Carrier Air Wing 7 sees command change ahead of deployment on USS George H.W. Bush

March 24, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

Leadership of Carrier Air Wing 7 has transitioned as the unit prepares for deployment with Carrier Strike Group 10 (CSG 10).

Capt. Matthew K. Lewis relieved Capt. Martin N. Fentress, Jr., as Commander, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, in an airborne change of command ceremony above the Naval Air Station Oceana airfield and the Striker Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 hangar on March 19, 2026.

Rear Adm. Alexis T. Walker, Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10, presided over the ceremony, and Rear Adm. Forrest Young delivered remarks.

Fentress led nine subordinate commands during his time as CVW-7’s commander.

He assumed major command of CVW-7, commonly called Team Freedom, in September 2024, where he led them through the Operational Fleet Readiness Program (OFRP).

The OFRP included a tailored ship’s training availability (TSTA) detachment, Air Wing Fallon (AWF), Group Sail (GRUSAIL), and Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), in addition to the numerous advanced readiness programs for each of the air wing’s type/model/series of aircraft.

Recently, the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group completed COMPTUEX, the exercise that brought together all elements of a carrier strike group to operate as a cohesive, multi-domain fighting force under realistic conditions through simulated scenarios, live, virtual, and constructive training, and the full integration of squadrons and surface platforms.

USS George H.W. Bush ready to deploy ‘if called upon’, US Navy says

Training & Education

Lewis, the new commander of CVW-7, is a native of Cohasset, Massachusetts, graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2002, and earned his “Wings of Gold” in Kingsville, Texas, in 2004.

He also expressed certainty in CVW-7’s readiness for its upcoming deployment with CSG-10.

“I’m confident when I say we are ready for what’s to come, in whatever AOR we find ourselves operating in,” said Lewis.

A carrier air wing’s mission is to conduct carrier warfare operations and assist in the planning, control, coordination, and integration of air wing squadrons in support of carrier air warfare.

CSG-10 is currently composed of CVW-7, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87), multiple destroyers from Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22, and its flagship, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).