The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

'Günther may have some valuable contacts in Germany. If he can be trusted,'
Ghosn added.
'I have considered this. Günther can be trusted.' Qati explained why.
'We are sure the story is real?' Ghosn asked. 'I have no more faith in
coincidences than you, Commander.'
'There was a photograph in a German newspaper. It appeared quite genuine.' A
German tabloid had managed to get a graphic black-and-white photo that showed
the results of a hanging in all its ghastly splendor. The fact that Petra was
nude above the waist had ensured its publication. Such an end for a terrorist
murderer was too juicy to be denied to the German males, one of whom had been
castrated by this woman.
'The problem is simply that we must minimize the number of people who know about
this, else – excuse me, Ismael.'
'But we need some help. Yes, I understand that.' Qati smiled. 'You are correct.
It is time to discuss our plans with our friend. You propose to explode the bomb
in Israel?'
'Where else? It is not my place to make such plans, but I assumed . . .'
'I have not thought about it. One thing at a time, Ibrahim. When are you leaving
for Israel?'
'I planned to do so in the next week or so.'
'Let it wait until we see what this treaty business will do.' Qati thought.
'Begin your studies. We will make haste slowly on this matter. First you must
determine your requirements. We will then try to meet them in the most secure
location we can arrange.'
***
It took forever, it seemed, but forever in political terms can be a time period
ranging from five minutes to five years. In this case, it took less than three
days for the important part to happen. Fifty thousand more demonstrators arrived
before the Knesset. Led by veterans of all of Israel's wars, the new crowd
supported the treaties. There were more shouts and shaken fists, but for once
there was no overt violence, as the police managed to keep the two passionate
groups separated. Instead they labored to out-shout each other.
The cabinet met again in closed session, both ignoring and attending to the din
outside their windows. The Defense Minister was surprisingly quiet during the
discussion. On being asked, he agreed that the additional arms promised by the
Americans would be hugely useful: 48 additional F-16 fighter-bombers; and for
the first time, M-2/3 Bradley fighting vehicles, Hellfire anti-tank missiles,
and access to the revolutionary new tank-gun technology America was developing.
The Americans would underwrite most of the cost of building a hightech training
center in the Negev similar to their own National Training Center at Fort Irwin,
California, where the 10th Cav unit would train constantly as the 'OpFor' or
opposing force against Israeli units. The Defense Minister knew the effect the
NTC had had for the U.S. Army, which was at its highest state of professionalism
since World War II. With the new materiel and training base, he judged that the
real effectiveness of Israel's defense forces would increase by 50 percent. To
that he added the U.S. Air Force F-16 wing and the tank regiment, both of which,
as spelled out in a secret codicil of the Mutual Defense Treaty, chopped to