 Seven years after the outbreak began , a conference is held off the coast of Honolulu , aboard the USS Saratoga , where most of the world 's leaders argue that they can <unk> the zombie plague if they stay in their safe zones . The U.S. President , however , argues for going on the offensive . <unk> to lead by example , the U.S. military <unk> itself to meet the specific strategic requirements of fighting the undead : using semi @-@ automatic , high @-@ power rifles and volley firing , focusing on head shots and slow , steady rates of fire ( a tactic " re @-@ invented " by the Indian Army during the Great Panic ) ; and <unk> a multipurpose hand tool , the " <unk> " or " <unk> " ( described as a combination of a shovel and a battle axe ) , for close @-@ quarters combat . The military , backed by a <unk> American wartime economy , began the three @-@ year @-@ long process of retaking the contiguous United States from both the undead as well as groups of hostile human survivors . <unk> military tactics and equipment are mentioned as being employed to deal with sometimes well @-@ armed and organized human criminal or rebel opposition . 
