按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
al Operations； and then the President （or someone close to him） had decided that Mancuso was the guy to be the next mander in Chief； Pacific。 And so he now worked in the same office once occupied by Chester Nimitz； and other fine … and some brilliant … naval officers since。 It was quite a stretch since Plebe Summer at Annapolis； lo those many years before； especially since he'd had only a single mand at sea； USS Dallas； though that mand tour had been a noteworthy one； plete with two missions he could still tell no one about。 And having been shipmates once and briefly with the sitting President probably hadn't hurt his career very much。
The new job came with a plush official house； a sizable team of sailors and chiefs to look after him and his wife … the boys were all away at college now … the usual drivers； official cars； and； now； armed bodyguards； because； remarkably enough； there were people about who didn't much care for admirals。 As a theater mander Mancuso now reported directly to the Secretary of Defense； Anthony Bretano； who in turn reported directly to President Ryan。 In return； Mancuso got a lot of new perks。 Now he had direct access to all manner of intelligence information； including the holy of holies； sources and methods … where the information came from； and how we'd gotten it out … because as America's principal executor for a quarter of the globe's surface； he had to know it all； so that he'd know what to advise the SecDef； who would； in turn； advise the President of CINCPAC's views； intentions； and desires。
The Pacific； Mancuso thought； having just pleted his first morning intel brief； looked okay。 It hadn't always been like that； of course； including recently； when he'd fought a fairly major conflict … 〃war〃 was a word that had fallen very much out of favor in civilized discourse … with the Japanese； and that had included the loss of two of his nuclear submarines； killed with treachery and deceit； as Mancuso thought of it； though a more objective observer might have called the tactics employed by the enemy clever and effective。
Heretofore he'd been notified of the locations and activities of his various submarines； but now he also got told about his carriers； tin cans； cruisers； and replenishment ships； plus Marines； and even Army and Air Force assets； which were technically his as a theater mander…in…chief。 All that meant that the morning intel brief lasted into a third cup of coffee； by the end of which he looked longingly to the executive head； just a few feet away from his desk。 Hell； his intelligence coordinator； called a J…2； was； in fact； an Army one…star doing his 〃joint〃 tour； and； in fairness； doing it pretty well。 This brigadier； named Mike Lahr； had taught political science at West Point； in addition to other assignments。 Having to consider political factors was a new development in Mancuso's career； but it came with the increased mand territory。
CINCPAC had done his 〃joint〃 tour along the way； of course； and was theoretically conversant with the abilities and orientation of his brother armed services； but whatever confidence he'd had along those lines diminished in the face of having the mand responsibility to utilize such forces in a professional way。 Well； he had subordinate manders in those other services to advise him； but it was his job to know more than just how to ask questions； and for Mancuso that meant he'd have to go out and get his clothes dirty seeing the practical side； because that was where the kids assigned to his theater would shed blood if he didn't do his job right。
The team was a joint venture of the Atlantic Richfield pany； British Petroleum； and the largest Russian oil exploration pany。 The last of the three had the most experience but the least expertise； and the most primitive methods。 This was not to say that the Russian prospectors were stupid。 Far from it。 Two of them were gifted geologists； with theoretical insights that impressed their American and British colleagues。 Better still； they'd grasped the advantages of the newest exploration equipment about as quickly as the engineers who'd designed it。
It had been known for many years that this part of eastern Siberia was a geological twin to the North Slope region of Alaska and Northern Canada； which had turned into vast oil fields for their parent countries to exploit。 The hard part had been getting the proper equipment there to see if the similarity was more than just cosmetic。
Getting the gear into the right places had been a minor nightmare。 Brought by train into southeastern Siberia from the port of Vladivostok； the 〃thumper trucks〃 … they were far too heavy to airlift … had then spent a month going cross…country； north from Magdagachi； through Aim and Ust Maya； finally getting to work east of Kazachye。
But what they had found had staggered them。 From Kazachye on the River Yana all the way to Kolymskaya on the Kolyma was an oilfield to rival the Persian Gulf。 The thumper trucks and portable puter … carrying seismic…survey vehicles had shown a progression of perfect underground dome formations in stunning abundance； some of them barely two thousand feet down； mere tens of vertical yards from the permafrost； and drilling through that would be about as hard as slicing a wedding cake with a cavalryman's saber。 The scope of the field could not be ascertained without drilling test wells … over a hundred such wells； the chief American engineer thought； just from the sheer scope of the field … but no one had ever seen as promising or as vast a natural deposit of petroleum during his professional lifetime。 The issues of exploitation would not be small ones； of course。 Except for Antarctica itself； there was no place on the planet with a less attractive climate。 Getting the production gear in here would take years of multistage investment； building airfields； probably building ports for the cargo ships that could alone deliver the heavy equipment … and then only in the brief summer months … needed to construct the pipeline which would be needed to get the oil out to market。 Probably through Vladivostok； the Americans thought。 The Russians could sell it from there； and super…tankers； more precisely called VLCCs or ULCCs … for Very Large to Ultra…Large Crude Carriers … would move it out across the Pacific； maybe to Japan； maybe to America or elsewhere； wherever oil was needed； which was just about everywhere。 From those users would e hard currency。 It would take many more years until Russia could build the wherewithal needed for its own industries and consumers to use the oil； but； as such things happened； the cash generated from selling the Siberian crude could then be flipped and used to purchase oil from other sources； which would be much more easily transported to Russian ports and thence into existing Russian pipelines。 The cash difference of selling and buying； as opposed to building a monstrous and monstrously expensive pipeline； was negligible in any case； and such decisions were usually made for political rather than economic reasons。
At precisely the same time； and only six hundred miles； or nine hundred sixty or so kilometers； away； another geology team was in the eastern extreme of