Carrier Air Wing 5 to Arrive on Guam

By Joint Region Marianas Public Affairs Office
Posted: March 21, 2011

SANTA RITA, Guam - Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 have been arriving at Anderson Air Force Base since March 17 as part of the Navy’s force posture adjustment for Operation Tomodachi.
 

ATSUGI, Japan (March 20, 2011) - A Marine watches as an CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Okinawa, Japan, prepares to take off from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan with a load of humanitarian relief supplies. The supplies will be airlifted to areas in Japan affected by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Residents of Naval Air Station Atsugi have donated more than 8,000 pounds of supplies since the earthquake in support of Operation Tomodachi. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jonathan Kulp) | Download

Operation Tomodachi is an U.S. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HA/DR) operations in support of the Government of Japan.

CVW-5 is forward-deployed to Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, Japan and is part of the George Washington Carrier Strike Group. Air wing squadrons are flying out of NAF Atsugi to provide ramp space for other aircraft needed to support relief efforts.

“I humbly and respectfully thank the wonderful people of Guam for welcoming us to their island,” said Rear Adm. Dan Cloyd, strike group five commander. “Your truly inspiring Hafa Adai spirit is appreciated more than mere words can ever convey.”

The air wing’s SH-60 Seahawk helicopters and C-2 Greyhound aircraft will remain in Japan supporting HA/DR missions; F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-6B Prowler and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft will temporarily relocate to Guam, where they will be ready to respond to support operations and contingencies throughout the Western Pacific region.