Carrier Air Wing Twenty

Subordinate units

TSW consists of 7 Squadrons

The designation of a Carrier Air Group as CAG-20 dates back to World War II, when it was comprised of three squadrons operating in the Pacific. This Air Wing served valiantly and was decommissioned at the end of the war . The designation lay dormant until the commissioning of Carrier Air Wing Reserve Twenty in 1970. Even though the original CAG-20 served an active role during war time, its history continues as it follows a long list of units that were eventually redesignated to serve a reserve function.

Commanded by Capt. F. Clay Fearnow, the present CVWR-20 is comprised of eight tactical squadrons located in six states. The Staff Headquarters are now at NAS Atlanta, Marietta, GA, having moved from NAS Cecil Field, FL in September 1996 in accord with the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). The Air Wing consists of over 1900 active duty and Selected Reservists, with an organizational structure mirrors that of active fleet air wings, with the exception of an S-3 squadron. The eight squadrons and locations are as follows: VFC-12 at NAS Oceana, VA, VFA-201 at NAS JRB Fort Worth, TX, VFA-203 at NAS Atlanta, GA, and VFA-204 at NAS JRB New Orleans, LA, all flying the F/A-18A Hornet; VAW-77 at NAS Atlanta, GA and VAW-78 at NAS Norfolk, VA, each flying the E-2C Hawkeye; VFC-13 flying the F-5 Tiger from NAS Fallon, NV; and VAQ-209 at NAF Washington, D.C., flying the EA-6B Prowler.

CVWR-20 was commissioned 1 April 1970 at NAS Jacksonville, Florida, (later relocating to NAS Cecil Field in 1979) under the command of CDR R. E. Holt. The stand-up of the Air Wing resulted from a major reorganization and restructuring of the Naval Air Reserve which moved Naval Air Reserve assets from under the command of the Chief of Naval Education and Training and placed them under an operational force commander. This action was taken in an effort to duplicate the organization and manning levels of Fleet Squadrons. This reorganization also established CVWR-30, and CVSGR-70 and 80 (Anti-Submarine Warfare Groups); CVWR-20 would eventually gain squadrons and personnel from each wing in later reorganizations and disestablishments. The new plan was put to the test early as CVWR-20 deployed to USS JOHN F KENNEDY (CV-67) in August 1971 for its first full Air Wing Annual Training. This was the first time a tactical reserve air wing would deploy to a carrier to conduct Carrier Qualifications (CQ) and Cyclic Operations (CYCLIC OPS), and undergo an Operational Readiness Evaluation (ORE). The success of the AT at sea would not be the last, as exemplified by CVWR-20's most recent deployment to USS NIMITZ in September-November 2001.

The Seventies and Eighties continued to offer challenges for CVWR-20, enabling the Air Wing to conduct operations on the carrier as well as numerous weapons detachments at NAS Fallon, NAF El Centro, NAS Key West, and other Navy and Air Force installations. During this time CVWR-20 operated from virtually every carrier deck in the Navy inventory, including cyclic operations aboard USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV-67) in 1971, 1998 and 2000, USS INDEPENDENCE (CV-62) in 1978, USS LEXINGTON (AVT-16) in 1981, USS CARL VINSON (CVN-70) in 1982, USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69) in 1984, 1985, 1989, USS FORRESTAL (CV-59) in 1987, and USS JOHN C STENNIS (CVN-74), in 1996. Additionally, overseas operations have been conducted in Bermuda, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany Iceland, Italy, Norway, Panama, Saudia Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Venezuela to advance air wing tactics, readiness and fleet support. The Air Wing also conducted myriad special weapons deployments, providing vital training for aircrew and maintenance personnel.

During its history, CVWR-20 aircrew have flown almost every tactical jet aircraft in the Navy's inventory. Fighter squadrons started with the F-8H/I/K Crusader, moved to the F-4 Phantom, then F-14A Tomcats, and now FA-18 Hornets. Light Attack squadrons have flown A-4L Skyhawks, A-7B and E Corsair II's, before the transition to the F/A-18 and the Fighter/Attack role. In the Airborne Early Warning role, early squadrons utilized the E-1B Tracer, before the transition to the E-2B and finally the E-2C Hawkeye. The Air Wing has also used A-6E Intruders for medium attack, EA-6A Electric Intruders and EKA-3B Skywarriors for Airborne Electronic Counter Measures and later Aerial Refueling, and RF-8G's for Photo Reconnaissance.

As the military drawdown continued after Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the Naval Air Reserve had to take on more of the active fleet's duties. With the decommissioning of adversary squadrons in 1993 and 1994, and the subsequent disestablishment of CVWR-30 in September 1994, CVWR-20 began to take on the role of providing contributory support to the Fleet as the Navy's sole reserve TACAIR air wing. The majority of this support came in the form of providing adversary aircraft for fleet squadrons to simulate a real world threat.

Recent operations have seen the Air Wing participate in a multitude of fleet contributory support and training operations. VFA and VFC squadrons provide adversary support for Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program (SFARP) and Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) training, flying as far as Guam to provide adversary support to the fleet. When USS JOHN F. KENNEDY was the Naval Reserve Force's designated aircraft carrier in the mid-1990s, CVWR-20 regularly trained with it. During a two-week Annual Training period in 1998 on board CVN-67, CVWR-20 expended 533,935 pounds of ordnance in strike training conducted at Vieques, Puerto Rico. In 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, VAQ-209 saw action in Operation ALLIED FORCE, Operation NORTHERN WATCH, and Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. Countless counterdrug operations were accomplished by VAW-78, while VAW-77, formed in 1996, provides over 150 days a year of counternarcotics support. CVWR-20 provided one pilot, four NFOs and 21 maintenance personnel for SURGEX on USS NIMITZ in July 1997. In 2000, VFC-12 flew with the MiG-29 Fulcrums and F-4 Phantoms of JagdStaffel-29 at Laage, Germany. They renewed this relationship with a week of ACM at Nellis AFB in August, 2002 In the weeks following the 11 September, 2001, attacks, VFA-201 protected US airspace under NOBLE EAGLE, and CVWR-20 made the longest underway period in its history, riding USS NIMITZ from 21 September to 13 November with VAW-78, VFA-204, HS-75, VRC-30, VS-22 and HC-11, engaging in exercises with Brazil, Chile and Peru, including dropping live ordnance on Peruvian ranges. When Operation Enduring Freedom called, VFA-201 was mobilized in October, 2002, and assigned to CVW-8 to deploy on the USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2003. Unprecedented in CVWR-20's 32-year history, VFA-201 would conduct the first carrier deployment by a reserve squadron since the Korean War.

CVWR-20 squadrons have distinguished themselves in their thirty year history. The staff and squadrons participate in a constantly changing training and readiness environment to ensure that current fleet tactical refinements are effectively incorporated into air wing training objectives. In this aspect of the "Total Force" concept, CVWR-20 is able to provide a cost effective measure of military preparedness in the overall plan for security and defense of vital national interests, while providing daily support of active forces. In conjunction with the Naval Air Reserve modernization program, CVWR-20 provides the flexibility to immediately integrate and operate with the regular operating forces.

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