Executive Intent - Tapa dura

The deadliest strike will come from outer space

When America develops the most powerful defense system in history, will it be used to protect the nation—or will it be used to force universal domination? This question must be answered in the stillness of outer space and the corridors of the White House.

The United States has just unleashed the most powerful weapon in history—a missile-launching satellite called Thor's Hammer that can strike anywhere on the planet in seconds. Now the United States stands unchecked in military dominance.

Or does it?

The world's other major superpowers, Russia and China, are rocked by America's development, and they scramble to respond by gaining control of the seas. When terrorists hijack Pakistani missiles and fire them at Indian cities, U.S. president Joseph Gardner has only one option: to use the untested Thor's Hammer. But something goes awry and the Hammer misses one of its targets, killing thousands of Pakistani civilians. In retaliation, Pakistan and the Middle East decide to give China strategic naval advantage by granting it access to Middle Eastern ports.

To make matters worse, days after the crisis, Somali pirates board a Chinese freighter off the coast of Mogadishu and slaughter the crew. China responds by brutally attacking and then occupying Somalia, quickly setting up missile pads that can target U.S. naval ships across vital sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, as well as any ships transiting the Suez Canal. Now the U.S. high command is on red alert and the country's security is in total jeopardy. . . .

Another flash point quickly emerges—in Earth's orbit. When Chinese and Russian spacecraft surround an American space station, the threat is clear: negotiate and compromise, or China and Russia will cripple the U.S. Navy with ballistic missiles. Retired Air Force lieutenant general Patrick McLanahan returns to assist the commander of the U.S. Space Defense Force, Kai Raydon. But can McLanahan and Raydon stop the Chinese and Russian spaceships? Or will the world's superpowers be plunged into a full-scale war? All the while, President Gardner must face threats from within when his own vice president begins to challenge his decisions—and maybe even his job.

With Executive Intent, the New York Times bestselling master thriller-writer Dale Brown crafts an action-packed tale of intrigue and technological weaponry that pits the world's superpowers in a contest for Earth's oceans and ultimate high ground—space.