"Jerry Mitchell, commodore of submarine Development Squadron Five, grieves when USS Toledo is sunk just outside of Russian territorialwaters. His best friend was its captain. But there's a larger game afoot: Russian engineers have modified a torpedo into a stealthy first-strike weapon that would allow their country to launch a nuclear decapitation strike on the United States. The new Russian president has plans for Europe and is more than willing to use nuclear blackmail, or an actual attack, to keep the Americans from interfering. To avoid a Russian war in Europe and a nuclear catastrophe at home, Mitchell must find a way to destroy the weapon--or millions will face the consequences."--Back cover..