Funding Cutbacks Leave Fighter Squadron Slated for Shutdown : Military: Closure of the Point Mugu-based unit is planned for Dec. 31. It’s expected to save the Navy reserve $22 million annually.

A recent cruise aboard the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk may be one of the last for a Point Mugu-based Navy reserve fighter squadron unless funding for the unit is restored before the end of the year, officials said.

The squadron, VFA-305, which flies F/A-18 Hornets, has been slated to be shut down Dec. 31 following a recommendation in President Clinton’s federal budget for fiscal year 1995, according to Lt. Cmdr. Bill Yamanaka, a spokesman for the Naval Air Reserve headquarters in New Orleans.

Yamanaka said the unit, with its compliment of more than 100 officers and enlisted crew members, is slated to be decommissioned along with the Navy reserve’s Carrier Air Wing 30, the squadron’s parent group.

“The entire Navy is taking some big-time cuts, not just the naval reserve,” Yamanaka said. “The thinking in Washington was at this point in time we no longer need this air wing and specifically the squadron that you are talking about. Whether we agree with this is not really relevant.”

Yamanaka said that by closing VFA-305, the Navy reserve will save about $22 million annually.

News of the impending closure of the unit--the only fighter squadron currently based at Point Mugu--hit hard with squadron members.

“The Navy is struggling to continue to be able to provide a forward presence with less and less resources,” said Capt. Michael Kellard, commander of Navy reserve units at Point Mugu.

“While the reserve forces cost less to operate, the active forces are ready to go at a moment’s notice. Either way, this is a painful process for us.”

Kellard said that while the Navy is looking for new personnel, the loss of seasoned enlisted crew members and officers, such as those in VFA-305, will be felt.

“The strength of the Naval Air Reserve is in the experience of our officers and crew,” Kellard said. “Obviously, you can’t readily replace experience levels like that.”

For most of the 22 pilots in the squadron--about half of them from Ventura County--the closure of the unit will mark the end of their naval aviation careers.

“We’re dealing with it,” said Barry Rainey, the squadron’s commanding officer. “I have some real mixed emotions about this. As the level of tension in the world comes down, so should the expenses of the Department of Defense. But I also feel that we have a lot to offer because of our experience.”

For Cmdr. Tom Sullivan, the squadron’s executive officer, the unit’s decommissioning is a concept that’s hard to accept.

“It’s very discouraging,” said Sullivan. “I’ve been in the reserves for 10 years. We are a very goal-oriented unit. Because of that, it’s kind of hard to proceed knowing that you don’t have a future.”

Lt. Cmdr. Roger White said he was saddened by the unit’s impending closure.

“I know that what I will miss is the sense of belonging, the sense of camaraderie that you get as a squadron member,” White said. “I’ve enjoyed being a member, in part, because I know that if my country ever needed me I would be able to contribute in a meaningful way.”

Although never ordered into combat in its 24-year history, the unit was called up and deployed in 1990 when it served as a temporary fighter squadron aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

A primary goal of the unit is to provide “adversary” training for fleet fighter squadrons. The pilots of VFA-305 fly their Hornets in such a way as to simulate the aerial tactics of potential Russian or other Eastern European adversaries.

The unit, which has 10 Hornets in its inventory, hosts “Lobo Flag,” annual multi-service war games held over the Mojave Desert.

Navy officials said the squadron’s closure is set to take effect Dec. 31, but decommissioning ceremonies will be held before then.