VAW-77
Encyclopedia
The Nightwolves of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 77 (VAW-77) based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans
, comprise the U.S. Navy's only fully dedicated counter-narcotics squadron. VAW-77's beginnings go back to 1995, when the U.S. Congress created the reserve squadron as a result of the United States escalating war on illegal drug trafficking
. VAW-77 received four specially modified E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft optimized for counter-drug missions. As part of the Navy's post-Cold War role, VAW-77 flight crews patrol the waters of the Caribbean
in joint missions with the United States Coast Guard
and other drug enforcement agencies in search of illegal aircraft and ships.
The officers
and enlisted members of VAW-77 are a mix of Selected Reservists and active Full Time Support (FTS) personnel. Because the squadron is a component of the Naval Reserve, a significant number of its men and women are Selected Reservists. They participate in the squadron's mission on a part-time basis because of their civilian commitments. The aircraft are serviced and maintained by Northrop Grumman
civilian contractors who also deploy with the squadron.
Since commissioning, the Nightwolves have completed a number of sixty-day counter-drug deployments to the Caribbean Theater. VAW-77 deployed primarily to Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico
until the Naval Station ceased active operations in October, 2003 prior to its inactivation on March 31, 2004. VAW-77 continues to operate out of Howard AFB, Panama
; Patrick AFB, Florida
; Comalapa Air Force Base, El Salvador
; Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen
, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
; Manta Air Force Base
located at the Eloy Alfaro International Airport in Manta
, Ecuador
; and Hato International Airport
, Curaçao
, Netherlands Antilles
. Squadron aircraft
have been involved in over 120 high profile arrests and seizures of drug carrying container ships, high-speed watercraft, and light civilian aircraft. In fact, the mere presence of the Nightwolves in the Caribbean has caused drug traffickers to change their tactics in order to avoid detection by VAW-77 aircraft.
In August 2008, VAW-77 moved to its new home of NAS JRB New Orleans, LA in response to BRAC's decision to close Naval Air Station Atlanta.
for their exceptional performance with the Joint Interagency Task Force. The Task Force's teamwork contributed to the interdiction of more than $3 billion of contraband and supported the seizure of 72 metric tons of cocaine
and 4 metric tons of marijuana, the confiscation of 23 vessels and aircraft involved in the movement of illegal drugs.
The squadron’s other awards include a Joint Meritorious Unit Award
, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation, two Battle "E" awards, the Safety "S" and numerous Bravo Zulu's and unit citations.
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans is a base of the United States military located in Belle Chasse, unincorporated Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. NAS JRB New Orleans is home to the 159th Fighter Wing as well as other naval activities...
, comprise the U.S. Navy's only fully dedicated counter-narcotics squadron. VAW-77's beginnings go back to 1995, when the U.S. Congress created the reserve squadron as a result of the United States escalating war on illegal drug trafficking
War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
. VAW-77 received four specially modified E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft optimized for counter-drug missions. As part of the Navy's post-Cold War role, VAW-77 flight crews patrol the waters of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
in joint missions with the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and other drug enforcement agencies in search of illegal aircraft and ships.
The officers
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
and enlisted members of VAW-77 are a mix of Selected Reservists and active Full Time Support (FTS) personnel. Because the squadron is a component of the Naval Reserve, a significant number of its men and women are Selected Reservists. They participate in the squadron's mission on a part-time basis because of their civilian commitments. The aircraft are serviced and maintained by Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
civilian contractors who also deploy with the squadron.
History
On 18 November 1995 Carrier Early Airborne Warning Squadron 77 (VAW-77) was commissioned, as a Reserve Squadron serving with the US Coast Guard and other Federal Agencies to fight the war on drugs, providing sophisticated air surveillance on traffic off the southern coast of the US. VAW-77 "Night Wolves" work in tandem with Coast Guard and other federal law enforcement agencies to combine and coordinate operations of counter-narcotics forces. The E-2C Hawkeye squadron deploys four to five times a year to bases near known drug trafficking routes to help identify suspected drug smugglers. The squadron spends approximately four to five months per year forward deployed to bases near illegal drug traffic lanes.Since commissioning, the Nightwolves have completed a number of sixty-day counter-drug deployments to the Caribbean Theater. VAW-77 deployed primarily to Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
until the Naval Station ceased active operations in October, 2003 prior to its inactivation on March 31, 2004. VAW-77 continues to operate out of Howard AFB, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
; Patrick AFB, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
; Comalapa Air Force Base, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
; Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen
Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen
Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is located at the Rafael Hernandez International Airport , in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The commanding officer is Captain Robert D Phillips....
, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
; Manta Air Force Base
Manta Air Base
Manta Air Base / Eloy Alfaro International Airport is a combination civilian airport and military air base on the outskirts of Manta in the province of Manabí in western continental Ecuador. The airport, also known as Eloy Alfaro Air Base, is named in honor of Eloy Alfaro, a former president of...
located at the Eloy Alfaro International Airport in Manta
Manta
Manta is a mid-sized city in Manabí Province, Ecuador. It is the second most populous city in the province, the fifth most populous in the country and, economically, the third most important city of Ecuador. Manta has existed since Pre-Columbian times. It was a trading post for the Mantas....
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
; and Hato International Airport
Hato International Airport
Hato International Airport or Curaçao International Airport is the airport of Willemstad, Curaçao. It has services to the Caribbean region, South America, North America and Europe...
, Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
. Squadron aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
have been involved in over 120 high profile arrests and seizures of drug carrying container ships, high-speed watercraft, and light civilian aircraft. In fact, the mere presence of the Nightwolves in the Caribbean has caused drug traffickers to change their tactics in order to avoid detection by VAW-77 aircraft.
In August 2008, VAW-77 moved to its new home of NAS JRB New Orleans, LA in response to BRAC's decision to close Naval Air Station Atlanta.
Unit Citations
VAW-77 was awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit AwardJoint Meritorious Unit Award
The Joint Meritorious Unit Award is a military award that was established on June 4, 1981 by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982...
for their exceptional performance with the Joint Interagency Task Force. The Task Force's teamwork contributed to the interdiction of more than $3 billion of contraband and supported the seizure of 72 metric tons of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and 4 metric tons of marijuana, the confiscation of 23 vessels and aircraft involved in the movement of illegal drugs.
The squadron’s other awards include a Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
The Joint Meritorious Unit Award is a military award that was established on June 4, 1981 by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982...
, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation, two Battle "E" awards, the Safety "S" and numerous Bravo Zulu's and unit citations.
See also
- History of the United States NavyHistory of the United States NavyThe history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that was also notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy", the result of a modernization effort that began in the...
- List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons