In response, President Adams uses the Homeland Security Act and declares martial law on many areas of the country, but it is particularly concentrated on the West Coast.

During the Inauguration Ball in Washington, D.C., on the night of January 20, 2013, a low-yield tactical nuclear weapon is detonated in an apparent groundburst, presumably having been concealed there in advance.

The yield is sufficient to destroy most of the city, killing Adams, his cabinet, and most of the U.S. Congress, effectively wiping out the presidential line of succession and thrusting the already unstable United States into total chaos.

The Confederated States of America is reborn shortly afterwards, declaring independence, as does the Pacific Northwest following attempts by Californian militias to march into Oregon.

Early in the war, Russia invades and occupies Alaska, using the expanded military operations of the European Union as an excuse.

The invasion is personally led by President Nicholai Vladekov, an ex-general and former Soviet hardliner, who claims that Alaska was never really part of the United States and that Russia is merely reclaiming its former territory.

President Vladekov had been dealing weapons on the black market for more than thirty years and masterminded the D.C. bombing as part of his goal to disrupt the world economy so that Russia could regain its military dominance, and more easily control Europe.

Vladekov refuses to cede control of Alaska, so the faction's forces prepare to invade the state and drive the Russians out of North America.

If the invasion succeeds and the player faction's reputation is very good, the troubled American states are "united again under uncommon greatness" – a leader whose merciful acts and strategic and tactical brilliance will be spoken of for centuries to come.

Special abilities, known as "sidebar powers", recharge over time and are gained based on the game is played – for example, by causing collateral damage.

[16][17] The gameplay was praised as being "simple but deep", and the concept was well liked, while criticisms included unbalanced AI and a total lack of any diplomacy features.

[citation needed] In 2009, Variety and Gamasutra reported that Jerry Bruckheimer was creating a movie adaptation of the video game to be distributed by Touchstone Pictures.