Dragon fire / William S. Cohen.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

William S. Cohen, former Secretary of Defense, US Senator and Congressman, has walked the most powerful corridors in the world. Now, in "Dragon Fire," he takes us with him into the top-secret rooms where the fate of the world is held in the hearts and minds of men with dangerous and hidden agendas. Packed with action and espionage, intrigue and romance, "Dragon Fire" is a riveting, intricate, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that so convincingly written, readers will wonder just how much of it is true.
Upon the assassination of the Secretary of Defense, former senator and Vietnam POW, Michael Patrick Santini, is called upon by his President to fill the vacancy. Once there, he discovers that the United States is under attack by a silent, sinister force, someone determined to alienate our allies and undermine our position as a global superpower. But America is hours away from going to war--with the wrong enemy. Rejecting direct orders from the president, Santini races across the world in a desperate attempt to prevent a catastrophic global war.
When Democratic President Bill Clinton chose Republican William S. Cohen to join his staff in 1997 as the 20th Secretary of Defense, it was the first time in modern U.S. history that a president selected a member of the opposing party for his cabinet. Cohen, the first Secretary of Defense to make biological warfare and terrorism almost a personal crusade, was integral in orchestrating a comprehensive strategy to deal with the threat of terrorism. In "Dragon Fire, " he takes his experience, knowledge, expertise, passion, and fears and melds fact and fiction into a political thriller only he could write.