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| Carrier Logistics Support Squadron 40 | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | CLS-40 |
| Dates | Active |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | Aviation logistics |
| Role | Carrier onboard delivery |
| Size | Squadron |
| Garrison | Naval Air Station North Island |
Carrier Logistics Support Squadron 40
Carrier Logistics Support Squadron 40 is a United States Navy aviation logistics squadron that performs carrier onboard delivery missions for United States Pacific Fleet, United States Fleet Forces Command, and forward-deployed units. The squadron provides personnel transport, cargo movement, and logistics sustainment between shore bases, aircraft carriers, and expeditionary units using fixed-wing transport aircraft. Its activities intersect with naval aviation logistics, expeditionary warfare sustainment, and theater resupply operations supporting operations such as Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and humanitarian assistance missions.
The squadron traces its lineage to specialized naval air transport units developed during the late 20th century to support carrier air wings and fleet logistics needs centered in San Diego, California, Naval Base San Diego, and Naval Air Station North Island. During the 1990s and 2000s, evolving requirements from Carrier Air Wing operations, NATO exercises, and Pacific theater contingency plans led to reorganization and designation changes aligning with broader logistics concepts championed by Chief of Naval Operations guidance. The unit has supported multinational exercises including RIMPAC and contingency deployments tied to crisis responses in the Western Pacific and Middle East, collaborating with commands such as U.S. Third Fleet and U.S. Seventh Fleet.
The squadron's primary mission is carrier onboard delivery (COD), providing rapid transfer of mail, cargo, high-priority personnel, and organs for medical evacuation between shore installations and deployed aircraft carriers. In executing COD, the squadron supports carrier strike groups led by ships like USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), and allied platforms during multinational operations with partners such as Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Navy. Secondary roles include aeromedical evacuation coordination with Naval Hospital facilities, logistics augmentation for naval aviation maintenance cycles, and surge transport support for operations similar to Operation Tomodachi and disaster relief after events like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Organizationally, the squadron is structured with command, operations, maintenance, safety, and logistics departments, integrating aviators, enlisted aircrew, maintenance technicians, and supply specialists. Leadership typically comprises a commanding officer with previous carrier aviation experience and executive staff coordinated with shore-based logistics planners at Commander, Naval Air Forces. Personnel assignments draw from training pipelines that include Naval Aircrew Candidate School, Naval Aviation Schools Command syllabi, and fleet replacement squadrons accredited by Naval Air Training Command. The squadron often embeds liaison officers with carrier strike group staffs and allocates enlisted ratings such as aviation structural mechanic, aviation electrician's mate, and logistics specialist drawn from Navy Personnel Command inventories.
Historically, the squadron has operated the Grumman C-2 Greyhound as its primary COD platform, a twin-engine, high-wing logistics aircraft designed for carrier operations and connected with manufacturers such as Northrop Grumman. In support roles, the squadron coordinates with rotary assets like the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk and transport types including the C-130 Hercules operated by Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron units during joint operations. Ground support equipment includes carrier integration systems, avionics test sets aligned with Naval Air Systems Command standards, and specialized cargo handling gear compliant with Joint Publication 4-01 doctrinal logistics procedures. Maintenance practices adhere to technical directives issued by Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific and are audited under Naval Aviation maintenance management frameworks.
Operational deployments encompass attach periods to carrier strike groups during pre-deployment workups, at-sea replenishment missions, and theater logistics rotations in support of operations in the Western Pacific, Arabian Gulf, and Indian Ocean. The squadron has flown missions in support of multinational exercises such as Malabar (naval exercise) and contingency operations during responses to regional crises involving partners like Republic of Korea Navy and Philippine Navy. Humanitarian and disaster relief tasks have included partnership with United States Agency for International Development coordination nodes and joint task forces during relief efforts following typhoons and earthquakes in the Indo-Pacific.
The squadron's performance has been recognized through unit commendations and safety awards commonly issued by naval authorities, including citations related to meritorious unit performance during carrier deployments and contingency operations. Individual aircrew and enlisted personnel have received awards such as Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Meritorious Service Medal for operational excellence, rapid logistics execution, and lifesaving aeromedical evacuations conducted under arduous conditions.
Notable incidents involving carrier logistics operations have included in-flight contingencies, emergency landings, and at-sea carrier deck recoveries that required coordination with carrier flight deck crews and Naval Aviation Safety Program investigators. Accident investigations often involved boards convened under Naval Safety Center oversight and led to procedural changes in cargo manifesting, weight-and-balance calculations, and crew training curricula administered by Naval Air Training and Education Command. Lessons learned from these events have been disseminated across COD units to improve operational safety and mission reliability.
Category:United States Navy aviation squadrons Category:Carrier onboard delivery