Operation Kingfisher

**Operation Kingfisher** is the name given to a collaborative effort between the American National Guard and civilian volunteers to protect the Midwestern United States of America from the Democratic Empire of Korea when the latter invaded the former in an attempt to expand its empire. It was divided into two stages: Operation Blizzard, which was the deployment of radio jammers to scramble Korean communications if they were to enter American Midwestern airspace, and Operation Pina Colada, the mining of the Mississippi River and the installation of roadblocks on bridges and roads crossing the river to prevent the Koreans from crossing via the river. It was similar to the Korean War's Operation Coyote, except Coyote used radiation, while Operation Kingfisher used more advanced technology to protect the river.

On Feburary 9, 2017, Operation Kingfisher was successful in repelling a Korean attempt to invade the Midwest.

## Background

The Democratic Empire of Korea had become the Korean counterpart of the Imperial Empire of Japan: the Empire of Korea declared war against the nation of Japan and invaded the country. The Federation was the first to send troops to aid Japan in this act of aggression, but the Koreans ultimately prevailed, overthrowing the Japanese government and installing a puppet state in Japan. America, struggling with troubles back home, did not participate in the war, a decision that proved to be disastrous as the years went on. As the years went by, the DEK conquered other countries across East Asia, and China retaliated by forming the Special Defense Pact, dedicated to protecting other countries from the Democratic Empire of Korea.

Behind the scenes, the Korean Empire had been constructing a military kill-sat (short for kills satellite), codenamed Yellow Dragon. This was a deadly weapon that the Koreans planned to use to decimate military targets across the globe. However, their true goal was to militarily cripple the Greater American Republic in hopes of eliminating the country as the world's superpower. In America, there were fears that Korea would militarily invade. Those fears came true when Korea threatened invasion on January 2, 2017. The government did not take it seriously, but a handful of local state governments and some organizations, like the US National Guard, did take the threats seriously. Various different states, most notably Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington State, California, and Louisiana made preparations for the possible invasion.

On January 15, 2017, the invasion commenced: the Democratic Empire made its decision: the KPA scrambled the NORAD systems and tricked the American government into believing the Koreans would attack the West Coast, when they really invaded the East Coast. The Americans, caught off guard, scrambled to repel the invaders.

The National Guard sprang into action immediately, executing defensive missions in Georgia, New York State, Connecticuit, Maine, and the Carolinas.

During the conquest of America, the KPA penetrated into parts of Canada as well as the East Coast. This provoked the Canadian government into declaring war on Korea as well.

During the initial stages of the attack, many of the U.S. Military including the Army Rangers and the Marines were scattered across the Eastern Seaboard. One of the most hotly contested states was Virginia. The KPA managed to push all the way to Interstate 95 (I-95).

Emmett Mack and his group of Covert Crusaders, now part of the American Resistance met up with a battalion of American Army Rangers and assisted them in rescuing a VIP, who turned out to be one of Emmett's own friends: Ricky Camarata.

The next mission was a collaborative effort between the Covert Crusaders, Task Force Reaper, and the American military in evacuating civilian neighborhoods while at the same time extracting a family of civilians with key intel on the KPA occupation force, intel that the military believed could help repel the invasion.

Following this, the Koreans conducted a tactical retreat from Virginia into Maryland. According to reports during the invasion, the KPA were able to successfully destroy the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Northeastern Viriginia was soon reclaimed by the United States. Emmett and his friends moved on to Washington DC, which was being besieged by Koreans in an attempt to capture the city.

Meanwhile, the Midwest, having been prepared for the invasion, sprang into action. They concoted a plan to protect the Midwestern states in the event the Koreans attempted to cross the Mississippi River into the Midwest, which was codenamed Operation Kingfisher.

## The operation

### Stage One: Operation Blizzard

The first step Americans took to fight the oncoming Koreans was to install radio jammers atop buildings across various cities in the American Midwest as the Koreans continued to push through the East Coast of the United States. During the long months of fighting on the East Coast, the United States National Guard in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and various other Midwestern states built radio towers to scramble comms and guidance systems. For added measure, the US Army and Army Corps of Engineering installed anti-aircraft guns to protect against potential Korean airstrikes aiming to destroy the jammers. Barriers were put up along bridges spanning the Mississippi River.

### Stage Two: Operation Pina Colada

The next step of the operation was codenamed Pina Colada: American resistance fighters and civilian volunteers deployed minefields on the banks of the Mississippi River, For added measure, minefields were deployed on the riverbed as well. National Guardsmen in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana set up roadblocks on bridges and roads that spanned or bordered the Mississippi River to hinder the Korean invasion force's attempts at crossing. These roadblocks were equipped with Browning .50 caliber machineguns and sonic weapons likeLong-Range Acoustic Devices . American soldiers were also issued weapons like LED Incapacitators to blind and disorient any Koreans that survived either the minefields or the roadblocks to make them easier targets to kill if they made it across into the Midwest. Additionally, the National Guard prepared a chemical weapon, known as Agent X, which was a deadly nerve gas contained in grenades. Additionally, they used more makeshift weapons like "Scorpion Grenades", glass jars and bottles that contained live scorpions that would sting the enemy.

## Korean Response

The Korean response to the operation was one of surprise, as they had no idea how the Americans had gotten wind of their invasion of the Midwest. Because of the radio jammers, any Koreans that managed to breach the defenses of the Mississippi River either became trapped in the cities without support or gunned down by resistance fighters before they could gain any ground.

The Korean attempt at invading the Midwest occurred on February 9, 2017. The American defenses not only held up, but they took the Koreans by storm: they obviously did not anticipate the American defenses being this advanced. Koreans suffered heavy losses thanks to the minefields, the Agent X chemical weapon, and the scorpion grenades.

Despite the Koreans' efforts, the invasion of the Midwest was an absolute failure: poor planning on the Koreans' part and ingenuity on the Americans' part led to a total defeat for the Koreans, which were routed on live television in front of the entire world. The Americans rejoiced at seeing the Koreans retreating with their "tails between their legs". The Korean leadership was embarrassed and vowed its vengeance, but soon enough the Koreans began to suffer defeat after defeat as the Korean-American War dragged on.

## Legacy

Operation Kingfisher became one of the first battles of the war to be won almost entirely by civilians. Each participant in the operation was given high honors by both the United States government and the international community. However, the Korean government condemned the effort, but was secretly embarrassed to tell its own people that it'd been "bested by ordinary citizens with butter knives, forks, and college degrees."