The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, #3)

by Tom Clancy

“How many carriers do we have handy?” the president asked. “Only one at the moment, sir, Kennedy. Saratoga stripped a main turbine last week, and it’ll take a month to replace. Nimitz and America are both in the South Atlantic right now, America coming back from the Indian Ocean, Nimitz heading out to the Pacific. Bad luck. Can we recall a carrier from the eastern Med?” “No.” The president shook his head. “This Cyprus thing is still too sensitive. Do we really need to? If anything . . . untoward happens, can we handle their surface force with what we have at hand?” “Yes, sir!” General Hilton said at once. “Dr. Ryan said it: the Atlantic is our ocean. The air force alone will have over five hundred aircraft designated for this operation, and another three or four hundred from the navy. If any sort of shooting match develops, that Soviet fleet will have an exciting and short life.”