patrol (CAP) and standing alert duty continuously. On the morning of 17 January 1991, the squadron once again flew into combat when they joined United Nations forces in the air assault on Iraq. VF-14 and VF-32 flew CAP and fighter escort missions for CVW-3 strike and support aircraft throughout Desert Storm operating in Western and Central Iraq initially and then conducting long range barrier CAP missions in eastern Iraq near the Iranian border with other Tomcat squadrons from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf that lasted an unprecedented 7–8 hours. After combat operations ended, John F. Kennedy remained briefly in the Red Sea stopping off the coast of Egypt for a portcall before returning to NAS Oceana after eight months at sea. In December 1991, VF-14 became one of the first squadrons to begin training for the Tomcat's new air-to-ground mission. After low altitude flight training and several strike-related schools, the squadron put their new skills to the test during Air Wing work-ups in Fallon, Nevada. In October 1992, the squadron again headed east for a Mediterranean deployment. Once past the Rock of Gibraltar, VF-14 began flying air superiority and reconnaissance missions in the Adriatic Sea in support of UN policies in the former Yugoslavia. During this deployment, the squadron also participated in several exercises with Egypt, Morocco and Turkey, while continuing to support operations off the coast of the former Yugoslavia and Operation Provide Comfort in Iraq. In 1995, the squadron was the test bed for the Tomcat air-to-ground rockets program. The squadron was awarded the Fighter Fling Banner Blaster award for their superior performance in the air-to-air gunnery arena. In late 1995, the squadron was detached from CVW-3 when the Navy began reducing the number of Tomcat squadrons to carrier air wings from two to one and retaining the TARPS-capable squadrons. As a non-TARPS squadron, VF-14 was originally slated for disestablishment and temporarily assigned to Fighter Wing One at NAS Oceana. The following year saw much uncertainty for many Tomcat squadrons, but a grassroots campaign to continue the lineage of the Navy's oldest squadron was successful in saving the squadron from extinction and the squadron was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 8, which was losing VF-84, with sister squadron VF-41. In January 1996, the squadron once again rejoined John F. Kennedy. In March, the squadron deployed on . In June the squadron took a 40-day cruise aboard