Mercer pushed the feeling aside, then turned directly to Boström. “What’s your professional assessment, Captain? If Gotland was assaulted by Russian VDV or Marines, how long could you hold out without reinforcements?”
She considered the question carefully, then turned to face the sea. “That depends of course on how large the force is that invades, but if I had to guess, with the size of our force and your own, seventy-two hours against a determined invader. Perhaps ninety-six if we trade space to buy time.” Boström then turned to face Mercer directly. “But that’s not the primary strategy, correct? You Americans aren’t planning for a delaying action, are you?”
Mercer met her gaze firmly. “No, ma’am. We’re here to win.”
“Good. Then let’s hope your Patriots and Leonidas-III systems are as effective as your confidence suggests,” she replied, offering a thin smile.
Major Holt, who had remained quiet through most of the tour, spoke up. “With your IRIS-T batteries integrated, Captain Boström, and our Patriots in position around Romakloster and the Grönt Centrum, I feel pretty confident about our systems creating a solid, overlapping coverage of Gotland that’ll extend several hundred kilometers in every direction. Should the Russians or Chinese decide to get froggy with waves of FPV drones or something like that, our Leonidas-III HPM units and Strykers will handle any drone swarms and loitering munitions. I think this gives us some good flexibility and depth in protecting critical targets against conventional and hybrid threats.”
Mercer nodded approvingly. “Agreed. Especially in light of what they discovered from that Chinese cargo vessel your Navy intercepted off the coast. But that also brings me back to something I was thinking about during our last stop, Boström,” he said as he looked at Bertil’s map again. He pointed to Karlsvärd Fortress, at the entrance of Slite harbor. “I know this is a historical military fort, and the last time it was used was in 2011, but I can’t get past how geographically well positioned this location is for protecting Slite.
“You pointed out how you have one of your Giraffe radars located near Slite, and we’ll likely place one of those Leonidas systems there with a HIMARS truck. But what if we placed a platoon of soldiers on Karlsvärd, armed with Javelin ATGMs and MANPADs? We could turn that little island into a decent fortified position, especially if we pair the platoon with a mortar section and heavy weapons squad,” Mercer explained.
Colonel Lindqvist seemed to agree. “It’s not a bad idea, Captain. It does come down to manpower. We just don’t have enough soldiers to man all the positions we should. I’d like to broach this topic with your battalion commander and my own leadership. I don’t particularly like the idea of having your battalion scattered across three different locations like this. It leaves you too thin in too many areas and not strong in any one particular spot. But that is a political question that is above my pay grade. For now, let’s finish the site survey and prep for the arrival of the rest of your equipment and people.”
The ride back toward Roma was subdued, each occupant absorbed by their thoughts. Upon arrival at the tactical operations center, they were met with an unexpected sight: a cluster of civilian cars bearing official Swedish government plates.
“Great, speaking of politics,” Colonel Lindqvist muttered with thinly veiled annoyance. “It would appear we have our Stockholm observers visiting today.”
Mercer chuckled at the familiar feeling.
As Mercer and Colonel Lindqvist exited the vehicle, one of the bureaucrats made his way toward them. He extended a hand toward Colonel Lindqvist. “Colonel, good to see you again.”
Lindqvist smiled pleasantly, shaking his hand. “Likewise, Deputy Minister. If you’ll allow me, this is Captain Alex Mercer. He’s the company commander for Bravo Company, Second Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry,” the colonel introduced.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Captain. I’m Deputy Defense Minister Eriksson,” the slender man said. He adjusted his rimless glasses. “Don’t mind us. We are just checking in, here to assess how the integration of your forces into the defense of Sweden is going.”
“Things are going well, Deputy Minister. The majority of the American forces begin to arrive in the coming days,” interjected Lindqvist diplomatically.
“Oh, that’s good to hear. Hopefully, some of the residents will understand their presence is just temporary. You would be surprised how some residents are already expressing concerns about their pending arrival,” Eriksson cautiously warned.
“It’s nothing personal against you or your men, Captain,” he said to Mercer. “It’s just that American forces tend to draw attention — sometimes unwanted attention, some argue.”
