Korea, 1950.
America fights in a war that leaves 2 million dead.
The fighting ends in a draw leaving Korea divided, North and South...
...and, technically, still at war.
The North becomes a surreal blend of Stalinism...
...Communism and cult-of-personality dictatorship...
...known to the world as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
...or the DPRK.
April 1994: The DPRK stuns the world...
...when it announces its withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty...
...and reveals its plan to build nuclear weapons.
May 1994:
Determined to prevent North Korea from becoming a nuclear power...
...President Bill Clinton orders Defense Secretary William Perry...
...to draw up military Op. Plan 5027...
...a U.S. surgical strike on the nuclear reactor at Yongbyon.
Many voice their concern...
...the DPRK might retaliate with their 11,000 artillery tubes...
...trained on Seoul, South Korea.
Just as the NSC is meeting...
...to discuss the evacuation of all non-military personnel in Seoul...
...there is a telephone call from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
As a private citizen, President Carter had flown to Pyongyang...
...met with North Korea's leader, Kim Il Sung...
...and struck a deal which averted military action.
Had Op. Plan 5027 been executed...
...the Pentagon had projected up to 1 million deaths.
Few people realize, in June 1994...
...America was days, if not hours, away from war with North Korea.
They're gonna crucify Weylon for this. How long until launch time?
-They're saying six days. -Good morning, sir.
All right, Weylon, tell me what you know.
Secretary of Defense Beekman is in Qatar for the week...
...unless you direct him home sooner. General Vance...
...as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, will discuss the military viewpoint.
-Mr. President. -General.
Sir, approximately six hours ago...
...the Satellite Reconnaissance Center analyzed imaging data from--
-Mr. President.... -l'm sorry, guys. Be seated.
--imaging data from a KH-12 over North Korea...
...showing what we can now say with certainty...
...is a three-stage, Topol-class, intercontinental ballistic missile...
...at the Yongjiri Missile Center--
We're fortunate to acquire images...
...as the crane was loading the missile into its silo.
lf it was half an hour later, we never would have seen it.
The longest-range missile North Korea had prior to this...
...would've run out of fuel over Alaska.
Three stages means it can hit New York, Washington, D.C., anywhere in U.S.
-What do we know about its payload? -From images, it's impossible to say.
Could it be a warhead or a nuclear device?
-We can't say. -lt's not likely, Mr. President.
KH-12 has a rotating periscope mirror. lt can get a real high angle of obliquity.
We're gonna get a better angle, to help us determine the load.
We've always assumed that North Korea would never deploy a missile like this...
...because of our certain and inevitable military response.
Even test-firing a three-stage rocket is a 10-year leap in their capabilities...
...and it represents a direct and grave threat to our national security.
We won't let that happen.
Let's try to keep things under control tonight, okay?
Let's try.
-Shultiess, how you doing? -Good, sir.
Chief asked me to tell him when this man's off the phone.
Where'd you find the banana? Looks like he's 12.
Well, he speaks some Korean and he's a hell of a shot.
l need like 200500-won coins just to call Boston?
LT, did you get the score of the 49ers game? What was that, like, 36-27?
-Field temperature was, like, 97. -You happy? You guys suck.
Meideros, what's going on?
l got two 8000-pound, laser-guided chopsticks...
...suspended from an extended-range CH-53 chopper, and l'm--
You're vulnerable to RPGs coming from those soy sauce bottles.
Bound to be fire from the fish flakes holder.
l bet you there's a sniper hiding in that bowl of jigae.
-Gotta think. -That's why l roll with you, man.
-Master chief. -Keep your eye on these.
-Baby, is that you? -Fifty bucks says he starts bawling.
-l love you so much, baby. -This is comedy.
-Here it comes. -l miss you.
Just tell me what's going on. Are you okay? Yeah. Yeah.
-Wait, wait, here it comes. -Wait for it.
-A girl? -This is sad, man.
-Can't look. -l got a baby girl?
Waterworks. What's up with that?
Hello? Amy? Hello? This goddamn--
-lt's a girl? -lt's a girl, dude.
-Yeah. Congratulations, man. -l got a baby girl, man.
l already talked to Amy about it. We're gonna name her Bobbi.
That's real nice, Spaz.
-l got a baby girl, man. -You got a baby girl.
l got a baby girl, gentlemen.
What's on offer, general?
Sir, we propose Operation Sheet Lightning:
A surgical strike on the missile site. Multiple cruise missile launches...
...concurrent with sorties from seven B-2 stealth Spirits and five F-117 As.
Ellie?
lf it was any other sovereign nation, sir, l'd urge negotiations...
...but DPRK, there is just no viable diplomatic option.
And if they do test that missile...
...it devastates our footing in the multilateral talks.
Yeah. Have the warning orders been given, general?
-Yes, sir. -Okay, so we take out the missile site.
What's Pyongyang gonna do?
Well, sir, l think Kim's people can be persuaded to stand down.
l think the general overestimates my skills of diplomacy, sir.
What are they gonna do, Weylon?
Either a cantankerous, political, diplomatic protest...
...or some sort of military response, not much in between.
Sir?
Sir, that is Commander Tim Mackey...
...commander U.S. Naval base, Jinhae, South Korea.
Mr. President, if we attack that missile site...
...the DPRK will most surely counterattack at Seoul...
...using their 11,000 artillery tubes.
That's possible, or a more proportional response...
...would be Scud missile attack against the research center at Taejon.
The South Koreans respond with a strike at the DMZ--
Or the Pyongyang nuclear facility.
And the North Koreans respond with their artillery.
We bomb them, they bomb their neighbors.
We have a contingency, sir, should the North attempt that:
Operation Swift Rage.
We can neutralize 90 percent of North Korea's response capabilities...
-...in the first 24 hours of hostilities. -And we'd be at war.
Sir, l believe we've been at war for at least six hours now.
Mr. President, if I may?
-Negative, commander. -Go on, commander.
Mr. President...
...in 1997, North Korea opened its airspace to commercial airliners.
A platoon from SEALs Team 1 could board a commercial airline's flight...
...deploy over North Korea--
You don't think the North Koreans would pick up a commercial airliner...
...leaving from a U.S. military base in South Korea?
Sir, we would just dress the SEALs up...
...walk them through lncheon, put them on a commercial airliner and take off.
Mixed right in with civilian traffic. Completely undetectable.
We would deploy over North Korea...
...glide the 60 miles to the Yongjiri missile site...
...and sabotage the missile as it's being fueled.
Secondary explosions should destroy the entire complex.
Whole thing will be perceived as an industrial accident.
North Korea would have no grounds to retaliate, sir.
And if it turned out to be a nuclear warhead, what about the radiation?
The blast from the fuel explosions would be massive, sir.
Even though it wouldn't be an atomic blast...
...it would probably create its own mushroom cloud.
The heat from the blast would incinerate nuclear materials...
...alleviating any radiation concerns.
Sir, l don't recommend this.
lf they're detected, it's an act of war, and we lose the element of surprise.
What's the window of opportunity to explore a special-ops plan?
-l'd say 72 hours, but l wouldn't-- -Seventy-two hours.
Sir, a covert action? l--
We need to send a strong and visible response to the North Koreans...
...to the world, to put them on notice that that dog don't hunt.
We will never allow them to be an lCBM power.
Commander Mackey, could you be ready in 72 hours?
-Yes, sir, I believe we could be ready. -Admiral?
lt's not much time to put a mission together, sir, but....
l understand. Gentlemen, keep up with your preparations.
l'll give you a decision within six hours.
Yes, sir. We'll give it everything we've got.
Thank you, Mr. President.
We'll give it everything we've got. Tell me l didn't just say that.
What are you looking at? Get Lieutenant James in here.
Yes, sir.
Mr. President, Kim Jong ll is 5-foot-2.
-He wears four-inch lifts. -Sexy.
He lives in a palace where he indulges his penchant for prostitutes.
This missile is pompous grandstanding by a very small man.
Sir, in 1996, the Korea lnstitute for National Reunification...
...applied a computer model that predicted Eastern Europe's collapse.
Yeah?
According to the model, North Korea should have collapsed in 1992.
l say we give this job to Special Ops, make this all go away...
...and let North Korea collapse when it collapses.
Cam?
Yeah.
Okay. Tell Mackey his mission is a go.
But keep General Vance and his stealth bombers on standby...
...should the SEALs fail.
-Lieutenant. -Colonel.
-Thanks for the lift, sir. -They gave us a nice plane for this one.
-l can see that. -Do we gain miles for this?
-No, but l did order you the kosher meal. -LTC.
Let me know when you get settled in, we'll be on our way.
Appreciate the hell out of that, sir.
-Lieutenant James. -Shultiess.
-How you feeling today, Papa? -l feel immortal.
-l'm the Stoke. -Stoke?
-lt's just my new call sign. -l wasn't aware you had an old one.
Well, my old one was for mortals, and l am immortal.
-l'm the Stoke. -Whatever.
Good evening, gentlemen, and welcome to United States Air Force Flight 738...
...with nonstop service to the skies over North Korea...
...where we will be jumping from an altitude of approximately 33,000 feet.
Meideros, in the hatch. Barnes, Mazetti, Shultiess, Ballantine.
AK-47s.
Hey, not a scratch, guys.
Airline wants this plane back in the same condition they gave it to us in.
-You got it, Diawi. -Diawi? Why do you guys call him that?
l don't call him that, but l've known him since like the second grade.
-Oh, hey, hey, what did he just say? -Sorry. l'm sorry.
lt's okay, kid. Hey, you scared? Don't lie to me.
l don't know. Maybe a little.
Damn straight, you're scared. Who wouldn't be?
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-Okay. -Stick with me, kid. l'm immortal.
Go. Go.
Yeah, PVC-77 Satcom. That's you, schoolboy.
-Give it to Ballantine. -l got it.
Okay, gentlemen, time to give up the personal shit.
-Yes. -Throw in the jewels. Let's go, boys.
l want these back.
What are those, son?
l said what are those, ensign?
-Silver wings, master chief-- -Bullshit!
Army lead wings, son. You get them inside Cracker Jacks.
-Where'd you get them, son? -Fort Benning, master chief.
Fort Benning, Georgia.
The Army's version of 48 hours of intensive training...
...crammed into 21 days.
Making pussy-ass static-line jumps out of an Army C-141...
...and landing on firm ground.
My 1 -year-old Scott Jr. can do that. You see these?
-Yes, master chief. -Navy gold wings, son.
Get those out of my sight. l will teach you to drop like a Navy SEAL...
...from heights where there's no air into water so cold you'll wish you was dead.
You will drop at night with NVGs...
...fall five minutes before you pull your cord.
And if you manage to stay alive through all that...
...we'll see about getting you a pair of these. ls that clear?
Master chief.
l don't know why you always bring these, sir.
-You just make sure l get them back. -Yes, sir.
-Check your O-ring. -Give me one of those too.
-How are you doing there, Shultiess? -Good, sir.
Sir, it says here that the Koreans believe in shaman.
Sometimes he appears as an old man, a tiger, sometimes as a leopard.
-Everything's gonna be all right. -Yeah.
lt's just....
l was glad to read about those shamans, you know?
l don't wanna die in a godless land, sir, that's all.
Hey, nobody's dying from my stick, you copy that, sailor?
Yes, sir.
Makes me look bad.
-Pressurize in six. -Pressurize in six.
Six minutes. Six. Six to go.
-Let's run this down again. -On deck.
-Six minutes. -Okay.
-Sir, we're ready for the bounce. -Okay.
Two minutes.
-All right, listen up. -What is your problem?
l'm throwing up. l hate jumping out of airplanes.
-Swallow it. -l am.
--designed this aircraft to carry pussy-ass businessmen from Omaha to St. Louis.
They see you chucking, they're gonna red-tag you.
--we may find it useful to jump out of a piece of shit like this.
l don't get why you go SEALs when you hate jumping out of airplanes.
-l like swimming. l'm a good swimmer. -Depressurize.
Now, obviously, the pencil-dicks in Seattle...
...didn't design this ramp to be deployed under these conditions.
The system's hydraulics can't compete with the overwhelming force...
...of the air streams under the fuselage...
...preventing the stairs from locking into place.
Fortunately, the U.S. Navy has devised the bounce.
Now, personally, l've seen men injured...
...maimed and even killed attempting to do this.
So l suggest you pay close att--
Like l said.
Anyone laughs, they're fucking dead.
Shultiess, you're jumping first. Trust me, it's better that way.
The High Altitude-High Opening drop, the HAHO.
The single most effective aerial infiltration available...
...to the Special Warfare Operator.
Ensign James, if l hear one snort, one snicker...
...one chuckle out of you or Callaghan...
...l will personally give you both one of these, l shit you not.
-Understood? -Master chief.
The MT1 X, the crown jewel, the crown jewel...
...the crown jewel of Naval parachutes.
lt can put a Spec War Operator anywhere on this earth at any time...
...provided, that is, you survive the jump.
-All right, Barnes, open her up. -Oxygen.
Although the missile's already been lowered into its underground casing...
...we were able to use thermal imaging to acquire these new target folders.
From this lower perigee...
...these images clearly show a diamond-shaped missile tip.
lndicative of a nuclear-tipped warhead.
Mr. President, we can now say with high confidence...
...that this missile was designed to deliver a nuclear device.
Well, how do we know it's carrying one?
How do we know it's not a dummy warhead...
...that looks like a nuclear warhead?
Well, sir, when plutonium is reprocessed to make a nuclear bomb material...
...it emits a radioactive gas, krypton-85.
Our Lacrosse synthetic aperture radar detected this gas from Yongjiri...
...at levels consistent with the existence...
...of a midrange, three- to five-megaton nuclear device.
Mr. President, we're as sure about this as we were about any Soviet missile site.
That is an actual, live, nuclear-tipped missile on the launch pad.
What's more disturbing, Mr. President...
...is they seem to be fueling this missile to its highest alert level.
ln this condition, it could be launched within three minutes of receiving an order.
-And then how much time do we-- -Thirty minutes.
That's right.
A Topol-class missile launched from North Korea...
...would strike the United States in approximately 30 minutes.
Once it's in the air, there's no asset in our arsenal that can bring it down.
ln light of this, we ought to revisit your decision to give Mackey the go-ahead.
-Mazetti, you're up. -Get going, Mazetti.
-Good bounce. -Thank you, sir.
-Ten bucks says the new guy freezes. -Shut up, Mazetti.
Shultiess.
-Happy jumping, Shultiess. -Thank you, sir.
Meideros.
This is what we do, boys.
Mazetti, hold on.
-Hold on, gang. Back up. -Team leader, this is the cockpit.
-Shut it off. -Pentagon is saying stand down.
-Abort. -Abort. Abort.
-Abort. -Abort.
Un-fucking-believable.
We are gonna abort mission. You keep these boys on the plane.
Yes, sir. Bobby?
-What the hell's going on, chief? -Step back, sailor.
Mazetti, on the hatch. Ballantine, check the hydraulics.
What are you doing? Our guys are out there!
Following orders. Step back, master chief.
That's bullshit! They got no Satcoms. Bobby is completely fucked down there.
They will send a cleanup team. Mazetti, on the hatch.
Ballantine, take it off. Take it off!
-Callaghan, what are you doing? -Can't send a cleanup crew.
They'll never find them. The North Kors will.
That's not for you to decide. Mazetti, on the hatch!
Callaghan, you will not exit this plane!
Barnes, l am making this jump!
Get back! Callaghan, don't be an idiot!
Track this flag for coordinates.
Stay on altitude until we stabilize!
Exit airplane, proper body position. Forget that.
Today we will go through a variety of nonoptimal parachute functions:
lnversions, cigarette rolls, line overs, totals...
...and my personal favorite, the Mae West.
All of which have one thing in common. They're all fatal.
Stay with the program. Don't deploy in spin.
Spin recovery. Full spread eagle. Arch back.
Don't deploy. Recover position.
Regain control. Deploy parachute. Come on, Bobby. Stay with the program.
Regain control.
Full spread eagle. Brace for opening shock.
On rare occasions your parachute would fail to deploy.
lt is for this reason the U.S. Navy provides you with a reserve chute.
But before you attempt to cut away your main chute...
...you must first cut away your twinkie.
Cut away the chute. Stay. Get to the twinkie. Get to the twinkie.
Worse than a total deployment failure is a partial deployment.
Centrifugal force rushes all the blood from your brain to your feet.
Fifteen seconds, you get tunnel vision.
Ten seconds, you black out.
After that, you die.
K-bar knife, right thigh pocket.
Pull at risers. Full spread eagle.
Crown jewel, my ass.
What's going on, admiral?
The situation's very fluid here.
Four jumped before the recall order was--
That's not how l heard it.
l heard two, including your lieutenant, jumped after the red.
From what l gather, General Vance...
...Lt. James slipped at the exit and was sucked out the plane.
-And Callaghan? -May have jumped before.
-His comm unit was probably-- -Don't bullshit, Mackey.
Your men got no respect for chain of command.
-l disagree, sir. -You think they're heroes?
They're gonna get people killed. Better pray they're not detected.
l've ordered Team One Hilo platoon to organize an--
No, sir, you will not.
-General, my guys are my res-- -Your guys will dig in and stay put.
The president has ordered a surgical strike at the missile site.
Your guys will do BDA, and when that's done...
-...our guys pull them out in a Pave Low. -When is this happening, sir?
You'll know when you need to know, commander.
Echo 7 Yankee, any OP, report in, over.
Get that.
Echo 2 on site, also Echo-- What number are you?
-That would be three. -Also Echo 2-- Three. Three, over.
Copy that, Echo 2, Echo 3. What's your position? Over.
Give me your GPS.
Two-twenty-one by 39.851, over.
Copy that, stand by.
Okay, we're 20 miles apart.
Proceed to coordinates 2107 by 38.720, over.
-Roger that. -Get there fast as you can, Echo 3.
LT, where are the others?
We're it, over.
Not entirely, Echo 7. Echo 12 in the air.
-No shit? -No shit.
Echo 3, you got a 10-mile hump ahead of you, get moving.
-Roger that. -Echo 12, glide to these coordinates....
Sir, why haven't we turned this plane around? We've got to get back to base.
Son, we're flying commercial airspace with a commercial lFF signature.
-Any deviation of our flight plan, they'll-- -Shit.
You're right. l'm sorry, colonel.
We gotta get back to base ASAP.
l got four guys there that need my help.
l understand.
We'll drop off of North Korean radar somewhere over Kazakhstan.
Then vector back to Seoul.
l'll have you in South Korea in under four hours.
Thank you, sir.
Did you jump on the red?
-Oh, Jesus, man. You scared me. -Did you jump on the red?
-Yes, how about help getting me down? -That was real dumb, Spaz.
-Yeah, l know. -lt's not funny, Neil.
Don't suppose you brought a Satcom?
No, but l did bring my travel backgammon.
One PVC-77 satellite-encrypted transceiver.
Good job, Spaz.
-Thanks. -But you're still in a lot of trouble.
-How are they? -There's four of them on the ground.
They're okay, scattered in two spots.
-What's his call sign? -Echo 7.
Echo 7, you all right? Any injuries?
-Yeah, we're all tiptop, sir. -Okay, listen up.
Your mission has been recalled.
I want you to reconnoiter to a safe hide-site and dig in awaiting exfiltration.
Keep your terrestrial comms to a minimum.
There's not a lot of RF there, you guys will stick out.
Sir, we had a Rubber Duck contingency.
lt's been aborted.
Any time estimate on exfil, sir?
Not at this time.
-Understood. -Make contact again at 1800.
Alpha Whiskey out.
1800, Echo 7 out.
All right, let's hump, Stoke man.
Hey, it's the Stoke.
Sir, Master Chief Barnes is here.
-Sir. -Master chief.
Requesting permission to mount a boat-drop rescue.
Barnes...
...there's not gonna be a boat drop.
They're gonna exfiltrate using a MH-53 Pave Low.
How's a chopper gonna avoid detection, sir?
When we're bombing them, we won't be worried about detection.
Sir, we've got four SEALs down behind enemy lines.
-They are sitting ducks out-- -You come in here to tell me that, chief?
There's not gonna be a Navy rescue.
Flyboys will handle this.
Return to your staging area.
Sir!
Shultiess, you get the computer and bring up a sat image of the area.
There's a village about a half klick down the hill, wasn't on this map.
Of course there is.
Nightfall, we move to the top of these mountains...
...and then east into this area here.
lt's more remote but it's closer to the missile site.
Probably gonna ask us to do BDA so we might as well dig in near the site.
Hey, LT, look, all due respect...
...l didn't risk a court-martial to do bomb-damage assessment...
...for a bunch of faggot-ass F-117 flyboys.
Let's just go find that missile site and blow its ass up.
You done?
Bobby, he saw us. What should we do?
-l got it! -Check the window!
-Who else is here? -l got her!
Cover that window! Just shut up!
Shut her up.
-Neil, grab them! -l got it!
Bobby, get out of there!
Shultiess! Meideros! On me.
Neil, let's go! Come on!
Meideros, get us restocked!
Shultiess, check our six.
Fucker shot me right in my Kevlar.
Seeing how we're compromised...
-...can't we call in for an exfiltration? -Negative on that. We're on our own.
This way is no good. Cliffs.
Right, we're gonna have to turn around, take the fight to them.
Gonna leapfrog in pairs. Meideros, with me.
Got you.
No different than live-fire exercise, San Clemente.
Hey, the radio-frequency charts are in my right thigh pocket, okay?
All the instructions are there too.
And l expect you to hand them to me if l need them.
On your command.
Let's go to work.
Come on, kid.
RPGs!
Meideros! Get over here!
Echo 7 to base. Do you copy?
Base, this is Echo 7, do you copy? Over.
Bobby! How's your guy!
Bobby, man down!
We've gotta get out of here! Come on!
Stay with me, Shultiess. Stay with me.
l can't see anything!
Echo 7 to base, we are brevity code Charlie. Repeat, Charlie.
We are facing heavy enemy fire. We have engaged. Do you copy? Over.
No one is dying on my stick, l told you.
Hold tight!
Our Father, who art in heaven.
-Mr. Ambassador. -Mr. President.
l was just about to call your president on the phone.
-l thought-- -Mr. President, wars are started...
...over misunderstandings.
-l don't quite-- -Wars.
This will be on South Korea's soil.
Your USS Ronald Reagan has made way to the Sea of Japan.
And your destroyer, the USS Lassen, is on course to the Yellow Sea.
You don't think North Korea could misconstrue your actions...
...as a provocation towards engagement?
-l wouldn't confuse-- -From your ships' movements...
...l assume you have seen the missile.
Your Navy SEALs were captured...
...by the DPRK Fifth Regiment in Kimhyongjik.
l should say, two captured.
Two of your men were killed.
How did you get these?
Your government spends billions of dollars on your satellites...
...all to avoid putting human intelligence inside hostile territory.
These photos came from one soldier...
...with a $3000 camera connected to a satellite phone.
They were taken four hours ago.
We discovered the missile at Yongjiri 10 days ago.
And we've been watching them assemble it in the caves.
Our Special Operations Task Force 121 infiltrated the area.
We were wondering when you were going to discover it.
Were you ever planning on telling us about this grave threat?
Mr. Ambassador, when we first discovered the missile...
...we had hopes for a preemptive, special operations mission.
-lt required the utmost secrecy-- -Your mission was compromised.
Yes.
lt was an act of war against the DPRK.
-We felt that we could-- -Retaliation will be against my country.
-How could you have such--? -We're trying to preserve a fragile peace.
By attacking a sovereign country?
Your administration has always preached regime change...
...and now you see the chance to affect it.
All that stands in the way are the many hundreds of thousands of lives...
...Korean lives, that will be lost in the process.
-lt won't be hundreds of thousands. -That will be all, general.
And should you succeed, what then?
-We have no plans for-- -Twenty-three million...
...hungry North Koreans. Where do they go?
New York? Philadelphia?
They come to Seoul.
They come to Seoul like East Germany went to Berlin.
They come to Seoul and destroy our economy.
We are not ready for this.
We did not ask for this.
And you. Now you give us no choice but this? What of China's reactions?
Japan's? The United Nations'? The world's reactions?
Mr. Ambassador, we assure you...
...there'll be no further military action conducted...
...until South Korea and the United States see eye to eye.
That's right.
Then turn your ships around.
Sir, as of 0900 this morning...
...Operation Sheet Lightning remains on schedule...
...with the 8th Fighter Wing and 18th Bomber Wing...
...both reporting troop strengths at over 85 percent.
-What's with these estimates? -Sir?
-Ten thousand U.S. casualties? -Five, ten thousand, sir.
-Ten to fifty thousand South Koreans? -That's combined civilian, military.
Sir, it is what it is. And these are good numbers.
Bullshit. We're taking out 90 percent of their artillery in the first 90 minutes.
We factored that in, sir.
l can't take these numbers to the president. He'll shut us down.
-Sir, we stand by these numbers. -Yeah, l heard you.
Bring me different ones.
Bobby, don't you say--
-What your mission? -l don't understand.
What your mission?
l don't understand what you're saying.
What your mission?
-Come on, man. -You Delta Force?
Delta?
Screw those--
Today l'm supposed to teach you about survival techniques for torture.
But there's nothing l can say to you today that's gonna change things...
...when and if you get captured by the enemy.
Viet Cong did their thing on me for three days.
They did things...
...that were truly unimaginable. Unhuman.
lf any of you should ever get captured by the enemy...
...know this:
l will be there with you.
Because you men are my brothers...
...and l will never leave you alone.
You Army Ranger?
Black Hawk Ground?
Yeah. l'm Black Hawk Ground.
-Black Hawk Ground? -Yeah.
I will never leave you.
Yeah, l'm Black Hawk Ground, you fucking pussy.
Pussy? What you mean, pussy?
Pussy. You, pussy.
What your mission?
Americans think we stupid?
You think we savages?
l know how to speak English, Chinese and French.
l study, stupid university in Pyongyang.
l travel to Shanghai, study Mandarin.
You're a great man.
l told him that you are Lieutenant Robert James...
...Navy SEALs Team One.
He said, ''lf you are Navy, then where is your boat?''
Funny, huh?
We have a real problem, you and me.
You see, America sees two Koreas:
North and South.
l apologize, lieutenant. That must be very painful.
Hwang here is very excited.
Delivering American soldiers to our dear leader...
...would bring him and his men great rewards.
Enough pork and beef for perhaps two months, maybe even more.
Maybe a letter of commendation from our dear leader.
You see, Hwang here, he wants me to radio my commanders...
...to tell them about his great discovery.
You see, America sees two Koreas.
We see only one.
We call her the ''Land of the Morning Calm.''
Our dear leader tells us...
...soon we will reunify under his great command.
So we wait and prepare for this day.
Yeah, well, that's never gonna happen.
-No? -No.
Maybe you are right.
Maybe you and l are not so different.
Yeah, well, your leader, he's fucking crazy.
ln my country, we are killed for saying such things about our leaders.
Yeah, well, in mine, it's pretty much national sport.
l am afraid that if our dear leader...
...finds that there are Navy SEALs in the DPRK...
...that would give him enough reason for the reunification.
Well, that'd be really stupid.
l think so too.
l am afraid that our dear leader thinks...
...that we are more powerful than we really are.
l think people are afraid to tell him how hungry his soldiers are...
...how old his equipment is.
-So? -So l think it is better...
...that you die here without our dear leader ever knowing.
Don't you think so?
l told him to tell the villagers to say nothing about ever seeing you.
Better, no?
You see, l am a good chingu.
Do you know what chingu means?
Friends.
Friends with common interests.
We go to my command.
There you will tell me what l need to know.
Why haven't we heard from the North Koreans?
They may still be deciding what to ask for.
Been no increased military activity.
Not at Yongjiri, DMZ, Yongbyon, nothing.
Likely they're looking for the dear leader. Goes missing from time to time.
-Mr. President? -You've spoken to them?
-Yeah. -So?
So here's what the South Koreans are saying:
lf we execute the surgical strike at the missile site...
...they believe the DPRK will retaliate with artillery...
...and their damage estimates...
...are far greater than the Pentagon estimates.
As high as 1 million dead.
-They're utterly misguided, they-- -Hold on, general.
What do they suggest?
l'll let the general take you through it, sir.
Sir, l'd like to say up front we had this scenario ourselves.
We didn't think you'd abide our suggesting it.
Truth is, sir, in terms of Allied casualty projections....
Well, they're extremely positive, sir.
-Well, let's here the plan, general. -Admiral?
Well, sir, it starts with an absolute Naval blockade...
...along the 37th parallel.
We're prepared to affect that any time tomorrow after 1200 hours.
And then, Mr. President, the plan...
...calls for a combined ROK-U.S., preemptive, first strike.
A sudden, massive and overwhelming barrage...
...along the entire DPRK line.
Artillery, air bases, supply depots, army bases.
Get half the forces while they're asleep. Keep their MiGs from ever taking off.
Another 20 percent of ground force as they're approaching their tubes.
Any tubes we missed in the first cruise strikes and F-117 runs...
...the South Koreans have Patriot batteries along the line.
Second wave of sorties 90 minutes later would end threat of artillery altogether.
We would make the missile sites...
...and the nuclear research facilities secondary and tertiary targets.
Ellie, this is what the South Koreans proposed?
lf it's this or a surgical strike...
...which would leave the North Koreans capable of a full-strength retaliation...
...then, yes, they prefer a preemptive attack.
lt's a provocative strategy, sir, no question.
But, well, the Allied casualty projections...
-...are the real draw. -What are they?
We could reasonably project total Allied casualties--
Combined U.S. and South Korean total dead.
--one to three thousand.
lt would all be over in a matter of hours, sir.
General, what are the enemy casualty projections?
Sir...
...l truly believe our response is justified by North Korea deploying nuclear lCBM.
What are the projections, general?
Somewhere between 350 and 500 thousand dead...
...sir.
Yeah.
Cam, Ellie, my office. Right now.
This thing is totally out of hand!
Vance has been pushing Armageddon since the beginning!
Oh, excuse me. l've gotta use the head.
You know what l love most about the Navy, Mr. President?
What is that?
The boats go real slow.
Mr. Ambassador...
...this proposal, this surprise attack, it's....
Does this represent the wishes of your government?
Mr. President, 3.5 million North Koreans...
...have died from starvation in the last three years.
What has your nation done to grieve these deaths?
-The casualties, the enemy casualties-- -Mr. President...
...you give us only evils to choose from.
Come, come, come. l want to show you something.
You know movie, Taxi Rider?
Robert Nero? Jo Jo Foster?
Taxi Rider.
Get the fuck off me!
Taxi Rider! Yeah!
Tell me about Taxi Rider. Jo Jo Foster.
Don't shoot! Please, don't shoot!
-Are you Robert James? -Yes.
This is Captain Chung Joon of the South Korean Task Force 121.
Bobby!
Our government has sent us to get you.
Would you like to come with us?
That'd be real good.
Hey, see if you can get this thing going.
lt's not happening. No fuel.
Captain, l need that jeep.
My men.
Shit!
-l'm gonna go for the jeep. -That's a bad idea, Bobby.
What are we gonna do? We can't just stick here.
Bobby, the wall!
Bobby, it's a dead end. Back up.
-l can see that. -Back up!
-Echo 7? -Yes, sir.
Sir, I have two KIA.
And Callaghan.... Well, sir, he's hurt pretty bad.
There's something you need to pass on right away.
Mr. President, l've got Commander Mackey on the line.
Lieutenant Bobby James is freed in North Korea...
...and safe with South Korean special forces.
Additionally, sir, Lieutenant James is reporting...
...that at least some of his captors were Chieu Hoi. That's....
Vietnamese for defectors. l know. l was there.
Beg your pardon, sir.
-Ellie, l want you to hear this. -Go ahead, commander.
Sir, Lieutenant James is asking permission to cross deck.
l was Army Ranger, not a sailor.
Cross deck means cross over and join the troops...
...that come to replace you.
Sir, he's asking to remount Operation Silent Night...
...with help of South Korean special ops.
They think they can sabotage the missile site?
-That's absurd. -Vance....
-Admiral? -That is what he's saying, sir.
Okay, we need to get Ambassador Li in here.
Commander Mackey, how many men are there?
Six, including Lieutenant James.
l don't see a downside.
Excuse me. Detection.
Loss of the initiative. Element of surprise.
lf DPRK doesn't know about the SEALs...
...they might not know we're coming for the missile.
-We've been down this road-- -Vance....
l'm done talking about this.
Commander Mackey, permission granted.
And tell your man that should he succeed...
...he'll have the thanks of more than one grateful nation.
Yes, sir. We'll give it everything we've got.
Echo 7 Yankee.
Mission status: Hilary.
-Roger: Hilary. -Report at 0400 prior to your assault.
Yes, sir.
Captain Chung, l am Ambassador Li Sung Park.
l am calling you from the office of the president.
l have just received orders to assist you in any way possible.
l guess we are, how do you say, ''in business.''
-ln business. -Yes.
We gotta get rid of this taxi.
l must speak to my president now.
l wish our soldiers success, Mr. President.
l fear their actions will determine war or peace.
Mr. Ambassador, our nation thanks you for your actions here today.
l don't care what the president of South Korea is willing to do.
l'm not gonna authorize a preemptive, full-scale assault on North Korea.
We'll give the SEALs 24 hours.
lf they fail, we'll proceed with a surgical strike on the missile site.
l'm done talking about this.
lf we go that way who's gonna tell the South Koreans?
-They'll see it on CNN. -Sir, if the South Koreans are right...
...our strike could provoke a counter-attack.
lf they come at us with everything including WMDs...
...we're talking 700,000 to a million South Koreans dead.
They won't do that.
They know we need to take this site out.
Unless they want us to attack so they can say we started this war.
Now we go to missile?
No. Need you to get me to the hills above the village first.
Few toys for our trip.
Let's move out.
Got satellite photos of the missile site.
Look.
These are fan-fucking-tastic.
''Fan-fucking-tastic''?
l like this saying.
These workers, why are they wearing these uniforms?
Oh, prisoners.
They are all political prisoners.
They work there until they die.
That way, no risk of DPRK secrets ever leaving.
-What about the ones that don't die? -Eventually, they all die.
Fortunately for Kim Jong ll...
...there is no shortage of new political prisoners in North Korea.
All along the perimeter there's double bands of razor wire.
Plus guards every 50 meters.
Except here. No fences at the mouth of valley...
...because of these cliffs.
-Okay. Can the truck take us there? -No.
Looks like we're gonna have to climb then.
Chung, l gotta radio in brevity code so they don't assume...
...we've been compromised.
Wanna try this?
Come on, let's go.
-There is no way that l'm-- -You're not coming with me, Neil.
Sorry.
Echo 7 Yankee, do you copy?
Echo 7 Yankee, come in.
All right, they're still fueling the missile, that's good.
There's light guard on the bunker. Soldiers must still be in their barracks.
Jinhae, this is Kun San 230, your signal is strong, good check.
Continue beacon at constant intervals.
Roger, Kun San. Maintaining current signal strength.
Jinhae, this is the USS Ronald Reagan continuing signal sweep.
No signals reported. Over.
Ronald Reagan, Jinhae. Appreciate the help, sir.
Henry, this plan of yours is gonna get people hurt.
What's your status?
l'm waiting for contact from Lieutenant James.
Come in Echo 7, Echo 7.
He's overdue.
l'm shutting you down, bud.
Norman, for God's sake, give it a chance.
Just give it 10 more minutes.
Come in, Echo 7. Echo 7, do you copy?
You guys ready?
Echo 7 Yankee, come in.
Echo 7 Yankee, do you copy?
Man, come on.
Okay.
Prisoners.
Tell them they're free to go. They gotta get the hell out of here.
Admiral, General Vance tells me...
...we may have lost track of Operation Silent Night.
-That's correct, sir. -What does that mean?
l'm afraid we-- We have to assume that they have been compromised.
Quiet.
He say, ''Thank you for my freedom.''
Fight.
You wanna fight alongside us?
Okay.
American Navy SEAL!
No!
Let's get the hell out of here now. Come on, get out of here.
American Navy SEAL, you come.
You come!
l know if you do not succeed here...
...things will only get worse for my country.
Tell your president that we are not all ignorant peasants here in Korea.
Let's get the hell out of here. Now. Come on.
Come on.
They're on their own, we can't do any more.
Mr. President, to make our window, we have to put the B-2's at Okinawa...
...and the F-117's at Jinhae, in the air right now.
Very well.
Okinawa and Jinhae are go.
-Jinhae, Okinawa, you are go. -Eighteenth Bomber Wing, you are go.
Okinawa 267...
...cleared for takeoff.
Priority clearance, runway 217.
Go, Okinawa, go.
Two South 8th Fighter Wing is a go.
Roger, go.
-Jinhae watching. -Roger, Okinawa launching, and away.
Roger, Okinawa. On course, proceeding north two-seven-zero...
...initializing target acquisition.
MA- 17 moving in to attempt formation.
Chung!
Okay!
There are too many at the bunker.
-No matter what, hold them here! -Right!
Sir, the first wave breaks North Korean airspace in nine minutes.
Past this, the squadron needs a go-forward order.
-So ordered. -Oscar two-zero.
Go order is affirmed.
Roger that. Proceeding on course.
Crossing hostile territory in zero-eight-four-seven.
-Chung! Get your men, let's go! -They're dead!
Watch out!
Sir, First Squad penetrates hostile airspace...
...in 45 seconds.
The tanker should've blown the bunker.
Hold on.
Mr. President.
Initializing weapons systems. Safety off.
Get new orders to all pilots...
...in Operation Sheet Lightning, brevity code Allison.
Elements stand down, pilots return to base!
Echo 2-0, Echo 2-0.
Brevity code Allison! Stand down! l repeat, stand down!
Roger that, Cent Comm. Aborting approach.
Man, that was close.
-Mr. President. -Sir, our boys have done it.
-Neil, you good? -Yeah.
Yeah, you were making quite a racket up there.
-l was just trying to get some sleep. -Shit.
Hold on, it's gonna get bumpy.
-You wanted to see me, sir? -Come on in, Barnes.
lf l can drop you here...
...can you get a Rubber Duck exfil team two kilometers up the Tumen River...
...from the Sea of Japan?
With resupply tanks? You bet your ass we could, sir.
So how would you and your boys like to go get your LT?
That's west.
-Meideros and Shultiess-- -We know.
-We couldn't-- l wanted-- -Bobby, we know.
l'm sorry to keep you waiting, general.
-Please sit down. -Thank you, Mr. President.
This nation owes you a debt of gratitude, Norman.
You've had a long and distinguished career.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Norman...
...l'm relieving you of your command.
Will the defendant approach?
You wanted to see me, sir?
You've been invited to the White House, lieutenant.
The president wants to give you a commendation.
Me, sir?
l should be at the tribunal with Callaghan.
Yeah, well, you're going to the White House instead.
lt's a classified meeting, you understand?
No invited guests.
lt's the Oval Office.
Just you and the president.
You can take one witness there.
One guy?
Master Chief Petty Officer Neil T. Callaghan...
...this tribunal has reached its verdict.
On your feet, Master Chief.
-Lieutenant James. -Yes, sir.
lt's a pleasure to meet you. Come in.
-Sit down. -Thank you, sir.
On the Article 15 charge of striking an officer...
...we find the defendant guilty as charged...
...and sentence him to one year in the Naval Consolidated Brig at Miramar.
Sir, the lieutenant's witness is here.
Send him in.
On the Article 90 charge of disobeying a lawful order...
...we find the defendant guilty...
...and sentence him to 10 years at Nav Con Brig, Miramar.
Lieutenant Robert James.
Does the prisoner have anything he'd like to say?
No, sir.
Very well.
By executive order...
...the transcripts of this tribunal are classified ''top secret.''
The record of these charges are to be expunged from your permanent record...
...and your sentence is commuted to time served.
You're free to go, Master Chief.
l never seen anybody swallow more puke on my planes than you, Bobby James.
You saw that?
Why didn't you ever red-tag me?
l never saw anybody who wanted to be a Navy SEAL bad as you.
You know, master chief...
...what you taught me, what you trained me to do....
You saved my life over there, sir.
Come on, son.
High-ranking U.S. officials...
...attempting to explain the cause of a large mushroom cloud...
...first seen over North Korea on Sunday...
...are raising more questions than answers.
The mushroom cloud was first detected Sunday in satellite images...
...by South Korean media...
...indicating the cloud was approximately four kilometers...
...from the border area between North Korea and China...
...in Yanggang province.
Pyongyang initially denied that any explosion had occurred...
...but later reversed themselves...
...linking the explosion to a hydroelectric dam project.
In the U.S., several high-ranking officials...
...were unusually quick to accept Pyongyang's explanation...
...or offered differing explanations of their own.
National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, told CNN yesterday, quote:
''There are all kinds of reports...
...and there are all kinds of assessments that are going on.
Maybe it was a forest fire of some kind. ''
When the stories broke over the weekend...
...about some explosion taking place in North Korea...
...my instincts told me it was not nuclear.
And the North Koreans have announced today...
...that they were doing some demolition work for a hydroelectric project...
...and they are inviting foreign officials, especially from the United Kingdom...
...to visit the site.
However, upon their return...
...the diplomats told reporters that according to the satellite images...
...they had been taken to the wrong position...
...about 100 kilometers from the suspected explosion site.
Today, the story took another curious turn...
...as the South Korean Vice Minister of Reunification, Rhee-bong Jo...
...released a statement claiming that there was no explosion...
...stating the supposed mushroom cloud was a natural cloud formation.
Perhaps the most troubling theory put forth to explain the large cloud...
...is that a foreign state may have incurred into North Korea...
...to conduct a clandestine military operation.
This theory took on greater potential for being accurate...
...when it was discovered today...
...that the explosion occurred near the site of the Yongjiri Missile Base...
...a secret facility thought to have an underground missile-firing system...
...and which is also suspected...
...to contain part of the DPRK's uranium-enrichment program.
Mi-kyung Choi, Korea News lnternational, Seoul.
[ENGLlSH]