A Naval Air Wing in the Med (Scrap Two Carriers – Part 3)

In a previous blog post (see, “ScrapTwo Carriers – Part 1” and “Naval Air Wings, Scrap Two Carriers – Part 2”), I suggested that operating supercarriers had become so expensive that it has left our Navy imbalanced, with too few aircraft and surface combatants. This could be corrected by downsizing to nine carriers, which will probably occur anyway because of the flawed USS Ford program. I suggested this loss could be offset by establishing two shore based overseas Carrier Air Wings (CAW)s; the confusing CVW is the official acronym. These could be called Naval Air Wings (NAW) and absorb Marine Corps aviation assets to support Navy sea control missions from existing American airbases.

 

During a conflict in the Persian Gulf, the US Navy will wisely keep its aircraft carriers out of that Gulf. It would also be wise to keep land-based NAW squadrons out of the region until the smoke clears. The United States has access to several first-class airfields in the region, but basing NAW squadrons in this region makes aircraft and military families vulnerable to surprise missile and commando attacks. The US Navy should establish aerial munitions and fuel bunkers at key airbases, but basing NAW squadrons in the Mediterranean is better. Squadrons in the Med can deploy to Persian Gulf airfields on a regular basis to participate in exercises. During a conflict, they can deploy to the Persian Gulf quickly and choose airfields depending on damage and the tactical and political situation.

 

Another reason not to base NAWs in the Persian Gulf is that region is dominated by the US Air Force with its large headquarters in Qatar commanding several deployed squadrons. A NAW there would become an Air Force CENTCOM supporting component. On the other hand, the Air Force has no fighter squadrons in the Med except two at Aviano in Northern Italy. It has no munitions stockpiled at other bases in the Med, no anti-ship or anti-submarine weaponry, and cannot supply or properly support deployed naval task forces. A final reason to choose the Med is a much friendlier political and cultural environment with quick access to turbulent Africa.

 

The US Navy has several options for basing a NAW in the Med where it already has large airbases. Despite this investment, the US Navy maintains more executive aircraft for Admirals based in the region than combat aircraft. Here is the current laydown:

 

Naval Air Station Sigonella (Sicily)

• Executive Transport Department C-20As
• Air Operations Department C-26As
• P-8As (long-range patrol) on rotational deployment from CONUS

 

Naval Support Activity Naples (Italy) collocated at the Naples civilian airport

• Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron HCS-28 det with two MH-60S
• Air Operations Department C-26As

 

Naval Air Station Rota (Spain)

• Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron HSM-79 det with two MH-60Rs

 

Naval Support Activity (Crete) collocated at a Greek airbase

• None

 

US Air Force airbase Moron, Spain

• USMC VMM squadron with MV-22s via CONUS rotations

 

The Navy/Marine Corps have four options to sustain NAW squadrons in the Med.

 

1. Accompanied tours – These are three-year tours with families that require schools and massive base support complexes. These are popular and allow unit stability, but are costly to support.

 

2. Unaccompanied tours - Personnel are deployed individually for a year leaving families stateside. This works well as a 13-month tour (six months overseas, a month of stateside leave, six months overseas), but the high turnover affects readiness.

 

3. Unit rotation - This is used by the Marines where three units rotate with seven-month deployments for foreign presence. This works well but requires three squadrons to maintain one overseas.

 

4. Foreign detachment – A squadron based stateside rotates personnel to maintain a forward detachment overseas with perhaps four aircraft. Personnel deploy for 3-6 months to the overseas det every couple of years, and the entire squadron deploys overseas every year for a month-long exercise.

 

Here is a notional basing plan for a NAW in the Med:

 

• One Navy Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) Squadron of eleven MH-60R (anti-sub/boat) Seahawks. There are already two aircraft at Rota to support the four destroyers based there and the Navy plans on adding more aircraft. Make this a full squadron perhaps placing a few with their sister MH-60s at Naples.
• One Navy Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Squadron of eight MH-60S Seahawks. Two are already based at Naples so add more or place them with other Navy squadrons in the Med.
• Two Navy Strike Fighter (VFA) Squadrons with 14 FA-18E/Fs each.
• One Navy Electronic Attack (VAQ) Squadron, with five EA-18G Growlers.
• One Navy Carrier Airborne Early Warning (VAW) Squadron with four E-2D Hawkeyes

 

These four squadrons are the core of the NAW striking power and could be based at existing US Navy airfields in the middle of the Med, at NAS Sigonella, NSA Souda Bay, and NSA Naples. These squadrons will be manned via one-year unaccompanied tours. A couple billion dollars and several years may be needed to expand family services to allow some three-year accompanied tours.

 

• One CONUS based Marine VMGR Aerial Refueler Squadron with 15 KC-130Js tasked with support via rotational deployments, so perhaps four will be in theater moving among airfields to support the NAW with more during wartime. Aircraft can deploy for six months bouncing around between airfields.
• One CONUS based Marine Fleet Logistics Support (VMM) Squadron of 12 MV-22 Ospreys tasked with support via rotational deployments, so perhaps three will be in theater to support the NAW with more during wartime. The Marines already maintain a VMM squadron at Moron, Spain near the Med coast to support the Africa Command via rotational deployments among three squadrons. These aircraft should become part of a NAW.
• Two Marine Fighter Attack (VMFA) Squadrons with 16 F-35Bs each. These squadrons would be based stateside and maintain a forward det of four aircraft in the Med region. The entire squadron will deploy for a month-long exercise each year. There are lots of basing options that may change yearly. Maintaining a F-35 det with the Marine VMM squadron at Moron, Spain is simple, or any NAW base in the Med. The Marines have maintained a few fighter aircraft at the American airfield in Djibouti near the strategic Red Sea, so that may be a good location for a squadron/det.

 

Basing NAW aircraft at these locations in the Med will require political approval. This should not be a problem because it adds perhaps only 400 more personnel at each base and more spending in the local community. The US Navy already spends billions of dollars to maintain bases in the Med with over 10,000 personnel, but almost zero airpower exists aboard them! There are other basing options that should be evaluated. The US Air Force has excellent airfields in Romania, Turkey, and Jordan that host aircraft for training exercises. There is also a British airbase on Cyprus and the Italians are buying F-35s so basing with them is possible. Training at these bases and establishing bunkers with naval munitions at these airfields is a good idea.

 

Career sailors will be pleased to serve ashore with a NAW to break from endless shipboard deployments. Improving these bases will cost a few billion dollars, but this will be less than half the cost of a new supercarrier and provide a year around presence at a fraction of the annual operating cost of a supercarrier. Deployed naval task forces will be pleased with the land-based air support available in the region with whom they will train. Additional aircraft from the NAW can be embarked aboard CVNs and LHD/LHAs if needed. Finally, if war erupts in the Persian Gulf, it takes weeks for a second aircraft carrier to arrive in theater, and months for a third to arrive. A NAW from the Med can arrive in a week.

 

Click here for a map of base locations.