The Shuttle January 19, 2012 Issue“We are Legend”Newsletter Edition

USS Enterprise (CVN 65)

Enterprise’s Eyes and EarsStory and photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gregory White

USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea – The Combat Direction Center (CDC) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) participated in a variety of training exercises as part of the carrier’s composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) while underway in the Atlantic Ocean Jan. 16. The CDC is responsible for tracking and identifying all surface, air and sub-surface contacts and communicating the acquired information throughout the ship and the strike group. The work center is dimly lit by soft blue lights and the glowing screens of a variety of electronic equipment and monitors. Computer systems and radars fill the spaces of CDC, and Sailors from many rates work together to gather, process, display and disseminate information. “From intelligence to navigation, everything runs through CDC,” said Chief Operations Specialist James Allen Cowling, the leading chief petty officer of the Operations Intelligence Division. “We have things in there that we have to send all the way up to the Pentagon so they can make strategic, big-picture decisions, not only for our forces, but for all forces, based on the information received.” One of the many systems that CDC utilizes is the Tactical Data Link system. The “Link” allows all information gathered across the strike group to be shared, kept and updated. Another important and advanced system that CDC uses is the Global Command and Control System-Maritime (GCCS-M), simply referred to as “geeks.” “GCCS-M is a system that can see the location of ships all over the world and gather input and intelligence,” said Operations Specialist 3rd Class Alcides J. Fuentes, a GCCS-M operator in CDC. “Our ‘geeks’ personnel can see input from other ships around the world, so that helps us track contacts and put our game plan together,” said Operations Specialist 1st Class Reginald L. Washington, the leading petty officer of the

Operations Intelligence Division. Because CDC is so important to operations, the work center trains constantly. The training consists of running numerous surface and air contact drills. “To train for surface contacts, we often run drills that involve numerous ships coming into the vital area of our strike group,” said Washington “We track them with our weapons ready as a precaution, and we have to identify them. If a

contact becomes hostile, we take further measures.” “We take control of our vital area,” said Operations Specialist 3rd Class Danielle L. Robinson, a “geeks” system operator in CDC. “We can’t let unknown contacts sit there. We use surface trackers and automatic identifying systems to identify and label contacts in a timely fashion.” Washington said when training for air contacts, CDC sometimes holds a “detect to engage” exercise, which simulates an actual engagement where an aircraft or missile breaches the ship’s security range. CDC then tracks the contact, readies weapons and prepares to launch aircraft or its own defensive weapons. “When this happens we need to know if it (the aircraft) is a hostile, a neutral, or a friendly before a decision is made to intercept and escort it out of our area,”

said Washington. “If it has already launched a weapon at us we have countermeasures to take care of that weapon, and we have countermeasures to defeat the aircraft itself.” The tactical action officer (TAO) stands watch in the CDC and is the only person aboard, except for the commanding officer, with weapons release authority. “He has defensive weapons release authority,” said Washington, “He can make the decision to defend the ship by any means if we are fired upon, so if he needs to fire a weapon to defend the ship we will do that.” CDC has thus far completed all of their training exercises successfully and will continue training throughout COMPTUEX.

Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012Page 2 The Shuttle

The Shuttle is published and printed daily underway and bi-weekly in port by the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Media Depart-ment, FPO AE 09543-2810. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Please direct all story ideas, questions and comments to MC1 (SW) Steve Smith at smithsw@cvn65.navy.mil.

Public Affairs OfficerLt. Cmdr. Sarah T. Self-Kyler

Executive OfficerCapt. G. C. Huffman

Commanding OfficerCapt. William C. Hamilton, Jr.

EditorsMC2(SW) Kristin L. Grover

MCSN Eric BrannMCSN Harry Gordon

CSG 12 Happenings

The ShuttleUSS Enterprise (CVN 65)

Command Master ChiefABCM (AW/SW) Eric M. YoungYesterday’s ESWS answer:

EWARP stands for Emergency Water Activated Repair Patch

ESWS Question of the Day: What is the capacity of each of the

ship’s five distilling units?

Physical Fitness Assessment

(PFA)Monday, 26 March 2012

Saturday, 30 June 2012

Rear Adm. FitzPatrick visits USS James E. Williams

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 17, 2012) Rear Adm. Dennis E. FitzPatrick, commander of Strike Force Training Atlantic, arrives aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided- missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) to witness the ship participate in live-fire exercises.

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 17, 2012) Rear Adm. Dennis E. FitzPatrick, commander of Strike Force Training Atlantic, speaks to Sailors between exercises aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided- missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95).

Right: ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 17, 2012) Rear Adm. Dennis E. FitzPatrick, commander of Strike Force Training Atlantic, Cmdr. Christopher M. Senenko, commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95), and Command Master Chief James W. Stedding, observe a live-fire exercise from the bridge wing.

Photo by MC3(SW) Daniel J. Meshel Photo by MC3(SW) Daniel J. Meshel

Photo by MC3(SW) Daniel J. Meshel

Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 Page 3The Shuttle

Around the NavyNavy Commander Concerned South China Sea Incident Could EscalateBy Audrey McAvoyAssociated Press

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – The U.S. Navy’s top commander in the Pacific says he’s concerned local arguments in disputed oil rich waters near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea could escalate into larger, more serious confrontations. Adm. Patrick Walsh said Tuesday there’s potential for an incident in the South China Sea to intensify much the way tensions between China and Japan spiked after ships belonging to the Asian powers collided near the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands claimed by both nations in 2010. “Quickly the event escalated from something that was local, containable, manageable, to something that became a state-on-state sort of conflict,” Walsh told The Associated Press in an interview at his headquarters a few days before he is scheduled to retire and hand over the Pacific Fleet command. Walsh said the South China Sea — which is heavily traveled by shipping companies, including tankers transporting oil from the Persian Gulf to East Asian nations — is vital to the Asia-Pacific region. “No matter which perspective you adopt, it’s critically important for security and stability. It is the critical node to all the economic activity. Any interruption there would create a real problem,” Walsh said. Six Asian nations — Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam — claim all or part of the Spratlys, which are believed to be rich in natural resources.The Philippines and Vietnam have accused Chinese vessels of repeatedly intruding into areas they claim and of trying

to sabotage oil explorations in their territorial waters. China has denied the allegations, saying it has sovereignty over the vast sea. Walsh said the countries have a dilemma in that they risk losing resources if they don’t patrol and enforce their exclusive economic zones, yet risk a confrontation if they do. To compound the situation, he noted countries in the area are also growing an interest in obtaining more advanced weaponry. “Now you have all the ingredients of an escalatory situation,” he said. Walsh recalled the incident two years ago when a Chinese fishing vessel collided with a Japanese coast guard ship on patrol. Japan arrested the Chinese captain, after which Beijing suspended ministerial-level contacts with Tokyo, and postponed talks on the joint development of undersea natural gas fields. China later halted Japan-bound exports of rare earth metals used in high-tech manufacturing. Several anti-Japanese demonstrations occurred across China.The captain was later released and sent back to China after heavy pressure from Beijing. Walsh said a lot of the tension resulted from the threat of embargo on rare earth metals.“Just how quickly that escalated — it inflamed passions on both sides,” he said. “That’s my concern.” Walsh said the U.S. should be very clear that it supports peaceful resolutions to disputes. One way to support this, he said, would be to sponsor regional forums where nations can discuss these issues.

The Pentagon will focus investment in the areas of science and technology in the years ahead to increase capabilities for countering area access denial efforts by potential adversaries, senior defense officials said Tuesday. “This is where I see areas of growth,” said Al Shaffer, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering. China and Iran have been developing access denial capabilities such as improved missile technology and electronic and cyber warfare intended to degrade the U.S. ability to

Pentagon To Focus On Countering Area Access DenialBy Mike McCarthyDefense Daily

project power. It could prove difficult to overcome if the military does not keep pace with the threat as it winds down a decade of counterinsurgency operations, he said. “At the same time, nation stakes like China, nation states like Iran are developing very, very exquisite capabilities, asymmetric capabilities to counter some of the things that we have to be able to do,” he said, adding they are designed to “confuse the battlespace.” Maj. Gen. Craig Franklin, the vice director of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, said even impoverished countries with limited budgets will be able to acquire

access denial technologies on the open market, a notion that should drive the United States “to find more innovative solutions.” “We have to put the enablers in place to be able to use the great weapon systems we’ve developed,” Shaffer said at a gathering hosted by the Precision Strike Association. In the future the military must be able to operate in an electronic warfare environment, at longer ranges, against complex air defense systems, and under the possibility that GPS-guided weapons could be jammed, he said.

Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012Page 4 The Shuttle

Big E Entertainment

ET3 Jack Mitchell Davis from Hazlehurst, Miss., joined the Navy almost two years ago to become a commissioned of-ficer and further his work and education experiences. In his spare time, Davis enjoys working out, golfing and reading. Davis hopes to complete law school in the future and have a successful real estate firm.

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Jack Mitchell Davis

Sailors of the Day

AT3 John Gillespie from West Wildwood, N.J., joined the Navy more than four years ago to travel the world and learn about electronics. Gillespie enjoys off-roading, playing bas-ketball and spending time with his brothers. His future goals include earning his surface warfare qualification, making second class and completing a degree in business administration.

Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class John Gillespie

Photo by MCSN Harry Andrew D. Gordon Photo by MCSN Harry Andrew D. Gordon