Unsanctioned Protocol

On July 18, 2015, U.S. intelligence indicated that a Russian lab in Iran was nearing completion of an advanced 500 kilowatt laser weapon that had the capability of removing aircraft and missiles from the sky at long distances in any weather potentially making air combat obsolete. In response, the U.S. Navy devised a mission as part of a bigger operation called ‘Tin Cup’, to go into Iran to delay or stop Russia’s ability to create such a weapon. For seven days, the success of the mission rested on a small group of people accidently thrown together through a series of unexpected events. This is the story of that mission.