What was the conspirator's original plan before Marcus screwed it up?

They sent the EAM to nuke Pakistan via the secondary network which only really would have been used if the primary network was knocked out, which it wasn't. Why do this? It'd make sense if the order was faked somehow, given by someone without the authority to do so, or the plan was to deny the U.S. as the culprit, but afterward the conspiring president and new Secretary of Defense defended the decision to nuke Pakistan. If they used the primary network then Marcus likely would have fired the nukes. If the plan was to deny doing it then why have another sub do it, the one that tried to sink the Colorado, and further risk being exposed?

Was it ever stated, mentioned, or implied what was gained by nuking Pakistan? Was the purpose to cause upheaval as an excuse to install the new Secretary of Defense and put other co-conspirators into key positions?

They ordered Hopper to fabricate evidence of Pakistan having a "suitcase nuke", which they likely intended to use the helmet cam footage of to justify nuking Pakistan, but they never got the footage and the footage in fact showed that something fishy was going on. Heck, they tried to destroy the sub containing the SEALs with the footage. They had to realize even if their rush to destroy the sub that they'd be destroying the footage they wanted (but didn't know what it really was) and the SEAL team. That's look suspicious. If the plan was to destroy the Colorado to kill the SEALs after the sub launches the nukes, that would also look suspicious. It'd be like destroying the chopper carrying the SEALs and bin Laden's body after bragging that he's been killed. The conspirators should have ordered other sub launch the nukes while only having the Colorado pick up the SEALs.




(this signature was absent on picture day)