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That is incorrect. The USMC and USN both fall under the DoN. The USMC is NOT part of the USN.Also the USMC flies both EA-6Bs and Hornets (yeah, I know, part of the USN, but tell them that!)
mklboy...semantics regarding my intent, but you are correct. The Secretary of the Navy is the boss for both.
With most of the Weasels now being rotated back to the U.S. as part of new President Richard Nixon's Vietnamization plan; only one squadron of Weasels remained in Vietnam in 1972. This was a squadron of the new and improved F-105G. The newly developed F-4C Phantom Weasel soon joined them, and it wasn't long before they were to be tested. In April of 1972, President Nixon ordered unrestricted bombing of North Vietnam resumed, and the Weasels were again called upon to lead the way. Operation Linebacker commenced and the full fury of the USAF was brought to bear against the NVA. The Weasels were simply overwhelmed, with some crews flying up to four missions a day. Then came Linebacker II, which began on December 18, 1972. During this phase the Weasels were designated back to the hunter-killer role.
During Linebacker II USAF B-52 bombers rained unprecedented destruction down on North Vietnam, and the Weasels led the way. Armed with better planes and missiles, the Weasels successfully escorted the huge bombers North allowing them to effectively deliver their payloads. The Linebacker II campaign lasted until the end of December, at which time the North Vietnamese sued for peace. The unrelenting bombing had finally brought them to their knees, and for all intents and purposes the war in Vietnam was over.
The Wild Weasels did not disappear with Vietnam. The USAF developed the F-4G Phantom as a dedicated Weasel platform and equipped it with advanced avionics and missiles. The AGM-88 High Speed Anti-Radiation missile (HARM) is the most advanced Anti-Sam missile ever developed, and it has been highly successful. The F-4G and the Harm missile were widely used in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 to a high degree of success. F-4G Phantoms in true Weasel fashion were the first into Iraq, and they virtually destroyed the entire Iraqi air defense network, allowing coalition air power to pound Iraq into submission. Just as in Vietnam the Weasels proved their worth and paved the way for the next generation of Weasels.
Today the Weasel mission has been delegated to the F-16C Fighting Falcon. Although it is only a single seat fighter, it is no less lethal. Advanced avionics and a lethal weapons payload including the HARM missile, make the F-16C Wild Weasel the most deadly Weasel aircraft to ever take to the skies. The U.S. Navy also has a dedicated Weasel platform in the EA-6 Prowler, which employs jamming pods and HARM missiles to carry out its mission. One Prowler can effectively blind all of Iraq's southern air defenses! Although the aircraft and the technology have changed, the mission of the Wild Weasels has stayed the same, and it is still an integral part of the modern U.S. Air Force.
Conclusion
The story of the Wild Weasels is a story of courage, determination, dedication, and perseverance. Taking on a mission, which seemed impossible, the Weasel pilots and their EWO's accepted their mission and carried it out, despite the odds. The mere fact that these men accepted the mission they were given is a testament to their bravery, and dedication.
Although the first Weasels had limited success, they did succeed in convincing the USAF to implement the Wild Weasel on a regular basis. The Wild Weasel 1 pilots and EWO's were trailblazers in a new era of warfare. From their missions the Air Force learned that the Wild Weasel mission was an integral one, and that a modern Air Force could not successfully carry out its mission without them. Also because of the NVA SAM threat new weapons and tactics were forced into development. Many of the weapons and tactics employed today have origins in the Vietnam era and the original Weasels. Jamming pods, anti-radiation missiles, and dedicated anti-SAM radar avionics all were developed for the original Weasel missions. Vietnam also produced dedicated Weasel aircraft like the F-105 Thunderchief and the F-4 Phantom. The original Weasels also produced a new breed of aviator, one of which the world had never seen before.
The aviators that took to the skies over Vietnam were of a different breed. Men like Col. George Acree and Col. Leo Thorsness. They put the mission above their own safety, and carried out their orders without complaint. Wild Weasel missions were among the most perilous of the war, and Weasel losses were high. Despite the maddening politics that governed the war, and the burgeoning equipment and tactics, the Weasels carried out their mission with a cool professionalism. Because of their dedication, numerous American pilots survived the trip "downtown" into North Vietnam. The credit for the modern day success also belongs to the original Wild Weasels, for it was their trip into the unknown that paved the way for the modern day Wild Weasels to flourish and succeed as they have.