On 4 January , with VA-37 embarked as part of Carrier Air Wing Three, deployed from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia for a seven-month cruise that saw USS "John F. Kennedy" sail to the Arabian Sea via the Mediterranean Sea and Suez Canal. During this time port visits took place in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, and Malaga, Spain. During their time operating in the Arabian Sea, VA-37 and USS "John F. Kennedy" conducted port visits at Perth, Australia and Mombasa, Kenya, before, in June 1982, taking station off the coast of Lebanon after the Israeli invasion. After leaving the area another port visit took place in Toulon, France, before returning home on 14 July 1982.