Navy Reserve aviation has undergone tremendous change over the past few years. This certainly has been due in no small part to the demands of the War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom, but also to the ongoing pursuit of a force that is as relevant and “joined-in-the-fight” as possible, something the Navy Reserve has always targeted.
Our Selected Reservists, Full Time Support (FTS) personnel, together with our Reserve units, have answered the call without hesitation, and their contributions have helped to bring victory overseas and pride in their service at home. We are working to develop a Reserve aviation sword with as keen an edge as possible, and the change and evolution we see today, even as we maintain a forward warfighting posture, will shape a better force for tomorrow.
Reserve Tactical Aviation and Carrier Aviation
Reserve TacAir has been at the forefront of the War on Terror from the skies at home and the Middle East. VFA-201, based at NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas, in 2003 became the first Navy Reserve squadron to activate and deploy since the Korean War, joining Carrier Air Wing Eight aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) to take its place in history in Iraqi Freedom.
Today, one of the many ways that the vitality of the Navy Reserve is kept strong is through adversary training at NAS Fallon, Nev., and NAS Key West, Fla. Fighter Squadron Composite 13 (VFC-13) is evolving to include a permanent F-5 presence at Key West to provide expanded service and training to fleet squadrons. Leveraging its experience and efficient operations, Navy Reserve adversary training and support will continue to be a crucial asset in preparing crews for deployment.
In other Tailhook communities, the Night Wolves of VAW-77 completed 32 days of counternarcotics operations in El Salvador in support of Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF) South. Flying 65 counternarcotics sorties for a total of 257 operational support hours, VAW-77 successfully completed all assignments with a 99 percent sortie-completion rate. Its efforts led to the seizure of 2.6 metric tons of cocaine with a street value of more than $128 million. VAW-77 crews directed the detection and monitoring of an air event in June in the Caribbean that concluded with the suspect aircraft crashing in Mexico. Nearly 1.4 metric tons of cocaine was recovered at the crash site. The Night Wolves also directed Belizean, Honduran and Guatemalan military authorities in the intercept of a suspicious contact on 4 June 2005 that resulted in the seizure of more than 1.2 metric tons of cocaine.
Finally, VAQ-209 safely brought home all personnel deployed to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, on 8 June following an unprecedented 60-day deployment. The Star Warriors flew 146 sorties over 263 hours in support of U.S. Pacific Command airborne electronic attack tasking.
Fleet Logistics Support
At first glance, one may ask why we discuss Fleet Logistics Support in a magazine about carrier aviation. Commander, Fleet Logistics Support Wing (CFLSW), operating several different types of aircraft, always has played an enormously vital role in the support of our forward forces, including TacAir. But this past May, FLSW achieved an extraordinary milestone as it expanded that role from logistical and materiel support to direct mission support. Training to perform what may become one of its missions eventually, the Condors of VR-64, based at NAS JRB Willow Grove, Pa., conducted the first of several successful aerial refueling evolutions.
Operating off the coast of North Carolina, two VMFA-332 F/A-18 Hornets received nearly 13,000 pounds of fuel from a VR-64 C-130. What is truly remarkable is the fact that less than a year ago the Condors were VP-64, a fleet patrol and reconnaissance squadron flying the P-3C Orion. The Condors are to be commended for their ability to transform rapidly in both mission and platform. This exemplified the efficiency and adaptability crucial to shifting needs as the Navy Reserve adapts to become an even better fighting force. Following this first success, VR-64 completed its qualifications and in June arrived at NAF Atsugi Japan to begin operations as a C-130 squadron in support of U.S. Pacific Command.
From the deserts of Iraq to the homeland and all points in between, Navy Reserve Aviation is as vital and capable as ever, performing critical missions successfully alongside its Active Component counterparts.