Cover Page

Title Page

WEAPONS OF CHOICE

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JOHN BIRMINGHAM

BALLANTINE BOOKS • NEW YORK

Dedication

For Jane, the believer

Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to Garth Nix, who first led me down this long and winding path. To Russ Galen, who filled my beggar’s bowl. To Steve Saffel, who suffered as no mortal editor should ever have to suffer. To Keith Clayton, who kicked butt as Trapper John to Steve’s Hawkeye, and Crystal Velasquez, who could easily get a job project managing a time machine. To Cate Paterson, my sword and shield. And Brianne Tunnicliffe, for riding shotgun on this madness. The rock-steady babes at the Queensland Writers Centre are owed my thanks and gratitude. And Pete McAllister, as always, was a dude. There is no way I can repay the loving support of my family, Jane, Anna, and Thomas, except maybe by getting away from the keyboard more often.

Half Title

WEAPONS OF CHOICE

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Dramatis Personae

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

MULTINATIONAL FORCE COMMANDERS

Anderson, Captain Daytona, USN. Commander, USS Leyte Gulf.

Francois, Captain Margie, USMC. Combat surgeon and chief medical officer, Multinational Force. (USS Kandahar.)

Halabi, Captain Karen, RN. Commander, British contingent; deputy commander, Multinational Force; commander, HMS Trident.

Jones, Colonel J. L., USMC. Commander, Eighty-second Marine Expeditionary Unit. (USS Kandahar.)

Judge, Commander Mike, USN. Executive officer, USS Hillary Clinton.

Kolhammer, Admiral Phillip, USN. Task force commander, USS Hillary Clinton.

Miyazaki, Sub-Lieutenant Maseo, JMSDF. Acting commander, JDS Siranui.

Moertopo, Lieutenant Ali, TNI-AL. Acting commander, KRI Sutanto.

Willet, Captain Jane, RAN. Commander, HMAS Havoc.

Windsor, His Royal Highness Captain Harry. Commander, British SAS contingent.

MULTINATIONAL FORCE PERSONNEL

Bukowski, Specialist Waylon, USMC. First Platoon, B Company. (USS Kandahar.)

Chen, Second Lieutenant Henry, USMC. Third Platoon, C Company. (USS Kandahar.)

Damiri, Sub-Lieutenant Usama, TNI-AL. Information systems officer, KRI Sutanto.

Hannon, Second Lieutenant Biff, USMC. First Platoon, B Company. (USS Kandahar.)

Harford, Flight Lieutenant Chris, USN. Helicopter pilot, USS Hillary Clinton.

Hayes, Flight Lieutenant Amanda, USN. Helicopter pilot, USS Hillary Clinton.

Ivanov, Major Pavel, Russian Federation Spetsnaz. On secondment to U.S. Navy SEALs. (USS Kandahar.)

Nguyen, Lieutenant Rachel, RAN. Close-In Weapons System operator. (HMAS Moreton Bay.) Seconded to History Working Group. (USS Hillary Clinton.)

Rogas, Chief Petty Officer Vincente, U.S. Navy SEALs. (USS Kandahar.)

Thieu, Lieutenant Edgar, USN. Media relations officer, USS Hillary Clinton.

MISCELLANEOUS

Duffy, Julia. New York Times feature writer. Embedded Eighty-second MEU.

Natoli, Rosanna. CNN researcher/producer. Embedded Eighty-second MEU.

Pope, Professor Manning. Project director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

1942 ALLIED COMMANDERS

Churchill, Winston. Prime minister, Great Britain.

Curtin, John. Prime minister, Commonwealth of Australia.

Eisenhower, Brigadier General Dwight D. U.S. Army. Head of War Plans Division. Appointed commander of U.S. forces, European theater of operations, June 1942.

King, Admiral Ernest J., USN. Commander in chief of the U.S. Fleet and chief of naval operations.

MacArthur, General Douglas, U.S. Army. Commander, Allied Forces, South West Pacific Area. Headquartered Brisbane, Australia.

Marshall, General George C., U.S. Army. Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.