I work as a mercenary in northern Myanmar.

Chapter 583 The Last Attack

On the other side of the sea, inside the White House office.

Craven sat in front of the black president, looking quite nervous.

There is no longer an extra "third party" around them, which means that all subsequent conversations will not represent any official position.

So the president seemed quite relaxed.

Even after seeing Craven's expression, he was still able to make a tolerant joke.

".So, in this operation, we are still one step slower than the enemy, right?"

"Is it that our intelligence is slow, or is it that our actions are slow?"

Hearing the president's words, Craven took a deep breath and replied:

“It should be said that it is both.”

"Andrea's death dealt a far greater blow to the intelligence network than we imagined. After the newcomer takes over, a lot of work needs to be handed over again, a lot of links need to be re-adjusted, and even the distribution of benefits needs to be reshuffled."

"This has led to a significant reduction in efficiency - as you know, CIASAD has had many conflicts with other operations recently. If it weren't for these conflicts, our operations in Mogadishu would not have failed."

"It makes no sense to say that now."

The President interrupted Craven and continued:
"I have to say, I'm disappointed."

"You were supposed to be a sharp sword in my hand, but now, this sword is not playing the role it should be."

"It was even used by external enemies and turned against us."

"You already know about what happened in Egypt, but do you know what the attack on the Aswan Air Force Base means to us?"

".It means the situation is completely out of control."

Craven sighed and replied:

"This is not the result we wanted. I can only say...I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' is the only word you can say to me."

The president spread his hands helplessly, and then said:

"2011 is coming to an end and the primaries for next year's general election will soon begin."

"And at this most critical moment, we have to be distracted to deal with a lot of troubles."

"Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Türkiye and of course, Syria."

"I can tell you clearly that public opinion in the country has begun to be shaken by these things. If they are not dealt with in a timely manner, my re-election will also be affected."

"Of course, things haven't deteriorated to the point where I can't be re-elected, but I have to pay a higher price and promise more quid pro quo to gain support from inside and outside the party."

"The most important one is to reorganize JSOC and at the same time suspend the upcoming Army reorganization and downsizing plan."

"If this exchange is finally implemented, JSOC's power will be greatly reduced, even back to the level before 2002."

"All our efforts will be in vain."

"So what do you think I should do?"

After the president finished speaking, Craven frowned and was silent for a moment before he asked:
"why?"

"Why? Isn't it obvious?"

"Have you not noticed the views expressed recently by Adrian Bradshaw? As the top commander of the special forces, he has even begun to question the significance of special operations."

"He also quoted William Sliema, who said during the Second World War, 'It is a classic waste that special forces are well trained, well equipped, and well motivated, but can only be used for one type of operation, and the contribution they make is disproportionate to the resources they consume'."

"It is clear that the JSOC-centric enterprise has been widely viewed with suspicion, and within our ranks there are those who have taken advantage of that suspicion."

"If the Army wants more power, they have to get rid of JSOC, which has been hogging so many resources."

"It just so happens that you guys messed up several things in a very short period of time."

"To be honest, if it were me, I would make the same request."

"Of course, this is not something you need to think about."

"There is only one thing you need to consider: how to save our face?"

".We need to plan a major operation."

Craven replied slowly.

"You have planned enough major operations."

The President shook his head and then said:

"I can't give you another chance to prove yourself with so-called 'significant actions'."

"After all, you have lost trust within the ranks since Operation Neptune's Spear."

"Even now, our enemies still have leverage over us. With the aftermath of the Prism incident, they can easily gain an advantage in public opinion and deny our achievements, and we have no way to refute it."

"So, forget about the big moves - I need a practical plan."

"Or to be more specific, a plan that is within your current capabilities."

The president's words can be said to be murderous.

What does "within the scope of ability" mean?

You know, for quite a long time, the special forces under JSOC were almost considered omnipotent.

Now, the president not only gave them a preset mission scope, but also directly restricted the authority of the Craven Organization's actions.
Craven obviously understood what the president meant. He slowly raised his head and looked into the pair of eyes that were glowing slightly in the darkness.

After a full half minute of silence, he finally spoke:
“We should shift the focus of our actions.”

"The idea of ​​relying on small-scale, highly integrated special operations to achieve major results has to be abandoned. This is a decision we must make in the current environment."

"As you said, our special forces must prove to the Army that they are valuable and can really help their combat operations."

"So, next, they have to be deeply involved in the war in Syria."

“Just like the battle of Raqqa — it turns out the Army was very happy with what we did in Raqqa.”

“That’s a viable direction, right?”

"Yes."

The president finally nodded with satisfaction. He knew that Craven finally understood his true intentions.

This was a conversation of "releasing military power over a cup of wine", and the next step was when his true intentions were revealed.

"We need to transition command of JSOC to the Army."

"To be precise, it is to involve the Army in JSOC's command decisions." ".I understand."

Craven nodded solemnly, and they both fell silent.

Until this point, Craven still didn't know what such a compromise would mean to him, to JSOC, to the president, and even to the country.

But from the president's perspective, he has clearly seen the future that may not be so "bright".

The president's powers will once again be weakened, and federal control over the military, which has been maintained since reforms in 2002, will also be dismantled.

Perhaps today's conversation will go down in history.

But at this point in time, he had no way to stop it.
-
But who cares?
I only have four years left in my term, and the result that I am most worried about is impossible to happen within four years.

And four years later, where is this country heading and what does it have to do with him?
Looking at the lost Craven, the president stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

Then, he spoke:
"So be it."

"Our battle isn't over yet, cheer up!"

At the same time, in Gillis City.

A large number of white soldiers wearing highly recognizable khaki combat uniforms were packing their luggage. Just half an hour ago, they had received an order to withdraw from the battlefield.

Behind them, black smoke was still billowing from the destroyed temporary airport oil depot. A number of fire trucks parked near the depot were continuously spraying water to cool it down, but they could only barely prevent the fire from spreading further.

The only remaining runway has been blocked, and two C-160s are hovering in the air, waiting for the landing order from the tower.

It was obvious that they were definitely not here to deliver military supplies.

Judging from the large number of personnel and equipment assembled on the ground, they only have one thing to do:

Complete the evacuation as quickly as possible.

At the front of the crowd, a man who looked like a leader removed the magazine in his hand and inserted it into the magazine holder on his chest.

Then, he asked the liaison officer beside him:
"What do those Turks say? When exactly are we going to land?"

Hearing his words, the liaison officer shook his head and replied:
"The Turkish side asked to continue waiting. The reason they gave was that the environment around the airport was not safe and not suitable for large transport aircraft to land."

"Unsafe?"

The leader sneered and said:

"Continuing to wait in the airport is the most unsafe option!"

"The Syrians have ballistic missiles with a terminal penetration speed of Mach 4!"

"Moreover, they launched 12 missiles in the first round of attacks. God knows how many more they have!"

"These Turks are really crazy. Don't they have any idea of ​​their own strength?"

"It's fine to fight a conventional ground war, but the enemy has already upgraded their attack methods to ballistic missiles. What else is there to consider?"

"It's not just us who need to evacuate, they should also evacuate Gillis as quickly as possible."

"Otherwise, with their regional air defense level, all targets on the ground will become missile targets!"

The leader's words were fierce, and there was a hint of anger in his expression.

After a pause, he continued:
"We have been waiting for more than half an hour. If they continue to delay, don't blame us for using more radical measures!"

"Do they really think they can change the decision of the higher-ups with their tricks? This is just a waste of time!"

"Inform everyone and prepare for battle."

"If the plane doesn't land within 15 minutes, we will launch an attack and occupy the airport!"

"understand!"

A trace of cold sweat broke out on the liaison officer's forehead. He knew that what the team leader said could not be a simple "threat".

This team may not have fought very well on the battlefield against foreign enemies.

But if they really want to take action against their allies, they may not be lenient.

No one wants to see internal strife, and no one wants to devote their life to a meaningless battlefield.

Therefore, he must convey the leader's determination to the Turkish side as soon as possible.

If we were a moment slower, the situation here could really develop to an irreversible level.
Thinking of this, the liaison officer couldn't help but quicken his pace.

The command post of the temporary airport was right in front of him, and he could even see people arguing in the window.

But at this moment, a violent explosion suddenly sounded.

The liaison officer subconsciously looked back, and the first thought that flashed through his mind was that the oil depot that had been burning for several hours had finally exploded.

Yes, considering the earthwork’s emergency response capabilities, it is a miracle that the oil depot can hold on until now.
-
However, when his eyes were fixed on the oil depot, all he saw was the same unchanging black smoke and dimly burning flames.

There was no sign of an explosion. The fire truck was "leisurely" spraying water columns for cooling. The firefighters around him, like him, looked up blankly and looked around.

At this moment, the liaison officer's hair stood on end.

A terrible idea popped up in his mind, and then it became a reality.

A large number of bombs and missiles fell from the sky, completely covering the already dilapidated temporary airport.

The nearest missile accurately hit the command post in front of him. The blast threw him several meters away. The severe dizziness and tinnitus made it impossible for him to get up. He could only struggle and crawl towards the bomb crater not far away.

When he looked up at the sky, a huge black shadow had already flown above his head.

He recognized that it was a Su-24M2 fighter-bomber that could be described as "in tatters".

All the missiles under the wings have been launched. It seems that the plane has no intention of identifying the target. The only thing it wants to do is to break through the air defense network at all costs, fly over the airport, and drop the bombs it is carrying.

Behind it, a trail of smoke broke through the air and accurately hit the tail of the Su-24.

The plane broke apart in the air, but at the last moment before being hit, the pilot pushed down on the control stick, changing the plane's attitude to a downward dive.

The flaming aircraft slammed heavily into the airport runway, and the pilot turned his plane into the last missile.

The liaison officer's eyes widened in horror, and then more and more burning fighter planes fell to the ground.

Su-24, Su-25, MiG-21, MiG-29, L-39C, and even the MFI-17 trainer.
It is obvious that all the fighter jets that evacuated after the large-scale destruction of the Syrian military airport in the north went to the front line.

This was their most powerful attack and also their last.

It’s over.

The liaison officer closed his eyes in despair, he knew he could not leave.

The Syrian government forces' thinking was extremely clear. They did not attack the transport planes in the air and they only attacked Turkey.

The troop he was in just "happened" to be trapped.
(End of this chapter)