East Asian Crisis

The East Asian Crisis was a conflict between the United States of America, the People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea and North Korea. Such an event was a fruition of the concept known as the "Three Block War".

Overview

Political Situation Leading To The War

The diplomatic situation up until the outbreak of the war was a steady level of high tension between the countries involved. On June 20, 2007, the U.S. military satellite codename "Tango" provided intelligence that observed a blockade was conducted along the Korean Strait. The blockade was carried out by China and North Korea in what they considered justifiable retaliation. This was due to the fact of Japan's newly formed Information Self-Defense Force. The creation of the I-SDF sparked immediate tension in the East Asian Region. The political argument of China and North Korea was the fear that Japan may be discreetly making an attempt to remilitarize itself. This explains the blockade (which is still viewed as an act of war) cutting off Japanese shipping en route to Japan. Japan seeks military aide from the United States under Article 9 of the post-World War II constitution.

The United States quickly responds by deploying the USS Clarence E. Walsh as U.S. Secretary of Defense Frank Mason said "to help defuse the tension in the region". On July 4, 2007, the USS Walsh was initially crippled by an information warfare attack. At 8:15 a.m., a North Korean "Super" Silkworm

US Defense Secretary Frank Mason in the WNM Channel

anti-ship missile speeds across the ocean locked onto its target. In seconds, the missile hits the ship causing a massive explosion and as a result all personnel aboard the ship do not survive. The West reacts to this as an act of war. In response, U.S. President David Bowers discusses in a private meeting with SecDef Mason and Colonel Irving Lambert on what course of action is appropriate. This was different from his previous irrational actions of immediately declaring war against the former Soviet Republic of Georgia and Indonesia. During the meeting, Defense Secretary Mason voiced his opinion strongly saying "It's the Koreans Mr. President, I recommend that we declare war immediately". Director Lambert argued that if North Korea was responsible, 200,000 soldiers ready for battle would have crossed the de-militarized zone (DMZ) at that moment. During a press conference on July 5, 2007, the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. Long Dan urged the need for peaceful negotiations. Also stating that China supported North Korea's claim that they did not intentionally launch the missile that sank the Walsh. Despite these claims, satellite intelligence confirms the U.S. suspicions. Satellite imaging locate the North Korean coastal battery outside Pupori, North Korea, as the base from which the "Super" Silkworm missile was launched. Additional intelligence gathered (from the interrogation of the base commander) by Third Echelon agent Sam Fisher, reported North Korean divisional strength down the Kaesong-Munsan approach force ratio being 8-to-1 against U.S. forces. These numbers more than tripled U.S. intelligence's best estimates. During this time, North Korea decides to launch a full scale preemptive attack. Thus they declare open war by crossing the DMZ and enter into the southern territory of South Korea, with the country's capital of Seoul in 72 hours being their primary objective. 

The War & Third Echelon Operations

NKA launch a second missile at a U.S. target

Among the first moves made after declaring war was the preparation and launching of another "Super" Silkworm missile once again aimed at U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, which was conducting C&C operation at the yellow sea. Through swift intervention of Agent Fisher, the missile's warhead was deactivated. World News Media (WNM) reports claim that the first initial 24 hrs estimates casualties to be 6,000, but Mason says that over 90% of those are enemy casualties, and the U.S. casualties are less than 1,000. As North and South Korea wage fearsome war against one another. The U.S government gives Third Echelon the "green light" to conduct a covert intelligence operation and deploy Splinter Cells onto the battlefield. Intelligence gathered at the battery showed the signal that launched the missile seemed to have originated in a South Korean telecommunications switching station. Any chance of ending the war before North Korea captures Seoul and discovers this information must be accomplished before North Korea uses this evidence to possibly force the world into allowing them to hold the country for what seems justifiable. Across the war-torn South Korean capital of Seoul, a team of Splinter Cells-in-training was deployed to destroy anti-aircraft weapons in the area. Their primary objective was to locate and apprehend a North Korean spy and scientist named Jong Pom-Chu, who had developed a deadly virus to attack the United States and possibly her allies. The covert team succeeds in their operation. Agent Fisher is tasked with tapping North Korean mobile command centers to provide

Splinter Cell Team secures Jong

Third Echelon with internal access to their electronic command infrastructure. But his primary task is to obtain the intelligence located at the telecommunication switching station north of the battle-ridden city. Silently moving across the battlefield as in many previous silent wars, the veteran infiltrates the telecommunications switching station via side air duct. He quickly obtains the data drives in the server room. Fisher makes his way to the rooftop and silently disables an enemy soldier. After this, the data is uploaded to an EA-6B Prowler jet via encrypted point-to-point laser transmission. After successful transfer of the data, the jet is shot down by anti-aircraft gun. Via an airstrike, Fisher proceeds to destroy the wreckage before any information can be purged. He accomplishes this task along with opportunity objectives, by disabling Portable Radar Reconnaissance Receiver (P3Rs) and relocating pilots of the downed plane to a safe distance before calling in the F-117A Nighthawk to take out the wreckage. Though his heroic actions cannot be acknowledged due to the clandestine nature of the operation, Fisher stated "I'm not in it for the fame" and "Medals don't help me sleep at night". The intelligence gathered proves that neither North nor South Korea was responsible and North Korea withdraws due to the heavy losses and the "self-healing minefield" placed by the South and U.S. at the DMZ. Attention is still running high as while withdrawing their forces they crossed a mine field, taking hostilities back to the brink of war. Tensions ran high throughout, but for the most part the war was over. But the West focused on the now implicated Japan and Douglas Shetland, the apparent architects of the conflict.

Trivia

• During this very war, the Ghosts from Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 were deployed in the Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea's sinkng of the USS Clarence E. Walsh. The opening cinematic shows the WNM report of the sinking of the Walsh, setting up the premise of the game.