Chapter 518: Season 2 Book 21 Shadow of War 2 – 2-1 Perspective of Individuals
January 18, 2024, 10:10
B2 bunker (Operation Conference Room, Joint Command and Control Center of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces), Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Namju
The commanders and staff of each army were seated in the operation meeting room. On the screen, a clip that looked like it was taken from a war movie was playing.
Around 40 ships were sailing at high speed through the open waters while surrounding two Ford-class aircraft carriers. Each of the ships had a large American flag flying on it.
This was a video of the 3rd Fleet of the Pacific Fleet of the U.S. Navy that had departed from Hawaii a few days ago.
As an additional Ford-class aircraft carrier was added to the 3rd Fleet, the number of frigates and various logistic support ships had naturally increased as well. Because of its size, the 3rd Fleet alone could almost be mistaken for the entire Pacific Fleet. Adding to this were the ships that the 3rd Fleet was composed up of—the Bougainville-class amphibious assault ships, said to be the successor of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ships that could also be used as aircraft carriers.
They had finished setting the USS Bougainville (LHA-8) ships—the new amphibious assault ships that the U.S. Navy would be operating in the near future—up for actual battle just six years after HII (Huntington Ingalls Industries) had presented the blueprint for it at the Sea-Air-Space 2017 Fair.
The USS Bougainville-class, beginning with LHA-8, was the largest amphibious assault ship included in the operations of the U.S. Navy (USN), operations of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), as well as joint operations. It was a ship optimized for surface and air operations in place of the older LHA.
The Bougainville-class amphibious assault ship had capabilities maximized for expeditionary combat. The ship was equipped with the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter, and the F-35B JSF fighter jets in the joint air and naval assaults (amphibious operations), a Well Deck for LCU operations, as well as SSC (Ship to Shore Connector) as a replacement for the older LCAC.
In other words, the Bougainville-class amphibious assault ship could serve not only as an amphibious assault ship but also as an auxiliary aircraft carrier. It was having as many as 10 aircraft carriers in the 3rd Fleet.
When the video on the screen showed a full shot of the warships belonging to the 3rd Fleet, each of them sailing a few kilometers apart from one another, Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Youn Gi-youn clicked his tongue and cursed, “Those American b*stards have been pouring money into this for three years.”
“They probably didn’t want to lose naval supremacy,” responded the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lee Ki-hyung, who was the commander of naval operations at the time of the First Northeast Asian War.
“Naval supremacy? Wasn’t that already transferred to us? Are they still dreaming, or what?”
In contrast to Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Youn Gi-youn, who seemed to think that it wasn’t a big deal, the Chief of Naval Operations Lee Ki-hyung didn’t look too optimistic.
This was because eight Zumwalt-class destroyers had damaged the 1st Fleet in the East Sea three years ago. If the Zumwalt-class destroyers of the 7th Fleet were included, there would be as many as 12 of them.
Of course, the Korean Navy also had in their possession, destroyers and cruisers that had more or less the same amount of power. However, as the Chief of Naval Operations, it was natural for Admiral Lee to be concerned.
“Next, we’ll watch the video of the 7th Fleet,” announced Head of the Operation Division, Yang Min-choon, who was in charge of the meeting. The video on the screen was changed to one showing the 7th Fleet sailing.
The weather was a bit cloudy, so the video was not as sharp as it could have been. However, the full shot of the 7th Fleet revealed that they, too, were a force to be reckoned with.
With the Ford-class Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), that had inherited the name of the sunken Nimitz-class Ronald Reagan, in the center, four Zumwalt-class destroyers, eight Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyers, and four LHA-6 America-class amphibious assault ships, one class below the Bougainville-class amphibious assault ship, were being followed by 10 fast combat support ships.
In addition, although it couldn’t be confirmed on video, it was obvious that numerous nuclear submarines were underwater, with anti-submarine boundaries activated.
“Heh heh, it’ll surely be quite a sight when the 3rd Fleet joins the 7th Fleet.” Vice Chairman of the Chief of Staff Kim Yong-hyun sighed with concern when he saw the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, greatly improved in power compared to three years ago.
“Captain Kim, you worry too much. Don’t we also have Chungmugong Lee Sun-shin-class destroyers in our Navy? Just one of them can give all of the U.S. Navy b*stards a water burial.”
During the First Northeast Asian War, just one Chungmugong Lee Sun-shin-class destroyer had crushed the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces and the Zumwalt-class Aegis destroyers in battle. Currently, in 2024, a total of five Chungmugong Lee Sun-shin-class destroyers were built. Three of them were deployed in the 12th Carrier Strike Group and were performing military operations in the Persian Gulf. The other two cruisers, the Charisuk (CG-1105) and the Gangwoogyu (CG-1106) were currently being tested while various finishing works were being performed on them.
After completing the test operations, they were to be assigned to the 12th Carrier Strike Group.
“Well, as Commander Youn has mentioned, what is the current test operation status?” the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Shin Sung-yong asked Chief of Naval Operations Lee Ki-hyung, while they were on the topic of the Chungmugong Lee Sun-shin-class Hocula cruisers.
“The finishing works have already been completed, and the test operation is about 80 percent complete. As of now, they’ve been supplied with various ammunition and war materials, and are on standby at the Busan Military Port.”
“Both ships, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Mm, the test operation is progressing faster than I expected.”
“All the crew members train through simulation before the launch, which shortens the days required for test operations.”
“Yeah, 80 percent is sufficient for actual use in battle!” Chairman Shin Sung-yong nodded, looking satisfied.
“We’ll now move on to an interim check on the response plan regarding the Pacific Fleet of the U.S. Navy.” Head of Operations Yang Min-choon interjected amidst casual conversation. The screen changed to a digital map that showed the entire North Pacific Ocean.
“As you can see, the two red dots are the locations of the 3rd and 7th Fleets that we just saw in the videos. The red dotted line is their expected routes by sea.”
As explained by Head of Operations Yang Min-choon, the 3rd and 7th Fleet, tactically marked with red dots, were following the red dotted lines marked as expected routes. The location where the two dotted lines met was 400 kilometers east of Katsuura, Japan.
The movement of the U.S. Navy was accurately predicted.
“Then this means they’ll join at sea where the red dotted lines meet and immediately land on the eastern coast of Chiba Prefecture,” said Chairman Shin Yong-yong, rubbing his chin.
“Yes, sir. That is correct.
“What is the current state of our response?”
“This part will be briefed by the Naval Operations Commander himself.”
As soon as Lieutenant General Yang Min-choon finished his speech, Lieutenant General Park Soo-il, the Naval Operations Commander, raised his hand and saluted on a different screen. Three years ago, Lieutenant General Park Soo-il had served as the commander of the 3rd Naval Fleet, but after his senior, commander of the 1st Naval Fleet, Gil Un-suk, had died in battle, he had been the first one in line for the promotion. Currently, he had been promoted to the position of Lieutenant General and was serving as the Naval Operations Commander.
“Salute! This is Naval Operations Commander Park Soo-il. I will now give an interim briefing on the response plan regarding the Pacific Fleet. Please take a look at the map.”
The digital map that had shown the entire North Pacific Ocean previously was now enlarged and displayed a map showing the entire Korean peninsula and Japan.
“At the location where the Pacific Fleet is expected to join, there are eight Hocula submarines of the 11th Mobile Submarine Group and nine submarines of the 91st Submarine Group already patrolling the 500-kilometer radius from the coast of Chiba. As of now, there haven’t been any submarines detected that appear to belong to the U.S. Navy.
Various tactical symbols were marked on the digital map according to Lieutenant General Park Soo-il’s explanation.
“Also, the supply of war materials to the 7th Mobile Squadron has been completed. They will sail to the eastern coast of Chiba on the 19th at 10 a.m. In addition, the two Hocula cruisers and the 2nd Fleet currently on standby at the Busan Military Port will sail to the eastern coast of Chiba, using the southernmost route at 2 p.m. today.”
Once again, on the digital map, blue tactical symbols representing the 7th Mobile Squadron and the 2nd Fleet were displayed, as well as the movement route, which was marked with blue dotted lines.
“Besides this, we will be receiving air support from the 18th Fighter Wing, the 23rd Fighter Wing, and the 1st Fighter Wing.”
“Thank you for your work, but the 1st Fleet, the 7th Mobile Squadron, and two Hocula cruisers…I’m not too worried, but I can’t help thinking that our Navy will suffer great damage if the difference in power isn’t overwhelming. It’s a pity that the 12th Carrier Group is in the Persian Gulf at a time like this.”
“Comrade Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff! Isn’t this good enough?” Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Youn Gi-youn asked with a slightly bitter expression.
“It’s not too bad. But since we’re dealing with the U.S. Navy, I want to create a force that minimizes damage to our forces as much as possible.”
“Well, if you think so, then you might be right,” agreed Vice Chairman Youn Gi-youn, relaxing his expression.
“Commander Park!”
“Yes, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff!”
“Please come up with additional reinforcements.”
“Yes, sir. I will report the plan right away.”
“Let the 1st and 3rd Fleet reinforce the available forces, and if necessary, request backup from the Air Force, as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lieutenant General Yang Min-choon, deciding that the situation with the Pacific Fleet had mostly been settled, moved on to the next meeting.
“The next topic is the response plan regarding Japan’s declaration of independence. This part will be briefed by the Marine Corps Commander himself.”
Lieutenant General Lim Kyung-soo got up from his seat and walked to the front of the screen. “I will now give a briefing on the response plan of the 1st Marine Division and the 6th Marine Division stationed in Honshu, Japan, regarding the ‘declaration of independence.’ Currently, the 1st Marine Division is…”
Lieutenant General Lim Kyung-soo spoke for the next 20 minutes in detail. During the question and answer session that came after he was done with the briefing, Major General Nam Tae-kwon, the Head of the Situation Office, entered the operation meeting room and delivered good news.
“We have just received a report from the Peace Corps Headquarters that they’ve completely recaptured the Luhansk Oblast.”
In an instant, the atmosphere in the operation meeting room heated up. The Ukrainian civil war, which had begun with the War in Donbas, had ended with the help of the Korean Army.
On the 15th, the 1st dispatch force of the 3rd Marine Mobile Division (Hwaryong) had occupied Luhansk, the capital of the Luhansk Oblast, and, together with the 5th Marine Division (Jiryong), had recaptured the entire Luhansk Oblast in only three days.
Unlike during the recapture of Donetsk Oblast, the entire 51st Imperial Guards Army of the Western Military District of Russia was sent to defend against the recapture of the Luhansk Oblast, and a hard battle had been expected. But the power of the 1st dispatch force, which was only half the size of the entire division, was far greater than imagined.
As all the armored equipment was maneuvered through a hover system, it wasn’t restricted at all by terrain, making the speed of the 1st dispatch force unimaginably fast. In addition, thanks to its ability to see the entire Russian Army’s movements as clearly as if they were in the palm of its hands, it never fell victim to ambushes or surprise attacks. Due to the formidable firepower of the various advanced weapons that the 1st dispatch force possessed, the 51st Imperial Guards Army, titled the most elite out of the Western Military District, had lost consecutively in battles with the 1st dispatch force and had finally given up on Luhansk Oblast.
The 2nd dispatch force of the 3rd Marine Mobile Division (Hwaryong), which had set foot in Berdyans’k, Ukraine, on the 14th, had immediately begun the operation to occupy the Rostov Oblast.
Because the 20th Guards Army, which had performed regional defense missions on behalf of the 51st Imperial Guards Army, was ordered by the Russian General Staff to defend the Rostov Oblast along with the subordinate units of the Southern Military District, the 2nd dispatch force had initially met with violent resistance. However, the 2nd dispatch force of the 3rd Marine Mobile Division (Hwaryong) expanded its occupation area a lot faster than expected.
Now, if the Luhansk Oblast was to be handed over to the 5th Marine Division (Jiryong), and the 3rd Marine Mobile Division (Hwaryong), joined by the 1st and 2nd dispatch force, occupied the Volgograd Oblast, the last area to be occupied beyond the Rostov Oblast, it was to be the end of southern Russia.
This was because the land route, through which various war supplies and support units could be sent over from Russia, would be blocked off from the Russian mainland, while the three brigades from the Peace Corps were coming up from the southern end, smashing through all defense lines.
The bad decisions of President Putin of Russia had played a role in these results. Despite the need to give up on either the Northwestern Front or the Southern Front, as the Russian General Staff had advised, President Putin had chosen not to, out of greed. As a result, the shadow of defeat was approaching them, closer than ever..
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