Counter Strike (Command and Control Book 2) by David Bruns & J.R. Olson

Author:David Bruns & J.R. Olson [Bruns, David & Olson, J.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn River Publishing
Published: 2022-02-08T00:00:00+00:00

“Ready to commence flight operations, Admiral,” the Battle Watch Officer said. “CAG is in Strike Ops. He requests permission to launch the Stingrays, sir.”

“Tell CAG he has permission to launch the refueling assets,” Sharratt replied.

With Tom Zachary at his side, the two men studied the BattleSpace display. The United States had three bases from which to launch air strikes against the PLA.

Guam, 1,700 miles southeast of Taipei, was the most distant. The US Air Force maintained a daily stream of bombing runs from there using the B-2 stealth bombers. The next farthest was Okinawa, four hundred miles northeast of Taiwan, where the Marine Corps had done a solid job of harassing the crap out of the PLA.

In contrast, the PLA warplanes flew from mainland China, airfields in north and south Taiwan, as well as the three PLA Navy’s aircraft carriers patrolling the Strait of Taiwan, protecting the invasion forces. The enemy had hundreds of aircraft at their disposal and nearly unlimited refueling options.

Classic David and Goliath, Sharratt thought, except the US found themselves in the unusual position of playing the underdog. Any attempt by the US at establishing air superiority over Taiwan had been easily rebuffed by the PLA.

The addition of the Enterprise strike force’s three carrier air wings to the equation would go a long way toward evening the odds. They’d still be outnumbered, Sharratt knew, but they might just slow down the PLA war machine long enough for the US to bring stateside forces to bear.

Like the best plans, this one was simple. Their goal was to make mincemeat of the eastern flank of the Chinese emergency zone around Taiwan. That meant wiping out the PLA warships in the eastern waters and establishing air superiority on the eastern side of the island.

The Chinese would not expect to see the Enterprise for another two days at the earliest. By mixing the Enterprise air assets in with the attacks from Okinawa and Guam, they hoped to conceal the presence of the strike force from the PLA.

It might work for a while, Sharratt knew, but once the Chinese realized they were dealing with carrier-launched warplanes, they would come looking for the Enterprise strike force.

The Chinese lacked satellite coverage. By staying on the move far out to sea and launching long-range strikes, the Enterprise could hide for now.

But anyone with half a brain looking at the BattleSpace display could spot the flaw in the plan.

“They can’t reach us, and we can’t reach them,” Zachary said.

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Sharratt said.

The PLA Navy ships on the eastern flank of Taiwan were older vessels, smaller and less capable than the ships sheltering inside the Strait of Taiwan. In the Strait, the high-value targets were plentiful. Type 075 helicopter landing ships, Jiangkai-class frigates, Luhu-class destroyers, and the three aircraft carriers. As long as the Enterprise stayed far away from the Taiwanese coast, they could not touch the valuable PLA Navy ships inside the Strait of Taiwan.

“Even if we complete the mission perfectly,” Zachary said. “We’re screwed.

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