Navy Strategic Communications Wing ONE adds new element

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  • By Jacob McGuire, Staff Writer

The U.S. Navy’s Strategic Communications Wing ONE and Task Group 114.2 have a strong presence at Tinker — it just became stronger.

Last week, the wing announced the addition of another element to its “Take Charge and Move Out” mission during a commissioning and assumption of command ceremony at Bldg. 820.

“I’m proud to announce the establishment of the TACAMO Weapons School here at Tinker,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Michael Black, commander of Strategic Communications Wing ONE. “This new command represents a huge step in our [Navy] community.”

During the ceremony, Navy Commander Brian Pennell assumed command of the school.

“I stand truly humbled,” Pennell said.

During his more than 17 years of service, Pennell has accumulated more than 400 combat flight hours and 3,500 mishap-free flight hours in the T-34C, T-1A, T-44A, T-44C, B-737 and E-6B aircraft. He’s a 2002 U.S. Naval Academy graduate.

Retired Capt. Charles Baker, a former Commodore of Strategic Communications Wing ONE and Task Force 124, was the guest speaker at the ceremony. He commended the ongoing efforts from Black and the anticipated efforts from Pennell.

“What an outstanding job [Black] has done,” Baker said. “I have high expectations for Pennell as well.”

According to Black, the early beginnings of the Navy Weapons School program started in 1968, following Operation Rolling Thunder, which saw the loss of about 1,000 aircraft over the course of approximately 1 million sorties.

Then Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Thomas Hinman Moorer ordered Capt. Frank Ault to furnish a report detailing what had gone wrong during the operation.

In Ault’s report, he noted that an “Advanced Fighter Weapons School” needed to be established at Naval Air Station Miramar, California to revive and disseminate community fighter expertise throughout the fleet. Moorer agreed, and the Navy Fighter Weapons School was established on March 3, 1969.

That school, which is under the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), is headquartered today at NAS Fallon, Nevada. Within NAWDC, there is the Navy Fighter TOPGUN School, Airborne Early Warning TOPDOME School, SEAWOLF helicopter weapons school, and the Electronic Attack HAVOC School. The TACAMO Weapons School will now join that mission. 

Along with Pennell, Commander Shane Zimmerman will be the school’s Executive Officer, and Senior Chief Michael Lyons will act as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader. 

The mission statement for the TACAMO Weapons School is to “Provide the highest quality sustained training, education and fleet integration support to the TACAMO community; driving an elevated era of development, growth and productivity.”  The Commander’s Vision is “Credible. Relevant. Ready.”