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USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, At Sea - The George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) is the U.S. Navy’s only forward deployed CSG tasked with providing a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Integral parts of that mission are the expeditionary and joint assets that augment: force multipliers.
The “Scorpions” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 132, stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, is one of three expeditionary VAQ squadrons flying the Boeing E/A-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, and is currently deployed to the 7th Fleet area of operations (AOR) providing a myriad of advantages to GWCSG’s air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5.
“We were the first expeditionary Growler squadron to fully integrate with a (CSG), and more specifically, to integrate directly into the (CVW) mission sets,” said Cmdr. William McCombs, commanding officer of VAQ-132. “In a variety of ways, we were a force multiplier for the strike group. Not being subject to the carrier’s flight deck cycle, we provided flexibility by flying sorties outside of the air wing’s flight window.”
The Scorpions’ primary mission is electronic attack, but on a macro level, they are working toward the 7th Fleet and GWCSG’s objectives of providing stability to the western Pacific and strengthening partnerships with allies. As a squadron, they are prepared to conduct combat operations at a moment’s notice to deter aggression.
“We perform surface surveillance and coordination missions, adding to the strike group commander’s situational awareness of the battle space,” said McCombs. “By employing from the [shore], we added another dimension to the air wing by giving them options for multiple axis of attack during air wing strikes. We recognize the global importance of this region and the key alliances. This deployment is the Scorps' second to this AOR in the last two years, so we feel like we’re leading the ‘Pacific pivot.'”
The expeditionary aspect of 132 is unique. This capability allows them to deploy and operate on a joint and allied level anywhere in the world; Able to respond at a moment’s notice.
“Airborne electronic attack is a key enabler to the Navy and Joint forces during any contingency operations,” said McCombs. “It gives our forces an edge, especially considering how technically savvy our adversaries are. Through electronic attack, we disrupt the adversary’s kill chain, providing sanctuary for friendly forces to operate. Because of our expeditionary nature, we are very responsive to contingencies, arriving in a matter of hours or days.”
VAQ-132’s integration with CVW-5 brings more Growlers to the fight, allowing the electronic warfare spectrum to be broadened, which in turn makes more space for fighter pilots to complete their mission in a more tactical warfighting scenario.
“From our perspective, it expands our battle space,” said Lt. Michael Bartolf, CVW-5 electronic warfare officer. “(Growlers) hang with the strike package to provide umbrella protection against threats that would impact the success of the strike. Any confusion or deception we can add to the fight in addition to what we have on board is only furthering our chances of success, meaning the less time they have to react to us, the more chance we have for a successful mission.”
Not only does this partnership allow for a more effective strike package, it makes a stage for the carrier based and land-based teams become more comfortable working together.
“Having them come out here to integrate with us is great from a CVW operations perspective,” said Bartolf. “Working with outside assets that are not on the ship exercises our channels of communication, and it makes us step up our game to make sure we are feeding them the information we need to be able to integrate properly.”
This being the second year VAQ-132 has integrated with CVW-5, the success of the mission in regard to electronic warfare can only be amplified with more teamwork and integration.
“The Scorps are the expeditionary (western Pacific) experts,” said McCombs. “We’ve operated around the theater for the past two years, building key relationships and gaining experience. We’re familiar with the environment and know how to operate successfully.”
VAQ-132 can trace its history back to Patrol Squadron (VP) 911, established in 1946. Since then they have been re-designated four times, cycling through five different aircraft. In February 2009, the Scorpions were the first operational squadron to transition to the E/A-18G with flight certification in the summer of 2009.
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2014 20:43 |
| Story ID: | 135679 |
| Location: | USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, AT SEA |
| Web Views: | 219 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Expeditionary squadron adds dimension to forward-deployed carrier strike group, by Trevor Welsh, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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