| |
Andrews Air Force Base
14 Feb
2055 Local Time
As the blue and white 757 rolled to a stop on the ramp at Andrews Air Force base, a flight of two VH-60N green and white Marine helicopters was waiting nearby to take the Vice President and his staff to Camp David.
With the aircraft stopped, Vice President Johnson unbuckled his lap belt and headed toward the front air stairs as his Chief of Staff gathered Johnson’s briefcase and coat and followed in trail.
“Have we heard anything more from the President?” Johnson asked as he made his way to the front of the aircraft. During their last teleconference an hour prior, the President had abruptly ended their meeting, claiming she did not feel well.
“No, sir,” Bradley replied. “We haven’t even been able to get through to Air Force One at all.”
“Interesting,” Johnson replied.
Johnson descended down the 757s integrated stairs surrounded by his entourage. The press had not been allowed to attend his arrival, making the ramp relatively vacant aside from a few Secret Service SUVs with their blue and red flashing lights and the flight of helicopters.
The VH-60Ns were reconfigured Black Hawk helicopters specifically designed for VIP and Presidential transport. They were equipped with similar defensive capabilities as the President’s VC-25 transport, including electronic counter measures, flares, armored panels, and EMP shielding.
Johnson saluted the waiting crew chief wearing his Marine Dress Blues and entered the side door. Once seated, Bradley handed Johnson a headset as he strapped in across from him.
“Sir, General Kelly is available for teleconferencing,” Bradley announced as he opened the VH-60N’s secure video teleconferencing suite.
Johnson nodded for Bradley to establish the connection. Seconds later, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff appeared on screen.
“What is the latest, General?” Johnson asked.
“Sir, at approximately twenty-three forty hours Zulu, we lost all communications with Air Force One. AWACS aircraft flying in seventy-five-mile trail reported secondary paints only beginning at that time,” Kelly replied.
“Speak English, General. Paints?” Bradley interjected.
“Sir, the AWACS controllers track aircraft in three different ways. The first and most reliable method is via the secure datalink. Through this datalink, Air Force One can relay its position, heading, altitude, speed, fuel state, and other information. Second, the aircraft has a transponder much like civilian aircraft. This reports altitude and a unique code assigned to the aircraft. Finally, AWACS and ground stations use their own radars. This gives a ‘skin paint’ of the target. Given the update rates of the AWACS radar, it is less reliable,” Kelly explained.
“So, you’re saying we lost datalink and transponder on the President’s aircraft?” Johnson asked.
“Affirm, sir. It appears that both the datalink and transponder were turned off at some point between the last teleconference and complete radio silence,” Kelly said with a nod.
“What about the fighter escorts?” Bradley asked.
“The controllers attempted to have the F/A-18 escorts communicate with the flight crew of Air Force One, but were unsuccessful. At approximately 23:45 hours Zulu, we lost communications with the Hornets as well,” Kelly said.
“But their transponders and datalink were still working?” Johnson asked.
“Until 23:45, yes sir,” Kelly replied.
“And then what happened?” Johnson asked.
“At that time, the controllers noticed a rapid altitude loss before losing radar contact below seven thousand feet,” Kelly explained. “Controllers initiated a search and rescue at that time.”
“Search and rescue?” Johnson asked nervously. “You think Air Force One went down?”
“It’s one of two options, sir. The other is that it landed on Midway Island less than one hundred miles away from where we lost contact,” Kelly replied.
“Who’s running the rescue operation, General?” Johnson asked.
“The HMAS Stuart is the nearest military vessel. She and her crew are on their way back to Australia after a joint exercise out of Pearl Harbor. She’s currently two hundred miles away,” Kelly said, looking down at his notes. “We put a request in with the Royal Australian Navy thirty minutes ago to have them begin the search.”
“What about our fleet?” Johnson asked abruptly.
“The U.S.S. Michael Murphy, sir, but it’s over four hundred miles away,” Kelly replied.
“Were the Australians told what they were searching for?” Johnson asked.
“No, sir,” Kelly responded. “We notified them of a large U.S. military aircraft down, but did not specify its mission.”
“Tell them to cancel it,” Johnson ordered.
“I’m sorry, sir?”
“Cancel it. This is a U.S. only operation for now,” Johnson replied tersely.
“But sir, the Australians are very close allies, I don’t—”
“General, this is not a debate. This will be a U.S. only operation until further notice, do I make myself clear?” Johnson interrupted.
“Roger that, sir,” Kelly replied begrudgingly.
“Assemble the Joint Chiefs and meet me at Camp David,” Johnson added.
“Yes, sir.”
Johnson motioned for Bradley to discontinue the video conference and leaned back in his executive chair.
“Get the Speaker and the Cabinet members together and have them meet us,” Johnson said.
Bradley smiled knowingly. “Sir, I agree completely with where you’re going with this, but for appearances sake, don’t you think it might be a little early to be going that route?”
“Which route is that?”
Bradley gave Johnson a confused look. “Invoking the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, right?”
Johnson did his best to suppress his own smile. The Twenty-Fifth Amendment addressed the succession of the Presidency. Specifically, it allowed for the Vice President to take over in the event of the President’s death, illness, or removal from office. It had been used many times before in history when Presidents transferred their powers temporarily due to surgeries or other illnesses, and when Richard Nixon resigned as President.
Beyond the voluntary transfer of power, section four of the amendment allowed for the Vice President, along with a majority of the cabinet members, to declare the President unable to discharge her duties and subsequently transfer power to the Vice President. Although it had never been used before, it had been discussed thoroughly as an option in the event of the President’s incapacitation through terrorism, being taken hostage, or some other means.
“Not yet,” Johnson replied. “But I think the process will go more smoothly if I can confer with them in person.”
“Good idea, sir,” Bradley said with a look of admiration.