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Target: Nimitz
Retired naval officer Frank Warren, now an airline pilot, is on the final day of a routine, four-day trip. On board is William "Will Call" Stimson, U.S. Navy (ret) who now works on Capitol Hill. Will Call and Warren, fellow commanding officers while on active duty developed a strong friendship during their command tours and remained close when each retired. Will Call Stimson knows of an opening in the secretary of defense organization and thinks he knows who the perfect candidate for the job is.
Will Call waits for the passengers to deplane in Atlanta and then surprises Warren with a warm handshake and a hug. They talk in the concourse where Will Call describes the position which Frank considers enticing. After a discussion with wife Mary, they decide to pursue this new opportunity and relocate to the Washington, D.C. area.
In the Pentagon, Frank learns administrative protocols from Denise Emerson, an attractive assistant who seems to live far beyond her means. Also working there are two individuals whom Frank met while on active duty as a student at the National Defense University (NDU). Rear Admiral Joseph Donaldson, “Joe 2-star” in Frank's mind, was a commander and an early selectee for captain at NDU. An outstanding and highly regarded naval officer, Radm. Donaldson's meteoric rise through the ranks resulted in his Pentagon assignment as the Navy's director of air warfare. Also assigned to the Pentagon was Sharon Fleming who serves as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. She, like Frank Warren and Joseph Donaldson, was a student at NDU and was a war game team member of Warren's during their academic year.
Warren, Donaldson, and Fleming are again brought together by unusual Iranian naval activity in the Persian Gulf. In the Situation Room of the White House all three individuals contribute to the formulation of a response by U.S. military forces to acts of aggression demonstrated by Iranians. The original plan briefed to the president doesn't seem right to war planning novice Frank Warren. Warren challenges CentCom's plan and proposes an alternate strategy. Surprisingly, the president invokes Warren's proposal and orders it implemented.
In the Persian Gulf, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) anchors due to issues with her nuclear-powered propulsion system. USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) and USS Milius (DDG-69) perform guard duty while Nimitz strives to get their reactors back online. As Sunday morning dawns, a B-52 Stratofortress screams over the heads of Iranian and American sailors and a second flyover ends with an explosive display of firepower. Iran's small boats and two submarines return to Bandar Abbas and the conflict in the Persian Gulf is resolved without further incident.
Each side views the event through their own lens and each draws erroneous conclusions. Frank Warren's uneasiness with the lifestyle and disposition of Denise Emerson is well founded but uncorroborated. Denise surreptitiously provides Tehran authorities with intelligence information she can obtain during her normal work routine, motivated by the death of her parents who died when their Iranian airliner was shot down by a United States warship in July 1988.
Von Clausewitz's "fog of war" theory proves itself again as the United States and Iran continue their delicate balancing act with potentially deadly consequences.
Will Call waits for the passengers to deplane in Atlanta and then surprises Warren with a warm handshake and a hug. They talk in the concourse where Will Call describes the position which Frank considers enticing. After a discussion with wife Mary, they decide to pursue this new opportunity and relocate to the Washington, D.C. area.
In the Pentagon, Frank learns administrative protocols from Denise Emerson, an attractive assistant who seems to live far beyond her means. Also working there are two individuals whom Frank met while on active duty as a student at the National Defense University (NDU). Rear Admiral Joseph Donaldson, “Joe 2-star” in Frank's mind, was a commander and an early selectee for captain at NDU. An outstanding and highly regarded naval officer, Radm. Donaldson's meteoric rise through the ranks resulted in his Pentagon assignment as the Navy's director of air warfare. Also assigned to the Pentagon was Sharon Fleming who serves as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. She, like Frank Warren and Joseph Donaldson, was a student at NDU and was a war game team member of Warren's during their academic year.
Warren, Donaldson, and Fleming are again brought together by unusual Iranian naval activity in the Persian Gulf. In the Situation Room of the White House all three individuals contribute to the formulation of a response by U.S. military forces to acts of aggression demonstrated by Iranians. The original plan briefed to the president doesn't seem right to war planning novice Frank Warren. Warren challenges CentCom's plan and proposes an alternate strategy. Surprisingly, the president invokes Warren's proposal and orders it implemented.
In the Persian Gulf, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) anchors due to issues with her nuclear-powered propulsion system. USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) and USS Milius (DDG-69) perform guard duty while Nimitz strives to get their reactors back online. As Sunday morning dawns, a B-52 Stratofortress screams over the heads of Iranian and American sailors and a second flyover ends with an explosive display of firepower. Iran's small boats and two submarines return to Bandar Abbas and the conflict in the Persian Gulf is resolved without further incident.
Each side views the event through their own lens and each draws erroneous conclusions. Frank Warren's uneasiness with the lifestyle and disposition of Denise Emerson is well founded but uncorroborated. Denise surreptitiously provides Tehran authorities with intelligence information she can obtain during her normal work routine, motivated by the death of her parents who died when their Iranian airliner was shot down by a United States warship in July 1988.
Von Clausewitz's "fog of war" theory proves itself again as the United States and Iran continue their delicate balancing act with potentially deadly consequences.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 25, 2019
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 7, 2024
I loved this book! Some of my favorite parts were the action scenes describing the flight of airplanes, the excitement and suspense of a play-by-play tense moment. I also particularly enjoyed the banter of the servicemen. Most of the book moves a lot slower via description and dialogue in the halls of government, but it was super interesting. The author develops a wide array of characters, and the plot, the incident with Iran, is super well done. I don't know if it's based on any specific historical incident. The whole thing came across as incredibly realistic, like it could have actually happened, and was worked out to incredible levels of detail. At the end, the author explains the story from an omniscient perspective, showing us what actually happened versus how each participant in the story perceived what happened.
There's a full-blown history lesson in the book as well, which for the most part doesn't get in the way of the story, but contributes to and enhances it. It's also incredibly obvious that the author knows what he is talking about, for the story is chock full of information about the government and acronyms and history and technology and whatnot, which makes it very authentic. There is a glossary and footnotes to help with these, but for the most part the narrative explains itself, and keeping track of who's whom is not difficult.
My only complaint with the book is that the characters, their interactions, and the government in general seem goody-goody overly polite and friendly, and most everyone is an upstanding individual and they're all gushy polite to each other. It's not too bad, but it comes across as borderline flattery that leaves a bad taste in my mouth (because it takes itself so seriously) and strikes me as unrealistic. The president is rather idealistic, too. Despite this, though, the book is still excellent, and these are minor issues. I highly recommend it.
There's a full-blown history lesson in the book as well, which for the most part doesn't get in the way of the story, but contributes to and enhances it. It's also incredibly obvious that the author knows what he is talking about, for the story is chock full of information about the government and acronyms and history and technology and whatnot, which makes it very authentic. There is a glossary and footnotes to help with these, but for the most part the narrative explains itself, and keeping track of who's whom is not difficult.
My only complaint with the book is that the characters, their interactions, and the government in general seem goody-goody overly polite and friendly, and most everyone is an upstanding individual and they're all gushy polite to each other. It's not too bad, but it comes across as borderline flattery that leaves a bad taste in my mouth (because it takes itself so seriously) and strikes me as unrealistic. The president is rather idealistic, too. Despite this, though, the book is still excellent, and these are minor issues. I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review