Object

Alpha Strike F-18s

Five F-18 fighter jets materialize in the Military Officer's urgent proposal, arrayed in precise Alpha strike formation to scream low over Port-au-Prince. Blades of American airpower slice through Oval Office tension as Bartlet locks eyes with Nancy, Josh, and Mosley—jets poised for a defiant buzz that signals resolve without bloodshed, their afterburners echoing unspoken risks in the Haiti standoff.

1 appearances

Purpose

Execute low-level buzz over Port-au-Prince in Alpha strike formation to intimidate and demonstrate U.S. military presence non-lethally

Significance

Ignites Oval Office clash where tactical muscle collides with political peril, Bartlet's moral steel bending under advisors' warnings of MS scandal optics—jets embody the razor edge between intervention triumph and re-election sabotage

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

1 moments

S3E1 · Manchester Part I

Bartlet Orders Haiti Fly-By and Diplomatic Ultimatum

Mosley proposes five F-18s in Alpha formation buzzing Port-au-Prince to intimidate Bazan; Nancy affirms attention-grabbing, Bartlet greenlights consideration post-ultimatum—narrative fulcrum for resolve without invasion, threading military edge through refugee/moral pressures.

Before: Carrier-based, pre-mission

After: Mission-authorized pending fly-by execution

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