ABOVE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE –
ABOVE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE- Patrol Squadron (VP) 4 recently concluded maritime operations in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans on, Jan 11, 2020.
For almost 80 days, the “Skinny Dragons” conducted Anti-Submarine Warfare missions aboard their fleet of P-8A Poseidon jets, the nation’s only long-range anti-submarine warfare aircraft, from partner nation air bases in Portugal, Iceland, and Norway. These missions reinforced commitments to defend the U.S. and allies, deter aggression, and strengthen the NATO alliance.
“Every time we fly, we train for the high end fight”, said Cmdr. Wayne Lewis, commanding officer of VP-4. “Our missions are like a long hunt, rising in early morning hours, often in dark corners of world in harsh conditions where the plight of vulnerable nations teeters on the edge between democracy and chaos. Our crews are patient, deliberate and highly trained to find, track and when directed, deliver weapons and deter aggression. Day in and day out, we study every signal, every muscle twitch because we know that in the chaos of combat, we never rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training. We tirelessly expend effort to ensure that every mission adds value to our core competency of delivering lethality on the high seas.”
Added Lewis, “We want our adversaries to know that, with our NATO allies, we can hold them at risk anywhere in the world, at any time. In so doing, we help preserve world order and the future of freedom loving democracies.”
VP-4 is currently forward deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations and is assigned to Commander Task Force 67, responsible for tactical control of deployed maritime patrol and reconnaissance squadrons throughout Europe and Africa.
“The Skinny Dragons of VP-4 have led numerous successful operations, setting the global standard for ASW excellence”, said Capt. Bill Pennington, Commodore of Task Force 67. “They consistently demonstrate the competitive team spirit necessary to dominate and win anywhere in the European theater.”