THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 19, 1995 TAG: 9505190502
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
For the first time since the Vietnam War, a squadron of Naval Reserve warplanes is being activated and sent to the Mediterranean to join military operations over Bosnia.
The deployment is part of the Pentagon's plan to rely more on the ``select reserves'' during the military's downsizing, officials said.
Two EA-6B Prowler jets and about 30 personnel from Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 209, based at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, left Thursday for the Norfolk-based carrier Theodore Roosevelt.
The Roosevelt, currently in the Red Sea, is heading toward the Adriatic Sea off the coast of the former Yugoslavia to assist NATO and United Nations personnel taking part in Operation Deny Flight.
In this instance, the jets will augment an active-duty squadron of four or five Prowlers assigned to the carrier. The reserves will rotate pilots and crews from the U.S. every 30 to 60 days for six months.
The deployment of reserves also is a result of the military's ``right-sizing,'' said Capt. John Kistler, deputy chief of staff for the Naval Reserve Command, headquartered in New Orleans.
While some reserve units were called up during the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations, no reserve tactical jets were needed aboard carriers, Kistler said. The military refers to its ``tactical'' aircraft as those capable of waging combat, such as fighters and bombers.
``Until right-sizing started, we had an air wing for every carrier,'' Kistler said. ``There was always plenty to go around.
``Now, when they need to make up a different configuration for a better scenario like they did for this one, we believe they will be increasing their reliance on reserves to flush out a carrier (air wing) to whatever size they want it to be.''
The next deployment may require more helicopters, for example, he said. A Naval Reserve squadron of H-60 helicopters out of Norfolk was ordered to Haiti last fall for six weeks.
All of the reservists volunteered for the Haiti assignment, Kistler said.
``It is very exciting for them. They have always known they could do the job well and this is another chance to prove it. We didn't have to ask anyone to go. It was all volunteer.''
The Navy Prowlers are four-seat, twin-engine jets equipped with anti-radar missiles that home in on enemy ground radar. The jets also carry pods that contain high-powered electronic jamming equipment that can be used against enemy air defenses.
While the fighting forces in Bosnia have relatively few aircraft: possibly two or more Soviet-built MiGs - land-based mobile missile launchers on the backs of trucks.
The Prowlers can jam electronic signals, including communications and missile commands.
Each jet has a pilot, navigator, electronic warfare operator and missile operator.
A unit of Air Force EF-111 Ravens currently performing similar duties out of Aviano Air Base in Northern Italy is ready to rotate back to the United States.
The Navy Prowlers will take their place, operating primarily from the carrier but out of Aviano during periods of poor weather.
For the first time since the Vietnam War, a squadron of Naval Reserve warplanes is being activated and sent to the Mediterranean to join military operations over Bosnia.
The deployment is part of the Pentagon's plan to rely more on the ``select reserves'' during the military's downsizing, officials said.
Two EA-6B Prowler jets and about 30 personnel from Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 209, based at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, left Thursday for the Norfolk-based carrier Theodore Roosevelt.
The Roosevelt, currently in the Red Sea, is heading toward the Adriatic Sea off the coast of the former Yugoslavia to assist NATO and United Nations personnel taking part in Operation Deny Flight.
In this instance, the jets will augment an active-duty squadron of four or five Prowlers assigned to the carrier. The reserves will rotate pilots and crews from the U.S. every 30 to 60 days for six months.
The deployment of reserves also is a result of the military's ``right-sizing,'' said Capt. John Kistler, deputy chief of staff for the Naval Reserve Command, headquartered in New Orleans.
While some reserve units were called up during the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations, no reserve tactical jets were needed aboard carriers, Kistler said. The military refers to its ``tactical'' aircraft as those capable of waging combat, such as fighters and bombers.
``Until right-sizing started, we had an air wing for every carrier,'' Kistler said. ``There was always plenty to go around.
``Now, when they need to make up a different configuration for a better scenario like they did for this one, we believe they will be increasing their reliance on reserves to flush out a carrier (air wing) to whatever size they want it to be.''
The next deployment may require more helicopters, for example, he said. A Naval Reserve squadron of H-60 helicopters out of Norfolk was ordered to Haiti last fall for six weeks.
All of the reservists volunteered for the Haiti assignment, Kistler said.
``It is very exciting for them. They have always known they could do the job well and this is another chance to prove it. We didn't have to ask anyone to go. It was all volunteer.''
The Navy Prowlers are four-seat, twin-engine jets equipped with anti-radar missiles that home in on enemy ground radar. The jets also carry pods that contain high-powered electronic jamming equipment that can be used against enemy air defenses.
While the fighting forces in Bosnia have relatively few aircraft: possibly two or more Soviet-built MiGs - land-based mobile missile launchers on the backs of trucks.
The Prowlers can jam electronic signals, including communications and missile commands.
Each jet has a pilot, navigator, electronic warfare operator and missile operator.
A unit of Air Force EF-111 Ravens currently performing similar duties out of Aviano Air Base in Northern Italy is ready to rotate back to the United States.
The Navy Prowlers will take their place, operating primarily from the carrier but out of Aviano during periods of poor weather.
KEYWORDS: OPERATION DENY FLIGHT BOSNIA by CNB