George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 289

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“How strange. Or rather, I should say it’s quite obvious…”

The 5th Fleet Commander was contemplating the orders from the White House. The directive was to urgently return to the Okinawa base after their deployment from the Indian Ocean to Taiwan.

‘And they want me to undergo an inspection?’

The inspection was merely a formality, but the stated reasons were meticulously detailed. A malfunction of the screw propeller due to the aging of certain parts? How absurd.

At this point, it was clear to everyone that someone back home was plotting something. He didn’t know what that something was. Even though he commanded naval power equivalent to a nation, he was still just a soldier. Soldiers shouldn’t ask unnecessary questions.

‘Well, it would be a different story if I jumped into politics after retirement.’

And he likely would enter politics. Considering how the balance of power within the Navy had been disrupted by the current president’s missile battleship, entering politics at this juncture wasn’t ideal.

‘But that’s a concern for the distant future.’

That’s right. He had no intention of relinquishing his position yet. He had been at sea for so long that he preferred it to land. It was a harsh life, but that’s what made the sea so captivating.

“Good weather. Good speed.”

With the gentle waves, the 5th Fleet was quietly advancing to fulfill its mission. As always, this mission appeared to be progressing smoothly. Regardless of what anyone said, the United States reigned supreme on the seas in the 21st century.

Yes, it was smooth sailing. Until a Chinese fleet abruptly cut into their path, obstructing the 5th Fleet with their hulls.

‘Hmm, I didn’t anticipate this.’

For some reason, even before entering the South China Sea, antiquated Chinese speedboats, rarely seen far from the coast, were becoming increasingly active, and there was a reason for it. They didn’t seem to be genuinely trying to stop them, as they were vastly outnumbered by the 5th Fleet.

“Has China sent any communication?”

Perhaps a notification of joint training, or a similar activity. If not that, then a protest. Or even insults, anything.

“They’re claiming that the 5th Fleet has invaded Chinese waters and demanding our immediate departure. How should we respond?”

That was, in fact, the situation. If this was an accident, the 5th Fleet would be entirely at fault. If it wasn’t a deliberate operation, he would have no excuse for keeping his job.

“Maintain radio silence for now.”

He couldn’t simply force his way through, so he considered detouring. Since the fleet was headed to Japan, there was no need to react too aggressively.

He would have devised a tactic if he had been ordered to break through, but this time the objective was to retreat, not advance, which was particularly frustrating. Perhaps this standoff would persist until one side yielded.

The crucial question was ‘how long’ they had to endure. If he understood the true purpose, he could make an informed assessment, but lacking that knowledge, it was difficult to determine when to retreat.

‘This is why I despise politics.’

Even as he worried, he sighed as he watched the Chinese ships converge. But what truly frustrated him wasn’t politics.

It was the necessity of turning his back on those who were so few in number, even if it was for the sake of the operation. He felt like he was running away out of fear, and that made him feel ashamed.

Avoiding war was paramount, and preventing it from starting was the ultimate goal, but a man has his pride. Even if he wasn’t a man, he had pride as a soldier. Of course, perspectives varied, but he was far from being a mere puppet who blindly followed orders.

He wasn’t contemplating disobeying the order and initiating a coup, but the only conclusion he could reach was a sigh.

“We will begin our detour in exactly one hour.”

And it proceeded smoothly. The only deviation from the original plan was the Chinese fleet’s intervention. But this caused a larger ripple than Bush had anticipated. It could be viewed as positive, or it could be viewed as negative.

The positive aspect was that it exceeded expectations. The negative aspect was that the effect was so unexpected that Bush was taken aback.

The main points of how this incident was received in China were as follows:

‘The Chinese fleet successfully halted the American fleet and defended its territorial waters.’

At a time when the Communist Party’s power was waning and economic concerns were rising, the Party, on the verge of political vulnerability, seized upon this event to portray the Chinese fleet as bravely confronting and defending against American invaders.

In the United States, officials refuted China’s claims by revealing that the fleet had urgently entered Okinawa for repairs due to a malfunction, but within China, the Party’s narrative was being accepted as absolute truth without question.

“Arise! Ye who refuse to be slaves!”

“Americans, get out!”

The Chinese national anthem, the March of the Volunteers, resounded everywhere, and a surge of untimely patriotism and fervent demands for military expansion, calling for a stronger army, swept through the country.

Even though they had to repeatedly cut military spending due to budget shortages, investing additional funds in the military at this time was nothing short of madness. Therefore, the Party only made vague promises to increase the number of naval ships.

Frankly, even building one more speedboat would technically fulfill the promise, right? Of course, the probability of that actually happening was close to zero. Anyway, the important thing was that the public’s sentiment had returned to the Party.

“I’m going crazy.”

Bush was trying to suppress his laughter. Some people are destined for success, and some are destined for failure. Fortunately, Bush was one of those destined to succeed, and everything was progressing according to plan.

‘By now, those in the know will understand that this is merely a charade.’

But they would have no idea why this charade was necessary. In fact, not many people in Congress knew, and Bush’s strategy of maintaining the balance of power with China was known to only a few close aides, including the chief of staff.

This grand strategy was a secret, but at the same time, it was too much of a hassle to persuade them one by one, unless it was a trivial matter that required the consent of Congress. In any case, the result was just a slight change in the route of one fleet.

“What about western Iraq?”

He had strived to avoid the Iraq War, but it was truly regrettable that he had to participate in this manner. However, unlike the war that had drained America’s resources, this war was solely filled with profits.

“Almost all areas except the capital have been occupied by the EU. However, some citizens and remnants of the army have organized guerrilla units and are fighting sporadically.”

The military hadn’t completely won the support of the citizens, but there were quite a few who sympathized with them. And few of them had the courage to take up arms, so it ended up as a partisan war. Otherwise, the European integrated forces would have had to deal with angry citizens and public opinion.

The ultimate adversary of a modern, sufficiently advanced, and powerful army was none other than its own people.

“And our fleet will be withdrawing from the battlefield again tomorrow. There will be no operations other than withdrawal in the future, and the losses will be officially reported soon. However, in the case of the MQ-9 [a type of unmanned aerial vehicle], it is clear without a separate report that a total of 102 units were lost. And on the ground, 3 drones under testing were shot down and destroyed.”

“102 units?”

102 units was almost half of the MQ-9s that the United States had in the original history. Mass production had drastically lowered the unit price from $100 million, but drones were still expensive.

In other words, $15.2 million of taxpayers’ money per unit had turned into fireworks in the sky in an instant. A simple calculation totaled about $1.6 billion.

“The Navy and Air Force unanimously denounced the incompetence of the European integrated air force, but we need to investigate further to see if that’s true.”

The European Air Force only looked relatively weak because the comparison was the US Air Force. So in this case, it was probably just that the enemy fought really well.

“I see. There’s no need to replenish the losses. Ask when the X-47 [an experimental unmanned combat aerial vehicle] will be ready to deploy the X [likely referring to a new weapon or technology]. We need to fill the empty slots with more advanced aircraft. And even if 109 units were shot down, there are still 1,900 left.”

Moreover, the MQ-9 had been continuously improved, and forms with jet engines or stealth functions were gradually appearing in reports. Soon, only drones would be flying from aircraft carriers unless the situation was serious.

“And during my term, it was the shortest but most intense war I’ve ever experienced.”

If the intensity that Bush was talking about meant the budget, then he was absolutely right. It cost more money than any other war he had conducted.

In fact, the problem wasn’t the drones that were shot down, but the fact that the Navy had actually fired Tomahawk missiles [long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile] to their heart’s content, as Bush had ordered. About 900 missiles were fired at military facilities and key facilities in southern Western Iraq. Even at what appeared to be trenches, which was close to half of the Tomahawk missiles currently held by the US military.

Consuming the stockpile of Tomahawk missiles was not a problem in itself. After all, new Tomahawk missiles were being diligently assembled in factories even as Bush was diligently reviewing the reports. The problem was that it was all money.

“External affairs are external affairs, but what are you going to do about internal affairs?”

He was referring to the internal problems that were piling up like Tetris blocks that were constantly coming down while he was turning his eyes overseas. In particular, he had been testing the waters on the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor and gun control. Who had said it? That if you could solve these problems, you should be a god, not a president.

‘As far as I know, this is a problem that has no answer.’

But he had no intention of standing idly by, and he had even less intention of turning a blind eye to the reports, but now was not the time. When the time came, he would solve it.

Even if it meant trading it for his political life. Rather, it would be a cheap deal if he could solve this problem with his political life.

“I see. Yes. How are the efforts to combat the spread of drugs domestically progressing?”