Chapter 1,463 Emergency Meeting

"I propose sending more troops to Colombia! And mobilizing our allies, especially those parasites who owe NATO military payments!"

"The method is good, but it is very difficult to implement. Britain has sent two divisions to support us, and France has also sent one division. We cannot expect them to invest more troops in South America that is not within their scope of interests..."

"What about Türkiye? If we promise to help them get into the EU..."

"Then we will offend at least twenty allies!"

"..."

There were quarrels in the conference room, and Mike Pence stared at the globe on the corner of the table without saying a word, lost in thought.

The problems facing the United States are more serious than imagined.

While defense budgets have been increasing, the number of soldiers has been decreasing.

Since the end of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the total number of U.S. Army soldiers has dropped from a peak of 570,000 in 2012 to the current 480,000 (in 2020). The current number of active duty soldiers in the U.S. Air Force is about 300,000, the Navy is about 320,000, and the Marine Corps is still 180,000. Of course, the National Guards in each state are not counted here. Mobilizing those guys to participate in foreign wars is not as convenient as mobilizing reserves.

In asymmetric warfare, this number of standing reserves is actually enough for maritime powers. Unfortunately, facing the technical strength of Star Ring Trade, they are now at a disadvantage. Fortunately, Hillary stopped Obama's disarmament plan in the last term, otherwise the current situation would only be worse...

"Everyone," National Security Advisor John McCain said, raising his voice as he rapped the table with his knuckles, signaling everyone to stop arguing and look towards him, "there are already 130,000 Americans fighting for the freedom of Colombia. war, and according to data analyzed by the Pentagon, if we want to gain an 'overwhelming' advantage in Colombia, we need to invest at least one army group in South America. The volunteer armies of Moro and Madagascar are on the way, and those Third World hooligans will Drag us into the mire.”

McCain paused for a moment before continuing.

"You are all ignoring the most effective method."

"The Star Ring Trade is powerful enough, but their strategic depth is limited! Whether it is the space elevator or the high-tech factories concentrated in the new country. Instead of throwing hundreds of thousands of people into the bottomless pit of Colombia, it is better to send our aircraft carriers to the Western Pacific to fight Group! Launch our intercontinental missiles! Even if their air defense system is excellent, it cannot make up for the gap in numbers!"

"Launch four hundred Tomahawk cruise missiles at the space elevator and launch a strategic nuclear strike at the Anga Island industrial base. Even if they can arm every soldier to the teeth, we can send them back to the Stone Age!"

"You are crazy!" Another consultant sitting next to him exclaimed, "We are not the only ones who have nuclear weapons! If they launch a retaliatory strike on our homeland..."

"But our gains are huge!" McCain said firmly. "Taking a long view, as long as we absorb their technology and rely on the industrial strength of us and our allies, we can colonize Gliese 581 in a few decades! Instead of defending against aliens at home war!"

As for blowing up the space elevator, as long as the technology is at hand, it will be a big deal to build another one when the time comes. After the new space elevator is built, the Moon and Mars colonies of the Star Ring Trade will be incorporated. It will be the United States that leads mankind to the future, not some new country or the Star Ring Trade!

"It's too risky."

Mike Pence frowned, but he was thinking secretly in his heart.

He had heard about Starlink Trading's undersea missile silos a long time ago, but Hillary did something good before leaving office, which was to introduce the THAAD air defense system to military bases such as Guam and Wake Island. If New Zealand launches an intercontinental missile from the Western Pacific, there is a high probability that they will be able to intercept the missile during its ascent stage...

But if I can't stop it...

Just when Mike Pence hesitated,

A phone call came.

McCain wanted to say something more, but when the president picked up the phone, he politely kept his mouth shut.

The hand holding the phone was slightly white, and the expression on Mike Pence's face was uncertain.

After putting down the phone, he kept his hand on the phone and sat there speechless for a long time.

After a long time, he raised his head and spoke.

"Lewis."

Lewis, who serves as the president's chief of staff, was slightly stunned and replied.

"……Mr President?"

"You go notify the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Finance... and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military." After naming about twenty names, Mike Pence paused for a moment and said slowly, "Here in one hour. An emergency meeting is called and all members of the National Security Council must be present. Now, all of you, please go out for a while."

After hearing these words, the expressions on the faces of Lewis, McCain and other senior White House officials were moved and they looked at each other.

The expressions on everyone's faces are different, just like their complicated moods at this moment. Lewis looked at the president in disbelief, while McCain had a hint of ecstasy on his face, but it was quickly hidden behind a series of small actions.

The members of the National Security Council of the United States were established during the Cold War, with the president serving as chairman of the National Security Council. Regular attendees include the Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, and National Security Adviser. As well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Army as the statutory military advisor to the National Security Council, and the Director of the CIA, the statutory intelligence advisor. In addition, there are also important officials such as the White House Chief of Staff, the U.S. Attorney General, and the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. Depending on the importance of the content discussed in the meeting, the president himself will decide whether to attend.

Just from the level of attendees, it is not difficult to see the importance of a meeting of this level.

The last time such an emergency meeting was held was twenty years ago, when the president was named George W. Bush. Shortly after the meeting, the U.S.-led coalition went to Afghanistan and started the long-running Afghan war...

Taking a deep breath, Lewis nodded.

"I'll go right away."

At the president's request, everyone in the conference room left.

After the conference room was empty, Pence's shoulders slowly relaxed. Instead of rushing to prepare for the next meeting, he took out a pen from his arms and looked at it for a long time.

Somehow, he suddenly rang about a month and a half ago, during the handover of power.

As the vice president, he was also present and vaguely remembers the situation.

There has never been a president who showed relief when handing over power. It was as if what she handed over was not the country's supreme throne, and what left her was not power or interests, but a heavy burden.

Now he suddenly understood something.

In other words, I regretted it a bit.

She was facing a madman, and now this madman stood before him. Just when he was still hesitating whether to add a handful of firewood to the stove, the madman had already guided the sparks outside the stove...

But there's no point regretting it now, and it seems like he didn't have the power to choose from the beginning. After the president dies, there will be a vice president, and after the vice president, there will be a speaker of the Senate... From the moment Wall Street was "unified", the balance of power in this country began to be out of balance, and those capitalists have gone completely crazy.

After a long silence, he picked up the phone, slowly dialed a number and called a familiar person. He now needs to consult other people's opinions, although he also knows that this is most likely a useless effort.

The call went through.

Without any unnecessary pleasantries, Pence organized his thoughts in his mind and spoke slowly.

"Twenty minutes ago, in the Caribbean..."