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webmasterb@nationalvoicesite.com Mullen Calls Iranian Nuclear Pursuit ‘Unacceptable’ By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden DETROIT, Aug. 26, 2010 – Iran’s continued pursuit of nuclear capabilities is unacceptable in the eye of the U.S. government, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said today. U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses audience members at the Detroit Economic Club in Detroit, Aug. 26, 2010. Mullen is on three-day Conversation with the Country tour to the midwest discussing how community leaders can support the needs of returning troops and their families. “Iran is a particularly difficult issue,” Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told local business leaders here. “Their achieving a nuclear weapon capability is unacceptable and incredibly destabilizing.” Mullen responded to this issue amid town halls with local business leaders and Wayne State University students here as part of his “Conversations with the Country.” Local residents voiced concerns over the nature of the United States’ efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “This is an enormous challenge,” he said. “We’re working hard to make sure either one of those outcomes doesn’t occur, because I think either will be very bad for all of us.” The United States is still pursuing a diplomatic approach, he said. Financial sanctions were placed on Iran in June. Military intervention, the admiral added, is not an option the U.S. military currently wants to engage. Mullen said there’s much the U.S. government doesn’t know about Iran. The countries haven’t had an open dialogue with each other since 1979, he noted. “We don’t know each other very well,” the admiral said. “You may think you know enough to understand the consequences, but I worry about miscalculation here. I worry about a small incident rolling itself into something that could get out of hand.” Iran's attainment of nuclear weapons would likely lead to a strike against Israel, Mullen said. The Israeli government has a “complete belief” that Iran has that in mind, he added. “[Iran] is a regime that is a state sponsor of terrorism,” he said, noting the Islamic state’s links to al-Qaida and extremist fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It is an existential threat. [Nuclear] capability in hand is an existential threat to Israel.” Mullen said he is hopeful that the issue can be resolved on diplomatic terms. However, ending Iran’s nuclear pursuit is a “very difficult and complex problem.” “I think Iran is on path to achieve that capability, and we need to be mindful of that,” Mullen said. “It’s a very critical part of the world. It’s a world that is reasonably unstable. And Iran continuing to expand on that does not bode well for any body in the world.” National Debt Poses Security Threat, Mullen Says By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden American Forces Press Service DETROIT, Aug. 27, 2010 – The single biggest threat to national security is the national debt, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday, underscoring the importance of good fiscal stewardship and a need to stimulate economic growth. American taxpayers are going to pay an estimated $600 billion in interest on the national debt in 2012, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told local leaders and university students here. “That’s one year’s worth of defense budget,” he noted, adding that the Pentagon is going to have to work to “cut the fat” from its overhead spending. “We’re going to have to do that if it’s going to survive at all,” he said, “and do it in a way that is predictable.” The Defense Department must be more fiscally responsible to prevent future appropriation cuts, the admiral explained. Mullen addressed several venues here yesterday, including Detroit’s Economy Club, Detroit’s Regional Chamber and Wayne State University students. He noted that Detroit is one of the hardest-hit cities as the nation struggles to overcome a faltering economy. The chairman called for a strong defense industry that seeks veterans for employment. A more fiscally responsible Pentagon, coupled with a growing veteran work force in the defense industry, could create jobs and prevent wasteful spending, he said. “I need the defense industry, in particular, to be robust,” he said. “My procurement budget is over $100 billion, [and] I need to be able to leverage that as much as possible with those [companies] who reach out [to veterans].” Mullen asked industry leaders to help in this endeavor. Industry leaders need to be more vocal and offer meaningful ideas to streamline their efforts, he said. Also, business leaders, the federal government and local communities need to determine better ways to integrate veterans into society and into their local work force. Ultimately, industry, community and military leaders share the same goals, he said. “I have found that universally, [industry workers] care every bit as much about our country, are every bit as patriotic and wanting to make a difference … as those who wear the uniform and are in harm’s way,” he said. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates earlier this month called for reform in the way the Pentagon does business by working to eliminate duplicative, unnecessary overhead costs. Since 2000, the defense budget has doubled. The fiscal 2010 budget is $664 billion, compared to roughly $300 billion before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Earlier this year, Gates tasked the services to find $100 billion in overhead savings over the next five years. He also authorized the services to consider consolidation or closure of excess bases and other facilities. Another immediate step Gates announced is the reduction in funding for support contractor personnel by 10 percent a year for the next three years. Gates is looking for ways to ensure the defense budget grows 2 to 3 percent each year. That’s what is needed for the Defense Department to sustain itself, Gates said Aug. 9, but President Barack Obama can ensure only 1 to 2 percent growth of future budgets. The Defense Department is determined to save money, Gates said, but it will be a challenge. Mullen agreed. “We’re not a business,” he said. “Part of us does this really well. Parts of us have never had to, plus our budget has doubled over the last 10 years.” Defense spending has not been prioritized as well as it should have, he explained, and leaders have not had to make tough decisions about programs and procurements. The Pentagon must return to more responsible fiscal practices, he added. “A lot of those skills have to be sharpened,” Mullen acknowledged. For industry and adequate defense funding to survive, the chairman said, the two must work together. Otherwise, he added, “this wave of debt” will carry over from year to year, and eventually, the defense budget will be cut just to facilitate the debt. “It’s the responsibility of both sides,” Mullen said. “We have to gird ourselves for some pretty significant challenges, given the national security challenges that we have as well as the responsibility to steward every dollar that we have.” Mullen was in Detroit as part of a three-day “Conversation with the Country” tour across the Midwest. The trip is geared toward urging community and business leaders and the academic community to step up in honing veterans’ skills and life experience. He met with business and community leaders in Chicago Aug. 25 and will be in Cleveland today. U.S., Pakistani Militaries Bond in Disaster Relief By Lisa Daniel WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2010 – The Pakistani military has shown tremendous cooperation, support, and friendship toward U.S. forces providing flood relief in northern Pakistan, the U.S. general in charge of troops there said today. “The collaboration, the cooperation, the support, the protection, and the friendship – and I use that word very deliberately – extended to us by our Pakistani partners has been nothing but impressive,” Army Brig. Gen. Michael Nagata told Pentagon reporters during a video-teleconference briefing from Ghazi Air Base in northern Pakistan. “This is one of the best examples of combined collaborations among military partners that I’ve ever seen,” Nagata said. He said the U.S. military contribution in Pakistan’s northern area, which includes the Upper Dir, Swat Valley and Kohistan regions, today includes 230 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines and 19 helicopters. Four Air Force and Marine Corps C-130 cargo planes are delivering supplies in other areas of Pakistan, Nagata said. The United States has steadily increased its assets in the area, Nagata noted, starting with eight Army helicopters from Afghanistan that worked out of Ghazi Air Base for two weeks soon after the flood began at the end of July. The 15 Navy and Marine Corps helicopters replaced the eight Army helicopters, he said. Four additional heavy-lift helicopters are expected to arrive at Ghazi in early September, Nagata said. He added that the U.S. military will continue to help with the flood relief effort as long as the Pakistani government requests it. Meanwhile, a “broad range of conversations” is taking place among various U.S. agencies at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad to consider future relief operations, Nagata said. He emphasized that the flood, which has left more than a million people homeless, is of historic proportions and that it will take a long time to recover from it. Though Nagata declined to discuss how the flooding has affected the Pakistani military’s counterinsurgency effort in the Swat Valley, he said they had made “substantial progress” there when the flooding began four weeks ago. He added that the Pakistanis have been waging counterinsurgency operations “with great energy and great determination for several years now.” “They are completely committed,” Nagata said of the Pakistani security forces, “and they’ve taken significant casualties in fighting militants in this country.” Likely through a combination of the Pakistani counterinsurgency work, their current security support, and the flooding situation, U.S. forces have had no security problems in the area, Nagata said. “We’ve simply had no reason to fear for our safety since we arrived in Pakistan,” he said. Working out of a large hangar and two other sites in northern Pakistan, the aircraft and crews mostly are delivering bulk food items, such as flour and rice, as well as cooking utensils and portable water systems, among other things, the general said. So far, the northern provinces have not seen an increase in illnesses as Pakistan’s southern provinces have, probably because of better drainage to reduce standing water in the mountainous northern regions, Nagata said. The drainage has allowed an assessment of the area that shows significant damage to crops, roads, fields, buildings and other infrastructure, he said. Asked about the reaction of Pakistani civilians to U.S. servicemembers working in their country, Nagata said, “They’re grateful. I’ve seen many occasions where they’ve approached U.S. and Pakistani military members to express their thanks.” Officials Note Low Insurgent Morale in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 25, 2010 – Intelligence reports indicate some pockets of low insurgent morale, with some insurgent fighters reluctant to keep fighting and some refusing to assume district commands when commanders are captured or killed, International Security Assistance Force officials in Afghanistan said today. In a written statement, officials said the low morale among enemy fighters and insurgent leaders can be linked to successful security operations by Afghan and ISAF forces. Coalition and Afghan forces conducted more than 2,800 counterterrorist operations over the past 90 days, the statement said, killing or capturing more than 365 insurgent leaders and 2,386 fighters. These counter-insurgency successes have also led to a growing sense of distrust among insurgent fighters, heightened fear of spies in their midst and increased suspicion among rival tribes, officials said. "While the coalition strength and capability of the [Afghan forces] are on the rise, we are seeing evidence of low insurgent morale, which is affecting their capability across the country," said German Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, an ISAF spokesman. "The coalition will continue to neutralize insurgents and eliminate their safe havens, expanding areas that are secure enough for improved governance and development." The ISAF statement cited the Taliban commander in Helmand province’s Marja district as an example, noting that he openly acknowledged to his fellow insurgents that the Taliban are losing Marja and that their chances of winning are poor. ISAF officials said intelligence reports indicate the Taliban commander based his assessment on battlefield losses -- insurgents killed or captured by the coalition forces -- and increasing resentment of the insurgent methods by average Afghans. "The increases in troop strength and continued growth in capability allowed coalition forces to conduct 83 percent more kinetic operations in July 2010 than we initiated in July 2009," Blotz said. "We are intensifying our campaign in areas previously held by the insurgents, including the central Helmand River valley, in and around Kandahar City, and in the vicinity of Baghlan in northern Afghanistan." The troop increases to ISAF are nearly complete, with about 90 percent of the 40,000 additional ISAF servicemembers already in theater. The Afghan army already has achieved the October 2010 strength goal of 134,000 soldiers, and recruiting totals for the national police are ahead of schedule, with more than 104,000 police officers serving in uniform, officials said. The security ring in Kandahar City continues to strengthen, and operations have begun in the Arghandab district of northwestern Kandahar, a traditional Taliban stronghold and source of insurgent strength in the region, the ISAF statement said. The clear-and-hold operation known as Amaaliat Motahed Kardan Arghandab -- "Unity Arghandab" -- supports the ongoing Hamkari operation in Kandahar by denying the insurgents safe haven in the province, officials added. Another operation designed to deny insurgent freedom of maneuver was Task Force Helmand's recent air assault into the last remaining insurgent stronghold in Nad-e Ali in Helmand province. Also in Helmand, elements of the 215th Afghan National Army Corps planned and conducted independent counterinsurgency missions in Nar-e Saraj targeting insurgent safe havens relying on only mentoring assistance from ISAF. In northern Afghanistan, ISAF has increased its capability with the addition of 4,000 U.S. forces and increased Afghan forces, bringing the total number of coalition forces in the region to about 30,000. These additional forces have allowed Afghan and ISAF units to conduct clearing operations in Baghlan focused along key commercial routes to Mazar-e Sharif. "As [Afghan] and ISAF units continue to achieve success against insurgent networks and sanctuaries, the Afghan people will continue to feel empowered to reject the insurgents within their communities,” Blotz said. “As this happens, the insurgency will continue to weaken, and low-level fighters will abandon their losing cause. "Combining these security successes with anti-corruption programs, reintegration efforts, and long-term development projects will lead to the further weakening of the insurgent cause and greater security for the Afghan people," he added. Officials Probe Western Afghanistan Shooting Incident WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2010 – Officials are investigating a shooting incident today in western Afghanistan’s Badghis province that left an Afghan National Police member, two International Security Assistance Force servicemembers and a civilian dead. The cause of the shooting incident is still unclear, ISAF Joint Command officials said, but reports indicate that during a mentoring session between ISAF forces and Afghan National Police, an ANP member fired several rounds and ISAF members returned fire. The ANP member was killed, along with the two ISAF soldiers and the civilian. After the incident, a demonstration occurred near the camp where the shooting took place. Afghan soldiers and police monitored the demonstration, officials said, adding that further details would be released as they become available. In other news from Afghanistan, a combined Afghan police and ISAF patrol found a large weapons cache in Uruzgan province’s Deh Rawud district yesterday. The cache of 150 rocket-propelled grenades was destroyed at a nearby coalition facility. Elsewhere, an Afghan boy was killed and another boy was wounded when insurgents attacked Afghan and ISAF soldiers Aug. 23 in Logar province’s Pul-e Alam district. Officials said the soldiers were attacked while conducting a search near a compound. The combined force, recognizing the risk to civilians in the area, did not return fire, officials said, but instead moved a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle between the civilians and the attacking insurgents when they saw two children who were fleeing the area fall to the ground. Insurgents' small-arms fire hit only the two boys. A medic rushed to the children's aid and began to treat their injuries. The unit requested a medical evacuation aircraft for the injured boys and support from armed helicopters in the fight against the insurgent element. The boys, both in their teens, were transported by coalition vehicles to a coalition hospital. The elder boy died, and the younger boy underwent surgery for wounds to his legs. NCIS Exchanges Information, Tactics With Barbados Defense Force 8/24/2010 4:06:00 PM - By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kim Williams, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Public Affairs BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (NNS) -- Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) personnel embarked on board High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV) 2 hosted subject matter expert (SME) information exchanges Aug. 23 with the Barbados Defense Force (BDF) as part of Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2010. During the information exchange, the Norfolk, Va.-based NCIS team discussed the specifics of physical and port security tailored to the BDF. "I enjoy seeing how receptive the Barbados Defense Force is to the information we have to share with them," said Senior Chief Master-at-Arms Charles Mobley, NCIS SME with SPS 2010. "The topics we share with the BDF help us build long-term relationships with partner nation maritime forces that focuses primarily on building and maintaining partner nation military capacity and capability." SPS 2010 is strategic initiative, which will establish a self-sustaining sea base from which to conduct regional operations. It is a deployment of various specialty platforms to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) in the Caribbean and Central America. Its primary goal is information exchanging with navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout these regions. "We have more in common with the countries that we visit than differences," said Chief Master-at-Arms Jose Del Olmo, NCIS SME with SPS 2010. "So we try to come together on the commonalities to create regional stability and not focus on the differences." Members of the BDF currently involved in the exchanges expressed their gratitude for the information they obtained during SPS visits to Barbados. "We do a lot of inter-agency operations and if we can get the Marine units working in tandem, things will be a lot easier," said Barbados Coast Guard Able Seaman Dadrian Brathwaite. "Being that we are participating in these exchanges, it should make it a lot easier to work together. The SPS 2010 exchanges are very helpful in the long run and have helped us in the past including a drug bust we made back in 2009. We used the shouldering techniques we learned in the coxswain exchange on drug traffickers trying to reach our shores. This was an invaluable tool to us." The NCIS SME portion of SPS Barbados concluded Aug. 20 with a graduation ceremony at the BDF Pelican Naval Base. "I hope that the Barbados Defense Force will take away some of our procedures, as we will theirs, and be able to put the things they gained from the subject mater expert exchanges with NCIS and the U.S. Navy as a tool in their tool belt to use for later," said Del Olmo. Swift is operated and navigated by 17 civilian contract mariners working for a private company under charter to the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command. Submariners Give Rare Glimpse Into ‘Silent Service’ By Lisa Daniel ABOARD THE USS RHODE ISLAND, Aug. 23, 2010 – On a recent sun-soaked morning hundreds of miles off Florida’s Atlantic coast, this Trident ballistic missile submarine surfaced for an unusual operation.
About a dozen journalists, many representing the military, watched from a contracted 250-foot support vessel as the sleek, black back of the submarine ascended above gentle waters in the open ocean and maneuvered alongside the boat. With just a few feet separating the two vessels and a Coast Guard cutter on watch, the support boat’s crew extended a catwalk bridge from its deck over to the Rhode Island. A pod of dolphins played in the wake below as the journalists hobbled quickly over to the submarine. “Keep moving! Keep moving!” a submariner shouted, as a slowdown easily could lead to a foot or leg getting caught and injured, or causing a “man overboard” situation. After exchanging quick greetings with the attending crew, the journalists climbed in turn through the hatch and down the steep, narrow ladder into the belly of the sub. The Aug. 16 media visit offered a rare glimpse into what is known as “the silent service,” the community of Navy submariners who man and control the vessels that carry weapons under the sea. Journalists were invited to embed on the Trident after a military-commissioned survey showed that Americans know less about the Navy than the other services, and even less about submarines and those who serve on them, Lt. Rebecca Rebarich, public affairs officer for Submarine Group 10 at King’s Bay Naval Base, Ga., said. The visit also coincided with increasing media attention on the submarine community following two major changes in Navy policy earlier this year: lifting the ban on women serving on submarines, and ending smoking on subs. The Navy chose 21 women early this summer to begin the 15-month training to serve on subs beginning in the fall of 2011. The smoking ban takes effect Jan. 1. The Nuclear Triad The Rhode Island is an Ohio-class submarine, the largest model in the U.S. fleet. At about 560 feet long and 42 feet in diameter, Ohio-class submarines hold 24 Trident ballistic missile tubes and four torpedo tubes. The Navy’s fleet of 14 SSBNs is based at King’s Bay and at Bangor, Wash. The Trident subs, known as “boomers,” are powered by a single-shaft nuclear reactor. They can carry more than 16 tons, travel more than 20 knots -- more than 23 miles per hour -- and submerge more than 800 feet, according to Navy officials who keep their exact capabilities secret. Part of the nuclear deterrent triad along with land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and Air Force bombers, the Tridents’ sole mission is to deter a nuclear attack through its ultimate strike capabilities. A command from the president, passed through U.S. Strategic Command and ultimately to the ship’s captain, allows the crew to fire a long-range ballistic missile in a matter of minutes. The Trident is a three-stage missile powered by solid rocket motors. It’s about 44 feet long and 7 feet in diameter, and weighs about 120,000 pounds, according to information provided by public affairs officials. Each has a range of more than 4,000 miles. Touring the Boomer The boomer’s design of massive missile tubes occupying the bulk of the midsection and extending vertically through four levels is the focal point of the vessel and a reminder of the singular mission of deterrence. The space between the tanks makes up the hallways. Small rooms, such as the nine-person enlisted berthing cabins -- three sets of bunks with three beds each -- and a couple of bathrooms, known as “heads,” are tucked in between. The galley and crew’s mess are nearby on the same level and they present a nearly constant hub of activity. The Navy is known for providing good meals, and if the Rhode Island is an indication, submarines are among the best. The boat’s head chef, Petty Officer 1st Class Daniell Pinero, a former chef for the secretary of defense, and his crew provide three hot meals each day as well as late-evening snacks. Stocking the galley for a three-month tour is no small undertaking. A lengthy shopping list includes, for example, 530 pounds of coffee, 22,140 eggs, 800 pounds of butter, 504 bags of microwave popcorn and 21,000 biodegradable weights to sink trash in the ocean. Because all food must be purchased and stored before the start of the tours, fresh produce is a scarce commodity enjoyed in the early days of each patrol. Still, there are few complaints. Pizza, spaghetti, turkey and dressing, ham and sweet potatoes, rolls, cakes and pies -– all homemade -– were provided during the media visit. “I gain 10 pounds every time we go out,” Cmdr. Robert J. Clark, commanding officer and captain for one of the Rhode Island’s two rotating crews, said. Exercise equipment is placed sporadically around the ship – cardio machines and free weights – wherever there is a little spare room. But as Clark and others noted, any weight gained on board is lost during shore duty. A Tight-knit Community
Clark is the commanding officer and captain of the Rhode Island’s blue crew, which carried the media representatives during their visit. His executive officer, or second in command, is Lt. Cmdr. Paul Pampuro. Each Trident sub includes two crews of 15 officers and about 140 enlisted men, known as the blue and gold crews, each with its own commanding officer. Each crew rotates onto submarine duty about every 112 days, while the other crew stays at base for training and preparation for the next time at sea. A snapshot of the crew is one that is young, smart, and committed to the mission and fellow crewmembers. The average age is 23, and many have engineering, math or science degrees. Ask submariners what they enjoy most about their work and the answer usually is the camaraderie of a tight-knit community, the highly specialized work, and the importance of the mission. Lt. Colin Myers is a Naval Academy graduate who serves as the sub’s main propulsion assistant, assistant security manager, intelligence officer and ship self-assessment coordinator. He said he enjoys the Rhode Island because of the quality of the crew. “These are a lot of really smart guys,” Myers said. “Some are double majors. It’s a volunteer force, so they really want to be here.” He added that because the submarine force is small, there are many opportunities and officers advance quickly; some obtain command by their mid-30s. Serving on a submarine -– mostly submerged for three months with only periscopes to see out -- also can be stressful, tedious and boring, submariners say. The days are long, sleep is minimal, and submariners are surprisingly disconnected. E-mail is sporadic, only coming through every couple of days when an antenna is connected to the sail -- a submarine’s exterior tower-like structure -- and attachments are not allowed. There are no phone calls; no text messages. Still, some say they don’t mind being disconnected. “You either love it or hate it,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Calvin Hurt, the torpedo room supervisor. Reality in Mission Control
Around 9 p.m., some off-duty crew members gather in the mess to wind down with a movie. The chef has made pizza and Buffalo wings, and someone pops in the 1995 submarine movie, “Crimson Tide.” “This is a comedy!” a long-time submariner proclaimed as the crew laughed at the creative license Hollywood took in producing the action-packed drama of a Trident submarine executive officer, played by Denzel Washington, who leads a mutiny after the captain, played by Gene Hackman, decides to launch a ballistic missile at a perceived Soviet threat. In the real world of Trident subs, protocol and procedures rule. In the control room, the sub’s nerve center, each area is manned in six-hour shifts with full attention on the equipment. The mission is to keep the boomer undetected, while detecting everything else around it. In the front of the room, three enlisted men watch location and conditions on monitors while two of them do their part to “drive” the sub with long-handled steering wheels. Behind them, two others man multiple screens that track sonar and acoustics, analyzing sounds from as far away as 75,000 yards. Behind them, an officer always is watching through the periscope, and those images are provided on computer screens. Coordinates are constantly being called out above the sound of the equipment, and the standard response “very well” acknowledges receipt of the information. Many of the screens are marked “Secret,” and all of the crew has security clearances. While each has his own job specialty, all are cross-trained and expected to be able to do multiple jobs, Rolinger said. “Everyone is an expert at damage control,” he said, noting the crew practices multiple drills -– from firing torpedoes to putting out fires –- several times per week. During a missile release test, Clark stands in the center of the control room receiving information from every possible data point, some relayed repeatedly to ensure conditions have not changed. “All missiles will be released,” he announces along with the exact time so all clocks are synchronized to the exact second. “This is the captain. This is an exercise,” Clark says over the sub’s speaker system. Down the hall, two crew members man the missile control center, divided between “launcher” and “fire” controls. The U.S. ballistic missile fleet fires four test missiles each year, and has had 134 consecutive successful tests in 20 years, Cmdr. Michael Sowa, deputy chief of staff of strategic weapons for Submarine Group 10, said. The tests also serve as a deterrent, and foreign countries are notified before testing begins, he added. “The system works well, even better than it was designed to work,” Sowa said. The British, French, and Russians also test ballistic missiles, and the Chinese are developing the capabilities, he said. “The SSBN mission is to deter,” Sowa added. “So, if we must launch, we’ve failed our mission.” Earning Their Dolphins A more likely scenario than the release of a Trident missile is the release of a torpedo. Back toward the front end of the sub and down the stairs next to the smoking room, two crew members man the torpedo controls, watching red and green lights for the status of torpedoes that lie horizontally on hydraulic lifts. They hold several exercises each week to practice firing torpedoes, and avoiding torpedoes from an enemy. “Everything we do down here, we get one minute to do it in,” Hurt said. A submariner for four years, he said he now loves the job that is very trying for the first two years. Three sailors earned the title of submariner here on Aug. 16 when they were presented the coveted Dolphin pins, which come only after a new crew member proves within 10 months that he has a basic understanding of everything on the boat. Clark presented the pins during a ceremony in the crew’s mess. “The whole thing is a little overwhelming,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick Iverson, 20, of Freeport, Ill., said after receiving his pin. “With this, you know you’ve earned the respect of your fellow shipmates.” Petty Officer 1st Class Herwin Marcia, who has served on submarines for 13 years, still remembers the stress of being new on a submarine. “It’s a big culture shock,” he said. “You have to catch up to where you can support everyone else. You have to be ready when called on. We don’t have time to wait.” ATLANTIC SWIM
U.S. Dept. of Defense - U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen and sailors assigned to the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Virginia participate in a swim call in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug 16, 2010. The Midshipmen are aboard Virginia for a first-hand experience of the inner-workings of the submarine and the submarine community.
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