Larry Bond - Shattered Trident

“And how much would I get to see you then?” Hardy demanded. “I’m good with staying in Washington, as long as we can be together… occasionally .” He gave her shoulder a squeeze.

Patterson patted his hand affectionately, then turned back to Jerry. “And before you know it, Jerry, a year and a half will have raced by. And Emily and I can go house-hunting. Wouldn’t that be grand?”

“I don’t know, Joanna,” said Emily, smiling. “Oahu is really very nice. I could get used to staying out there permanently. And my job in the Ocean and Resources Engineering Department at the University of Hawaii has a lot of neat perks.”

“Nonsense! You’ve been in academia too long. Time to get back into the real world of practice. I know several UUV project managers that would give their eyeteeth to have you on their staff.”

“It’s tempting,” Emily said whimsically. Then more excitedly, “What locations do you have in mind for this house-hunting soirée?”

Jerry watched as the two women started making detailed plans, without so much as asking him where he’d like to go for his next duty station. He was about to inject himself into the conversation when Hardy leaned over, patted his shoulder, and said, “First, Grasshopper, you must give up the illusion of control.”

“I heard that, Lowell!” sniped Joanna, as she reached over and lightly backhanded the senator.

“Well, I really don’t want another tour at the Pentagon,” Jerry said flatly. “I’d rather have a root canal. At least for that they give you Novocain.”

“Hey! The current naval aide to the president rotates about the same time as you leave North Dakota . You’d be a shoo-in for that job, Jerry!” squealed Joanna.

“I don’t know. I’m not well suited for the world of politics. I’ve been told I’m a little too blunt.”

“It’s just another set of skills, Jerry,” Hardy said encouragingly. “All growth comes through pain. Besides, with two Navy Crosses, you’re a lock for squadron commander. You know that,” Hardy predicted. “And doomed for flag rank after that. But you’ll have to pay your dues first.”

Finally, it was time for Jerry and Emily to head to the airport, which was only a ten-minute ride away. They had a cab waiting outside the restaurant, and they exchanged handshakes and hugs with Hardy and Patterson, who wished them a safe trip back to Hawaii. “I’ll be counting the days, Emily.”

Jerry handed Hardy a letter. It was addressed to the Indian Naval Attaché. “Sir, would you mind putting this in the mail for me?”

“Sure, no problem. What’s this about, if you don’t mind my asking?” Hardy was dying of curiosity.

“It’s a personal letter from me to the commanding officer of INS Chakra, CO to CO. I wrote that I’m willing to call it a draw if he is.”

Hardy burst out laughing and slapped Jerry on the shoulder. “Nicely done, Captain! Nicely done! I’ll drop it in the blue box on our way home. Joanna and I have to pack, we’ll be flying out ourselves tomorrow,” he added. “We’re going to Nova Scotia.”

“Not for the weather, I hope,” Jerry remarked, surprised.

“We’re going to visit a good friend in Halifax,” Hardy said, smiling. “Joanna and I want to say hi and thank him for his help during the crisis.”

A little confused, Jerry asked, “What kind of help?”

“Ever read Bywater’s Blog?” Hardy asked. “It’s very informative. Check it out.”

ABM:Anti-ballistic missile

ACINT:Acoustic Intelligence

ADC:Acoustic device countermeasure

Aegis:A U.S. Navy integrated air-defense system built around the SPY-1 radar fitted on Ticonderoga -class cruisers and Burke -class destroyers. Built by the USA, the Aegis system has now been fitted to ships of the Japanese and Spanish navies.

AOR:Area of responsibility

AIS:Automatic Identification System

ASAP:As soon as possible

ASDS:Advanced SEAL Delivery System

ASEAN:Association of Southeast Asian Nations

ASW:Anti-submarine warfare

ATT:Anti-torpedo torpedo. Small defensive torpedoes designed to home in on another torpedo and destroy it.

APR-2E:Russian-built rocket-propelled anti-submarine torpedo

BMD:Ballistic Missile Defense

B61:U.S. Air Force tactical nuclear bomb

CCP:Chinese Communist Party

CDO:Command duty officer

CIA:Central Intelligence Agency

CIC:Combat Information Center

CJ-10:Chinese long-range land attack cruise missile

CJCS:Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Class:Ships built to the same design are said to be in the same “class,” usually named after the first unit of the class to be built (e.g., USS Arleigh Burke ), or after a design number (e.g., Type 052, Project 956).

CMC:Central Military Commission

CNN:Cable News Network

CNO:Chief of Naval Operations

CO:Commanding officer

COB:Chief of the boat

COMINT:Communications Intelligence

Commo:U.S. Navy slang for communications officer

COMSUBPAC:Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

CPA:Closest point of approach

CSO:Chief staff officer

CT:Cryptologic Technician

Corvette:A warship smaller than a frigate with its weapons and sensors chosen to support a single mission, usually anti-submarine or anti-surface warfare

DARPA:Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DCI:Director of Central Intelligence. The head of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Destroyer:A general-purpose warship designed to screen larger, more vulnerable warships from attack. Destroyers that carry long-range anti-aircraft missiles, capable of protecting a group of ships, are called “guided-missile destroyers.”

DEVRON:Development Squadron

DF-21:Dong-Feng (East Wind) 21, a Chinese medium-range ballistic missile.

DDG:Guided missile destroyer

DEFCON:Defense Condition

DNI:Director of National Intelligence. Head of the U.S. intelligence community.

DoD:Department of Defense

DRDO:Defense Research and Development Organisation

DTRA:Defense Threat Reduction Agency

DWT:Deadweight tonnage

EEZ:Economic exclusion zone

ELINT:Electronics Intelligence

Eng:U.S. Navy slang for engineer

EP-3:A variant of the U.S. Navy P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft fitted to do electronic intelligence reconnaissance

EPRIB:Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon

ESM:Electronic support measures. Electronic receivers that can detect radar transmissions, providing their direction and type.

F-2:A Japanese-designed and -built single-seat, single-engine fighter, looking like a slightly enlarged F-16. It first entered service in 2000.

Frigate:An escort vessel, smaller than a destroyer, with a more limited weapons and sensor suite. It is usually optimized for only one or two missions, e.g., anti-submarine or anti-surface warfare.