United States | Dispatch to the United Kingdom

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Jason Green, Secretary of State for Defence of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ( Jamie )

FROM: Stewart C. Hall, Deputy Secretary of Defense of the United States of America

Secretary Green,

I hope that this message meets you well. At this time, the Department of Defense is interested in purchasing the exclusive rights/blueprints for the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II. The United States Marine Corps is interested in potentially using this aircraft for various kinds of Sea-to-Land based operations. I have been in several meetings with the State Department and the White House, and all parties have agreed that we should reach out to your government to see if we can reach a deal. I hope to hear back from you soon.​

Very Respectfully,

Stewart C. Hall
Deputy Secretary of Defense
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[Jamie]

With Nexus Defence owning the Harrier and its variants, Jason Green would forward the email to the Nexus Business Consultant and remain copied in due to the UKs main operations of the Harrier.

XNEXUS DEFENCEX
Encrypted​

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Recipient: Stewart C. Hall Odinson
Subject: Re: AV-8B Harrier II

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Dear Mr Hall,

I have been forwarded your email as the point of contact for NEXUS-UK Defence Contracts by the Ministry of Defence.

Thank you for your interest in the Harrier II, however, I'm afraid this isn't something we would be willing to sell the rights too, especially exclusively, due to our commitments to UK Defence.
While we are open to selling units of the AV-8B, the rights are not something we're able to export due to national security.

It must be noted that the Harrier series are the UKs only carrier-capable aircraft, which is the purpose for the security behind it.
I would be happy to negotiate a contract of sale if you would be interested in buying any number of Harrier IIs.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,
Alison

Alison Well
Business Consultant
Nexus Defence Ltd
6 Carlton Gardens, London, SW1Y 5AD

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not copy, distribute or take any action in reliance on it. This communication may contain material protected by law, copyright or other legislation. It should not be considered as contractually or legally binding in any way.

 

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Alison Well, Business Consultant for NEXUS Defence Ltd ( Jamie )

FROM: Stewart C. Hall, Deputy Secretary of Defense of the United States of America

Ms. Alison Well,

The Defense Department is not interested in purchasing the rights to the entire Harrier program, but instead just specifically for the AV-8B variant of the Harrier II. If this is not something that you can negotiate directly due to a matter of law, then I will ask the State Department to resume negotiations on this matter directly between our governments. I look forward to your response.​

Very Respectfully,

Stewart C. Hall
Deputy Secretary of Defense
​

​

 

[Jamie]

XNEXUS DEFENCEX
Encrypted​

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Recipient: Stewart C. Hall Odinson
Subject: Re: AV-8B Harrier II

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Dear Mr Hall,

Apologies for any confusion, we are unable to sell the rights to all or any individual variant of the Harrier due to it been in operational use, we would only be able to sell the product itself as opposed to ownership.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,
Alison

Alison Well
Business Consultant
Nexus Defence Ltd
6 Carlton Gardens, London, SW1Y 5AD

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not copy, distribute or take any action in reliance on it. This communication may contain material protected by law, copyright or other legislation. It should not be considered as contractually or legally binding in any way.

 

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE COURT OF ST. JAMES​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Lawrence Adams, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs ( Jamie )​

FROM: Noah Cook, United States Ambassador to The Court of St. James

Secretary Adams,

The United States Department of Defense is interested in purchasing the exclusive rights/blueprints for a variant of the Harrier II aircraft: the AV-8B. The Deputy Secretary of Defense has contacted Secretary Green on this matter, however it was forwarded to NEXUS, who informed Deputy Secretary Hall that they would need permission from your government to sell the blueprints. I have been asked to contact you directly so that we can negotiate the acquisition of the rights for the AV-8B. I would be happy to discuss this matter in person. I look forwarded to hearing back from you at your earliest convenience.

Best regards,

Noah Cook
United States Ambassador to The Court of St. James
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[Jamie]

Having been copied into the email, and recognizing an alert indicating that Lawrence Adams was unavailable, the Secretary of Defence confined to his private office had no choice but to take up the discussion. To avoid any long-drawn out debates on meeting in person, Jason ensured his phone line was encrypted before picking up the phone and dialing the US Ambassador, Noah Cook, to discuss the email sent regarding the AV-8B. During that time, Jason reviewed notes on the Harrier and its variants via the Ministry of Defence Portal.

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Ambassador Noah Cook was informed that a call was coming from the British Secretary of Defense, Jason Green. Ambassador Cook sipped from a cup of coffee that was sitting on his desk, which was of course placed on an ornate wooden coaster, and then cleared his throat before picking up the secure line in his office. He had in front of him a few classified documents from the Marine Corps and the Department of the Navy, as well as a memo from the Department of Defense concerning the possible acquisition of the AV-8B.

"Hello, this is Noah Cook," the ambassador said as he carefully set his cup of coffee down. "How are you this morning, Secretary Green?"

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

Jason waited for a couple moments for his counterpart to answer, clearing his throat as Noah begun ti speak. "All doing well here!" he responded optimistically, "How are you?" Jason added. During the first few minutes, he was considering his approach to the subject. Once Noah responded to the pleasantries they were both sharing, Jason spoke "I'm calling you regarding the AV-8B Harrier, Lawrence Adams is engaged elsewhere so wasn't able to assist but I'll be happy to discuss it with you."

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

"I'm doing just fine, thank you for asking, Mister Secretary," he said, and then listened to Secretary Green's response. The ambassador himself sounded upbeat and in a good mood.

"That's quite alright, it's always a pleasure to hear from you, Mister Secretary. I'm sure we can iron something out that will make both interested parties happy. As I said in my message, Deputy Secretary Hall was in contact with NEXUS, who informed him that we would need to come directly to Her Majesty's government to purchase the blueprints for the AV-8B variant. And so that's how we've ended up where we are today, more or less... I have spoken with the secretaries of Defense and the Navy, both of whom have expressed strong support for us making a deal today. At this time, what does your government think would be a fair price for the blueprints the AV-8B variant?" he asked.

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

There was a short but considerable amount of silence before a response given. Prior to the call, Jason had consulted internally and it was no secret that America held the biggest defence market on the planet. The Harrier? One of the UKs most valuable assets and gives it a solid negotiation stance when it comes to carrier operations that do not operate CATOBAR. Exhaling, he begun to speak. Ready to ruin the Ambassadors day. "I'll be honest Ambassador, there's a zero percentage chance of signing a deal that would authorize the sale of the Harrier blueprints, variant or otherwise, for a few reasons. They're our only carrier capable aircraft and to sell any of the shares would put us at a significant disadvantage in the defence industry. I would compare it to the US selling the rights to the FA/18, would that happen?

For example, if we sold you the rights to the Harrier, would you reciprocate and sell us a variant of the FA18?". His tone remained friendly, he didn't bear any ill will and his questions were likely rhetoric but it was used to hopefully give a comparison on why the Harrier, plus its variants, are of great pride to the United Kingdom power projection.

"The second reason, is political. We have an election next year and already parties are starting to fire on all cylinders since the announcement that Andrew Evans will not be standing. If the Conservative Party did, despite my initial comments, sell the rights to produce the Harrier, the only carrier-bourne aircraft we have, we'd lose support. I'm not political minded but me personally, I served in the Falklands War and there is a genuine passion for the Harrier. Built by Britain. It also shows the value of it, given your genuine interest in the product despite all the technology you possess. I do just want to clarify though, this stance is strictly on the selling of the blueprints. We are happy to arrange a deal to sell you however many units of the AV-8B you desire. It's not a variant we actively sell, so it's not something you'd see against you on the battlefield. If that is of any concern."

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Ambassador Cook listened carefully and silently as Secretary Green explained the British government's stance. He didn't sound offended, or upset when he began to speak. "While I wish that was not your government's position, Mister Secretary, I understand that you're acting in the best interest of your country. Maybe there is a middle-of-the ground compromise that we could make, where both parties achieve something and are happy? Would your government be willing to sell, say, a 49% share the AV-8B for a fair price, while the United Kingdom would retain a 51% share?

"We could sign agreement stating that the United States would pay a fair price for this 49% share of the AV-8B, and in return the United Kingdom would agree to not obstruct America's production of the AV-8B. Both of our governments would also agree to not export this variant of the Harrier. This way, your government can truthfully say that the United Kingdom has a majority-ownership of the variant, that the United States cannot export it to other countries, and your government will now have a pretty chunk of change to put towards your military, the NHS, infrastructure, or whatever Parliament decides to use it for... Is this something that Her Majesty's government would consider?" he asked.

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"Might I ask, before we discuss further, whats your interest in the shares? There's a guarantee that we could come to an agreement for Nexus, and by extension, the UK, to produce the AV-8B for you and provide full parts to maintain it yourselves. The only thing we'd do is build it which promotes our Economy. We could also include that the AV-8B would not be exported to anyone other than the US, providing you also don't sell it on in any capacity. What specifically are you looking to gain, especially as far as rights to the product are concerned?

As a side note, once we've finished discussing the Harrier I'd like to talk about the Treaty of Washington. We'll finish the Harrier talks first but I just wanted to mention it as a reminder." Odinson

 

[Odinson]

"I would be happy to explain our interest in the shares... This comes from a perspective of national security. The Department of Defense requires that any aircraft, vessel, or vehicle that is a 'Primary Asset' of any branch of the United States military - meaning that its use is critical to the operation of that service branch - must be able to be produced within the United States. The national security principle behind this perspective is that if the United States lost a large quantity of such a product during a war, or in a surprise attack, or due to some other reason, we would be able to begin replacing them immediately without any negotiation or discussion. Also, in the event of a major conflict, the transport of these aircraft from another country - the United Kingdom in this example - would pose a greater risk of them being destroyed before they reached the United States as well as logistical transport issues. Not to mention, if we were in such a major conflict where we incurred such losses, it would be likely that the United Kingdom were involved as well, and it would be possible that your factories would be working to produce products for your own military - in this case we would have to have this discussion then, when time would be of the essence," he said in response.

Ambassador Cook agreed to discuss the Treaty of Washington after this discussion of the AV-8B.

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

There was a short silence as the American Ambassador highlighted the overall goal for the British Defence Industry, which only served as a possible benefit for both the UK and USA. "It's an understandable reason, for sure, and it's one we also share. The United Kingdom currently operates a wide but narrowing number of US-manufactured equipment ranging from: E-3D Sentry, Boeing Chinook and the Boeing C-17, to name a few. Are there variants from any of these you would be willing to sell shares to the UK for in return for the AV-8B? It would certainly bode better and make rights to the produce more negotiable within the UK Government." Jason concluded, taking the time to take a drink and flip through some of his notes he took before attending the meeting - mostly consisting of instruction on what he can and can't offer in the negotiation.

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

"I am not aware of the Department of Defense ever authorizing the sale of the E-3D to the United Kingdom, but I may have not been fully briefed on what we have exported to your country," he said before continuing. "I haven't spoken with the State Department or the Department of Defense about potentially trading shares. Right now I am prepared to offer financial compensation for what was discussed above, while keeping in mind that your government would retain majority ownership of the products," he said.

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"Thank you for your offer, unfortunately financial compensation isn't something I would be able to proceed with. It would be more likely to provide shares for the AV-8B as part of a trade deal that would grant the United Kingdom shares for another piece of equipment that we operate which would provide us with much needed security, as the AV-8B would for yourselves. If this is something you'd like to discuss further and are able to discuss the trading of shares, please do let me know and we can work from there?" he asked, hopeful to conclude this segment of their conversation so he can turn his attention to the Treaty of Washington.

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

"Yes, well, I'll get back to you on that if there is any further development," he said. He was about to say goodbye and hang up when he remembered that his counterpart wanted to discuss the Treaty of Washington.

"Onto that other topic that you wanted to discuss.... How can I be of assistance?" he asked.

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"I'd specifically like to address certain elements of the Treaty of Washington for a couple of reasons but primarily to make use of the agreement further and to update our records. Therefore, the main points I'd like to raise:

We are in the progress of updating our base listings across our armed forces. Naturally, this includes what assets are based in RAF Mildenhall. I understand you also had units deployed to RAF Fairford or Lakenheath during the conflict with Turkey but believe these should have been relocated to Mildenhall or their respective home base, is this the case? I would require a full list of personnel and equipment quantities deployed in the UK and what bases they're operating from. Again, this is purely for administration purposes due to a potential restructure taking place in the next year for the Royal Air Force.

Secondly is the use of Edwards Air Force Base. We're looking to have a permanent presence in North America, not unlikely the USAFs permanent presence in England. With that in mind, we'd be looking to station assets that compile of the below at Edwards Air Force Base indefinitely:

One fighter Squadron, this would consist of around 12 jets and one flight of air to air refuelers which consists of two Lockheed Martin Tristars. These would be accompanied by one company of the RAF Regiment for security which would consist of 100 personnel.

Is there anything you would require prior to us re-locating these assets?"

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

"All of the units we deployed during the Turkish War were returned to the United States. We of course currently have units deployed to the United Kingdom for our joint-exercise. The current assets we have stationed at RAF Mildenhall - which include some assets deployed for the exercise, will be securely faxed to your office immediately," he said.

SECRET DOCUMENTS​

U.S. AIR FORCES IN EUROPE HEADQUARTERS

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U.S. AIR FORCES IN EUROPE HEADQUARTERS​

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Commander	Lieutenant General Alvin Daniels
Headquarters	RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom
Active Personnel	344
Engagements	None

Order of Battle	Personnel	Garrison
HQ Support Unit	150 Personnel	RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom

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AIR COMBAT COMMAND

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AIR COMBAT COMMAND​

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Active Personnel	124
Engagements	None

Squadron	Airbase	Aircraft	Pilots	Ground Crews
25th Fighter Squadron	RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom	x24 F-15C	24	72
1st Air Control Squadron	RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom	x2 E-3 Sentry	4	10
2nd Air Control Squadron	RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom	x2 E-3 Sentry	4	10

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AIR MOBILITY COMMAND

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AIR MOBILITY COMMAND​

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Active Personnel	70
Engagements	None

Squadron	Airbase	Aircraft	Cabin Crew	Ground Crews
5th Air Mobility Squadron	RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom	x10 KC-10	40	30

"Now with that sent over... We would be happy to host a permanent deployment of the British Air Force at Edwards, with the conditions set forth in our treaty. I will point out that the Air Force Security Forces already has the 90th Security Forces Squadron, which consists of 550 Airmen, based at Edwards specifically for ground-based security. Base security, as well as internal security, is the responsibility of the Security Forces who are more than capable of performing their duty. Is there a reason that your government feels the need to implement additional ground-based security?" he asked.

Jamie

 

[Jamie]

"Thank you for providing the UK-based assets. We'll be maintaining a register under the Ministry of Defence to ensure any foreign military presence are noted for administrative purposes. Naturally, this is all encrypted for national security and I figure, security of your forces too.
We'll be looking to relocate our RAF Squadrons to Edwards in July and while the Squadrons themselves are yet to be confirmed, the quantities remain the same. Deployment of security personnel is part of new policy which requires a 'boots on the ground' presence when military aircraft are deployed.

Is there anything else you'd like to discuss at the moment?" he added.

Odinson