* The US Navy said it would start releasing emergency funds today to start compensating the households whose property was destroyed in an F/A-18 crash on Friday in Virginia Beach. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt: “about as close as you can get to a miracle.” Video at the bottom of this entry.
* A RAF Chinook had to make an emergency landing in Arizona on Saturday but nobody was injured either.
* The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote a glowing profile of Susie Alderson, an engineer now at the US Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) who promoted the production of MRAPs to protect troops from roadside IEDs.
* Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class Chris Corbin is back up and running after getting his feet blown off on an IED in Afghanistan. We mean it literally. The combination of modern prosthetic limbs and stubborn willpower leads to inspiring accomplishments. Governments will have to make good on their promise to provide these expensive but life-changing devices to veterans not just now but also over the rest of their lives.
* Gaining and Maintaining Access (GMAC): what does it mean and why does it matter?
* Concerns about China are drawing the US and Vietnam closer. CNA looks into it [PDF].
* Spend Matters published a primer [free reg. required] on how to minimize commodity volatility through advanced management and hedging techniques. Among other things they are advising to use price index data because of increased volatility in commodity prices. They also note that the use of futures trading is expanding to the iron ore, steel, and scrap industries.
* The Spanish government, under pressure to get its finances in order, plans to reduce its defense spending primarily by drastically cutting procurement. However, with an overall cut of “only” about 8.5%, the defense ministry is less affected than most others. Infodefensa [in Spanish].