PRIMAL Inception (16 page)

Others.
There are a number of other support staff mentioned in the books that are not fully developed. Rachel and Frank fulfill a watchkeeper functions. Mike is a pilot who has previously flown the Pain Train. There are also numerous other roles such as logistics, IT support, and catering, that are not delved into for the sake of keeping the stories moving at a fast pace.

External Support

Although PRIMAL used paramilitary contractors (the FIST) in PRIMAL Unleashed, once full operational capability was reached most of the missions use in-house personnel. However, as part of the Priority Movements Airlift cover story, there are a number of ‘white-side’ personnel who support and run real Priority Movements Airlift missions. Rescue of humanitarians from conflict zones, or discreet renditions for secret government agencies, for example. These pilots, mechanics, and logisticians are not aware of the true nature of PRIMAL, nor do they have access to its secure facilities or specialized aircraft. At times they unknowingly support actual ‘black-side’ PRIMAL missions with logistics, transport, or maintenance.

Early PRIMAL Concept

Below at Figure 4 is a diagram I made in 2009 depicting PRIMAL’s structure. It represents a more detailed and realistic organization for PRIMAL, but was too cumbersome for effective storytelling. As mentioned before, a number of characters did not make the cut and the final version of team PRIMAL is about half this original size. An interesting note; some characters are based on friends who have remarkably similar names, jobs, and appearances to the fictional characters.

Fig. 4 - An old concept for PRIMAL from 2009

TARGET DEVELOPMENT

Fig. 5 – PRIMAL global operations

Target Identification.
Before missions are selected, Chua’s Intelligence Fusion Team researches potential targets. From the Bunker on Lascar Island they scour the internet and government databases searching for situations that demand justice.

There are two key criteria. First, there needs to be a lack of will or capability by governments to resolve the situation. Second, the situation needs to be within PRIMAL’s capability to resolve. Given PRIMAL’s small size, there are limits to what it can achieve.

Potential targets are then developed by collecting actionable intelligence. Ivan and his Blades do the
HUMINT
groundwork while Flash uses hacking and covert access to government intelligence databases to fill out the threat picture.

Examples targets and issues include:

- Russian Mafia and the exploitation of slave labor (
PRIMAL Origin
);

- A Ukrainian arms dealer and weapons proliferation (
PRIMAL Unleashed
);

- The Government of Sudan and a Chinese oil conglomerate sponsoring civil conflict and war criminals (
PRIMAL Vengeance
);

- The Yakuza, human trafficking, and sex slavery (
PRIMAL Fury
);

- Corrupt CIA officers, government officials, and contractors, narco cartels, and unethical mining practices (
PRIMAL Reckoning
);

- War criminals, corrupt politicians, and organized crime (
PRIMAL Inception
), and

- Islamic terrorism and corrupt law enforcement in India (
PRIMAL Mirza
)

Target Selection.
Chua’s intelligence Fusion Team presents the most suitable targets to PRIMAL’s monthly ‘Targeting Board’. Tariq, Vance, and Chua prioritize resources and select missions. All three have the power of veto if they don’t approve of a target. The Fusion Team then develops selected targets further and Vance starts to plan an operational strategy.

Note that there are lots of missions that are dear to my heart but are not necessarily suitable for a PRIMAL novel. For example, dealing with immoral greed-ridden corporations pushing genetically modified foods or conducting pharmaceutical experiments on vulnerable communities. Not all injustices have to be resolved with violence and no one wants to read an action novel with no action.

TARGET NEUTRALIZATION

Fig. 6 – Ice and Vance, Kosovo 1999, illustrated by Marc Lee

PRIMAL uses both kinetic and non-kinetic targeting strategies. Kinetic is the application of violence against key adversaries. This includes assassination, close quarter combat, proxy guerilla warfare and tactical airstrike. Non-kinetic tactics includes deception, influence, bribery, theft, and blackmail. Often they are combined to neutralize a target or force it to modify its behavior. Below are some examples from the PRIMAL stories. Most are based on actual historic situations or emerging technologies.

Kinetic Examples

Assassination.
In PRIMAL Origin Mitch shoots a Russian Mafia boss from the deck of a luxury motor-yacht. The motor-yacht was moored a few hundred feet from boss’s seaside resort and he was killed by .50 cal round while he lounged by his pool. There are similarities between this mission and an assassination of a Syrian Army officer in 2008. The Syrian General was reportedly killed at his seaside chalet by an Israeli sniper firing from a motor-yacht moored offshore.

Close Quarter Battle.
In PRIMAL Fury the CAT conducts an air assault from a Mi-17 helicopter. They swoop down on the European castle where Bishop and Saneh are detained and proceed to shoot their way through criminal gunmen until they rescue the pair. This method of ‘vertical envelopment’ is a common tactic employed by Special Forces across the globe.

Proxy Guerilla Warfare.
In PRIMAL Vengeance the team trains, equips, and mentors a South Sudanese militia and uses them to attack a base of Janjaweed fighters that had been terrorizing the region.

Airstrike.
In PRIMAL Unleashed a platoon of Chechen mercenaries are destroyed by close air support from the Pain Train. The highly modified Il-76 transporter unleashes a barrage of precision-guided Viper Strike munitions that destroy the Chechens’ bunkers. This gunship concept is now currently used in the various Special Operations C-130s that the US military have converted into fire support platforms such as the MC-130W Dragon Spear.

Non-Kinetic Examples

Kidnapping/Deception.
In PRIMAL Vengeance Bishop is captured by a Chinese oil conglomerate and PRIMAL retaliates by kidnapping the son of the CEO. Saneh seduces the son and extracts him with the aid of Chua. They also use social media facial recognition software to identify another young Chinese man who looks remarkably similar to the CEO’s son. A prisoner exchange takes place with the look-alike, leaving PRIMAL with the CEO’s actual son to use for subsequent negotiations.

Ruse.
In PRIMAL Fury the team leak information to the police to force them to lay siege to a Yakuza stronghold. Before the Yakuza can bribe or influence the police a PRIMAL sniper fires shots at the police narrowly missing them. This is combined with the team impersonating a Yakuza member over the phone and threatening the police commander. The police tactical unit is thus goaded into attacking the Yakuza creating a diversion for PRIMAL to infiltrate the stronghold.

Theft.
In PRIMAL Nemesis the team uses digital espionage and interrogation to steal a corporation’s liquid cash assets and deny them the ability to conduct unjust activities. This funding is then redirected into a number of non-for-profit organizations and a PRIMAL emergency fund.

Blackmail.
In PRIMAL Reckoning the team kidnaps a corrupt police chief who is an intensely proud individual and prolific womanizer. They drug him and make a homosexual sex video. The imagery is used to blackmail him to cease supporting the target.

TRAINING

Yes, at times PRIMAL operators appear to be almost superhuman; the books would be boring otherwise. But, it doesn’t come without a lot of hard work and time on the tools. In most of the books PRIMAL operatives conduct both physical training as well as individual and team skills development.

Training Facilities.
Lascar Island has extensive training facilities that include the kill house and ranges in the bottom level of the Bunker. Close Quarter Battle skills are a staple of the PRIMAL team as well as individual and small team tactics, weapon proficiency, and conceal carry engagement.

Above ground, the island facilitates jungle warfare training as well as a broad range of insertion skills that include fast roping, HALO, HAHO, and static line parachuting as well as surface and subsurface maritime operations. The team trains regularly on all of the PRIMAL airframes and the equipment located in Warmart.

Urban espionage, HUMINT, and surveillance/counter-surveillance skills are practiced off the island, usually in cities similar to where PRIMAL anticipates to be operating in the near future.

Specialist Skills.
PRIMAL operatives are continuously developing specialist skills such as languages, pilot training, breaching, counter-espionage, espionage, offensive driving, etc. PRIMAL usually draws on the skill sets of its operatives to cross train each other. They are also continuously learning to use the latest weapons and equipment.

When required PRIMAL will send operatives on specialist civilian courses. When this occurs the intelligence team develops in-depth cover stories and alternate identities. However, the preference is to conduct all training in-house.

LOGISTICS AND PROCUREMENT

Logistics and procurement is not the most interesting of topics, which is probably why it doesn’t rate much of mention in the books. However, they are critical to PRIMAL’s operations. A buddy of mine who’s a log guy once said, “No one wants to talk to me till they need something.” Fortunately PRIMAL’s low signature, small footprint, operations mean they don’t often need to talk to the log guy.

Logistics.
PRIMAL kinetic operations lean toward short duration high intensity conflict. As a rule they carry in what they need. When resupply of vital equipment, ammunition, food and water, is required, it is generally deployed from their air support assets or sourced locally. That’s probably enough said about log, yeah?

Procurement.
Procurement is one of the greatest failings of modern military forces. Procurement organizations are generally horrendously overweight beasts that make ill-informed decisions and then tries to shove crappy systems, weapons, and equipment down the throats of soldiers, sailors, marines, and airpersons who know exactly what they need to do they job. PRIMAL procurement is nothing like this.

Mitch essentially runs procurement with a blank check from Tariq. If team members want it or Mitch thinks it’s awesome he uses his sources to purchase and clandestinely ship it to the island. Then, if it doesn’t come up to standard, or he thinks it could be better, he simply modifies it as he sees fit.

Most of PRIMAL’s weapons and equipment are sourced through a Ukrainian arms dealer or through Tariq’s contacts in the UAE government. Cutting edge technology is purchased using the UAE military as the end user and skimming off the required units to PRIMAL. Ivan, Chua’s lead blade, is also sometimes tasked to source hard to get items.

Repair of critical equipment is conducted in Warmart. Where Mitch cannot fix something it is destroyed and a replacement procured. All weapons and equipment have serial numbers and other identifying features removed.