Greetings from the high desert of northern Nevada. I am very proud of the 500 men and women working at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) and very pleased with the exceptional combat performance of our carrier air wings in deployed operations around the globe. Naval Aviation’s motto of “Fly, Fight, Lead” couldn’t be truer today than it was when Topgun first stood up in March 1969. As many of you know, NSAWC is all about excellence in combat execution, and our programs reflect an agile training venue that is particularly relevant to the Navy’s Carrier Strike Group and Numbered Fleet Commanders. The NSAWC motto, “The Right Weapon, On the Right Target, At the Right Time” clearly captures our strike warfare focus.
NSAWC’s core competency is to train Navy air wings to be highly effective in combat. Our individual, unit-level and air wing training programs continue to evolve in fidelity and relevance to the current fights in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as potential future conflicts. By every measure, our Navy air wings have been getting an A+ in deployed combat operations.
Over the last two years NSAWC has initiated a number of modifications to our many programs. It’s a constantly evolving process that requires the incorporation of new skill sets and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). A static training program that lacks the required agility and relevance in the 21st century just won’t do it. As our carrier strike groups are globally deployable and employable, so must our embarked air wings be ready for anything and everything. Our 60/40 skill set split between major combat operations (MCO) and irregular warfare/counterinsurgency operations (COIN) is reflective of the preparation required to prevail in the 21st century.
If you have not been to Fallon recently, it’s not your daddy’s Fallon Detachment anymore. Air Wing Fallon is much more “Joint” in nature and reflects how we are fighting today and how we will succeed in future conflicts. Included in these enhanced skill sets are special operations forces (SOF) integration, urban close air support, dynamic strike/dynamic targeting, night low altitude strafe, integrated Joint assets such as air and missile defense operations with U.S. Army Patriot units, multiple USAF airborne command and control and reconnaissance systems, unmanned aerial systems and Joint tactical air controller (JTAC) training, rotary wing SOF infiltration/exfiltration, calls for fire, advanced suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), advanced fighter tactics against a robust Integrated Air Defense System (IADS), Red Force fighters equipped with the most advanced electronic attack technology, collateral damage estimate (CDE) work, and Intelligence Officer and Targeting Officer training. The objective, of course, is for the air wing to integrate their organic and non-organic Joint assets in a highly synchronized way to maximize effectiveness in combat. This is unlike anything we did 32 years ago when I first trained at Fallon.
Again, my congratulations to our air wings for their consistently superb performance in combat. Remember when you come to the high desert to fight, bring your weapon systems and come prepared; the camouflaged Viper, Hornet or Seahawk over your shoulder is NSAWC, and we’re targeting you.
Fly, Fight, Lead