack Jr's mind won't allow him to perceive Campus Transportation Director Lisanne Robertson, the later day Adara Sherman, as the smoking hot fearless but approachable woman she is because of Hendley Associates official policy on fraternizing. Well, Ding Chavez hooked up with Adara without either getting fired, so you gotta pay to play, and Junior knows it and is trying to ignore the denial. Helping this somewhat was when the Hendley 'enablers' were playing small fry games in Portugal & Spain when old flame Ysabel Kashani calls Junior in a tizzy, tipping off the first of the clues to Operation AVIDA. Of course Junior goes to hell, otherwise known as Afghanistan, to glimpse and clutch her once again, but by the time he and Ding get there, the proverbial shit has hit the fan. No time for romance when everyone except the SVR espionage traitor is trying to kill you!
Read 'Oath of Office' and enjoy your time with the Tom Clancy Universe. It's worth the price of admission, I'm pretty sure.