In 1995, Program Budget Decisions 752 and 753 detailed the establishment of 5 EA-6B squadrons to replace the USAF EF-111A Raven in fulfilling the Joint Electronic Attack role. The current VAQ-137 was the third of those five squadrons to be established. The second/current VAQ-137 was established on 1 October 1996 at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. Upon reaching full operational capability, the squadron was assigned to carrier Air Wing One and deployed aboard . During the 1997 deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch, the squadron achieved 91 combat missions, 275 combat hours, 618 flight hours, 230 arrested landings, and a 100% Operation Southern Watch sortie completion rate. In addition, the squadron operated the largest carrier based EA-6B squadron in history; eight aircraft deployed and seven flown back to NAS Whidbey Island. The squadron assimilated 3 additional aircraft, 12 aircrew, and 10 maintenance personnel to meet the increased JCS CONOPS requirements. At the conclusion of the deployment, VAQ-137 was awarded the Commander, Naval Air Forces Atlantic Fleet, Battle Efficiency Award for outstanding performance during 1997 and the semi-annual Safety “S” for the second half of 1997.