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way。 But you never knew； and if this Beijing incident blew up any more 。 。 。 He lifted the phone for SURFPAC； the three…star who administratively owned Pacific Fleet's surface ships。
〃Yeah；〃 answered Vice Admiral Ed Goldsmith。
〃Ed； Bart。 What material shape are those ships we have in Taipei harbor in？〃
〃You're calling about the thing on CNN； right？〃
〃Correct；〃 CINCPAC confirmed。
〃Pretty good。 No material deficiencies I know about。 They're doing the usual port…visit routine； letting people aboard and all。 Crews are spending a lot of time on the beach。〃
Mancuso didn't have to ask what they were doing on the beach。 He'd been a young sailor once； though never on Taiwan。
〃Might not hurt for them to keep their ears perked up some。〃
〃Noted；〃 SURFPAC acknowledged。 Mancuso didn't have to say more。 The ships would now stand alternating Condition…Three on their bat systems。 The SPY radars would be turned on aboard one of the Aegis ships at all times。 One nice thing about Aegis ships was that they could go from half…asleep to fully operational in about sixty seconds； it was just a matter of turning some keys。 They'd have to be a little careful。 The SPY radar put out enough power to fry electronic ponents for miles around； but it was just a matter of how you steered the electronic beams； and that was puter…controlled。 〃Okay； sir； I'll get the word out right now。〃
〃Thanks； Ed。 I'll get you fully briefed in later today。〃
〃Aye； aye；〃 SURFPAC replied。 He'd put a call to his squadron manders immediately。
〃What else？〃 Mancuso wondered。
〃We haven't heard anything directly from Washington； Admiral；〃 BG Lahr told his boss。
〃Nice thing about being a CINC； Mike。 You're allowed to think on your own a little。〃
〃What a fucking mess；〃 General…Colonel Bondarenko observed to his drink。 He wasn't talking about the news of the day； but about his mand； even though the officers' club in Chabarsovil was fortable。 Russian general officers have always liked their forts； and the building dated back to the czars。 It had been built during the Russo…Japanese war at the beginning of the previous century and expanded several times。 You could see the border between pre…revolution and post…revolution workmanship。 Evidently； German POWs hadn't been trained this far cast…they'd built most of the dachas for the party elite of the old days。 But the vodka was fine； and the fellowship wasn't too bad； either。
〃Things could be better； rade General；〃 Bondarenko's operations officer agreed。 〃But there is much that can be done the right way； and little bad to undo。〃
That was a gentle way of saying that the Far East Military District was less of a military mand than it was a theoretical exercise。 Of the five motor…rifle divisions nominally under his mand； only one； the 265th； was at eighty…percent strength。 The rest were at best regimental…size formations； or mere cadres。 He also had theoretical mand of a tank division…about a regiment and a half…plus thirteen reserve divisions that existed not so much on paper as in some staff officer's dreams。 The one thing he did have was huge equipment stores； but a lot of that equipment dated back to the 1960s； or even earlier。 The best troops in his area of mand responsibility were not actually his to mand。 These were the Border Guards； battalion…sized formations once part of the KGB； now a semi…independent armed service under the mand of the Russian president。
There was also a defense line of sorts； which dated back to the 1930s and showed it。 For this line； numerous tanks…some of them actually German in origin…were buried as bunkers。 In fact； more than anything else the line was reminiscent of the French Maginot Line； also a thing of the 1930s。 It had been built to protect the Soviet Union against an attack by the Japanese； and then upgraded halfheartedly over the years to protect against the People's Republic of China…a defense never forgotten； but never fully remembered either。 Bondarenko had toured parts of it the previous day。 As far back as the czars； the engineering officers of the Russian Army had never been fools。 Some of the bunkers were sited with shrewd； even brilliant appreciation for the land； but the problem with bunkers was explained by a recent American aphorism： If you can see it； you can hit it； and if you can hit it； you can kill it。 The line had been conceived and built when artillery fire had been a chancy thing； and an aircraft bomb was fortunate to hit the right county。 Now you could use a fifteen…centimeter gun as accurately as a sniper rifle； and an aircraft could select which windowpane to put the bomb through on a specific building。
〃Andrey Petrovich； I am pleased to hear your optimism。 What is your first remendation？〃
〃It will be simple to improve the camouflage on the border bunkers。 That's been badly neglected over the years；〃 Colonel Aliyev told his mander…in…chief。 〃That will reduce their vulnerability considerably。〃
〃Allowing them to survive a serious attack for 。。。 sixty minutes； Andrushka？〃
〃Maybe even ninety； rade General。 It's better than five minutes； is it not？〃 He paused for a sip of vodka。 Both had been drinking for half an hour。 〃For the 265th； we must begin a serious training program at once。 Honestly； the division mander did not impress me greatly； but I suppose we must give him a chance。〃
Bondarenko： 〃He's been out here so long； maybe he likes the idea of Chinese food。〃
〃General； I was out here as a lieutenant；〃 Aliyev said。 〃I remember the political officers telling us that the Chinese had increased the length of the bayonets on their AK…47s to get through the extra fat layer we'd grown after discarding true Marxism…Leninism and eating too much。〃
〃Really？〃 Bondarenko asked。
〃That is the truth； Gennady Iosifovich。〃
〃So； what do we know of the PLA？〃
〃There are a lot of them； and they've been training seriously for about four years now； much harder than we've been doing。〃
〃They can afford to；〃 Bondarenko observed sourly。 The other thing he'd learned on arriving was how thin the cupboard was for funds and training equipment。 But it wasn't totally bleak。 He had stores of consumable supplies that had been stocked and piled for three generations。 There was a virtual mountain of shells for the 100…mm guns on his many…and long…since obsolete…T…54/55 tanks； for example； and a sea of diesel fuel hidden away in underground tanks too numerous to count。 The one thing he had in the Far East Military District was infrastructure； built up by the Soviet Union over generations of institutional paranoia。 But that wasn't the same as an army to mand。
〃What about aviation？〃
〃Mainly grounded；〃 Aliyev answered glumly。 〃Parts problems。 We used up so much in Chechnya that there isn't enough to go around； and the Western District still has first call。〃
〃Oh？ Our political leadership expects the Poles to invade us？〃
〃That's the direction Germany is in；〃 the G…3 pointed out。
〃I've been fighting that out with the High mand for three years；〃 Bondarenko growled； thinking of his time as chief of operations for the entire Russian army。 〃People would rather listen to themselves than to others with the voice of reason。〃 He looked up at