Special Directive from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Date: June 1, 2009
Gentlemen,
Let me first express my appreciation to you all for giving up your various commands to join our Operations team. We desperately need people of your warfighting abilities to help us through these volatile times, and I am told you are among the best. Glad to have you aboard.
As you know, US interests are being threatened by more nations in more places around the world than ever before. Russia has rebuilt its armed forces and is once again upsetting the balance of power in eastern Europe, while at the same time NATO has been slow to respond due to factionalism and internal squabbling. China has been upgrading its own military as well, and has been taking aggressive action along the Taiwan Strait and along their southern border with Vietnam. All the while, a new militaristic regime in Indonesia is showing signs of aggression and is threatening to destabilize the entire South Pacific, while North Korea continues to maintain a strong presence along the DMZ while also continuing to develop its ballistic missile program. There are also signs that the Middle East is about to erupt again, as Israel is being threatened by a coalition of four powerful Arab states. New waves of terrorism are being exported by Libya at unprecedented rates which may call for decisive, punitive action. Then there is the India-Pakistan cold war, which runs the risk of going nuclear if we don't intercede. And finally, political upheavals in Central America and Africa appear to be coalescing into a communist axis with support from both Cuba and Russia. In brief, the US is at the brink of war nearly every day, not just with one country, but with several.
While these various areas of the globe are heating up more with each passing week, our ability to act as the world's policeman has been greatly curtailed -- mainly due to defense cutbacks in the aftermath of costly hi-tech terrorism. This has led to delays in developing our next-generation technologies that were initiated in the late 90's, including our much ballyhooed "Virtual Soldier" project as well as various C3 and satellite launches. We are, in essence, left to prepare for a 21st century war with 20th century equipment.
Given these circumstances, we must be extremely judicious in where we deploy the forces we currently have, making sure we have enough forward-deployed units in the field to counter any potential threat in its infancy while at the same time being careful not to overcommit to one part of the world if another region turns out to be a major "hot spot." We must also make sure that no matter what type of situation we are up against, that our forces are properly trained and equipped for the fight ahead.
It has become increasingly clear that our previous bureaucratic methods of allocating forces is in this day and age too sluggish, requiring too many levels of cross-checks and approvals before action can be taken. This can mean weeks, even months of delay in deployments due to trafficking of orders, requisitions and just generally honoring the rubber-stamp process. To meet the kind of threats we face today, we must respond more quickly by transferring the power of strategic deployment to fewer people, people who can make decisions in a hurry.
That is where you come in.
You and your team have been chosen to head up a special section of the Joint Operations Staff (J3) for the express purpose of studying the current geopolitical landscape and drafting a plan for deploying our main reserve forces to our joint theatre commands throughout the world. These forces include elements of the 5th Army, III Corps and XVIII Airborne Corps, as well as various naval, Air Force and Marine units. A complete listing of these units is available in your planning cell.
In order to aid you in your assessment of our global situation, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is standing by to initiate intelligence gathering operations based on your directives and recommendations. Acting as the clearing house for our nation's intelligence community, the DIA will provide you with up to the minute reports on nearly every category of military and political activity that you require. Keep in mind that each request will take some time, so that this resource must be used carefully and efficiently. Since you gentlemen may not be familiar with how things work around here at the Pentagon, I took the liberty of having a special "Intel Guide" drafted for you to make the process simpler. This guide is also available in your planning cell.
In addition to being charged with forward deploying our reserve forces, you will also be given temporary signature authority of the Joint Chiefs of Staff over our five theater commands (Atlantic, Pacific, Europe, Central and South) for the purpose of gaining intelligence, neutralizing potential conflicts or just generally increasing the overall combat readiness of our troops. Feel free to recommend specific training missions, weapons proficiency drills, specific patrol duties, demonstrations of force ("show the flag" missions), peacekeeping missions or any other operation that you deem helpful in improving the combat-readiness of our troops oveseas.
The big challenge, though, will be to figure out what countries are up to no good, and how much it will take to stop them. To help get you started, your planning cell contains several reports, maps and other documents which will give you a rough snapshot of our overall global situation. The first report you should probably look at is the DIA World Situation Report, which provides top secret information on all of our potential enemies and attempts to prioritize them into high- and low-level threats. (This prioritization will likely change as you and your staff gather more intelligence data). Accompanying this report is the DIA World Threat Map, a color-coded map showing the current level of threat to US interests for each of our potential adversaries. This map will be updated as time goes on, so you may want to check it now and then for any change in status. Another useful reference is the UN International Studies report, which contains non-classified information on all countries and organizations around the world, both friend and foe. You will also be furnished with the latest DIA International Order of Battle Survey, a general overview of each country's armed forces with descriptions of some of the key weapons in their inventory. For a refresher on US history during the last 10 years (2000-2009), you may want to look at the Library of Congress Study: A Brief History of the US. All of the above materials can be found in your assigned planning cell here at the Pentagon. In addition to these classified reports, it is recommended that you keep up on the latest news stories on ENN (Electronic News Network). A careful watch of news stories from around the world may allow us to anticipate events before they happen.
You will have six months [game time] to decide where to deploy any US-based reserve forces. Keep in mind, however, that the sooner our forces are deployed the better rested and better prepared they will be in combat. When forward-deploying a US-based reserve unit to an overseas location, please submit your orders directly to the Army, Naval Operations, or Air Force Chief of Staff for approval, depending on the branch of service of the unit in question. If you would like to recommend patrol zones or areas of responsbility for forces already forward-deployed (e.g., Korea), please submit this request to the appropriate Joint Theater Commander.
Lastly, please be sure that any actions you undertake are in accordance with standard, peacetime Rules of Engagement. In general, this means you may not initiate hostilities or issue orders that in any way jeopardize peaceful relations with foreign countries such as issuing orders for an invasion, a blockade, or unwarranted search and seizure. (This does not preclude your having such orders at the ready, however, in the event hostilities break out unexpectedly). Proposals for any illegal, clandestine or covert operations should be sent to my office directly. Approval of such proposals will depend on the risk of political damage to the President or the State Department, the mission's perceived chance for success, availability of forces and other factors.
At this time, please open your official, sealed orders for this operation, codenamed Operation Archangel, located in the document section of your planning cell. These orders will describe the exact task that your team must perform in the coming weeks. If there is anything about these orders that are not completely clear, please contact my office directly.
People, I don't have to remind you how much is riding on your success in this endeavor. Most of you have a lot of combat experience of one sort or another, and know what it's like to be in the trenches fighting for your lives and depending on fire support, reinforcements or supplies when the situation gets hot. In the coming year, a lot of American servicemen could find themselves in exactly that position. Let's not let them down.
Good luck.
Respectfully,
