9:40 A.M.
THE PENTAGON
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
Dale Arnold flew by helicopter from the South Lawn of the White House to the Pentagon and was soon jogging to his office, passing through several outer rooms filled with both uniformed and civilian staffers and into the secretary of defense’s massive office. The room was brightly lit, had coffered ceilings, and mint-hued, light green wallpaper, along with two large seating areas. His desk was in the middle of the spacious room.
Jessica Park, Arnold’s chief of staff, followed him in.
Already seated were the eight members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—the chairman and vice chairman, along with the service chiefs of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and National Guard. A few key Pentagon staffers were also present.
“Let’s hear it,” said Arnold. “What do we got?”
“Well, Dale, I think there’s a divergence of opinion here,” said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Gus Mailer. “Three of us think we should drop a tactical nuke on Tehran. The other five believe we should drop two.”
Arnold grabbed a cup of coffee from his desk and walked to the seating area. Other than Arnold and Park, everyone was in military uniform.
“Not going to happen,” said Arnold, taking a seat.
The eight members of the Joint Chiefs traded glances.
Admiral Bill Pollard, the Navy chief, spoke:
“They’re midstream on a deep penetration of America,” said Pollard. “We need to stop them in their tracks.”
“We’re going to make it hurt a lot more than a nuke would,” said Arnold. “A surgical removal of the man who ordered this. What do we have nearby, Bill?”
“The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is in the Gulf of Oman. That includes the Nimitz itself, the guided-missile cruiser Princeton, and three Burke-class destroyers, along with nine fighter squadrons,” said Pollard, highlighting the ships on the map. “That’s approximately two hundred and twenty Tomahawks, give or take.”
“Deployment and time to target?” said Arnold.
“About an hour.”
“And what are the targets?” asked General Mailer.
“Four possible targets,” said Arnold, standing up and walking to the door. “Suleiman’s residence, his office, his country house, and the mosque where he worships. Make it happen, immediately. Consider this my final sign-off, General Mailer, you have command.”