USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
The Shuttle Newsletter Edition
“We are Legend”
September 20, 2012 Issue
ESWS & EAWS: Down to the Wire
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Brian G. Reynolds USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea – Ask any chief about what should be at the top of a junior Sailor’s “to do list” while on deployment, and they will probably mention warfare qualifications. While warfare pins are not necessarily a must for reenlistment, they definitely contribute to ensuring success in advancement and receiving auspicious orders. With the current deployment of aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) coming to a close, many Sailors aboard the carrier are making a final push to obtain their warfare pin aboard the legendary “Big E.” “We’ve seen a major influx of Sailors trying to receive their warfare pins now that we are in the final stages of deployment,” said Senior Chief Machinist’s Mate Kenneth Crowley, the ship’s Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) coordinator. “Right now there is a major push throughout the command to get all of the Sailors up there to take the test and board prior to returning to homeport.” The large amount of Sailors now testing and boarding for their pins comes as no surprise to the program coordinators. “We sort of expected that we would have quite a few Sailors that would be in a rush to get their pins at the end of deployment,” said Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Lorraine Secord, the Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist (EAWS) coordinator. “Though it is currently too late to enroll in the EAWS program (to become qualified by the end of deployment), we still encourage those who are already enrolled not to wait to take their test and board.” As it stands, both the EAWS and the ESWS programs
already have scheduled dates that crewmembers must adhere to in order to receive their warfare pins during deployment. The final ESWS board will be held in the Foc’sle Oct. 15, whereas the final EAWS board will be held Oct. 27. This will be the final opportunity for Sailors to test their skills and receive their warfare pin before returning to Norfolk. “We are currently holding four to five boards per week to ensure that those who are already enrolled have an opportunity to receive their pin,” said Secord. Crowley also mentioned that although they will work with anyone who wants to get their pins, they should avoid waiting until the very last minute. “Don’t wait until the last minute, where it is an emergency,” said Crowley. “People should let us know ahead of time to make sure that they have the right credentials and everything that they need in order to take the test and board.” Although there are deadlines to become qualified while on deployment, both EAWS and ESWS programs will not end for Enterprise when it returns to Norfolk. The EAWS program is scheduled to officially terminate March 13, 2013. There is not currently a scheduled termination date set for ESWS. “As far as the ESWS program goes, it will continue after we pull back into Norfolk, said Crowley. “This ship will still be here and we will still give Sailors the opportunity. We will still conduct trainings and walkthroughs.” Though both programs will continue after the current deployment ends, there is something to be said about obtaining a warfare qualification aboard the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier while it is underway on its final deployment.
U.S. Curbs Joint Afghan Operations, Commander Shifts Strategy By Nathan Hodge, WALL STREET JOURNAL
KABUL - The U.S. military, in the wake of several deadly attacks and the fallout from an anti-Muslim video, is pulling back on cooperation with Afghan forces, altering the U.S. strategy here until further notice. The U.S. shift limits the small-unit joint patrols and training that have been central to the current military strategy, which is intended to prepare Afghan forces to take over the fight against the Taliban once most American forces leave in 2014. Under a directive by Marine Gen. John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, all joint operations have been restricted to the level of battalion command and above, barring a special waiver. The shift comes as a suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport on Tuesday, cited by an insurgent group as a response to the video, killed 12 people, including nine foreigners, the
deadliest bombing targeting foreign civilians in 11 years of war. The restrictions in cooperating with local troops won’t alter the U.S. plan to complete a transition to Afghan-led security and withdraw most troops by the end of 2014, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday. Pentagon press secretary George Little said the uproar in Afghanistan and elsewhere over the video mocking the Prophet Muhammad had “given cause for ISAF troops to exercise increased vigilance” in their interactions with Afghans. Over the weekend, six coalition personnel were killed by Afghan forces, bringing the total of such “green-on-blue” deaths this year to 51, or 15% of all coalition fatalities. On Monday, Afghan demonstrators burned tires and blocked traffic on one of Kabul’s main roads.