The origin of bitcoin, the world's first widely adopted digital currency, is shrouded in mystery. Its founder has not been heard from since 2011. Yet as global financial markets suffer, several nations agree to start backing their currencies with bitcoin in a desperate attempt to stabilize their economies. The soon-to-open Dubai Financial Exchange will make this possible. Financed by the Chinese megabank, the AIIB, and pushed by Cheng Jinshan, a powerful Chinese investor, the dawn of a new era of global currency trade is upon the world. But if Jinshan's plan works, the value of the US dollar - and the American economy with it - will tumble. Weeks before the Dubai Financial Exchange opens, a US Navy destroyer sinks an Iranian patrol craft during a controversial exchange in the Persian Gulf. With tensions soaring between the two nations, an Iranian politician secretly contacts the CIA with a chilling revelation. Chase Manning is a rugged ex-SEAL working for the CIA's Special Operations Group in the Middle East. Now, he is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the Iranian claims before it is too late. But in the midst of battling deadly assassins and uncovering the layers of intrigue surrounding the bitcoin-backed currency, Chase discovers that his own brother, David Manning, is right at the heart of the conspiracy. *The War Stage is the sequel to The War Planners (1-4)