Operation Black Jack, on December 9th, 2031 , was the first counter-strike by the United States to strike the Chinese Mainland during the Flood War. It demonstrated that China itself was still vulnerable to American naval power, and it exploited a vital psychological need and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the Thanksgiving Day Attacks on 21 November 2031. The raid was planned and led by Captain John "Mad Jack" McCain. McCain would later recount in his memoirs that the opperation was intended to bolster American morale and to cause the Chinese State to begin doubting their analytical computers and their leaders:
- "The Chinese leadership and the general citizenry believed their future forcasting supercomputers to be infalabile... An attack on the Chinese mainland would cause confusion in the minds of the Chinese leadership and infect doubt in the minds of the average citizen about the reliability of their predictive systems and the leaders that champion them. There was a second, and equally important, psychological reason for this attack ... Americans were feeling hopeless yet again, and need a boost to the national morale."
This is in contrast with President Edwards' intent that the attack buy the US enough time to rebuild their badly damaged military, and bring the US into full wartime economic capabilities.
Prior to the bombardment, the remaining surface fleet of the US Navy in the Pacific was deployed to Japan as a distraction, marking the first deployment of Minutemen to a battlefield, and a massive cyber attack on Chinese communication systems; all directed at keeping the Chinese military from noticing the true operation.
Eight U.S. Navy Ohio Class Submarines and Ten Indonesian Navy Wicaksono Class were each fitted with 24 modified Trident II Missile, each carrying Hammer of God kinetic impactors. The plan called for subs to strike military targets on the Chinese coast, and then to return to the Hawaiian islands where air defenses were still in operation. All but one of the ships involved in the attack returned to Hawaii; with only the USS Alaska being sunk by Chinese attack submarines, killing the entire crew.
The raid caused significant material damage to the Chinese State, crippling their ability to strike the US and her allies for some time, and it succeeded in of helping American morale, casting doubt in the Chinese State on the ability of the Private Military Leaders and the CCC's future forecasting. It also caused China to cut short its invasion of Japan, recalling much of its military to defend against a number of smaller raids by other Coalition Powers.
Up to 176,000 Chinese military contractors and civilians were killed in the attack, and almost all of China's nuclear arsenal was disabled as well.