Months earlier at the outbreak of the war, after diplomatic efforts from both sides had failed, Sawyer, Parker, and Bannon served in France as part of a NATO counteroffensive against a Soviet invasion near Marseille. Although successful, Bannon's negligence during a major operation results in the death of their French liaison, Commandant Sabatier. Following their success in France, Sawyer receives orders to take Task Force Raven, a special unit of NATO troops, to penetrate deep into Soviet territory to retrieve intelligence from a crashed prototype B-2 bomber, and then destroy the wreckage. While withdrawing from the area with the pilots from the downed bomber, Bannon accidentally kills surrendering Soviet civil-defense volunteers, leading Sawyer to reprimand him for his conduct and discipline. NATO forces then launch an assault on a Soviet naval yard in Murmansk detailed in the intelligence, in order to destroy submarines intended for an attack on U.S. Navy bases along the East Coast. The operation is a partial success, with only one submarine escaping due to Bannon's incompetence; it is later sunk by the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Returning to the U.S., Sawyer relegates Bannon to a support duty, while Parker assists U.S. Army Rangers in a counter-offensive against a surprise attack by Spetsnaz troops in New York City, who had taken control of several islands in the New York Bay. Parker's forces successfully prevent the Soviets from using chemical weapons against the city, while also saving the Statue of Liberty from destruction. Sawyer later sends Parker home to Seattle for leave, while reassigning Bannon to work at a National Guard depot there, just a few days before the surprise Soviet invasion.