Day 2 of Sea Trials: Good times today. We went into our high sped runs and tuns. One doesn’t get a to fully appreciate the awesome power of this huge ship until you see it pressing at top speed and listing into a turn at 10-14 degrees port and then starboard.Â
Simply beautiful…simply beautiful.
After 4 years and a couple  billion dollars, the USS Carl Vinson is on her way back to sea and I am writing this post from inside her belly.
It really feels great to be part of something this big.
Time and time again I have wondered what it would feel like, what would I be thinking at this moment, after spending 2 years working to get her back to sea.
Well, I have waited long for this moment to be part of the second history, so to speak, of this great national asset. I wondered how I would feel about it as it happen; I thought I would be a bit sad, happy, nervous….well, I am feeling none of that right now. Instead, I am feeling rather pensive….honored even.
When is a great warrior at her most vulnerable?…while she is at rest without her shield. At this moment she is revealed…she is powerless. Once she rises, however, puts on her armor and stands again, she regains strength…she regains invincibility.
I feel in many ways that I have been privileged to have seen this great ship in its vulnerable moment without armor, I have seen her bones…I have seen her frailty. And time hence, when I am closer to the soil,  I will be able to say – “O that might ship Invincible Vinson, I knew well…I knew her when…I knew her then; and I and a few others of my friends, stitched her armor and gave her strength.â€
By George Friedman (STRATFOR)
* The Russian Resurgence
German Chancellor Angela Merkel went to St. Petersburg last week for meetings with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. The central question on the table was Germany’s position on NATO expansion, particularly with regard to Ukraine and Georgia. Merkel made it clear at a joint press conference that Germany would oppose NATO membership for both of these countries, and that it would even oppose placing the countries on the path to membership. Since NATO operates on the basis of consensus, any member nation can effectively block any candidate from NATO membership.
(more…)
China has urged its citizens to be calm amid further anti-Western
protests in the country, focused on French supermarket chain Carrefour.
The official Communist Party newspaper, the People’s Daily, said patriotism should be expressed rationally. The protesters have been angered by disruption of the Olympic torch relay in Paris and London.
They also accuse the West of supporting Tibetan separatists, and the Western media of bias.
The official Xinhua news agency said more than 1,000 people carrying banners had gathered in front of a Carrefour store 
in the city of Xian, and there were also protests in Harbin and Jinan.
Xinhua added that police were monitoring the demonstrations in the three cities, which remained peaceful.
The protests came after Saturday saw hundreds of people demonstrating in cities including Beijing, Wuhan, Hefei, Kunming, and Qingdao – often outside Carrefour stores.
Protesters denounced French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s refusal to
confirm whether he would attend the opening ceremony of the Games.
Carrefour has restated its support for Beijing’s hosting of the Olympics this August, and denies the accusations by some protesters that it backs the campaign for Tibetan independence.
The front-page Sunday editorial in the People’s Daily called on Chinese people to cherish patriotism “while expressing it in a rationalway”.
It said: “As citizens, we have the responsibility to express our patriotic enthusiasm calmly and rationally and express patriotic aspiration in an orderly and legal manner.
“The more complicated the international situation is, the more calmness, wisdom and unity need to be shown by the Chinese people.”
The BBC’s Daniel Griffiths in Beijing says this is a clear sign that the Chinese government does not want to see any escalation in the protests….read entire article…
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WASHINGTON – The 2006 National Defense Authorization Act signed into law Jan. 6 provides new or enhanced benefits in addition to a 3.1 percent pay raise for National Guard and Reserve members, a senior defense official said.President Bush signed the Legislation Jan. 6, providing a variety of benefits designed to bring reserve-component compensation more on par with what the active component receives, Chuck Witschonke, DoD’s deputy director for compensation, said during an interview with the American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel on a range of issues related to the act.
The package provides other benefits that affect all forces, both active and reserve, including better overall compensation and improved quality of life, while promoting overall recruiting and retention, he said.
The law also provides a variety of benefits specifically targeting members of the reserve components. These include:
Witschonke emphasized the new law does not guarantee that all servicemembers will qualify for these pays and benefits, or that those who do will receive the highest amounts authorized. Rather, he said, the law gives defense and service leaders the flexibility they need to tailor the force to meet operational, recruiting and retention goals.One big change in the new law is a provision that shortens the duty time before a reserve-component member qualifies for the full housing allowance. Reserve and Guard members called to active duty for more than 30 days will now get the full allowance, just as active-component troops do, Witschonke said.
Another benefit, the critical-skills retention bonus, will be “a very good tool” in helping keep members with important experience and training in the force and in maintaining readiness in high-priority units, Witschonke said.
The 2006 authorization act also increases recruiting bonuses for the Reserve and Guard, Witschonke said. The new law authorizes accession and affiliation bonuses of up to $20,000, to be offered as needed by the services, he said.
For reserve-component members who experience pay cuts when called to active duty, the new provision for income replacement will help reduce the strain military service places on the family, he said. “It can be difficult for a family that has been living on a certain income to now have less money, particularly at a time when they’re stressed by a change in their lifestyle” due to a military deployment, Witschonke said.
The income-replacement program won’t be instituted for six months, in accordance with the law. At that time, specific guidelines and qualifications will be issued, he said. This authority will end in December 2008.
These enhancements in reserve-component pay and benefits are particularly critical during the global war on terror, when members of the Guard and Reserve are playing a major role in U.S. national defense, Witschonke said.
More information about pay and benefits is posted on