MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan (Feb. 14, 2022) – Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW 5) conducted a change of command ceremony, Feb. 14.
Capt. Brennan Sweeney officially relieved Capt. Adrian Calder as commander, Carrier Air Wing Five.
Capt. Calder took command on Nov. 6, 2020, and led the air wing — commonly called “Team Badman” — through a deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleets. During their time in U.S. 5th Fleet, pilots from the various squadrons of CVW 5 provided air support for U.S. troops, and over 7,000 evacuees, for the largest non-combatant evacuation operation in history in support of Operations Allies Refuge and Freedom Sentinel. While under Calder’s command, CVW 5 participated in numerous trainings and exercises alongside partners from France, Germany, India, Japan, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom; to include multiple multi-carrier operations in the Arabian and Philippine Seas with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 21 and HMS Queen Elizabeth, as well as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH 182) and the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) CSG. He will be retiring following this tour after accumulating over 4,800 military flight hours and over 1,320 carrier-arrested landings.
Capt. Sweeney reported to CVW 5 as the deputy commander in Nov. 2020. Sweeney previously served as the commanding officer of the “Sunliners” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 81. He served at U.S. Northern Command as the homeland defense future operations branch chief and as the executive assistant to the director of operations.
CVW-5 is forward-deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. The air wing embarks aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in support of security and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific region.