Cyber Games

By Nelson Gomm

Will cyber warfare play a bigger role in future combat? Will kinetic weapons be sufficient to win a war? Is it possible to successfully coordinate attacks in every domain: air, land, sea, space, and cyber? And will artificial intelligence be required to make important decisions in battle?

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Koehler Books
• Release date: Jan 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781646638727

Nelson Gomm

Nelson R. Gomm is a military avionics consultant with over 30 years writing and analyzing technical documents for the Department of Defense. His first novel, "Overhead Assets" (Feb 2019) was largely based on experience working on a Black Program for the DoD as well as experience working for the U.S. Army Security Agency (Army division of the NSA) during the Vietnam War.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Since 2014, China has been building islands out of reefs at the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos in order to claim the resulting exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the South China Sea. EEZs encompass 200 miles from land and, per international law, grant exclusive fishing, mining, and drilling rights inside the EEZ. China has bullied Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, and Malaysia, who also lay claim to the Spratly reefs by employing embargoes and strong-arm tactics, also known as the cabbage strategy. Although China has publicly claimed that the built-up reefs would not become militarized, the Chinese have, in fact, been building military airbases and naval ports with both offensive and defensive weapon systems on the islands. Their unlawful claims to the reefs in the South China Sea are based on the nine-dash line, which was established unilaterally by the People’s Republic of China in 1947.

When the Philippine Air Force attempted to fly within 100 miles of the now built-up islands of Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef, and Mischief Reef, Chinese airspace controllers warned them off by threatening to shoot them down. These threats violate the freedom of navigation international rule of law. The US Navy and US Air Force continue to challenge China’s claim of airspace and maritime sovereignty out to 100 miles by employing Freedom of Navigation Operations, also known as FONOPs. Department of Defense (DoD) analysts believe that China’s ultimate goal is to dominate control of the South China Sea by military force, something that the US government believes will adversely affect shipping, trade, navigation, and balance of power in the region. But the bigger picture is China’s goal to fortify its stature as the world’s greatest world power, a mantle claimed when the Tang and Han dynasties ruled China.

CHAPTER 1

Somewhere in the South China Sea

THE FILIPINO flagged trawler, Rosa Explorer, was on its second day of bouncing through the waves on its way to Subi Reef, one of the Spratly Islands being developed by the Chinese government. Below deck, a US Navy special ops crew was busy monitoring the various sensors—sonar, surface radar, and air surveillance radar—as they approached within 100 miles of the newly established Subi Reef, well outside the globally established twelve-mile international waters boundary. Eight years earlier, the reef was barely visible from the air.

Torpedo incoming! Bearing two-one-zero degrees, range three thousand five hundred yards. Closing at thirty knots. Impact in four minutes! the sonar crewman yelled.

Launch the decoy, starboard side, now! yelled the mission crew commander (MCC), Jack Ghost Stevens. At a mere five foot, nine inches, Commander Stevens was shorter than most of his crewmen, but solid muscle, and not much different from his days as a running back for the Navy Midshipmen at Annapolis. His intel ops crew had full trust in his judgment and experience. The fishing trawler, outfitted by the Navy with sensitive monitoring and surveillance systems with defensive and offensive weapons, had somehow been targeted. The decoy, a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) CANTO 130 round, hit the water and immediately projected multiple ship-sized cross sections in the water, which were retargeted by the incoming torpedo.

Sound the general alarm! Brace for impact! the Rosa Explorer’s captain, Lieutenant Commander Shepard, yelled out on the intercom. Two minutes later, there was a huge explosion in the water, barely 200 yards off the bow. The decoy had done its job.

All engines stop. Check for damage, ordered Shepard.

The special mission crew checked the sensors for additional signs of a threat. There were no surface ships, subs, or aircraft detected. Commander Stevens suspected either a stealth submarine or a long-range, air-launched torpedo. What he didn’t realize was that the Chinese had planted underwater sound sensors, similar to the US SOSUS (sound surveillance system) that could detect the exact position and type of ship approaching its island.

Five minutes later, Shepard called out, All engines half speed. Turn to bearing zero-three-one. Watch for follow-on threats. Although there were no immediate threats, the sensor crew was edgy and on alert. They had just been fired on, clearly an illegal act. For some of the crew, this was their first encounter with a direct threat, and some were jittery. The new guys looked at each other wondering, What the hell comes next?

As the Rosa Explorer turned northeast, the air surveillance radar operator called out, There’s a small aircraft headed in our direction, bearing two-one-zero, range ten miles, speed thirty-five knots, altitude five hundred feet. Cross section indicates a drone.

Shepard, after just having been targeted by a torpedo, prepared the boat. Arm the mini-gun and activate the targeting radar. Arm the anti-drone HPM system! As the crews readied for another potential attack, the drone, a six-prop helicopter unmanned air vehicle (UAV) with a small video camera underneath, slowly approached the trawler. The captain, surprised that a small drone was so far from Subi Reef, wondered where it was launched from, and whether it was weaponized. It hovered following the trawler for a few minutes, then turned and headed seemingly back to the island.

Commander Stevens’s mission crew was assigned to test the resolve of the Chinese military and determine their claimed threat boundary for Subi Reef, now a well-established Subi island. Check and check. So much for subtle Freedom of Navigation Operations.

So, now we know that the Chinese aren’t afraid to pull the trigger when a vessel wanders into what they claim is their territorial waters, said Stevens to his special ops crew. Captain, return to Subic immediately! This mission’s over.

Aye aye, commander. Heading is Subic Bay! said Shepard. All ahead full. Set course for Subic harbor. Watch for threats.

Stevens knew his threat-incident report would generate an overflow of animation from the Navy and DoD hierarchy. In the prior six months, three smaller fishing vessels, one Vietnamese, one Filipino, and one from Brunei, had been fired on by a Chinese WZ-19 helicopter gunship using its 23mm cannon. All were just inside the 100-mile sovereignty limit declared by the Chinese. Two were badly damaged and one sunk.

The Chinese are getting bolder. We were targeted by a torpedo at a hundred miles from Subi Reef. Had to launch a CANTO decoy, Stevens reported to headquarters over the encrypted SATCOM. The newly established US Joint Navy and Marines headquarters within Basa Air Base on the Philippine island of Luzon was brokered in 2015. With that agreement in place, the Philippine military would get US support in disputes with the Chinese over ownership of reefs and islands in the South China Sea.

Sir, after the decoy was launched and the torpedo blew, a drone was sent to do BDA (bomb damage assessment). They probably figured we’re not really a fishing trawler, but they stood down anyway. We’re returning to Subic. Be there in a few days, reported Stevens.

Is there any damage or casualties to report? asked HQ.

No, but it could’ve been worse. Stevens was reminded to defend the ship if attacked, weapons hot.

Any other orders? the commander asked before hanging up.

We have two days of travel through the SCS, so stay sharp, Stevens announced over the intercom. "Chinese forces are all around us. We’ve been cleared weapons hot if another threat pops up." The special mission crew eventually settled down and watched their sensor systems all the way to Subic Bay.

CHAPTER 2

THE US NAVY headquarters at Basa Air Base consisted of Naval Special Warfare Task Units with Army Special Forces and Air Force Special Operations detachments, all reporting to US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Commander Stevens met with Captain John Flash Humboldt, also a Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, and Land) by training, assigned to Basa to work the South China Sea FONOPs. Captain Humboldt, an imposing six-foot-five graduate from Annapolis, came up through the ranks. He had been at the helm of almost every littoral combat ship, and was up for promotion to rear admiral if all went as planned.

So, Jack, it appears your team accomplished the mission with a little difficulty, eh? said Captain Humboldt, the Navy’s officer in charge (OIC) at Basa. Heard you guys were targeted by a fucking torpedo.

"Yes sir. The damned Chinese used the Rosa for target practice. It’s possible the Chinese installed underwater sensors that detect surface intruders when entering their claimed territorial boundary."

Jack, we need to determine the scope of their threat sensor technology and where they launched the torpedo and drone. The CNO [chief of naval operations] wants us to keep pressing FONOPs by air and sea to push back on the Chinese, said Humboldt. Organize a larger, coordinated investigation into what sensors and systems the Chinese have in place at Subi. I’ll authorize use of any Naval aircraft you might need, even the P-8. If we understand the sensor and threat systems, we can work around them, if necessary. Take a few days off, but I need you to start the mission in five days. Our bosses at USSOCOM are itching to get back at the Chinese for that brazen attack.

Aye aye, sir. I’ll let you know what I need to execute the new mission. Stevens knew this was going to be a complex mission since he had no idea what the Chinese had in store for him. Cat and mouse, that’s been the game for years, he thought. We have the technology, but now, so do the Chinese.

After two days’ rest, Stevens started working on a plan to ferret out the technology the Chinese had employed. Via STE (Secure Terminal Equipment), he contacted his USAF counterpart, Colonel Robert Dutch VanHusen, chief of the special operations detachment from Hurlburt Field.

Hey, Dutch. How’s your FONOPs going? We just got fired on a few days ago near Subi Reef. All okay though.

Yeah, Ghost, heard you guys were target practice for a Chinese torpedo. That’s more than just a warning! said Colonel VanHusen. Last week, we coordinated FONOPs overflights with a B-52 and a C-130 at twelve miles from Fiery Cross, Subi Reef, and Mischief Reef. We got warned by the Chinese tower operators to leave the area at each island. So far, only threats, no shots fired, yet. So, what’s your next move?

My boss wants to step up the investigation to determine what sensors and threats the Chinese have at Subi Reef and thought you could help.

Absolutely. I’m assuming you’ll need air cover at Subi Reef. Exactly what do you need? VanHusen asked.

We believe they’ve installed a SOSUS-like system surrounding the island and may have remoted some defensive systems midway to the island. We need a Reaper to fly overwatch during our next incursion to see where the threats originate. The plan is to send a diver down to check for the sound sensors. Then launch an unmanned remotely operated Zodiac as a simulated surface intruder. It’s a daytime op, so we need video out as far as possible. Can you support?

We’ve got three MQ-9 Reapers ready to go, but we’ve never broached their airspace with one before. Just let me know the date, time, location, and altitude, and it’ll be there, said VanHusen. Need it weaponized or just passive sensors?

Good question. Since we don’t know what we’re up against, an armed Reaper sounds like a good idea. I just don’t want to start a fucking war. Four AGM-114 Hellfires should do it, suggested Stevens.

Can do, Ghost. Just let me know the schedule, the colonel said.

I’ll let you know. Thanks, Dutch.

Stevens started to set up the schedule including combat divers, better known as frogmen, trained in clandestine underwater surveillance operations. The team now identified and contacted, the date set, and the assets identified, he started to lay out the plan details with a few options in case things went south. This plan must pass muster with Humboldt, so I’ll need a backup plan and a backup for the backup.

Sir, I think you’ll like the plan. It has contingencies for every aspect of the mission. When can we discuss it? asked Stevens on the STE with Captain Humboldt.

My office tomorrow, 0900. We can talk details then. Are all assets available and coordinated? Are you ready to launch in two days? asked