short story from the 80's

so.. this has been bugging me for years, and for the life of me, I cannot remember the title/author.. is a short story, sci fi, from. i'm thinking the 80's.. involved a military strike team, going thru some tunnels/maze with deadly traps in each section, which kill off a member of the team.. the last guy arrives, talks to the person in the bunker, who informs him he is the successor.. I think they call this guy the.. great satan? he basically supresses the excessive military in the world, firing missles if anyone steps out of line.. aka , the sole superpower.. any help in title or author, would be greatly appreciated.. I was thinking it was varley, but.. not him..

thx all ! j