VFA-82 to Disestablish

[Fly Navy]

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,usn2_120304.00.html

Any Fleet guys know why?

VFA-82 to Disestablish
By Lt. Perry Solomon
Navy News Service
December 03, 2004

PACIFIC OCEAN - Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 82 received official word in November that they will disestablish at the end of Fiscal Year 2005.

The squadron is currently embarked in USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2.

Aug. 10, the Navy notified Congress of their plan to disestablish VFA-82. Since then, the squadron has continued with business as usual, including accelerating their operational tempo in September to prepare for a surge deployment aboard Lincoln to the Western Pacific. With less than a month's notice, VFA-82 deployed 10 combat ready F/A-18C Hornets, 14 pilots, more than 200 personnel and the requisite support equipment.

The official decision to disestablish the squadron came while Lincoln was pierside in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and VFA-82 personnel were enjoying liberty on the island of Oahu. The Navy message directing the disestablishment of VFA-82 came from Commander, U.S. Naval Air Forces in San Diego. The message directs the squadron to disestablish no later than Sept. 30, 2005.

"The squadron focus for now will remain on the mission of this deployment," said Cmdr. Devon Jones, VFA-82's commanding officer. "After this port visit, we will head west to an area where other countries may look to challenge us. We are ready now and will remain ready at all times to take the fight to them."

The Marauders of VFA-82 anticipate returning home to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., in early 2005. Subsequent to their return, they will begin the gradual process of reallocating their aircraft and personnel to other fleet commands.

 

[STA-21-INTEL]

I just detached from that squadron in August to start STA-21. We had the order then, but no one really knew why. The most popular theory was that because we flew F/A-18C and there are very few "C" models in the fleet of this lot (actually, there are supposedly enough for two squadrons, minus one jet) so they decided to decom us and give the jets to the other "C" squadron (I forget, but I want to say 137, sound right?) in order to field a full squadron and have replacements, parts, etc. As I say, this was just the most popular opinion and I don't know if it really had anything to do with the decom.

I can say that our jets, like most in the fleet right now, were "getting rode hard and put away wet." We had the whole workup cycle in summer 2003, then cruise (USS ENTERPRISE/CVW-1) getting home 29 February 2004, then had the two month "Pulse" then just to rub salt in it, after I left they got short notice to deploy in place of a marine squadron that wasn't cruise-ready and thats why they are on the LINCOLN now. I know its the job, but that just sucks!