Authors: Dale Brown
Edge of Battle
DALE BROWN
M
AJOR
J
ASON
R
ICHTER
, U.S. Army, commander Task Force TALON
D
R
. A
RIADNA
V
EGA
, Ph.D., deputy commander Task Force TALON
C
APTAIN
F
RANK
“F
ALCON
” F
ALCONE
, USAF, operations and intelligence officer Task Force TALON
F
IRST
L
IEUTENANT
J
ENNIFER
M
C
C
RACKEN
, USMC, deputy commander for operations Task Force TALON
CID PILOTS
H
ARRY
D
ODD
, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, Task Force TALON
M
IKE
T
ESCH
, formerly of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Task Force TALON
S
AMUEL
C
ONRAD
, President of the United States
S
ERGEANT
M
AJOR
R
AYMOND
J
EFFERSON
, U.S. Army, National Security Adviser
T
HOMAS
F. K
INSLY
, Chief of Staff
G
EORGE
W
ENTWORTH
, Attorney General
K
ELSEY
D
E
L
AINE
, director of Federal Bureau of Investigation
S
PECIAL
A
GENT
J
ANICE
P
ERKINS
, Kelsey DeLaine’s assistant and bodyguard
C
HRISTOPHER
J. P
ARKER
, Secretary of State
L
EON
P
OINDEXTER
, U.S. ambassador to United Mexican States
A
LEXANDER
K
ALLIS
, director of National Intelligence
R
USSELL
C
OLLIER
, Secretary of Defense
G
ENERAL
G
ORDON
J
OELSON
, USAF, commander U.S. Northern Command
J
EFFREY
F. L
EMKE
, Secretary of Homeland Security
J
AMES
A. A
BERNATHY
, director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
A
NNETTE
J. C
ASS
, U.S. Attorney, southern district of California
B
RUNO
W
ATTS
, FBI deputy assistant director for counterterrorism; new FBI commander of Task Force TALON
A
NGELICA
P
IERCE
, Special Agent in Charge, FBI San Diego field office
OPERATION RAMPART PERSONNEL
B
RIGADIER
G
ENERAL
R
ICARDO
L
OPEZ
, national deputy director of the Army National Guard, commander of Operation Rampart
G
EORGE
T
RUJILLO
, deputy director of Customs and Border Protection, deputy commander of Operation Rampart
C
APTAIN
B
EN
G
RAY
, USAR, Rampart One, Boulevard California
S
ERGEANT
M
AJOR
, J
EREMY
N
ORMANDIN
, USAR, Rampart One
BORDER PATROL AGENTS
P
AUL
P
URDY
A
LBERT
S
PINELLI
R
OBERT
“R
AIDER
” O’R
OURKE
, nationally syndicated radio talk-show personality in Henderson, Nevada
F
AND
K
ENT
, producer, Bob O’Rourke’s
The Bottom Line
radio talk show
G
EORGIE
W
AYNE
, sound engineer, Bob O’Rourke’s
The Bottom Line
radio talk show
C
OMMANDER
H
ERMAN
G
EITZ
, American Watchdog Project
UNITED MEXICAN STATES GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
M
S
. C
ARMEN
M
ARAVILLOSO
, President of the United Mexican States
F
ELIX
D
ÍAZ
, Minister of Internal Affairs, Director-General of the Political Police
J
OSÉ
E
LVAREZ
, deputy minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, director of operations of the Political Police and
Sombras
(Special Investigations Unit)
H
ECTOR
S
OTELO
, Minister of Foreign Affairs
G
ENERAL
A
LBERTO
R
OJAS
, Minister of National Defense
R
AFAEL
N
AVARRO
, Attorney General
A
RMANDO
O
CHOA
, deputy consul general, United Mexican States consulate, San Diego
M
AJOR
G
ERARDO
A
ZUETA
, border task force commander, Mexican Army
L
IEUTENANT
I
GNACIO
S
ALINAS
, company commander, Mexican Army
M
ASTER
S
ERGEANT
J
ORGE
C
ASTILLO
, Mexican Army
E
RNESTO
F
UERZA
, “Comandante Veracruz,” drug and human smuggler
Y
EGOR
V
IKTORVICH
Z
AKHAROV
, former Russian oil company executive and oligarch, military leader of the Consortium terror group
SMUGGLERS
V
ICTOR
F
LORES
M
ARTÍN
A
LVAREZ
L
UIZ
V
ASQUEZ
CONDOR,
an unmanned airship, resembling a seagull or large bird, with a 120-foot wingspan; built of lightweight carbon-fiber skin and Mylar; ducted prop-fan engines; maximum endurance thirty-six hours; maximum altitude ten thousand feet aboveground; maximum speed ninety knots; maximum payload two thousand pounds, including cameras, UHB radar, or air-dropped CID units.
GUOS,
a grenade-launched unmanned observation system; small man-launched drones capable of carrying satellite-uplinked images; can fly up to one thousand feet aboveground for up to two hours.
GULLWING,
an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft (also known as a UAV), assembled and launched from a Humvee, endurance eight hours; maximum altitude five thousand feet AGL; mini-turbojet powered; retrieved by flying into a recovery net; carries a variety of sensors including low-light TV, UHB radar, and imaging infrared; capable of transmitting images and data by satellite; can be steered from ground stations or by commands from a CID squad.
MMWR,
a millimeter wave radar, capable of detecting tiny amounts of metal from long distance and even underground.
SA-14,
an improved version of the Russian SA-7 man-portable surface-to-air missile; 2.2-pound warhead, maximum target range 3.6 miles, maximum target altitude ten thousand feet.
TEC-9,
nine-millimeter semiautomatic pistol.
VH-71,
next-generation presidential transportation helicopter, called
Marine One
when the President is on board.
AG—Attorney General
AGL—above ground level
AMO—Air and Marine Operations (Department of Homeland Security)
APC—armored personnel carrier
ARTCC—air route traffic control center
ATV—all-terrain vehicle
BDU—battle dress uniform
“bent”—device or system inoperable
BORSTAR—Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue
BORTAC—Border Patrol Tactical unit
CBP—U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service
CHP—California Highway Patrol
CID—Cybernetic Infantry Device
Council of Government—Mexican presidential advisers
DAICC—Domestic Air Interdiction Coordination Center
DCI—Director of Central Intelligence
DDICE—digital distant identification and collection equipment
DHS—U.S. Department of Homeland Security
DNI—Director of National Intelligence
DRO—U.S. Deportation and Recovery Operations Service
DSS—Diplomatic Security Service
ETA—estimated time of arrival
ETE—estimated time en route
FEBA—forward edge of the battle area
FLIR—forward-looking infrared
FM—farm to market
FOL—forward operating location
GSW—gunshot wound
GUOS—grenade-launched unmanned observation system
Humvee—high mobility wheeled vehicle
HUWB—high-powered ultra wideband radar
ICE—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
INS—Immigration and Naturalization Service, changed to USCIS (see USCIS)
klick—kilometer
LZ—landing zone
MANPADS—man-portable air defense system
MMWR—millimeter-wave radar
Mode C—radio signal that reports altitude to air traffic control radar
Mode 3—radio signal that reports aircraft identification information to air traffic control radar
MOU—memorandum of understanding
NIS—(pronounced “nice”) nanotransponder identification system
NORTHCOM—U.S. Northern Command
NVG—night vision goggles
OAS—Organization of American States
OHV—off-highway vehicle
OTH-B—over the horizon-backscatter long-range radar
OTMs—other than Mexicans—illegal immigrants to the United States from countries all over the world who cannot easily be deported and, because of budget shortfalls and overcrowding in detention facilities, are often released from custody with nothing more than a notice to appear (see
permiso
) before a deportation judge. Over 60 percent of OTMs fail to appear for deportation hearings and are untraceable by immigration officials.
PDA—personal digital assistant (handheld computer/organizer)
permiso
(colloquial term)—order to appear before a judge for a deportation hearing. Mostly issued to illegal immigrants from countries where deportation is difficult or expensive (see OTMs).
PLF—parachute landing fall
SAC—special agent in charge
SAM—surface-to-air missile
SOP—standard operating procedures
SOW—U.S. Air Force Special Operations Wing
SUV—sport utility vehicle
TA—technical area
TEMPER—tent, modular, personnel
TFR—temporary flight restriction
Top—unit first sergeant
TZD—technical zone delta
UAV—unmanned aerial vehicle
UN—United Nations
USCIS—United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (formerly INS)
UXO—unexploded ordnance
wilco—“will comply”