Tactical Support Wing The Tactical Support Wing ( TSW ) is a United States Navy reserve Tactical air wing based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth . " Commander , Tactical Support Wing ( TSW ) " has become the new designation of the former " Reserve Carrier Air Wing 20 ( CVWR - 20 ) " . This change occurred on 1 April 2007 and was executed in accordance with the U . S . Navy ' s Active - Reserve Integration ( ARI ) plan . The wing comprises six squadrons and four Squadron Augment Units ( SAU ) located in seven different states whose primary mission is operational and training support for active forces . The air wing is the only Tactical Reserve Air Wing in the world today and is an integral part of the Navy ' s Tactical Training . With the disestablishment of the West Coast reserve air wing ( CVWR - 30 ) , TSW is now the heart of tactical aviation in the U . S . Naval Air Reserve . Mission . To provide support to all active forces and assist in training services , exercise support , counter narcotic operations , fleet contributory support , and preparation to deploy to any protracted conflict and operate as an integrated air wing . In addition the wing is responsible for maintaining a pre - determined crisis response posture in the event of a national crisis . Subordinate units . The Tactical Support Wing consists of six squadrons : History . TSW / CVWR - 20 squadrons have operated from virtually every carrier deck in the Navy ' s inventory , including cyclic operations aboard USS John F . Kennedy ( CV - 67 ) in 1971 , 1996 ; USS Independence ( CV - 62 ) in 1978 ; USS Lexington ( AVT - 16 ) in 1981 ; USS Carl Vinson ( CVN - 70 ) in 1982 ; USS Dwight D . Eisenhower ( CVN - 69 ) in 1984 , 1985 , 1989 ; and USS Forrestal ( CV - 59 ) in 1987 . The air wing embarked aboard the USS John C . Stennis ( CVN - 74 ) in June 1996 to conduct cyclic operations on the Navy ' s newest aircraft carrier . Regular operation deployments have been conducted at the Naval Strike Warfare Center in Fallon , Nevada , as well as numerous detachments to other Navy and Air Force installations . Additionally , overseas operations have been conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Bermuda , Brazil , Denmark , France , Hawaii , Iceland , Italy , Norway , Panama , Turkey , the United Kingdom and Venezuela to advance air wing tactics , readiness and fleet support . In February 1996 , the Naval Reserve reestablished Squadron Augment Units ( SAUs ) to help ensure an adequate supply of Fleet Reserve Squadron ( FRS ) pilots . This action enhanced fleet mobilization readiness and increases pilot training throughput with minimal cost growth . The SAUs established to support VFA - 106 and VFA - 125 consisted of 10 SELRES pilots , 2 TAR pilots , 25 TAR enlisted members , and 35 SELRES enlisted members per squadron . The two Reserve Carrier Air Wings , CVWR - 20 and CVWR - 30 , were established on 1 April 1970 followed by two carrier ASW group [ CVSGR - 70 and CVSGR - 80 ] on 1 May 1968 . This was a continuation of a program initiated in July 1968 to give Naval Air Reserve squadrons an improved combat readiness and mirror active duty squadrons and carrier air wings . In 1996 , CVWR - 20 and its squadrons , VF - 201 , VFA - 203 , VFA - 204 , VAQ - 209 , VAW - 78 and HC - 85 , completed their much needed two week annual training aboard USS John C . Stennis ( CVN - 74 ) . This was determined as " much needed " because CVWR - 20 had not operated together as a carrier air wing aboard and around an aircraft carrier since 1989 . In the following two years , Naval Reservists of Carrier Air Wing Reserve 20 ( CVWR - 20 ) worked on the flight decks of multiple carriers . Some CVWR - 20 aviators landed on the deck of every aircraft carrier on active duty today . But even this seasoned Wing and its Sailors broke new ground in April 1998 when they embarked on USS KITTY HAWK ( CV - 63 ) for the ship ’ s flight deck certification . Approximately 240 pilots , air crew and maintenance people from CVWR - 20 embarked KITTY HAWK off the coast of Southern California for a busy 10 - day underway period that included flight deck certification , Command Assessment for Readiness and Training II , Precision Aircraft Landing certification and an Afloat Training Group visit . The wing and its detachment of seven F - 14 Tomcats , two EA - 6B Prowlers and one E - 2 Hawkeye completed over 150 traps . This was the first flight deck certification Air Wing 20 has been involved in . In addition to a busy schedule , a large part of Kitty Hawk ’ s Air Department had never conducted flight operations at sea . But the mission was accomplished in a very short time frame . In the summer of 1998 CVWR - 20 completed a one - month deployment to Incirlik , Turkey in support of Operation Deny Flight . In May 2000 sailors of Carrier Air Wing Reserve TWENTY ( CVWR - 20 ) operated aboard USS John F . Kennedy ( CV - 67 ) for two weeks , supporting a series of tests evaluating the Cooperative Engagement Capability ( CEC ) system . CVWR - 20 launched sorties in support of the evaluation and took advantage of the underway period to sharpen war fighting skills and achieve important qualifications as well . This detachment was especially important to VFA - 201 because it was their first at - sea period since they transitioned to the F / A - 18 Hornet . Several pilots qualified in carrier operations for the first time in the Hornet , making arrested landings with an impressive boarding rate . VFA - 201 also fired their first air - to - air missiles from the Hornet , launching three AIM - 9 Sidewinder heat - seeking missiles and two AIM - 7 Sparrow radar - guided missiles in a variety of profiles at a number of different targets . In another first for CVWR - 20 , five Marine Corps Reserve Hornets from VMFA - 142 joined them for CQ , qualifying all five pilots . Three of the Hornets then flew to NAVSTA Roosevelt Roads where they flew Orange Air missions in support of CEC . Current operations . Commander , Tactical Support Wing , located at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth , TX , has operational and administrative control of the Air Wing . CVWR - 20 consists of more than 1 , 900 active duty and Selected Reservists ( SELRES ) . The SELRES represent a unique personnel asset as a civilian / sailor who performs one drill weekend each month and up to twelve days of active duty each year . The squadron ' s active duty FTS ( Full Time Support ) cadre is jointly responsible for SELRES training and the maintenance of unit readiness required for crisis response . In today ’ s smaller Navy , Reservists are performing more duties once filled by active duty units . While Reservists are obligated to drill a minimum of two days per month and incur a two - week Annual Training session , Sailors in TSW far exceed that , averaging seven to 10 days a month , or about 100 days a year . The organization structure of TSW mirrors that of active fleet carrier air wings , with the exception of a F / A - 18E Super Hornet squadron , an F / A - 18F Super Hornet squadron , and an SH - 60F / HH - 60H squadron . Two TSW squadrons are also equipped with land - based , non - carrier capable , F - 5F / N aircraft The air wing is capable of immediate mobilization when directed to meet commitments required by higher authority . VMFA - 142 ( Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 142 ) was previously designated as the U . S . Marine Corps Reserve component of this reserve carrier air wing , supplementing the three existing VFA squadrons . The wing conducted USMC Integration with the VMFA - 142 " Flying Gators " every other year until July 2008 , when the squadron was placed in " cadre " status pursuant to BRAC action which closed its home station of NAS Atlanta at Dobbins ARB , Georgia and pending VMFA - 142 ' s transition to the F - 35B Lightning II . It has yet to be determined if the Marine Corps ' sole remaining Reserve F / A - 18 squadron , VMFA - 112 , will assume VMFA - 142 ' s previous role with respect to TSW . Following the inactivation of Helicopter Wing Reserve ( HELWINGRES ) at NAS North Island , California , HS - 75 at NAS Jacksonville , Florida also previously chopped to TSW in a Mobilization status , as it also had done with CVWR - 20 , and provided the flexibility to immediately integrate and operate with Regular Navy counterparts with its SH - 60F and HH - 60 Seahawk aircraft . HS - 75 was inactivated March 2007 and its assets redistributed to Regular Navy HS squadrons . References . 2 . http : / / www . tailhook . org / Wi06 _ Lemmons . htm Tailhook Association - The Hook Magazine Winter 06 . Retrieved on 6 February 2007 .