Carrier Air Wing One undergoes command change

By Brock Vergakis
The Virginian-Pilot

VIRGINIA BEACH

The Navy’s Carrier Air Wing One has a new commanding officer.

Capt. John E. Perrone relieved Capt. Benjamin L. Hewlett of command during a ceremony at Oceana Naval Air Station on Friday.

Perrone will be responsible for the operation of eight squadrons with more than 65 aircraft and 1,700 personnel as they prepare for a deployment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, according to the Navy.

The air wing’s most recent deployment was aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, where it completed more than 1,800 combat sorties over Iraq and Syria.

Hewlett is retiring from the Navy.

Perrone is a 1993 graduate of the Naval Academy who most recently served as the air wing’s deputy commander.