PRAISE FOR THE BEST-SELLING NOVELS
by Oliver North
* * *
MISSION COMPROMISED
“A Tom Clancy-esque tale of White House intrigue.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Sends chills up my spine…on target and current.…
Couldn't stop reading it.”
PINE BLUFF COMMERCIAL
“Combines the suspense of Tom Clancy with the drama of Blackhawk
Down, the complexity of Mission Impossible, the dogged morality of High
Noon.…The result is a story that causes the reader to wake up in the
middle of the night wondering how much of it is true.”
MOODY MAGAZINE
THE JERICHO SANCTION
“Another great read from Ollie North. I couldn't put it down.”
SEAN HANNITY, cohost of FOX News' “Hannity & Colmes”
“Oliver North pens an exciting and highly readable tale of
courage, faith, and international intrigue all set within the
milieu of today's Middle East politics.”
CROSSWALK.COM
“A lot of this reads like today's headlines,
and it makes for a very good read at that.”
BOOKVIEWS
For Betsy
And our adventures: past, present, and future
CONTENTS
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Prologue: In the Event of War …
01. Gathering Fury
02. Know Your Enemy
03. Pennsylvania Avenue
04. Ultimatum
05. “The Congress, in Secret Session Convened, Does Hereby …”
06. Prey without Ceasing
07. Dirty Bomb
08. The Sky Is Falling
09. Flames and Fury
10. Making a List and Checking It Twice
11. Elevens Everywhere
12. Needles and Haystacks
13. Dark Domain
14. In the Crosshairs
15. Running Away
16. Stay of Execution
17. Running Out of Time
18. Blame America First
19. Approaching Fail-Safe
20. Veterans' Day
21. Eulogy for a Brother
Epilogue
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
David Shepherd and his team at Broadman & Holman Publishers have once again proven that patience really is a virtue. I'm grateful for the understanding they have shown for the chaotic life that I lead—and how it tends to sabotage deadlines. The whole B&H team was remarkably tolerant while awaiting completion of this third novel in our series.
Joe Musser, my friend and partner in this effort, made it possible to finish this book. Often, I left him and my indomitable assistant, Marsha Fishbaugh, waiting by a computer while I ran off to cover events in Iraq or Afghanistran for FOX News, where it's tougher than it ought to be to receive or return e-mails—except in the middle of the night. I'm glad that neither have yet seen fit to put out a contract on me.
Because of my several protracted absences, copy editor Amanda Sauer had to read and edit this book a chapter at a time over many months. And on project editor Lisa Parnell's schedule, proofers George Knight, Mary Maddox, and Dean Richardson had to read and pray their way through a belatedly delivered manuscript.
Kudos also go to B&H Author Relations Manager Mary Beth Shaw, Marketing Director Paul Mikos, Sales Director John Thompson, Publicity Director Heather Hulse, Book Marketing Manager Robin Patterson, Creative Director Jeff Godby, Copywriter David Schrader, and Duane Ward of Premiere Speakers Bureau—all performed “above and beyond the call of duty,” for which I'm truly grateful. Thanks, too, for the resourceful maps by David Deis that help readers coordinate the geography about which this story revolves.
Of course there would be no “story” to tell without the encouragement and inspiration of my wife, Betsy, and our children and their mates: Tait and Tom, Stuart and Ellen, Sarah and Martin, and Dornin. Through their faith and affection I am reminded of God's love in my life—for shaping my faith and giving me His guidance for this project.
Semper Fidelis,
Oliver L. North
GLOSSARY
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Alpha radiation. A positively charged particle emitted from the nucleus of an atom during radioactive decay. Heavy dosage of alpha particles can be harmful if they enter the body through inhalation, ingestion, or open wounds.
Amn al-Khass. Iraq's Special Security Service (also SSS)
APU. Auxiliary power unit
ARS. Acute radiation syndrome, or radiation sickness, usually results when a person gets a high dose of radiation in only a few minutes.
ASDS. Advanced SEAL Delivery System, a submarine-mounted mini-sub used for Special Operations
ATF. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Department
AWACS. Airborne Warning and Control System; aircraft with long-range radars capable of locating and identifying other aircraft in the region and of relaying the information to its own air forces
BDA. Bomb Damage Assessment
Beta. Beta particles are ejected from a radioactive atom during decay. Beta radiation is smaller and faster than alpha radiation and can penetrate human tissue.
BOLO. Be on the lookout
C. The abbreviation for chief of British SIS (see MI6). A green C in the logo of the SIS is an allusion to its founder, the original C, Sir Mansfield Cumming. A tradition of SIS is that all chiefs are known simply as C and sign their documents using green ink.
CENTCOM. Central Command
CinC. Commander in Chief
CNO. Chief of Naval Operations
CO. Commanding Officer
DCI. Director of Central Intelligence
DCM. Deputy Chief of Mission
D-DACT. Dismounted Data Automated Communications Terminal; a computing device weighing thirty-one ounces, built to withstand the most rugged of field conditions and designed to perform key field communications functions, interfaces with GPS—used to provide real-time encrypted reports on troop and threat locations to higher commands and among other units
DEA. Drug Enforcement Agency
DGI. Cuban General Intelligence Directorate
DGSE. Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure (General Directorate for External Security, France)
DHS. Department of Homeland Security
DIA. Defense Intelligence Agency; military intelligence gathering arm of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Defense
DINA. National Intelligence Service (Spain)
Dirty bomb. Whereas nuclear weapons are designed to kill and destroy through a huge blast and heat, a “dirty bomb” uses conventional explosives to spread radioactive material to sicken and kill people.
DNI. Director of National Intelligence
DOD. Department of Defense
Dose. Also, dose equivalent; a general term for the quantity of energy absorbed when exposed to radioactive materials or reactions. Rads represent the energy absorbed from the radiation in a gram of any material. The dose or dose equivalent is a measure of the biological damage to living tissue from the radiation exposure and is measured in REMs or sieverts (also see both).
Dosimeter. A small, portable device used to measure and record the amount of a radiation dose a person has received
Duvdevan. Also Sayaret Duvdevan; an undercover cou
nter-terrorism unit of the IDF
DZ. Drop zone
ECHELON. The name of a global eavesdropping service established by the U.S. National Security Agency in cooperation with Great Britain's GCHQ, Canada, and New Zealand
ELINT. Electronic intelligence
EOD. Explosive ordnance disposal
FAPSI. Federal Agency for Government Communications (Russian Federation)
FARC. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Fatwa. A legal pronouncement of Islamic law issued by a Muslim cleric
FEMA. Federal Emergency Management Agency
FFP. Final firing position (usually refers to a position used by a sniper)
FIR. Flight information region
FMF. Fleet Marine Force
GCHQ. British Signals and Intelligence Agency; similar to U.S. National Security Agency
GOSP. Gas-oil separation plant
GRU. Russian Military Intelligence
HAHO. High-altitude, high-opening parachute deployment
HALO. High-altitude, low-opening parachute deployment
HASC. House Armed Services Committee
HF. High frequency
HUMINT. Human intelligence
IAEA. International Atomic Energy Agency
ICE. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement
IDF. Israel Defense Force; the name of Israel's armed forces
IED. Improvised explosive device; usually made from artillery shells, mines, or other high explosives—often set up along heavily traveled roads and often detonated by remote control
IFF. Identification friend or foe; a device used to discriminate between friendly and enemy units, individuals, weapons, and aircraft. In aircraft, an IFF device will display altitude, speed, and direction on an air traffic controller's computer display.
IM. Instant messaging; wireless instant messaging differs from email primarily in that its primary focus is immediate end-user delivery and does not use typical computer architecture and hardware.
In Sha’ Allah. Arabic, from the Quran, meaning “God willing”
IPSA. An oil pipeline between southern Iraq and northern Saudi Arabia
IR. Infrared
JCS. Joint Chiefs of Staff
JDAM. Joint Direct Attack Munition
JSOC. Joint Special Operations Command
Klick. Military slang for kilometer
LGB. Laser-guided bomb
LHD. U.S. Navy and Marine Corps designation for an amphibious assault ship, helicopter, dock
LMG. Light machine gun
LZ. Landing zone
Maddrassa. Schools for religious instruction in Islamic teaching
MAMs. Military age males
Materiel. Military term for all items necessary to equip, operate, maintain, and support military units
MEU. Marine Expeditionary Unit
MI6. United Kingdom's secret foreign intelligence service; similar to U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
MOPP. Mission-oriented protective posture; designation for the protective suit, mask, and other equipment worn to shield troops from toxic nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons—also called “NBC suit”
MPS. Maritime pre-positioning ships
MSG. Marine security guard
Mullah. A teacher or learned man (Islam)
NBC suit. Nuclear, biological, and chemical protective gear; see also MOPP
NCO. Noncommissioned officer
NCOIC. Noncommissioned officer in charge
NEO. Noncombatant Evacuation Operation
NEST. Nuclear Emergency Search Team
NIC. National Intelligence Council
NMCC. National Military Command Center
NOC. Network Operations Center
NOTAM. Notice to Mariners
NRO. National Reconnaissance Office, located near Dulles, Virginia; handles the operations of U.S. military and intelligence imagery satellites
NSA. National Security Agency
NVD. Night vision device; an optical device for sighting targets in darkness through a scope mounted on a rifle or other weapon
NVG. Night vision goggles; worn by military personnel to enhance vision at night
OIF. Operation Iraqi Freedom
OP. Observation post
OPEC. Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries
PAL . Permissive action links; devices that prevent the arming, release, detonation, or launch of a nuclear weapon by unauthorized personnel—often supplemented by sophisticated coded switch systems
PAX. Military abbreviation for “passengers”
PDB. President's Daily Briefing
PFT. Marine Corps physical fitness test
PM. Prime Minister
PMMW. Passive millimeter wave; equipment that permits an operator to view through solid objects, producing an image similar to an X-ray
POL. Petroleum, oil, and lubricants
POTUS. President of the United States
PSD. Personal Security Detail
QRF. Quick Reaction Force (U.S. Marines)
RAD. Radiation absorbed dose, which units measure the amount of energy from any type of ionizing radiation deposited in any medium (also see REM)
RAF. Royal Air Force
RCC. Revolutionary Command Council (government of Iran)
RCT. Regimental Combat Team
RDD. Radiological dispersal device; a “dirty bomb” using radioactive materials
RDV. Rendezvous
REM. Roentgen equivalent man/mammal; a unit that measures the effects of ionizing radiation on humans and other animals. One hundred REMs equal one sievert (also see sievert)
ROE. Rules of Engagement
RPG. Rocket-propelled grenade
RTO. Radio transmitter operator; the acronym is used in military jargon for the radio operator.
SAR. Search and rescue
SAS. Special Air Service; elite unit of the British Royal Army and Air Force used for special operations
SAVAMA. Iran's former National Intelligence Security Organisation (Sazamaneh Ettela at va Amniateh Mihan) and still the nickname for its current apparatus (see VEVAK)
SBS. Special Boat Service; an elite British Special Forces unit
SecDef. U.S. Secretary of Defense
Sievert. The international standard unit of dose or dose equivalent; one sievert (Sv) is equal to one hundred REMs.
SIGINT. Signals intelligence
SIS. Special Intelligence Service, a British agency.
SOCOM. Special Operations Command
SOF. Special Operation Forces
SOP. Standard Operating Procedure
SPR. Strategic Petroleum Reserve
SSCI. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
SubLant. Naval submarine force; U.S. Atlantic fleet
SVR. Federal Security Service (Russian Federation, successor to KGB)
SWO. Senior watch officer
TSA. Transportation Security Administration
UAE. United Arab Emirates
UAV. Unmanned aerial vehicle
USCG. U.S. Coast Guard
VBIED. Vehicle-borne improvised explosive device
VEVAK. Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (Vezarate Ettelaat va Amniat-e Keshvar VEVAK/MOIS). The intelligence service used by the Shah of Iran (SAVAK) has been defunct since 1979, when it was absorbed by SAVAMA (Sazamaneh Ettela at va Amniateh Mihan), which in turn was absorbed by VEVAK. Many Iranians still refer to Iran's primary intelligence service as SAVAMA.
XO. Executive officer
ZULU. Military term for Greenwich Mean Time, used as a reference for all military activities
IN THE EVENT
OF WAR …
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
PROLOGUE
Royal Saudi Air Force Early Warning Center
________________________________________
King Khalid Air Base, Saudi Arabia
Sunday, 14 October
2007
1056 Hours Local
When the tiny blip first appeared on his radar screen, Maj. Achmed Musa glanced at it and resumed drinking his coffee. He'd already checked the display next to the screen, confirmed that Iran Air Flight 6 was due to appear at this time, and so he merely shrugged. Musa had seen “IA#6” pop up on the radar console three times a week at this time of day ever since the Saudi government had granted the Iranians over-flight rights for their commercial aircraft heading to and from Egypt.
The Saudi officer glanced at the wide screen at the front of the room. Sure enough, the Japanese computers that drove the American-installed software showed the flight tracks of a dozen aircraft in the air above the kingdom. A few minutes earlier Musa had glanced up to see the flight tracks of two chartered civilian Gulfstream aircraft—both of them on flight plans to pick up VIP passengers—and now he could see the track of IA#6 on a bearing of 285 degrees as the Airbus A300 headed across the Persian Gulf, toward Saudi airspace. Until January this year, Standard Operating Procedures had called for him to contact the Royal Saudi Air Force AWACs aircraft, orbiting at 37,000 feet some 230 miles north. But that part of their SOP had changed—overruling the American military advisors.
Ever since 9/11—as they called it—the Americans had been fanatical about the Persians and were always reminding the Saudi officers about the “jihadist menace.”
Maybe they have always been that way, the Saudi major reflected. The Americans had sold the big Boeing 747 AWACs, with their revolving PNQ-41 radar antennas, to the Saudis way back in 1981—when Musa was still in diapers—on the infidels' paranoid premise that the Iranians were a threat to the Saudi kingdom.
“Praise be to Allah,” the Saudi major said to himself, “we've gotten a lot smarter since then. Now we know that the real threat isn't our Muslim brothers in Tehran—it's the Zionists and their infidel supporters.” And that's why, since the Israelis were the real threat, the Saudi AWACS and the Early Warning Center had stopped alerting each other every time an Iranian airplane took off. That's also why the big 747s now took station on Saudi Arabia's northern border. If an airplane got more than a few feet off the ground in Israel, the Saudi AWACS would spot it and respond to the threat.