In early 2002, the HS-14 supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan by deploying a detachment on board USS "Kitty Hawk". During this deployment, "Kitty Hawk" served as a mobile staging base for elite United States Army special operations units. In March 2003, as the situation in Iraq escalated, HS-14 and "Kitty Hawk" received orders to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Chargers were assigned to provide a naval special warfare (NSW) capability to forward operating bases in support of SEAL operations. The squadron also affected the recovery of a CVW-5 strike fighter pilot who was downed in hostile territory.