Training Air Wing 2 Changes Leadership

Photo By Rod Hafemeister | Capt. Brett ‘Ned’ Lassen (right) requests permission to ‘go ashore’ from Chief of Naval Air Training Rear Adm. Robert Westendorff after Lassen relinquished command of Training Air Wing 2 to Capt. Raymond ‘Pancho’ Barnes in a July 30 ceremony at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas. Lassen had commanded the wing since June 2019.  

KINGSVILLE, TEXAS, UNITED STATES

07.30.2021

Courtesy Story

Chief of Naval Air Training

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Training Air Wing (TW) 2 held a change of command ceremony July 30 at the Officers Club aboard Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas.
Capt. Raymond “Pancho” Barnes relieved Capt. Brett “Ned” Lassen as TW-2 commodore.
“It has been an absolute honor to spend my last tour here preparing new strike aviators for the rigors of the fleet,” Lassen said. “I look around I see some incredible men and women embarking on their aviation journeys and others who have returned for an instructor tour. You are the future of Naval Aviation. You are my relief and because of you, I am confident the future is bright. As I pass the reins to Capt. Barnes I know he will continue to lead the Wing to produce the world’s finest naval aviators.”
Chief of Naval Air Training Rear Adm. Robert Westendorff served as the guest speaker during the event and presented Lassen with the Legion of Merit for his exceptionally meritorious conduct while serving as commodore. His efforts resulted in the safe completion of 21 detachments, more than 60,000 flights, and the qualification of 262 new naval aviators for the Navy and Marine Corps.
“Ned, the work you have done here has already had a huge impact on the fleet,” Westendorff said. “You and your team implemented new technology that is helping us produce more capable newly winged aviators than ever before. The Great Power Competition is upon us and we must be ready to fight. You have ensured that the best and brightest naval aviators are ready to win when they are called upon. Thanks to you and your family as you wrap up a great tour here.”
Lassen will retire following 25 years of naval service that started with his graduation from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1996. Lassen has completed more than 2,900 flight hours with 2,300 hours in the F/A-18A-F Hornet and 565 carrier-arrested landings.
Barnes is a native of Gorham, Maine, and was commissioned in 1998 at Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida. Designated a naval aviator in 2000, he previously commanded the “Golden Warriors” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87 and most recently served at the Naval Postgraduate School as the military associate dean for the Graduate School of Defense Management and director of the university’s COVID-19 Task Force.
“What a privilege to have the opportunity to lead Training Air Wing 2,” Barnes said. “The young men and women who train with us will soon be deployed across the globe, so the skills they learn here are critical to the future security of our nation and our allies. I’m confident that the dedicated military, civilian and industry partner team assembled here in Kingsville is ready to prepare the next generation of the world’s finest naval aviators for success in the fleet.”
Training Air Wing 2 provides strike and E-2/C-2 training to student naval aviators with the “Fighting Redhawks” of Training Squadron (VT) 21 and the “Golden Eagles” of VT-22. More than 120 Navy and Marine Corps instructor pilots make up the two squadrons and award Wings of Gold to more than 130 naval aviators each year.

• Date Taken: 07.30.2021
• Date Posted: 08.02.2021 17:39
• Story ID: 402266
• Location: KINGSVILLE, TEXAS, US