D+18 1640-1700 Zulu 27 July, 1987

Aboard NEACP-Primary, 1636 Zulu (1236 Local Time)

“FLASH OPREP-3 PINNACLE—NUDET!” a USAF captain seated at a console in the battle staff area called out. “Coordinates: longitude 40 degrees—”

“Forget the lat/long,” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff barked. “Just give us the altitude and map location.”

“Altitude 6,000 feet. Central district of Madrid, Spain.”

The battle staff area was quiet as a crypt. As the news was absorbed by those present, pairs of eyes glanced in the direction of the president and his advisers for the briefest of moments before the men and women went back to their jobs. The urgency and importance of the moment was eclipsed only by the realization that they were present at a significant moment in history. Human nature demanded they record a snapshot of the point in time for preservation and reflection later on. Provided they lived long enough, of course.

Reagan and his men stood statue-like and quiet. At that moment thousands of miles away, tens of thousands of people were dead or dying. In the coming hours and days thousands more would perish from radiation sickness. A major city and the capital of a US ally lay in ruin.

Sixty seconds later it was Alert’s turn. “FLASH OPREP-3 PINNACLE—NUDET. Ten thousand feet, northern reaches of Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories, Canada.”

With the confirmed destruction of Madrid and Alert, the age of deterrence came to an abrupt end. What was to follow it would be determined here aboard the E-4B and at the Kremlin in the hours ahead.

The president and his advisers returned to the conference room. After everyone was seated, he initiated the phone call with Thatcher, Mitterrand, and Kohl. Reagan informed them the Soviet weapons had struck Madrid and Alert and that there would be a nuclear response on behalf of NATO. The United States would bear the burden. Thatcher and Mitterrand were understandably opposed to this plan. The leaders of France and Great Britain attempted to convince the president to hear them out and accept a counterargument. Reagan held firm. He understood why Thatcher and Mitterrand wanted their nations be part of the coming retaliatory action. However, neither France or Great Britain had been attacked with nuclear weapons. The US president did not want to present the Soviets with an excuse to attack either nation and potentially escalate the conflict beyond anyone’s control. Chancellor Kohl, who had been quiet until that point, interjected with support for Reagan’s position.

The European leaders accepted the US plan, albeit with great reluctance.

“Have you come up with comparable targets?” Thatcher inquired.

“I have.” Reagan confirmed. “I will reveal them to the three of you after our preparations are completed.”

“When do you intend to strike?” The French president wanted to know.

Reagan thought about that for a second. “Somewhere between forty-five minutes and an hour from now. My military will need time to retarget the missiles and then I have to go through the orders process.”

“Very good,” Mitterrand approved.

Thatcher was not yet completely satisfied. “Time is critical now, Ron. Remember our discussion from earlier. Do not allow too much time to pass before you respond. Every second counts at this point.”

“I’m well aware, Margaret,” Reagan assured his British counterpart in a confident, calm voice.

Author’s Note: After Friday’s incident I decided to split that day’s intended entry into two parts. I’ll put the second part up on Tuesday and then push ahead. I hope to end D+18 by next weekend, time permitting. As always 😊 – Mike