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CAG punished for Venezuelan incident

The commander of an air wing has been reprimanded for an incident in May when he flew an S-3B Viking into Venezuelan airspace and sparked a diplomatic row between U.S. and the oil-rich South American country.

Capt. James Paulsen, commander of Carrier Air Wing 1, received a punitive letter of reprimand Friday from Fleet Forces Command chief Adm. Jonathan Greenert.

Paulsen remains in command of the wing, which is based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.

Paulsen flew the Viking, a surveillance and precision-targeting aircraft, into Venezuelan airspace May 17. He flew over La Orchilla, a Caribbean island with a Venezuelan military base. The Viking was from Sea Control Squadron 32 in Jacksonville, Fla.; before its disestablishment this month, VS 32 was part of Carrier Air Wing 1. The S-3B was operating under Joint Interagecy Task Force South that day.

State Department officials said at the time that he was conducting a counternarcotics mission in international airspace and made a navigation error.

Paulsen made contact with the Venezuelan radio tower and told them he was returning immediately to international airspace, State Department officials said in May.

Venezuelan officials denounced the intrusion and summoned the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela to explain the incident.

The Judge Advocate General Manual investigation of the incident is ongoing, and officials may take further disciplinary action, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

Paulsen took over command of the wing in January after serving as the wing’s deputy commander. He received his wings in 1985 and has flown more than 4,600 flight hours.

Tension was already high between the U.S. and Venezuela for several reasons, including President Hugo Chavez’s fiery anti-American rhetoric, Venezuela’s alleged support for a guerrilla movement in Colombia, and talk in Washington that the Bush administration was going to add Venezuela to the official list of states that sponsor terrorism.