Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: The Polar Bear Contract
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[It's always a pleasure to see you, Mr. Jin.]
I met Michael at the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters.
A departure from his usual preference for the US Forces Korea headquarters.
But whatever conversation had transpired between the two of them, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Tae-ik's expression was incredibly stiff.
“Is something wrong?”
I asked the chairman after a brief handshake with Michael.
He, who had been chewing on his lip the entire time, let out a long sigh and finally spoke.
“General Michael says the United States will soon be declaring war on Iraq.”
My eyes instantly darted to the calendar on the desk.
It was already March 5th.
In other words, the Iraq War was just over two weeks away.
For me, who knew history, the news didn't carry much weight. I was simply relieved that, at least for this war, the timeline hadn't been disrupted.
“Our government already anticipated that the U.S. would strike Iraq, didn't we?”
I said, as if it were nothing unusual, and took a seat.
So that wasn't the core of the issue.
The JCS Chairman briefly glanced at me before turning back to Michael and tossing out a question.
[Are you really going to ask our government to dispatch combat troops?]
Michael gave a firm nod in response to the question.
The words 'combat troops' instantly caught my ear.
Startled, I whipped my head to look at Michael, who offered a faint smile.
[The White House will be making a formal request to the Blue House soon. I just wanted to let you know since I was visiting the JCS anyway.]
[You’re asking us to join the war…?]
I stopped myself mid-sentence.
Come to think of it, historically, the United States had asked our government to dispatch combat troops around the time the Iraq War broke out.
I remembered it sparking considerable social debate at the time, but in the end, the conclusion was to send engineering and medical support units instead of combat troops.
“Hmm…”
Chairman Kim Tae-ik’s brow furrowed repeatedly.
It was easy to say "dispatch combat troops," but was it really such a simple matter?
Setting aside the agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, public opinion would be sharply divided.
Unlike me, who already knew history, his mind must have been filled with all sorts of worries.
“Don’t worry too much.”
“…”
“Honestly, how easy do you think it is for our country to send combat troops? The U.S. probably isn't expecting much, deep down.”
I spoke with confidence and looked at Michael.
At that moment, a few recent historical discrepancies flashed through my mind.
For example, the Dokdo incident, where Japan, not us, had initiated the maritime survey first.
Once that thought surfaced, a bit of anxiety began to creep in.
[Mr. Jin might be right about that. It's not like the political circles in the U.S. are unaware of Korea's situation.]
Michael replied, seeming to have grasped the general flow of our conversation.
Fortunately, his thoughts seemed to align with mine.
Just as I was about to nod, he continued.
[Frankly, what need does the U.S. have for other countries' help in crushing Iraq? The fundamental purpose of requesting combat troops is likely to consolidate a base of support, and the Korean government, already aware of this, will surely respond appropriately.]
At those words, a hint of relief appeared on the JCS Chairman's face.
[By the way…]
Michael continued.
Just as I tensed up, wondering what kind of bombshell he was about to drop next, he unexpectedly handed me a manila envelope that had been sitting beside him.
[What is this?]
A quick glance at the envelope revealed no writing on it.
His eyes, when I met them again, seemed to urge me to open it.
As I quickly pulled out the contents, he opened his mouth, his expression like Santa Claus tossing a Christmas present.
[Congratulations, Chairman Jin.]
[…]
Before I even had a chance to look at the documents, I glanced back at Michael.
He shrugged and gestured toward the papers again.
[As you can see, our Department of Defense has officially selected the Polar Bear as the joint tactical vehicle for the Army and Marine Corps.]
Though I had expected it, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Given their long-standing practices for arms procurement—especially for tactical vehicles, where safety is paramount—I had expected a decision wouldn't be reached so easily.
Perhaps the impending war was the reason. In fact, that was precisely why I had timed the Polar Bear's reveal for this moment.
Frankly, under the US military's stringent regulations, they would have had domestic competitors build vehicles and waste time on all sorts of tests before reaching a conclusion. How could I wait for that?
[That's welcome news.]
[Indeed, it is. Especially since this time, we're planning to procure the entire quantity through overseas purchase.]
Michael added, as if doing me a great favor.
Tsk, as if I didn't know they had no other choice.
If they had gone with a licensing agreement, building the factory and setting up the production lines alone would have taken ages.
Whatever the case, it was a welcome development for me, so I responded with a smile.
[Alright then, shall we negotiate the price?]
He spoke with the expression of a general heading into battle and leaned his upper body toward me.
The moment he lifted the coffee cup in front of him, I launched a surprise attack.
[The unit price is $840,000, excluding armament. And I can't take a single penny off that.]
A twitch.
Michael's brow furrowed deeply.
His expression was one of conflict, as if he had much to say but was unsure where to begin.
His eyes glinting, he tried to open negotiations by bringing up another company's assessment.
[I'm sorry, but according to Oshkosh Corporation, they said it could be manufactured for around $450,000 per unit.]
[That's Oshkosh's standard. For your reference, the armor material we used is on a completely different level than simply layering a ceramic plate with rolled homogeneous armor.]
[…]
[Well, going into the details would be pointless, but you should keep in mind that the cost of producing the composite material alone is nearly $300,000 per unit. Under those circumstances, would it be possible to manufacture the vehicle for a mere $450,000?]
[The armor material alone costs $300,000? What is it plastered with, titanium?]
[While titanium is one of the main components, the yield loss that occurs during the alloying process is substantial.]
[…]
[I'm only saying this just in case, but it was only through our institute's technology that we managed to raise the yield to its current level. Simply put, if Oshkosh were to develop it from scratch, it would likely cost them more than twice that amount.]
Michael's expression was one of disbelief.
It was an expression that seemed to scream, 'We're the United States.'
I spoke again to uproot that thought.
[If you don't believe me, I can disclose the materials and their ratios that make up the composite to Oshkosh. And if they can produce the same level of quality at the same price, then you are welcome to purchase from them.]
That was practically impossible.
A special composite material couldn't be synthesized just by knowing the composition ratio of its components.
It was like how we had failed to replicate superalloy technology for so long, despite having a general understanding of it.
Besides, would it even be possible when they were so short on time?
Michael had probably already realized that was just an empty threat.
[Hmm…]
As expected, he seemed to be contemplating, his eyes rolling in thought for a long while.
In the meantime, a question crossed my mind: what was the basis for Oshkosh's claim of $500,000?
It was unlikely they would have misjudged after personally experiencing the Polar Bear's armor during testing. It was more probable that Michael had just thrown that out to test me.
[Excuse me, but are you aware of the total number of units we're procuring?]
Michael asked me with a very serious face.
I immediately checked the procurement quantity: a staggering 10,000 units for 2003 alone.
I tried to suppress my body's flinch, but it was too late.
A smirk.
[As you can see, that only specifies this year's procurement. We plan to acquire a total of 125,000 units over the next five years. Wouldn't a quantity that large be sufficient grounds for a price reduction?]
Michael said with a victor's smile.
But I couldn't back down here.
I placed the document back on the desk and shook my head.
[I'm sorry, but the unit price won't drop for 120,000 units, let alone 1.2 million. As I said, this is an issue with the production yield of the material itself… Under these circumstances, if I meet the standards the U.S. wants, my profit margin will be less than two percent. I have no intention of selling my product for such a meager profit.]
[…]
Michael was flustered by my words.
To drive the point home, I added one more thing.
[Besides, we're in a situation where market principles are at play. Why would I have any reason to lower the price?]
[Market principles?]
[When supply cannot keep up with demand. In that case, no matter how large the order, the unit price does not fall.]
Michael's eyes widened, not understanding what I had just said.
The JCS Chairman, who had been listening from the side, was also staring blankly, as if wondering what was going on.
I took another breath and continued.
[Simply put, the United States is not the only one that wants the Polar Bear. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Europe… In fact, according to a report I received from my secretary before arriving here, even Israel has expressed interest in purchasing them.]
[…]
Michael's eyes wavered intensely.
As if to ask if it was true.
As if I would make something like that up.
As it was, most of the calls to the office for the past few days had been from military officials of various countries, and in Israel's case, they had already informed us of their intention to visit the company next week.
[To be frank at this point, I can't even guarantee that Jaewoo's current production capacity can meet the quantities desired by Saudi Arabia and Israel in a timely manner. In other words, the U.S. military might have to wait quite a long time after the initial order.]
At those words, Michael let out a ragged breath.
For all I knew, his mind was probably flashing back to when they had imported our armor-piercing rounds.
When you thought about it, the exact same situation had occurred.
“Hmm…”
Just then, my gaze fell upon the document on the desk.
If this year's order was 10,000 units, I wondered how large the first order would be. The moment I reached for it…
Thwack!
Michael's hand shot out and snatched it away, and he offered an awkward smile.
[Sorry, but could you give me a moment?]
His face flushed, he gathered the documents and left the room, not returning for quite some time.
From what I could overhear, it sounded like he was trying to make a phone call.
When he finally reappeared, his face was etched with fatigue.
[Alright, we agree to $840,000 per unit. However, until this year's entire order is delivered, we get exclusive use of the production line.]
That was his way of saying he wouldn't allow any other country to cut in for the time being.
Conversely, it also meant they were in a hurry.
Since I had no reason to refuse a large sum of money coming in all at once, I readily nodded, and the furrow in his brow finally smoothed out.
[Anyway, you're a tough one, Chairman Jin.]
[I can't help it when it comes to things like this. As someone who runs a company, I have to generate maximum profit to feed my employees. By the way, if it's a line contract, the entire order amount will have to be paid upfront. Will Congress approve such a massive expenditure?]
I asked, suddenly curious about that point.
10,000 units.
For someone who had to pour out a whopping $8.4 billion all at once, his expression wasn't that dark.
Just then, Michael smiled and said.
[Once the war begins, a budget request will be made to Congress. Considering the scale could be in the hundreds of billions of dollars, $8.4 billion is nothing. Besides, this is about saving American lives, so Congress won't refuse.]
[…]
I was at a loss for words and could only respond with silence.
Finding my reaction amusing, he let out a hearty laugh, then suddenly took the document he had snatched from me, drew a line through one of the pages with a pen, and handed it back.
[First, please confirm the delivery date. Will it be possible to deliver the first batch by the date written there?]
I looked at the document. The delivery date for the first batch was set for mid-April.
And of the total contract quantity of 10,000 units for the year, the required quantity for the first batch was a mere 500 units.
It seemed they had taken our production line's situation into account, but that was an unnecessary worry.
[We can deliver about 1,300 units right away, and we'll deliver the remaining 8,700 by mid-August, even if we have to run the factory at full capacity.]
[W-Wait… you can deliver 1,300 units right now? How?]
[Because we were already running the production lines.]
[…]
[I told you. The United States isn't the only one that wants the Polar Bear. Since they're products that will sell as soon as they're made, what's the problem with making them in advance?]
[…]